Elizabeth Lim on Six Crimson Cranes, Asian fairytale retellings, and more

Sic Crimson Cranes is the latest novel by Elizabeth Lim, author of the popular The Blood of Stars duology. A beautifully written fantasy that effortlessly incorporates East Asian legends and folklore, this is a book that definitely stands out from the other YA titles hitting shelves this summer. Much like her earlier novels, it features a headstrong heroine, a dash of magic, and surprises on every other page.

The story is loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Wild Swans” but Lim fashions the basics of the tale into something that feels fresh and exciting, a story of identity, family, and the power of finding your own voice (even if you can’t use your physical one).

Plus, there are dragons, curses, and a sassy talking paper bird. What more could you possibly want?

Culturess interview: Elizabeth Lim on Six Crimson Cranes

Culturess got the chance to chat with Lim about Six Crimson Cranes, the surprising way this novel connects to her previous books, her recommendations for other Asian-inspired fantasies, and lots more.

Warning: There are some mild spoilers for Six Crimson Cranes below. 

Culturess: Six Crimson Cranes is a novel that’s loosely based on The Wild Swans – what is about this story that spoke to you and made you want to include it in your story?

Elizabeth Lim:  I’ve always loved The Wild Swans because unlike in many other fairytales, the princess is a hero in her own right. She doesn’t need a kiss from a prince to break her curse and doesn’t rely on anyone other than herself. It’s her choice to undergo the many trials required to save her brothers and free them from their stepmother’s curse, and I’ve always loved how the fairytale stresses the value of family and sibling bonds.

I grew up with many versions of The Wild Swans– I had a Japanese as well as Russian cartoon based on fairytale as well as various picture books, and it quickly became one of my favorites. I knew I wanted to weave East Asian folklore with the story, and changing the swans to cranes was just a first step. I also wanted to explore the stepmother character – in the fairytale there isn’t usually much reason for her to turn the princes into swans (sometimes, jealousy that the king is spending so much time with his children is given as a reason) and she disappears for the rest of the story, so I wanted to delve more deeply into her character.

Culturess:  All of your books are so effortlessly fused with Asian history and culture – from food to folklore and art – and that’s something that feels even more important than ever right now. Tell me a little bit about you incorporate these pieces of your heritage into your work and how it influences your stories. 

Lim: Honestly, I don’t plan too much of my worldbuilding before I write. I think I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a relatively traditional Chinese household, and my grandmother and father made it a point to tell me plenty of stories and legends when I was a child, and my mother did her best to instill a love for our culture. Of course, having grown up mostly in the United States, I had my moments of trying to reject my heritage to “fit in” with the rest of the kids at school, but that phase has long since passed!

In college, I did a minor in East Asian Studies and was a very serious musician (I majored in music and went on to do my doctorate in music as well). I spent a lot of time in college studying traditional music from East Asia (primarily Chinese and Japanese instruments), which I think deepened my interest as well as appreciation for Asian art and culture, and also helped me hone my own artistic voice. Even though I’m no longer a composer, that period was essential to my development as a creative, and truly helped me imbue my heritage into the stories I write today.

As for food, I adore eating it, and I adore writing about it. Many of the dishes described in my books are inspired by foods I grew up eating—such as the fish soup that Shiori cooks, the rice dumplings that both Shiori and Maia love to eat, and many of the desserts. It’s been meaningful for me to preserve some of my fondest childhood memories into my books, and my hope is that some of my readers will recognize the details (whether they be food, clothes, allusions to certain legends or folktales, or traditions and customs!) and see a part of themselves in my story.

Culturess: Shiori is such a wonderful heroine. What’s your favorite thing about her journey?

Lim: I just love her character arc! I originally planned to start her out as a twelve-year-old princess and have the book take place over five years, but my critique partners rightly suggested that I condense the timeline. I was concerned that she’d seem too immature and spoiled in the beginning, but then I realized that sometimes, the most immersive and relatable stories are the ones that are about how people change and learn and grow.

I’m very proud of how she confronts her mistakes, and how she grows over the course of the book! I also adored writing Kiki as her sidekick!

Culturess: I love how much of this story is about the ways that our initial assumptions about others are often so wrong. How did you approach this aspect of the story – without giving too much away too quickly?

Lim: That was a challenge! I had written an extensive background story for Raikama, which helped a lot with fleshing out her character and the mystery behind her past.

I also considered Shiori’s personality – in the beginning, she’s impulsive and quick to judge, and I knew I wanted her to mature. Takkan is one of the main people she changes her mind about, and developing their relationship was one of the most delightful challenges I’ve had as a writer. I loved crafting every single one of their scenes!

Culturess: I love Seyru! Will we be seeing more of him and his story in the sequel? I’m fascinated by the brief hints we got of dragon culture! 

Lim: YES!! Seryu is one of my favorites too, and you’ll definitely see more of him. The sequel will start out in the dragon realm.

Culturess: Can you give us any hints about what the second installment in this duology will involve? I love the idea of Shiori and Takkan going off to save the day together.

Lim: Well, there will definitely be more dragons! Maybe Shiori and Takkan will go off and save the day together, or maybe they won’t…hah! But there will also be the return of a certain character from the Blood of Stars duology…and they’ll play a nontrivial role in the sequel.

Culturess: If someone wanted to read more tales like this – any suggestions? I’m so woefully unfamiliar with Asian or Asian-adjacent folklore! 

Lim: Of course, happy to provide suggestions! I’d recommend Natasha Ngan’s Girls of Paper and Fire, Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane, Kat Cho’s Wicked Fox, A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (anthology), She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, anything by Grace Lin (middle grade, usually), The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie Dao, The Forest of Souls by Lori Lee, to start!

Culturess: As someone who read your Blood of Stars duology, I was shocked by the revelation at the end of this book! I love that these two stories are (sort of) connected! How did you decide to do that and what does it mean (if anything) going forward?

Lim: I always knew that Six Crimson Cranes was going to be set in the same world as The Blood of Stars, but the revelation that you’re referring to came to me in the middle of my third or fourth draft.

The pieces just came together somehow and it was like a bolt out of the blue that hit me! Everything just worked out perfectly, and I thank the gods of serendipity. Just wait until you read the sequel…

Culturess: I know you have a fairly unique background for a YA author – how do you feel like your time as a classical musician helps inform your writing?

Lim: I mentioned briefly earlier that I was a very serious musician before becoming an author. I spent most of my life (since age 5) training to become a classical composer, with the dream of writing film scores in Hollywood.

The background has no doubt helped me with my storytelling. Though you might think it right away, music is often very narrative-heavy, and instead of characters and world and plot, you have musical themes and forms and harmony and rhythm. So many of the ingredients are different, but the way of cooking them, I’d say, is extremely similar.

Being a composer taught me to listen to what I write, to organically develop my themes and consider structure from a reader/listener’s point of view, and I think these have been invaluable lessons that I would not have learned in an English class.

Culturess: What have you been reading lately that our readers should make sure to check out? Not that my TBR pile needs to get any bigger, but still….

Lim: I’m about to start The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, which is a retelling of a classic Korean fairytale about a girl who throws herself into the sea to save her brother and must rescue the sleeping Sea God within. I’m very excited for it!

Six of Cranes is now available wherever books are sold. Let us know if you’re planning to give it a look!