Hello! My name is Daphne and books are a big part of my life.

For twelve years, I wrote Tots to Teens, a column about children’s and YA books, for Malaysian daily The Star. Following that, I had a monthly column, called Localise, that focused on the Malaysian publishing industry.

You can find selected pieces from those columns, as well as other bookish posts, and anything and everything else that pops into my head, at Head Shoulders Knees & Toes.

After I left journalism, I joined Scholastic Asia as its consultant editor. I am still with the company and proud to be part of its efforts to promote the creation of children’s and young adult literature with Asian content, by Asian creators. To this end, I have been actively involved in organising the Scholastic Asian Book Award and the Scholastic Picture Book Award.

Apart from my work at Scholastic, I also pay the bills by freelancing as an editor, and creative writing teacher.

I love working as an editor because it’s satisfying helping writers reach their full potential. I’m a writer too, of realistic fiction, as well as stories based on folklore, and the supernatural. I am inspired by my family and the stories that have been handed down over four generations living in these Malay states. I am also excited and inspired by local and diasporic folklore, and in the last couple of years, I’ve been researching Chinese myths and legends, especially folk stories linked to Daoist religion and philosophy.

‘Bright Landscapes’, my first collection of short stories, inspired by Malaysian myths and supernatural beliefs, was published in 2019. I am currently working on a new short story collection.