Melissa Yi, emergency physician, writer, and lover of dogs, yummy food, and night-time fireflies and frogs
The Creative Council
Welcome to The Creative Council, where I interview creatives about their lives and work and the ups and downs of being a creative soul.
Today’s interviewee is Melissa Yi!
Melissa is an emergency physician and writer whose heroine, resident Dr. Hope Sze, leaps from fixing ingrown toenails to solving full-blown murders. Melissa won the 2023 Derringer Award for the best short mystery in the English language and the Prix Aurora Award for the best speculative poem in Canada. She also loves dogs, yummy food, and the fireflies and frogs at night. Connect with her at www.myi.ninja and https://linktr.ee/melissayi. Her Kickstarter campaign for Cthulhu’s Duo launches 17 September.
The Interview
Hi Melissa! I know we’re both busy with our (upcoming) Kickstarter campaigns so let’s not waste any time getting into these questions!
· Fuck fear: agree or disagree?
Agree! When I was 16, I read Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘do what you are afraid to do.’ I remember nothing else from that book, but that year, I sang in our high school musical, tried dance lessons, and played the flute, whispering to myself, ‘Do what you’re afraid to do.’
Riding that edge, I’ve ended up marrying my high school sweetheart, becoming an emergency doctor, and writing books I love while having two kids and two rescue dogs. Fear can be fun.
· What would you do if you weren’t afraid?
I would rest more. My whole life, I’ve spent rushing around, worried that I’m not working hard enough as a doctor/writer/mother. Maybe that’s why I find it very fitting to write about sloth now.
Whenever I’ve shrunk from something out of fear, I put it on my bucket list. For example, I didn’t sing ‘La Vie en Rose’ at a friend’s wedding, but I sang it at karaoke years later.
· When did you start creating? Do you remember what pulled you in?
Reading books felt like home as soon as I could read around age three or four, and I started writing myself for sure by grade one or two.
· What do you struggle with most as a creative person?
Comparing myself to others.
· What advice would you give to creatives dealing with the same?
Love yourself while doing the best work you can. Respect starts at home, plus you want to honour your creativity by letting it shine.
· What’s the best creative advice you’ve ever received?
Hard to choose, but right now I’m thinking of how Kristine Kathryn Rusch said, ‘Go play. Have fun.’
· Have you ever had a tarot reading?
Yes, a few. The most memorable was one for me and my children at a Hallowe’en fundraiser. She predicted that my son would be surrounded by ‘a band of brothers’ and that my daughter would travel far. My son has made good friends. We’ll see what happens with our little girl.
· Tell me more about sloth and your Kickstarter campaign that’ll run from 17 September to 10 October?
I’m writing supernatural medical thrillers starring Dr. Hope Sze, because what could be worse than medical residency? Residency with murder and monsters. In real life, I’m an emergency doctor with Asian parents, so sloth was forbidden in our house. But Hope is tackling the seven deadly sins, one by one. So when I started writing Killing Me Sloth-LY (see what I did there?), my husband suggested I bring in Cthulhu, the evil being currently asleep under the sea. My brain jumped to a Lovecraftian thriller, starring strong women of colour and LGBTQIA2S+. Ben Baldwin made the most gorgeous cover. We’re thrilled!
· But why is it called Cthulhu’s Duo?
Ah! Because you get two books in one. I partnered with local artist Sara Leger to produce Cthulhu’s Cheerleader, an art and poetry book replete with incredible original sketches and art.
As for the poems, I thought it would be fun to riff on famous poems by everyone from Shakespeare to Emily Dickinson. Lots of people are intimidated by poems, but I promise tons of tentacles and humour in mine. I also won the national Prix Aurora Award for poetry last year. Nothing but good times here.
Do you have pets?
Yes! Two rescue dogs, Roxy and Bell. My kids joke that Roxy is my favourite child. We also rescued a kitten, but the previous owners had a dozen cats that peed everywhere, and the kitten couldn’t get used to using a litter box, so we found her another good home where the older cat taught her how to use a litter box. Now she is named Susie and living the good life.
P.S. A cat appears in Killing Me Sloth-LY. Because you can never have too many animals, am I right?
You can find Melissa and her work here:
Website (if you sign up for Melissa’s newsletter, you’ll win a free novella!)
Melissa’s Kickstarter campaign for Cthulhu’s Duo, which will feature two books in one: a diverse, feminist Lovecraftian medical thriller plus accursed art & piquant poems in an exclusive hardcover edition, goes live 17 September.
Are you a creative and would you like to be interviewed next? E-mail me at marielle@mswordsmith.nl and we’ll make it happen!
I like your new interview questions!
Melissa Yi is such a good writer and wonderful human being :-)