Conversation with Deborah Wong

Deborah Wong is a Malaysian poet and author whose work blends lyrical storytelling with deep emotional resonance. A Rhysling Award and Pushcart Prize-nominated writer, she has built a diverse literary portfolio spanning poetry, fiction, and fan fiction.

Her debut novel, Me In Your Melody, is a poignant story of heartbreak, self-discovery, and second chances, following former legal professional Emily Chung as she navigates love, loss, and a life-changing move to Penang Island. With themes of family, music, and personal growth, the novel showcases Wong’s signature ability to craft emotionally layered narratives.

Deborah holds an LLB (Hons) from the University of London and the Associateship of the Malaysian Insurance Institute (AMII). She further honed her craft at the University of British Columbia’s summer intensive creative writing program, where she embraced her calling as a storyteller. Her works have appeared in Ricepaper Magazine, Strange Horizons, Dark Matter Magazine, and numerous other local and international literary journals.

A passionate advocate for expressive storytelling, she previously self-published Autopsy of Sentiments, a deeply personal poetry chapbook exploring grief, unrequited love, and kinship. Now writing full-time, she continues to weave narratives that resonate across genres and audiences.

When she’s not crafting stories, Deborah lives under one roof with two matriarchs, embracing the warmth of family life.

1. What inspired you to write Me In Your Melody? Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked the idea?

Deborah: The song ‘One More Chance (비처럼 가지마요)’ by Super Junior (taken from their studio album ‘Play’) sparked the idea. In May 2021, an Australian pen-pal reminded me to listen to their comeback album, Renaissance. However, I found the above-mentioned song resonates with the vague storyline I had in 2016, about a musician finding true love, while seeking inspiration in the tropical Kuala Lumpur. I enthusiastically finalized part of the book—a love-triangle between a young woman, her K-pop idol lover, and a handsome solo traveller.

2. Emily’s journey takes her to Penang Island, where she lives with her unconventional family. How much of the setting and family dynamics were inspired by real life? 

Deborah: In fact, Emily is a self-insert character of my own (from her law background to performing at the poetry open mic). That said, Uncle Raymond, Aunt Bridget, Grandma Betty, and Emily’s mom Cheryl, are heavily inspired by the maternal side of my family. It’s been two decades since my uncle (Raymond) has passed on. I hope writing this book will immortalize him, on pages and in our memory for him. Other than that, I’ve changed certain names and professions due to privacy reasons. Daniel’s character is exceptional—the cousin-brother I wished I could have. Penang Island is my grandma’s hometown and I’ve visited it a couple of times. Few places in this book have been fictionalized but Gurney Drive, the seafront promenade is the centerpiece.

3. Music plays a crucial role in the novel, particularly through Emily’s past with Edward Ahn. How did you approach writing about music, and do you have any personal musical influences?

Deborah: The best answer I can give is it depends on whether my character is able to click with the song. That said, I usually have a set of playlist on my laptop when drafting a particular novel, curated based on the setting and the mood of the storyline and characters’ emotions. Then, a Spotify playlist when the book has finished. Here is Me In Your Melody book playlist: (Link) Like the saying—there’s a song for the one we love and had loved. Edward Ahn is Emily’s love song and Emily is Edward’s muse. They are each other’s melody during separation. My personal musical influences are Madonna, Scorpions, Nirvana, Backstreet Boys, Linkin Park, Korn, Eminem, and Lana Del Rey, as well as the K-pop acts Super Junior, 2NE1 and Big Bang.

4. Michael Kim and Edward Ahn are both significant figures in Emily’s life. How did you differentiate their roles and personalities to shape her journey?

Deborah: First, let’s talk about Edward Ahn. He’s of chiseled physique, with fame and fortune, and a swooning personality. But Emily’s compassion and pure heartedness had him falling head over heels. Due to his abrupt take off, Emily is left with heartache and depression, grieving for her second to none. When Michael Kim meets Emily at serendipitous moments, his unruffled demeanour and support ignited her deeply embedded confidence, in addition to his kind advances where Emily learned to trust love once again. Both Michael and Edward served as Emily’s catalyst in personal growth, from codependent to independent. The love-triangle is to stir up a complex web of emotional turbulence. Emily must then decide with whom she truly deserves to be.

5. If Me In Your Melody were adapted into a movie or TV series, who would be your dream cast for Emily, Edward and Michael? 

Deborah: I’ll always put up the widest smile whenever this is asked! Gemma Chan as Emily, Jung Kook of BTS as Edward and Na In-woo as Michael.

6. You’ve previously been recognized for your poetry. How did your experience as a poet influence the way you wrote this novel? 

Deborah: Honestly, being a novelist is my lifelong dream. But becoming a poet is somewhat accidental. Sometimes fate has different plans but because I didn’t give up, I am where I am supposed to be. I find writing Me In Your Melody is a natural process. Like this is meant to be told at that stipulated time. My poems often emphasize its metaphorical expression and confessional style, wherelse my novel writing leaned towards the voice-y and lyrical approach. Authenticity works best for both genres. And since Emily is a poet (just like me), I’ve included a few poetry verses in the book as well. Let’s see if the readers are able to find out (lol).

7. What was the biggest challenge you faced while transitioning from poetry and short fiction to writing a full-length novel?

Deborah: Poetry is pouring feelings into words, as if shooting a bullet but leaving the afterthoughts like ricochet. In short fiction, I have to be rigid and straightforward in the storyline, and rarely use the backstory. However, the latter can be included in full-length novels, and I personally love writing dialogue, especially the argumentative sassy banters between characters to heighten the intensity in the scene. To me, writing full-length novels is like a blank canvas presented before you. You are the painter. The words are the choice of the colours on the palette. Your characters and their stories are scattered in the playground, anticipating the new world you build for them. There’s no book that’s one size fits all. But someone out there needs our stories.

8. Self-publishing Autopsy of Sentiments was a bold move. What lessons did you take from that experience that helped you with this novel? 

Deborah: In fact, three-quarters of the poems in Autopsy of Sentiments have been published firsthand by online journals and magazines, local and international. Supposedly to sell in the local writers community, but unfortunately due to the pandemic, I have to sell them online. In fact, by coining the term ‘self-published’ was my kindness to that so-called publisher, who later asked me to pay the printing cost, as they weren’t able to operate during the pandemic. Despite the unpleasant experience, I’m proud to have gone through this as a way of being published with Penguin Random House SEA. To date I’ve written close to about 100 poems, and had about 50 of them published. You can check out my published work here: Deborah Wong Website

9. What advice would you give to aspiring writers who are looking to publish their debut novels?

Deborah: Know your target audience, research the market and the reason to write the book. Slow down if you feel exhausted from writing. Be open to read across other genres. Take criticisms like a grain of salt. Rejection is hurtful but keep going, because you are your work best advocate.

10. You’re also a devoted fan-fiction writer! How has fan fiction shaped your storytelling skills?

Deborah: Writing fan-fiction was my training bootcamp for self-discipline and consistency. In my opinion, sentencing/structural development and grammatical skills can be taught. Most importantly is to keep writing to improve that narrative, authorial, character, and the tone. Everyone’s voices aren’t identical. And it must be discovered within yourself. Habitually, we have to put ourselves in the characters’ shoes to ‘speak’ and ‘behave’ like them, hence, be intuitive.