AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH A.Y. CHAN
Chatting to the author of The Legendary Mo Seto series about middle grade adventures & martial arts!! [ad]
When I tell you I have been excited for this post for literally a year, I do not kid and I am so excited to chat with this adorable author and her adorable series!!!!
I’m too excited so let’s get right into it <3<3<3
Book #1: The Legendary Mo Seto
Book #2: Martial Arts Star
Series: The Legendary Mo Seto
Author: A.Y. Chan
Page count: 320
Date published: 4 June 2024 / 6 May 2025
Genre: Middle grade
🥋
Synopsis:
Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a Taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately.
When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter her size. Unfortunately, Dax is auditioning, too. As Mo and her nemesis progress to callbacks, someone attempts to sabotage the movie set and Mo’s dad disappears—and both events seem linked to a mysterious book, the Book of Joy.
The book contains information on Xiaoxi Fu, a secret dance-like martial art developed by Mo’s ancestral grandmother. Armed with these secret moves and an unexpected ally, Mo embarks on a high-octane adventure to rescue her father, save the movie, and discover an unexpected joy in being small.
🥋
🥋
This is a paid promotional blog post. Thank you to the author for collaborating with me on this author interview, and to Aladdin Books and the author for the review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH A.Y. CHAN
Hi hello A.Y.! Thank you so much for being here with me today to celebrate the release of the sequel to The Legendary Mo Seto, aka Mo Seto: Martial Arts Star! I’ve been so excited to start this series ever since hearing about the first book, and I can’t wait to marathon them together 🙂
Enough rambling, let’s get into the questions!
First up, can you tell us a little about yourself: hobbies, favourite foods, where you are, how are you? And a little bit about Mo Seto: Martial Arts Star? No spoilers of course!
🥋
I’m a person who runs on noodles and e-books, and loves writing stories about brave, determined kids. The sequel to The Legendary Mo Seto is called Martial Arts Star, and it’s full of adrenaline-pumping chases, friendship chaos, and dangerous scenarios where Mo’s courage is tested in new ways!
You’ve talked about your history with martial arts as a kid, but where the idea for this series start?
🥋
It started with a question: why are there no stories about female martial artists? As a kid who was obsessed with reading and martial arts, I longed to read a book about just that, but I could never find it. One day, I got tired of waiting for someone else to write that story for me to read and decided to write it myself.
What does your writing process look like? How would you compare book one to book two? Do you plot or are you a pantser?
🥋
My process is somewhere between organized chaos and “hope for the best.” I plot roughly, but leave room for surprises. Book two was trickier than book one—it had to go deeper. Mo’s world got bigger, and so did her inner life.
What was your favourite and least favourite part about writing Mo and why?
🥋
Favourite: writing the fight scenes! Least favourite: writing the emotional scenes. Which is funny, because they’re the ones I end up loving most once I get through them.
As a film student, I would love to know what your favourite martial arts movies are?
🥋
Being a film student sounds so cool! The martial arts movies that influenced me the most are: Kung Fu Hustle, Ong Bak, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Karate Kid (1984), Ip Man, anything Jackie Chan, and Jet Li. I also really enjoyed Everything Everywhere All At Once—not a traditional martial arts film, but it really showed me how to tell an action story with deep emotion.
If you could transport Mo into another world – book or movie – where would she go?
🥋
If I could transport Mo into any movie world, I’d choose Mulan (the animated version). Not only because of the big battles or the epic training montages, but because at its core, Mulan is about a girl who doesn’t quite fit into the mould she’s been given, and decides to fight for who she is anyway. Also, I think Mo would love a dragon sidekick!
What did you enjoy the most during your time in martial arts as a kid? Which of the disciplines did you participate in, and did you have a preference?
🥋
I practiced taekwondo as a kid and loved the poomsae (forms)—they felt like moving puzzles. I was a quiet kid, and martial arts helped me feel strong in a way I hadn’t before.
What books have you been reading lately? Anything good to recommend?
🥋
I’ve made it a goal to read all the Forest of Reading Silver Birch nominee books – click here. I just finished Eerie Tales from the School of Screams by Graham Annable. It’s funny, spooky, and surprisingly heartfelt.
And last but certainly not least, what is up next? Are you working on any other projects? Next in the series maybe? Can you tease anything?
🥋
Yes! I’m putting together my thoughts for Mo 3 right now, and it’s got some big surprises. Mo’s growing, her world’s shifting, and let’s just say… not all kicks are literal. Stay tuned!
And that’s all from me! I shall now retreat into my book marathon-ing hole and devour these two! Both of these bad gals are OUT NOW! Huge thanks to A.Y. for being here today and congratulations on the book release <3<3<3
video here
A. Y. Chan grew up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area, reading all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored other martial arts, such as Wing Chun, Hapkido, and Muay Thai. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.
🥋
HAVE YOU READ THIS SERIES YET? IS IT ON YOUR TBR? WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MIDDLE GRADE READS? DID YOU EVER DO MARTIAL ARTS? I’D LOVE TO KNOW!
