Writing Podcast Episode 701: Emma Pei Yin discusses her wartime novel, 'When Sleeping Women Wake'

War stories are often famously told by the victors. But what of the stories of civilians caught up in the conflict? These themes intersect in World-War-II-era Hong Kong in AWC graduate Emma Pei Yin's debut historical novel, When Sleeping Women Wake – and in this episode she shares her inspirations, the book's themes and the publishing process, including a fascinating connection with the cover designer. 00:00 Welcome 03:41 Writing tip: Avoiding info dumping 07:05 WIN!: The First Time I Saw Him by Laura Dave 08:39 Word of the week: 'Gimcrack' 12:03 Writer in residence: Emma Pei Yin 13:05 Emma explains When Sleeping Women Wake 13:53 Why this story? 16:20 Influences and inspirations for the book 17:35 Balancing historical fiction and fact 19:10 The research process 21:20 The note collection process 22:27 Telling the authentic voices of Chinese people 23:39 Character development and their unique resistance 25:55 Class structure and historical contexts 27:35 Language and authenticity in this story 29:03 Morally ambiguous choices in war 30:49 The publishing process 34:51 Cover designs and market differences 38:04 Promoting the book and meeting readers 39:44 The importance of solidarity in telling niche stories 40:52 Emma's advice for writers 42:03 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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Writing Podcast Episode 701: Emma Pei Yin discusses her wartime novel, 'When Sleeping Women Wake' is an episode from So you want to be a writer by Australian Writers' Centre.

This episode is 44:30 long.

This episode was published on Jan 26, 2026.

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