History! I’m really lucky to have been taught by some of the most incredible history teachers, who’ve inspired me and encouraged me in more ways than I can express. What was your favorite subject in school?

We felt like we were going to school with Alice and Henry. The academic vibes in your book were on point. Unlike some of the characters in the book, I think I’d actually go out of my way to avoid overhearing anything other people might be saying about me knowledge is power and all, but sometimes the less you know, the better. Honestly, I’d be happy just to go to the beach or a park or somewhere nice and hang around by myself. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do? We loved reading about Alice’s invisibility powers, and it made us wonder what we’d do if we had them. I don’t necessarily think there is one key message I want readers to take away because everyone is going to have a different experience with it, and that’s one of the best parts of reading, right? So my main hope is that readers can find what they need in these pages-whether it’s regarding the class privilege at elite institutions, what it means to be truly seen, or perhaps the cost of unchecked ambition. What is the main message that you want readers to take away from this book? You address so many important topics in If You Could See the Sun, such as the discrimination between classes. Thinking back to the person I was when I was querying in early 2020, for example, I’m so thankful for and stunned by everything that has happened, from seeing my debut novel take shape to receive such lovely early reader responses.

It’s only when a lot of time passes and you kind of step back that you realize how much has changed. But in reality, it’s more like when it’s your birthday, and everyone asks you whether you feel older, and for the most part, you feel the same. It’s been absolutely surreal, especially since I’ve dreamed of this for years! In a way, it has been different from how I imagined it-I think I expected that the very instant I got a book deal, I would instantly feel like an Author. Congratulations on your book If You Could See the Sun! What was your experience like publishing your debut novel? Was it how you had imagined?

I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang