Where did the idea for The Two Pearls of Wisdom/Eon come from?
I was reading a history of Feng Shui as research for another novel when I came across a short paragraph about an ancient Emperor who ordered all of his Feng Shui Masters to build his son a Palace of Good Fortune. Once the Palace was built, the Emperor immediately had all the Masters murdered to keep the secrets of his son’s stronghold safe! As soon as I read that, the story of Eon just exploded in my mind. I grabbed a pen and paper and in about ten minutes wrote the entire outline. It was one of those rare moments when all the elements of a story came together in a rush of energy.

What is up with the title and demographic changes?
As my agent was selling the finished manuscript of The Two Pearls of Wisdom/Eon around the world, it quickly became apparent that it was being viewed as a crossover novel i.e. a book that would suit both an adult and young adult audience. So, as it sold, some Publishers bought it as an adult title, some bought it as young adult, and a few bought it as both.  The title changes are generally to do with the target audience of the Publisher. The Two Pearls of Wisdom, which is not a fantasy specific title, is aimed at an adult mainstream audience, while Eon is aimed at a young adult or fantasy reading audience. The duology has now been sold into 13 countries, so there are quite a few titles floating around now, but most of them are a variation on Eon/Eona.

Did you have a hand in the “new” title(s)?
Yes, I did for the English language titles. When the call came through that Australia and one of my two UK publishers wanted to “mainstream” the title for the adult market, it took me a little while to let go of Eon, the original title for the first book (along with the “bookend” title for the sequel, Eona). I had thought of them as Eon and Eona for a very long time. However, I could see that the change would open up the audience for the books in those countries, so I started playing around with new ways of titling them. After a lot of weird and wonderful ideas, I decided on The Two Pearls of Wisdom for the first book, and The Necklace of the Gods for the second: my love of fine jewellery mixed with a dash of eastern mystery!

Your book is very rooted in Chinese and Japanese mythology. How much research did you have to do? Was it something you were already interested in?
I did a lot of research into many aspects of Chinese and Japanese culture – both reading based and experience based such trips to Japan and Hong Kong. My late Aunt Nachie was Japanese and introduced me to a life-long interest in the Japanese culture. One of my earliest memories is sitting in her kitchen eating strips of dried seaweed that was packaged like gum. It probably explains my well-developed umami tastebuds. I’d much rather chomp down on a nori roll than a chocolate bar.

The ending to TPoW/Eon is quite a cliffhanger. Did you write the two novels together and then just split them, or were they conceived as two separate novels?
They were conceived as two separate novels. The Two Pearls of Wisdom/Eon has its own interior plot arc – Eona’s search for power – but it is also Part I of the larger overarching storyline that spans both books and concerns the struggle for the Imperial throne. The second book will also have its own interior plot arc, as well as conclude the overarching storyline.

Your world is fully sexualized. Have there been any controversies or complaints? Especially in the USA, where it is marketed to young adults.
No, not at all. There is not a lot of actual sexual content, and what is present, is not gratuitous or explicit.

Did you draw from any particular personal experiences? Which character, if any, is “most like you”?
I’m not really an autobiographical writer, however, I do draw from my own emotional life in order to create the emotions of my characters. No doubt there is some part of me in every character (even the villain, Lord Ido!), although perhaps I am most like Eona inasmuch as I am an observer and questioner too – always curious about why people act in certain ways, and how they deal with the consequences of those actions.

What was the hardest character or portion of the novel to write? The easiest?
I think the end of a novel is always the hardest. The beginning is tough too. Come to think of it, the middle is hard work as you are not in the excitement of the beginning or the rush of the end…
In terms of characters – I really enjoyed creating the Lord Ido sections. Villains are so much fun to write!