Interview with Keshe Chow, Author of the Seamere College Duology

Hello SFF Readers! Do you have an interest in books featuring unique occupations, academic settings, and/or rivals to lovers dynamics that are both sexy and entertaining? Then you’ll love Keshe Chow’s Strange Familiars, an adult romantic fantasy all about two academic rivals in a veterinary school for treating magical familiars and mystical creatures. I am thrilled to be interviewing Keshe on the blog! I had the opportunity to receive an ARC of her novel through NetGalley, but I am also a member of her Street Team for all things publishing-related. I read and adored Strange Familiars, and I am looking forward to sharing what we spoke about with you all. So, let’s dive into it!

What inspired your novel, STRANGE FAMILIARS?

Keshe: I myself am a veterinarian, and I always thought it would be fun if my patients could actually talk to me—that’s how the idea of treating witches familiars came about. I’ve also wondered what it would be like to treat mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns but to be honest, as a cat-only veterinarian I’d probably be way too intimidated!!

How much research did you have to do about veterinary science in order to write your novel?

Keshe: With my background, I was able to pull a lot of the veterinary clinic and vet school experiences from my own life, but I did have to consult with some of my colleagues to write authentically about some of the mythical creatures in the book. As I mentioned above, I’m a cat-only vet (I specialized in feline medicine in 2017) so my experience with species like horses and reptiles is VERY limited—it’s basically just what I learned back in university! I ended up chatting with some of my equine and exotics veterinary colleagues to make sure I wrote the parts about unicorns, centaurs, and bearded dragons authentically. 

I did have a bit of a freak out when some of these people (some of whom are professors!) said they’d read my book, which is a spicy fantasy romance! It is peak mortification when you realize your professional colleagues might one day read your smut scenes…

How has your own education informed the details of your novel?

Keshe: As mentioned, I put in a lot of veterinary-specific knowledge into the novel. Not so much that it reads like a textbook (I hope!) but just some of the common things we experience in the consult room/in hospitals, and also some of our sayings, superstitions, and idioms. I think people who work in veterinary or animal care industries will find a lot of it familiar!

What animal would you want as your familiar?

Keshe: As much as I’d like to be more interesting, I’m a cat person through and through so I’d probably end up choosing a cat.

If you could talk to any of the characters from STRANGE FAMILIARS, what would you say/do?

Keshe: I mean, since I’ve basically made it my life’s mission to meet as many cats as humanly possible, I’d talk to Percy. Being able to converse with a cat (even a snarky one) would be so fascinating. 

I’d also definitely give him a scratch on his bum.

What is your favorite excerpt from your novel?

Keshe: I particularly love Percy the cat’s full name but I don’t want to give any spoilers, so people will have to read it to find out ;)

Do you identify with one character in particular? If so, who and why?

Keshe: Gwendolynne is a very personal character for me. A lot of her life is based on my life: being East Asian; from a working class, immigrant family; being an animal lover; going to veterinary school; struggling with insecurity and anxiety. She has ambition and a drive to prove herself, but also crippling self-doubt and imposter syndrome. She loves strongly and passionately, is extremely empathic, and loyal to those she truly cares about. A lot of those qualities/flaws are basically my own qualities and flaws, so if you find Gwen annoying, then you’ll probably find me annoying too, haha.

I will say that Gwen is a better student than I ever was (I was a bit of a slacker, to be honest) and is braver than I think I’d ever be in life-threatening situations. But she’s definitely the most personal character I’ve ever written.

What was the most difficult scene for you to write, and why?

Keshe: There is a climactic scene at the end of the novel—I can’t say what happens because it would be a spoiler (I’m being super annoying, I know, I’m sorry)—but it leads to a cliffhanger at the end of book 1. (As an aside, this is a duology with the second book written and due out in one year, so there’s not too long to wait to find out what happens)! This scene was tough to write. I actually wrote it first from Gwendolynne’s perspective, then Harrisford’s perspective, then split the scene up into two so it was half from Gwen and half from Harrisford’s perspective. Getting the balance right between emotion/gravitas and momentum was difficult, but hopefully it worked!

What was the most rewarding/emotional scene for you to write, and why?

Keshe: I really loved writing the scenes where Gwen and Harrisford finally open up to one another. They spend so long dancing around their feelings, building walls, and being closed off, that when they finally started being vulnerable with each other … it was so satisfying to write.

What can we expect from you, next, in terms of your stories/projects?

Keshe: I have an as-yet-unannounced YA fantasy book in the works (more news on that later this year!) and hopefully there will be more adult fiction from me in the future, too! Fingers crossed!!

Keshe Chow is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy, romance, and speculative fiction. She is also a specialist feline veterinarian which means her life basically revolves around books and cats! Currently she lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, two kids, and a Ragdoll cat named Wasabi.