Keshe Chow: I Think I Went Into a Sort of Fugue State
In this interview, Keshe discusses what inspired her most recent novel, how fast the drafting process was (and possibly why), and much more.
Keshe Chow is a multi-award-winning Chinese Australian author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. Born in Malaysia, Keshe moved to Australia when she was two years old. Currently she resides in Naarm (Melbourne) with her partner, two kids, one cat, and way too many houseplants. Follow her on Instagram @KesheWrites.
In this interview, Keshe discusses what inspired her most recent novel, how fast the drafting process was (and possibly why), and much more.
Name: Keshe Chow
Literary agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary Management
Book title: Strange Familiars
Publisher: Ace (Penguin Random House)
Release date: May 19, 2026
Genre/category: Adult fantasy romance
Previous titles: The Girl with No Reflection (2024), For No Mortal Creature (2025)
Elevator pitch for the book: Strange Familiars is an academic rivals-to-lovers fantasy romance novel set in a magical veterinary college that treats witches’ familiars and mythical creatures.
What prompted you to write this book?
As a veterinarian myself, and an avid reader of fantasy and romantasy books, I often found myself wondering: What would it be like to actually treat magical animals? It seemed logical that in a world where magical animals existed—things like dragons, unicorns, and witches familiars that can communicate with their bonded humans—that there would also be veterinarians who’d treat those animals whenever they got injured or sick. When I couldn’t find many fantasy books that specifically depicted magical veterinarians, I decided to write my own!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Strange Familiars was actually the fastest book I’ve ever written. I think it’s because as soon as I started writing it, I realized I had so much material to draw from since I’d spent more than a decade working as a vet. It literally just poured out of me!
Writing the first draft only took 27 days(!)—I think I went into a sort of fugue state. I ended up querying the novel, signing with an agent, and then revising it with that agent over the span of a few months. We went on submission during summer 2024 and were offered a book deal shortly after. So all up, from writing the first line to getting the offer, it took around six months. The book is publishing in 2026, so when it releases, it’ll be just over two years from when I started writing it.
During that time, the core idea never changed, though I did alter some of the plot points and character arcs during edits with my agent.
The sequel on the other hand, took almost a year to write a full first draft … We won’t talk about that.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Since I’d already released two young adult fantasy books with a different imprint, I didn’t really experience any major surprises. Perhaps the biggest surprise was how different the experience was writing the first book versus its sequel. The drafting process was worlds apart!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I’m a pantser, so I wrote the first book without outlining first, so pretty much the entire plot and character development was a surprise, haha!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Firstly I hope that they’ll enjoy the book, and fall in love with the cat character, Percy. He was inspired by my own fluffy black cat who passed away a few years ago, so he is extremely dear to me.
Second, I hope that the book will help prompt some thought about some of the issues it tackles. The world of Strange Familiars is like our world, but with magic. In this world, magic has been commodified; it’s sold and distributed by corporations, but only at a price, which means it’s more accessible to people with privilege. It was really important to me that the book was an accurate portrayal of what our hypercapitalistic society would look like if magic did exist.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
I’m often asked this question, and my answer is always the same: Find your people. Writing is a solitary activity and publishing is a real (excuse my language) mindf*ck. Navigating the process is so much easier when you have a solid support network to cheer you on when things go well, and commiserate when things go badly.
It doesn’t have to be real-life friends, either—my writing community was exclusively online to begin with. Joining writers groups, interacting on social media, supporting and uplifting others … all of these things help to build your author community.
