Strike with your fingers, Myeli: blunt though they may be, they can be deadly as a dagger.

The words were ingrained and as fresh today as when she first heard them as a three-year-old from Lian Ming, her mother and mentor and martial arts instructor. Myeli trained with swords and daggers, sticks and staves, and, most of all, with her hands and feet, her knees and elbows – and finally, she mastered the art of striking fingers.

The British Empire stretches across the globe and encompasses Malaya, in Southeast Asia. Carl Morgan uses the might of the colonial power to seize the nearby Jinn Island, which is rich in gemstones. Beyond his lust for wealth, Carl harbours dark and morbid desires that ultimately set him and his formidable resources on a collision course with Myeli, the deadly calligrapher

I grew up in Singapore in a very traditional Chinese household, where boys were treasured but female children were considered to be of little value.

After I moved to England and had my memoir published, I believed I had fulfilled my writing aspirations. Years later I decided to write a story about a young girl who uses her extraordinary talent for combat in the pursuit of retribution.

I live in London, where I spend my time writing, and enjoying the company of the wildlife feeding in my garden.