Interview with Author Kristen Mai Giang
Insight into writing fiction and non-fiction children's books
One of the most exciting aspects of working in children's book publishing is the opportunity to collaborate with exceptional authors and creators. Today, I'm absolutely thrilled to introduce Kristen, a multi-talented creator who not only crafts incredible books but also produces content for renowned entities such as Disney, PBS Kids Sprout, Mattel, and more. Her exceptional work has even been recognized with an Emmy Award!
I had the pleasure of working with Kristen to illustrate her picture book, The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan. We finally met in person after the book's release, and Kristen warmly invited me to a local book event. It was an absolute blast!
Alina: Did you enjoy writing as a child? When did you decide to become an author?
Kristen: Like most writers, I loved to read as a child, and writing was a natural extension. I wrote stories and observations about the world around me, including my five siblings, which got me into some trouble. I never thought I could be an author for a living though and instead prepared for a much more practical career — as a doctor! Luckily it quickly became clear that was a terrible (possibly dangerous) idea, and I pursued a career in magazines and websites instead until happening upon children’s media, where I still work today and which inspired my decision to write children’s books and create my own characters.
Alina: You write both fiction and nonfiction picture books. Can you share the similarities and differences in approaching writing them?
Kristen: The biggest difference when it comes to writing a nonfiction book is that you can’t make everything up! The biggest similarity might be surprising though. With both fiction and nonfiction picture books, you have to find the heart of the story and figure out important narrative elements like themes, character, and story arc. Simply relaying the facts of a biography or true story with dates and settings won’t pique a reader’s interest or do justice to the lives and history you’re sharing. You still have to pinpoint the story of that life or that moment in time and why it’s important to tell young readers about it - and tell it in an engaging way!
Alina: What inspired you to write a nonfiction biography about Jackie Chan?
Kristen: After selling my first book Ginger and Chrysanthemum to Arthur Levine, who was at Scholastic although the book would eventually release under Levine Querido, I was struggling to sell a second book. Nonfiction picture books were selling well at the time, and when my agent asked if there was any AAPI figure I remembered vividly from my childhood, Jackie Chan immediately sprang to mind. This may be surprising since I’m no martial artist (and hardly move), but Jackie Chan was always so much more than a martial artist. He represented the underdog, in life and in movies, and he gave an immigrant family of six kids in ‘80s SoCal an Asian movie lead (not a sidekick) to watch and emulate. I didn’t realize until later how important it was for us to see this representation growing up.
Alina: I really appreciated the images and photos you shared when I started the project. They were super helpful for me to get familiar with and prepare for the book project.
Kristen: When writing "The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan, do you watch many of his movies and read other biographies about him for research? How do you decide which of Jackie Chan's life stories and films should be included in the book?
I read both memoirs Jackie co-wrote and consumed countless books, articles, and video interviews. But the best part of my “research” was rewatching Jackie Chan movies with my kids, who were about 6 and 9 at the time. Watching them laugh and jump around and become fans themselves reminded me of the joy that Jackie Chan brought me.
It was incredibly tough to narrow down all that material into a few hundred words! I focused on the parts that were central to the story, some of which might surprise many readers. For instance, even fans might not know that Jackie Chan was classically trained in Peking Opera. That fact highlighted for me how multidimensional he was and how much he accomplished to become an action hero, which ultimately inspired me to write the book.
Your illustrations, Alina, really helped as well. You brought Hong Kong and Jackie Chan’s movies to life so brilliantly on the page, which freed up the text to focus on what was happening behind the scenes — what Jackie was experiencing — so they could come to life for the reader as well.
Alina: What is your favorite Jackie Chan movie?
Kristen: I’m afraid I can’t pick! I’m a fan of so many of his movies. If you haven’t seen Miracles, though, it’s one of his lesser-known movies, based on American movie Pocketful of Miracles, with costumes, sets, and choreography that set it apart a bit from the rest of his films.
Alina: Professionally, you have two decades of experience creating Emmy Award-winning interactive content for Disney, PBS Kids Sprout, Mattel and now kids and family podcaster Tinkercast. Does your professional experience in media influence or shape your voice as an author?
Kristen: I think producing kids interactive media, from sites to games to apps, has really helped me understand how kids consume and engage with media, whether on the page or on the screen. Becoming a parent and reading with my own kids only deepened that understanding. I strive always to keep my text spare, to the point, and engaging. Extra messaging and “fluff” tend to get in the way and lose the reader’s attention. I also learned to pair dynamic text with images online, and that has definitely helped me write picture books that allow space for illustrations to tell half the story.
Alina: Last year, you wrote a biography about your childhood titled Last Flight that received the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard. Can you tell us more about the story behind this book?
Kristen: Absolutely. It’s the story of my family’s escape just days before the fall of Saigon on the dramatic last commercial flight out at the end of the Vietnam War. It really was a miracle that the flight happened at all. It took the ingenuity of the station manager Allan Topping who “adopted” more than 300 people to enable us to leave, intervention by US President Gerald Ford, a flight crew willing to come back into Saigon to fly us out, and of course the courage of hundreds of refugees who had to leave their homes and lives to seek safety for their families.
I didn’t even know most of my life that we were on this flight. It wasn’t until my sister sent me a link to a news story that I started digging into it. One article listed Allan Topping’s email, so I contacted him, and he emailed me back. We’ve since written back and forth and spoken on the phone. To confirm that we were on the flight, Allan sent me a photo of a handwritten list, with the names of my entire family on it. We were extremely lucky to make it on that list. I was 19 months old then. Imagine…this man, Allan Topping, made arguably THE most significant difference in my life, and I never even knew him.
Writing this story as a picture book for young readers, I focused on that idea — all the ways we can be brave and kind that can have the biggest impact. The book is illustrated by Dow Phumiruk, an immigrant herself, who fills every spread with powerful emotion.
Alina: What advice would you give to aspiring writers? Or, what resources do you recommend for those interested in publishing children's books?
Kristen: I definitely recommend taking classes, joining SCBWI, getting frequent feedback (from critique groups or in those classes or from contacts you make at SCBWI), then reading reading reading (both classic and current books) and WRITING WRITING WRITING. There is no substitute for that work. And enjoy the journey. Have fun, be creative, take a chance. You can do it! When you’re ready, submit your work. If you get rejected, start again. You will get there in the end.
Alina: If you could spend a day in the world of any book, which book would you choose?
Kristen: Probably The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Going through that wardrobe into Narnia, to find a land filled with magic and adventure and danger, is one of my earliest memories of being completely transported by a book.
Alina: Do you have any new book projects you are working on and would like to share with our readers?
Kristen: Yes! I have a picture book called ACTION JASMINE slated for 2025 (release date TBD) from Nancy Paulsen Books / PRH. It’s about a little girl who is shy on the outside but super imaginative on the inside, and how she learns to unlock her inner action heroine. It’s illustrated by the amazingly talented Anna Kang, and the sketches I’ve seen so far have made me scream out loud — they are so adorable and hilarious and bring the character to life so perfectly.
Then in Spring 2026, my picture book biography of Michelle Yeoh will be released by Chronicle. While researching Jackie Chan, I stumbled upon startling facts about Michelle Yeoh – like how she was a classically trained ballerina before becoming a global action star – and was inspired to tell the story of this Oscar-winning, history-making trailblazer. It’s illustrated by the incredible Kuri Huang, who brings such a dynamic energy to the book, which is of course fitting!
Finally, I have another book to be released by Nancy Paulsen Books / PRH that hasn’t been announced yet that I can’t wait to share more about soon!
Alina: So many new books line up. That's very exciting!! Where can readers keep up with your future projects and follow you?
Kristen: You can find me on Instagram @kmgiang and Twitter @kmgiang, or visit me at KristenMaiGiang.com.
On June 29, from 2 pm - 3 pm, Kristen and I will host a special book signing at ALA San Diego at Artist Alley Table #123. If you're going to the conference, definitely come and say hi!
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Looking forward to digging into your Jackie Chan book to inspire me as I revise the first PB biography I’m writing. And I’m so excited for the forthcoming Michelle Yeoh one too!