Hien Nguyen's Blog

My 400-word, 13-sentence hybrid CNF piece , “Watching Your Mother Die” was partially an experiment on my part. As with many other writers, I am plagued by a myriad of insecurities. Especially with my debut YA coming out in a few weeks, I’ve been intimately aware of the anxieties I have around my writing. Is it good? Is it marketable? What if no one wants my book? While I am so proud of the book Twin Tides is, I’ve also found my creative energy fluctuating a lot in the past few years because of my debut journey.

So, “Watching Your Mother Die” was in part a revisiting of the joy of writing. Although, joy feels like a bit of a misnomer considering the piece’s subject matter. I remember looking for literary magazines that I felt would be a fit for my work, and was drawn by Centaur’s goal of publishing “experimental writing that pushes beyond genre definitions—a story on top and a prose poem underneath; half memoir and half tale; a fable connected to a memory”.

It was the last example that triggered me to write this piece and was challenged to stay within Centaur’s 400-word limit. As I was drafting, I also felt compelled toward extending my sentences long after the point I’d naturally stop. How much emotion, memory, and imagery could I stack atop each other before the sentence became unwieldly? How could that extended sentence structure magnify the surrealist nature of the piece, blending folklore and memory? I recall being so energized when I was drafting the piece and seeing it get not one, but two nominations from Centaur means so much to me.

If you are a reader who has been touched by my words, either through these 400-words or my novel that is out in just a few weeks, please know I am so immensely grateful. Writing can feel lonely, but I am blessed to always be in connection with you ❤️

Since the online audiobook pages have been updated, it’s official and I can post about it! 🎉

Last month, my audiobook producer at Penguin Random House reached out to look at the portfolios of potential narrators. She had chosen a few for each POV, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn I’d be getting a full cast (Caliste, Aria, and The Ghoul, who will also be narrating some of the epistolary elements in the story). Now that everybody’s is finalized, I’d love to introduce you to my amazing cast!

Voice of Caliste: Chantria Tram

Chantria is a Khmer-Krom Canadian Toronto-based actress, workshop facilitator and producer.
She is the recipient of multiple artist-in-residencies for research and creative development including an unprecedented project, 'Voices of the 1.5 Generation', a joint University-Community project funded by the Canada Council for the Arts. Her solo show, 'Someone Between', has presented on the Montreal, Hamilton and Toronto stages including at the Summerworks Performance Festival 2018.

She has spoken on several artist panels internationally and has been a delegate and speaker during the 2008 Forum for Indigenous Issues at the United Nations.

Learn more about Chantria’s work here

Voice of Aria: Rebecca Ho

Rebecca Ho is a half Vietnamese, half Chinese actor and VO artist who was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia. She is currently based in NYC.

A recent grad of Columbia University's MFA Acting Program, Rebecca continues to work on the New York stage and surrounding regional areas. She recently made her Off-Broadway debut in Dilaria at the DR2 theatre alongside Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty). Her film Explaining Elizabeth was the opening feature and official selection for the Big Apple Film Festival 2024. Her first VO commercial for Bibigo Dumplings aired 2024, with another for StreetEasy shortly following after. Rebecca was also hand-selected to be in the 2024-2025 inaugural cohort of The Actor's Center Mentorship Program.

Rebecca is also a dialect coach, specialising in Australian, British RP and General American accents. 

When she's not acting, she can usually be found putting her 16+ years of dance experience to good use in her living room or reading her complete collection of Peanuts comics.

Learn more about Rebecca’s work here

Voice of The Ghoul/Narrator: Carolina Do

Carolina Đỗ is a theatre maker, community organizer, and proud descendant of Vietnamese freedom fighters and refugees. She's joyfully a downtown theater baby with a couple of Broadway and TV credits for health insurance and residuals. An alum of the Soho Rep Writer-Director Lab, JACKLabs, Fresh Ground Pepper Playground Playgroup, and Orchard Project Greenhouse Lab, Carolina’s work is a powerful blend of storytelling and advocacy. Carolina’s writing has been supported by residencies and fellowships at MACDOWELL, JACK, The Hearth, Fault Line Theatre, Piper Theater, and Naked Angels. Currently she is a Ma-Yi Lab Playground member and part of the Episodic Theater Project Writers Cohort. Carolina’s works have also been finalists for the Sokhary Chau Fellowship, Leah Ryan Fund, BricLab, and Bushwick Starr; and semifinalists for O'Neill, Playwrights Realm, Space on Ryder, and Princess Grace. As a Co-Founding Producing Artistic Leader of The Sống Collective and Creative Director of Mai House Studio and Betterfly Productions, Carolina is dedicated to fostering community through the arts. In her role as Associate Director for Community Engagement at PlayCo, she bridges the gap between performance and social impact. As a community organizer, her work is grounded in radical care and organizes where she's needed: e-sims for Gaza, anti-deportation work, community fridges, bailouts, jail support, undocumented communities, mutual aid, etc. Founding member of Asians4Abolition. BFA Brooklyn College

Learn more about Carolina’s work here

I will also be reading the dedication for the book so am also listed as part of the cast 😅 Throughout this publication process, my emotions have been mostly level. While pivotal moments like my cover reveal and getting ARCs were exciting, it wasn’t until seeing this listing of a full cast of SE Asian women that I did start to tear up. I feel so incredibly blessed to have my story told by these amazing actors.

I’m thrilled to announce the dates for the Twin Tides launch tour! I still can’t believe we are almost two months away from my debut being out in the world.

Some more events might be added 👀 But as of right now, New York City, Des Moines, and Los Angeles are confirmed. If you live near any of these cities, I would love to see you. Posters for each event is below, and for the Des Moines and Los Angeles stops, you can find the link to RSVP and preorder Twin Tides for the event! Thank you to the folks who generously accepted being my conversation partners. Over and over again, I’m reminded my writing and book community is one of the most lovely and energizing spaces to be.

Hello friends! Long time no updates. My apologies for that. My summer has been extremely hectic with travel and a big move going on. Things have finally settled a bit, and I’m excited to share some positive writing news with you.

“Watching Your Mother Die”, my hybrid creative non-fiction piece that was published in Issue 9 of Centaur Lit has received a 2026 Best of the Net nomination. At only 13 sentences and 400 words, this was both an emotional piece and a creative challenge for me. This is now my second overall nomination for Best of the Net, and I’m eternally grateful my strange little stories have found their place in the world.

And in book news, I’ve learned Twin Tides will be available from retailers in Canada, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand. The Australian and NZ release will not be until January 14th, however. It’s wild to imagine my book visiting countries (or entire continents, for that matter) that I’ve never been before.

We are now close the the three month mark from release date. Publishing runways are very long, and Twin Tides originally sold early 2024. The months of 2025 so far have felt very long leading up to my December release. To be frank, it’s been a lot of emotional lows as my mind conjures up all the worst case scenarios possible for my book. The reality is that things are supposed to be relatively quiet until marketing and promotion ramps up closer to publication time. I’m sure I’ll have many more feels as the next few months evolve, but I also wanted to be honest. Writing journeys from the outside can appear relatively seamless, when the reality is all but that 😅

Lastly, I did want to highlight the #WeThePeopleSummerFundraiser in which I am taking part. Multiple bookish goodies (from critiques, to AMAs, signed books, and other bookish services) are all available to bid on to support #KidLit4Ceasefire and immigrant and trans rights organizations around the country. Especially in this moment, I’m reminded that I feel most alive when I am supporting my community. Up for auction is a signed ARC of Twin Tides which will include three Tarot card character art stickers.

As usual, I hope you are finding joy, creativity, and care in your communities!

Always with gratitude,

Hien

Surprise! I’ve published a new creative non-fiction piece in Issue 9 of Centaur Lit!

“Watching Your Mother Die”

a 400 word CNF piece, published May 1, 2025

“I do not come home. I nestle into a story my mother tells me, of the banyan that could restore life and its keeper Cuội who instructed his wife to water it in his absence, but suffered when the wife forgot and instead urinated on the tree’s roots in a panic, and the banyan grew
grew
grew
wildly, bursting
until Cuội took an axe to tame its bestial branches, and it ascended, floating until the banyan settled on the moon.”

I’m full of gratitude that this weird little piece found a home amongst some amazing writing. Centaur only publishes pieces 400 word and under and in the hybrid-genre space, and I highly recommend you read their other issues.

At 400 words and only 13 sentences, “Watching Your Mother Die” was also a challenge in experimenting with very long sentences. Conciseness and precision is certainly a writing skill, but playing with the lyric of a long sentences and making them work was so energizing for me.

The content warning is in the title 😅 You can read the piece (or listen to me read it!) through the button below.

If you follow me on social media, you’ll have seen the many posts about the current Barnes & Noble preorder sale. Sorry if you have, since another boost will be going in this very blog post 😅 For rewards members, preorders are 25% off and premium members get an additional 10% off. The sale ends on April 25th.

To be honest, I don’t really mind doing self-promotion. Making the little graphics, posting, and boosting other writers is actually very fun for me. It’s truly been lovely seeing all the support for Twin Tides and meet potential readers who are just as excited as I am!

However, I was telling my partner that I can’t help but feel like a dancing monkey, or some other circus animal doing tricks in the middle of a huge tent (perhaps a squirrel in a little hat or other small furry creature). Given the current sociopolitical context and a reality of near constant-violence in the U.S. and the world, trying to get people to buy my book does feel very off putting. I realize that’s going to seem hypocritical in a post where I once again promote my book.

I’ve spoken to other writers about this cognitive dissonance. It’s not much of a comfort, but it’s been heartening to know I am not alone in this. Self-promotion and going about business as usual isn’t something we are wired to do. It isn’t something we should be wired to do. Feeling bound to my community, both here and globally, is human. And feeling the exhaustion is also human. I am in such a massively privileged place in my life, so I’ve tried to make time during these moments of exhaustion to recalibrate why writing matters, and not succumbing to that exhaustion and staying engaged with my community.

I’ll be attending the 2025 Abode Press Virtual Writer’s Retreat, which I am so excited for. Being surrounded by passionate, empathetic, and talented creatives is one of the best parts of my writing life and looking for these opportunities to intentionally connect make all of this worthwhile.

As far as other writing and life updates goes—I’ve been making steady progress on my second book project (Mean Girls x The Craft) and have been working through the first pass pages for Twin Tides. Reading back my words with distance has been a fun experience. I am a decent writer after all 😂

I got into a space of roller skating semi-frequently as exercise, and it had been tons of fun! Until I wiped out going downhill and now out of commission. Not to be too TMI but I do have a massive hematoma on my posterior, hah. No fracture! But will be resting for the foreseeable future.

Lastly, I did also want to shout out Indie Bookstore day on April 26th. I encourage you to support your local indies or BookShop.org. Indies are standing at the forefront of the battle against censorship and book banning in the U.S. and all support helps!

And finally if you are a bookseller or librarian, the digital review copy of Twin Tides is officially available to request on Edelweiss!

As always, cheers to rest and restoration ❤️

Today is the day! 🎉 The cover reveal for Twin Tides is live on the BookishBrews.com blog

Amanda has been a cheerleader for my writing career from the beginning, and I am so lucky to be able to share the cover of Twin Tides with her help.

Many, many thanks to the entire Delacorte Team with special thanks to artist Reiko Murakami and Designer Trisha Previte for doing such a stunning job bringing my messy, grieving girls to life.

In addition, preorder links are officially live. Some retailers will continue to have their links populate in the next several weeks, so please check your preferred retailer if you don’t quite see Twin Tides available yet!

As a writer at the beginning of my career, I’ve thought about this a lot (especially with my debut on the horizon). If you’ve read any of my online work, you can see some things emerge: loneliness, loss, and the absence of a mother-figure (through death, or otherwise).

Even when it comes down to scene, I realized a short creative non-fiction piece I recently had accepted (keep an eye out in a few months 👀) shares a specific short scene with another short story of mine (namely, being in the kitchen when a maternal figure is cooking for you and their voice soaring).

Am I a bad writer? That is the inevitable and immediate thought. And in talking with my writing friends, I know is not a productive one. Especially in an industry that emphasizes author brand, it can feel like being trapped between a rock and a hard place. Do I write the same things, or do I not? That answer, for me, is simply to write. I didn’t necessarily aim to tell a grief story with Twin Tides, but of course it is.

I’ve also recently been observing my partner practice art. As a craft, he is drawing the same images over and over again. Perhaps slightly different, from a different angle or in a different way. But dozens of sketches of people, boxes, the way an arm sits in a particular position are scattered around our house. When I see him draw the same thing, I always notice differences. With each iteration, he learns more about himself as an artist and the very thing he wanted to bring to life in the first place.

As a writer who revisits the same themes and story repeatedly, I can draw on the same ethos. With each iteration, what new light is shed on my grief story? In the various versions of my mother that exist across my publications, what sides of her can I identify? What sides of me can I identify?

One of my recent hyperfixations has been baking sourdough bread, after buying a dehydrated starter online. I’ve made three loaves so far, each from slightly different recipes and yielding slightly different results. But ultimately, they are all bread. But, of course, my bread making doesn’t cause me any existential angst and it might be healthier for me to adopt the same mindset for my writing.

My second sourdough loaf

All this to say: with bread, art, and writing, repetition might actually be a requirement. If you have ever felt the anxiety over being a one-trick-pony perhaps take a trip to your local bakery. Cheers, and happy writing! ❤️

Hello friends! I, as many of you, are trucking on despite persistent horrors ☹️

To be honest it has been pretty difficult feeling energized creatively for me. I haven’t wrapped up my option materials yet, but have been trying to be kind to myself and take it slow. It’s not contracted and I am on no deadlines except what I’ve enforced on myself, so I am doing my best to try to disengage from my own standards of ‘productivity’.

I’ve also struggled with very useless guilt? As in “well, I am relatively privileged. Who am I to struggle with writing in this moment?” Curating a sustainable creative life is reminding myself that none of us need to “earn” rest.

The cover reveal from Twin Tides is coming so soon. I wanted to take this blog post to be honest about the rollercoaster of emotions I’ve been on as I get closer to debut & having my book tangibly be out in the world. Author envy and jealousy is a real thing. In many ways it’s unavoidable, especially in an industry in which writers are made to feel like they are competing for fewer and fewer slots.

But to be frank, I don’t think I really got the jealousy until recently. It’s come to a head a lot when I think about productivity, and comparing myself to very fast writers who have multiple projects already contracted. I can’t help but think “Why can’t I be like them? There must be something wrong with me. I don’t deserve a writing career.”

Clearly, this is all not helpful and negative self-talk. And this will inevitably get worse as the year progresses. I am so happy and so proud of the work I, and many others, put behind Twin Tides. But I just know that something as little as someone else receiving a glowing review could send me into an overthinking spiral—about my writing ability or self-worth as a creative.

All this to say (and as a reminder to myself): it’s normal. It’s not shameful to feel these feelings. It would be shameful if I were, I dunno, do something shady and blow up my debut group with a public scandal to drag everybody down (cough). Feelings are valid, but not always correct, and I am in control of how I let my envy control me.

Anyhoo 😅 perhaps that’s not the most inspiring blog post leading up to cover reveal, but it’s an honest one.

None of us are alone, especially in this moment when the folks in power are banking on us to feel useless and disempowered. We are not. Take care of yourself and take actionable steps in service of your community (however small they feel)! ❤️

I can’t believe the time is already here, but the official cover reveal for Twin Tides will be next month! Planning is underway, and I am so excited for you all to see the gorgeous and haunting cover art for my debut.

I am also putting together a street team. If you are not aware - a street team is a marketing tactic originally used in music (think folks going out on the street to hand out albums). Don’t worry! Nothing like that will be involved with the Twin Tides street team. But, if you are interested, the application is here and I will be accepting responses until the end of the month!

The street team will get ARCs, be involved in a lil’ community to chat all things books, and get access to other goodies and potentially some giveaways during promotion period. If you are into twisty genre-blend stories about diaspora and family, take a look 👀

It’s finally happening. I’ll have a book in my hands (somewhat soon) and will be officially promoting my debut. I still can’t believe it. Thank you so much for being on this journey with me ❤️