Remy Lai Talks About Her New Graphic Novel ‘Ghost Book,’ Offering Hope and a Unique Look At Grief

A podcast interview with Remy Lai on The Growing Readers Podcast, a production of The Children’s Book Review.

Get ready to be inspired as you learn about Remy Lai’s creative process and the inspiration behind her latest graphic novel, Ghost Book, which beautifully deals with the difficult theme of grief in a moving and hopeful way.

Through her storytelling, Lai reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles. She encourages us to embrace our emotions and create beauty from our pain. Ghost Book is an uplifting reminder that there is light at the end of even the darkest tunnels and that our journey toward healing is one that we can all walk on together. So if you’re looking for a source of inspiration and hope, look no further than Remy Lai’s ‘Ghost Book.’ You won’t want to miss this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast.

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Bianca Schulze

Hi. Remy Lai. Welcome to The Growing Readers Podcast.

Remy Lai

Hi, Bianca. Thanks for having me.

Bianca Schulze

Oh, it’s an absolute pleasure. And I am really excited because I love that you’re joining from my home country of Australia today. It’s currently spring here in Colorado in the United States, but I know that it’s autumn there, so I am really curious about what the weather is doing for you today.

Remy Lai

Well, I’m in Brisbane. It’s cold today, but probably not cold compared to.

Bianca Schulze

I am so thrilled to have you on the show today because I fell in love with your writing and artwork when I read Pie in the Sky, which I found to be funny and touching and heartbreaking but also an utterly uplifting exploration of what it means to be an outsider. And it also explores grief. And I would use all those same ways to describe your latest book, Ghost Book. So, since your writing tends to have these common threads, I would love to begin by having you tell us what drives you and guides you in creating books for children.

Remy Lai

Well, for me, the reason that I create books for children is an entirely selfish reason. I just like to imagine stories. That is one of the things that I really love to do. I mean, since I was a kid, I have four siblings, so my house when I was a kid was always really noisy and busy. But I always remember I would take myself out of that busyness and just go to another corner of the house and read or draw, something like that. I’ve always really liked doing it. When I think about the books that I’m creating now, it’s not only the books that I enjoy creating, but also, I think about the books that I loved to read when I was a kid.

And I thought that maybe it would be really cool if another kid read one of my books and got that same kind of feeling.

Bianca Schulze

Yes. Well, there’s a common saying in the writer’s world that to be a writer, you need to be a reader first. So, do you agree with that statement, and have you always considered yourself a reader?

Remy Lai

Yes, I do agree with that statement, but then also, I’ve never not been a reader, so I don’t know what it would be like to write when I’m not a reader. So, when I was a kid, because I grew up in Indonesia, and so we got a lot of Japanese manga that’s translated, and so I read a lot of that.

And I remember growing up, we would always sit at the dinner table, and we would all be reading manga, and then my mom would be yelling at us to stop reading and eat our food. So, yeah, I’ve always been a reader. And I think when you read different kinds of books, so different genres, and then maybe for different age groups. Also, you get kind of a sense of what’s out there, and then I guess it helps you get a better sense of what other people’s tastes are.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. How do you feel reading all of that manga in your childhood has influenced the way that you create books now?

Remy Lai

So, I started out with drawing when I was a kid, and so I would copy all the pictures in the different mangas, and so I would copy all the different styles, and then from there, I would naturally just start to develop my own style. And so, I guess that occurred naturally. I wasn’t trying to create my own style or anything. It just happened organically, I would say. And so, I’ve always really liked telling stories with pictures. I think that clearly shows in my work that I have so far because they all have lots of pictures in them.

Bianca Schulze

Absolutely. All right, well, when you sit down to create a book, to write it, and to illustrate it, what does that look like?

Remy Lai

So, for me, usually, the idea would come usually it comes as an image inside my head, maybe usually of the characters doing something. So, for example, for Ghost Book. For a long time, I imagined this girl who could see ghosts, and then she makes friends with a boy ghost, and then somehow, I knew that he would sacrifice for her. But that’s all I knew about the book. And I just tried out a lot of different stories on them, trying to fit them into all different kinds of stories, but they didn’t really fit until I found the Hungry Ghost angle.

And then once I have that, and I know the beginning of the story and then the ending, that’s when I can actually piece all the middle parts together. And from there, then I start writing the story, and I only draw once I’ve finished revising the manuscript.

Bianca Schulze

Oh, that’s so interesting. Obviously, once you have the beginning and the ending, you work more with your words first than the pictures. Is that correct?

Remy Lai

Yeah, but that’s only because from a Laziness point of view, I suppose, because drawing a graphic novel takes up so much time, and I knew that there definitely would be revisions to the story. And I didn’t want to start out spending months drawing 100 pages of a graphic novel and then realize, oh, I have to scrap this and have to start over. I would cry. But along the way, when I’m writing my story, I would also be trying to imagine scenes, and then I would draw, just doodle the characters, doing different things, and then that helps me to move the story along when I’m writing.

Bianca Schulze

I love that. Well, let’s dig into Ghost Book. So, when this book was pitched to me, it was compared to three of my all-time favorite movies: Spirited Away, Coco, and Ghosts. Hands down, those three are some of my top favorite movies. So, it had really big shoes to fill. And I have to say that you filled those shoes so effortlessly. You had me crying and laughing all within the first few pages. So, I think you absolutely nailed the story.

Well, since you’ve mentioned the Hungry Ghosts angle, would you like to describe that angle a little bit to our listeners?

Remy Lai

Yeah. So, the Hungry Ghosts are part of Chinese culture where in the 7th month of the lunar calendar, supposedly the gates of the underworld open, and then all these Hungry Ghosts who have very insatiable appetites and they would eat anything usually, but usually not humans. Usually, they would eat the food offerings left out by people. And then there are many taboos that superstitions around Hungry Ghosts. Like, for example, during the 7th month of the lunar calendar, you’re not supposed to go swimming now because there’ll be Hungry Ghosts in the water trying to harm you and things like that.

So, I grew up in Singapore, where Hungry Ghosts is pretty big. It was bigger years back. I don’t know about now, but I grew up with those folklores and myths. So, it was just a natural fit into the story.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. And that also explains I’m going to imagine July’s name.

Remy Lai

Yes, the 7th month of the lunar calendar. So, July is the 7th month.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. I love it. It’s also the month of my birthday, so thank you. So, death and grief are actually a large part of this story. Do you have any thoughts you’d be willing to share about the importance of exploring these themes, death, and grief with kids through story?

Remy Lai

Yeah, I think when you are well, in Pie in the Sky, because you mentioned Pie in the Sky earlier, so the dad also passed away. So, I was very reluctant to put that in there because sometimes, in kids’ books, the parents are conveniently killed off so that the child characters can go off on adventures. But I also know because I lost my dad when I was in high school.

Remy Lai

Books that deal with grief are important to me, but I especially like those that deal with it in a more hopeful way. I would say, with dealing with grief in that, you will be fine. And it does get a little easier. I would say you would still miss the ones that you lost, but you will be fine. So that, I think, is an important message, I think, for kid readers to see.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. And it definitely is a common thread in Pie in the Sky and Ghost Book, for sure. And just so well done. Well, Ghost Book is a graphic novel. So, what does that look like? You’ve kind of said a little bit about how you sit down and plot out the story, mostly in words first. So, once you have the words, what does the process look like to get that graphic novel to the finished end, where it’s the published book?

Remy Lai

Yeah. So, after I’ve done all the revisions with the words with my editor, then I go on to sketching out the whole book. So, I would just loosely sketch out the whole book. I work on my iPad and Apple Pencil, and then I would send it off to my editor, and then he would give me his feedback. And then at this point, sometimes, usually, there would be changes, but usually, like, minor changes because we’ve nailed down the story in words in that stage. So that’s why that part is really important.

And then so, once you’re all happy with the sketches, then we go on to the inks, where I just make the sketches a lot neater. And then, once that’s done, we send it over. I didn’t do the coloring for Ghost Book. We have a fabulous colorist. Her name is Nina Gilliard, and she colored everything in Ghost Book. And so, we would send all the final inks to Nina, and then she would color everything. And I think that’s about it. That sounds really simple, but actually, it took us, I think, just for me to do the drawings. I think it took us eight months.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. That’s awesome. So, this is as somebody who writes words and does not draw pictures unless I’m doodling for myself and not to show anybody else; I’ve always wondered about this whole colorist process because I think a lot of us sit down with a graphic novel and assume that the illustrator also applied all of the color. So, for what reason is a colorist used in the creation of graphic novels?

Remy Lai

For me, I think Nina, who is the colorist for Ghost Book, is fabulous, and I could not have done as good a job as her. She brings out the story so well. Yeah. I’m so glad she’s on board, but I know there are other illustrators who also do the coloring. I did the coloring for my Surviving the Wild series, but I was confident in doing those colors, but I know that I couldn’t do the colors for some of my books because I just don’t have that skill.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah, it’s so fascinating. As someone who doesn’t create art, what’s your favorite illustration in the book and why?

Remy Lai

I think my favorite one would be the simplest one, which would be when July meets William for the first time. So, it’s just a double-page spread of them looking at each other that it would be my favorite one. It didn’t take me too long to draw that one, but it would be my favorite one.

Bianca Schulze

What makes it your favorite?

Remy Lai

I don’t know. I think it’s just a very pivotal moment in their friendship when they’re just when they first meet, and then there’s something special about that moment, even if they didn’t really know exactly why at that point.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. Well, I have a favorite part, but I cannot share it because it would be a massive spoiler. And I don’t want to ruin your story for anyone. So, I’m going to piggyback on your response. Since you mentioned July and William, and it’s the first time they met, what would you like listeners to know about their friendship?

Remy Lai

I think for her; it’s really special because up until this point, nobody has ever really seen her. They always forget who she is. They forget her name, but he doesn’t. He remembers her and knows who she is. And so, I really like writing about that kind of friendship, that really special friendship, because, for me, I’m the type of person who has a small group of close friends.

The number of friendships you have, I feel, is not as important as the quality, I would say. So, quality over quantity, I think.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. Well, when readers get to the end, they’ve read Ghost Book. What impact do you hope that this book will have had on them?

Remy Lai

First of all, I want them to cry like you did, I think. I just want them to see that maybe you don’t have to be everything to everyone, I would say, because, for example, for July, to her, what’s important is her friendship with William, who is just one person, really, but that friendship is very important to her.

Bianca Schulze

Yeah. Well, are you working on any new books like what’s coming up next for you?

Remy Lai

Yes, we have a much scarier book that’s coming out next year. We don’t have the dates yet. It’s called read at your own risk. Read at your own risk. So, this one is closer to Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall in terms of format. So, it’s prose with illustrations, not a graphic novel. And it’s about a girl who gives a school assembly to go up to the attic of her school with some of her friends to play a game that is similar to a Ouija board so that they can communicate with spirits and things like that. And then, she ends up unleashing some kind of evil spirit, and the spirit starts to communicate with her in her diary.

Bianca Schulze

It sounds exciting.

Remy Lai

Yeah. This one is much scarier than Ghost Book.

Bianca Schulze

It’s really funny that you said it’s a game like the Ouija Board because when I was reading Ghost Book, and as I mentioned before, it definitely filled the shoes of Spirited Away, Coco, and Ghost. But I was a kid who, I guess, was mostly raised during the 80s, and  Ouija boards were a thing. They were a thing. I don’t hear kids talking about Ouija boards these days. But when I was reading Ghost Book, it actually took me back to my childhood of Ouija boards. So, I am really excited to check out this next book. So, I’ll be keeping my eye out for a date on that one. And I can’t wait to see the COVID since you said it’s a little scarier.

Remy Lai

Yeah, it’s a lot scarier. I think my editor said Ghost Book is five or six out of ten on the scary Factor, and then read at your own rate is like ten out of ten.

Bianca Schulze

Oh, awesome.

Remy Lai

Yeah.

Bianca Schulze

I would agree with five to six out of ten on Ghost Book because it’s not for the faint-hearted, but it’s also not terrifying at all. It’s just, to me, Ghost Book was so beautiful. Well, Remy, before we go, is there anything else that you want to share with us about Ghost Book or yourself?

Remy Lai

I’ll share maybe something without giving away the ending. So, when I wrote the ending for Ghost Book when I sent it to my editor, he said, Remy, this is too tragic. We can’t do this. And he really advised me to really rethink the ending. I really did rethink the ending, and I really like tragic endings, but he thought it was too tragic. So then we found a way to make it so that I still get to make people cry. But it’s also an ending that my editor says, okay, this one we can do. Yeah.

Bianca Schulze

And it goes back to what you said before about offering a level of hope, and I feel like that comes across in the ending so beautifully. I mean, I definitely thought, well, no, I’m not going to even say what I’m going to say because I don’t want to give away the ending, but I wish I could say what I was going to say; it’s honestly, I mean, I said you had me crying and laughing at the beginning, but you definitely had me crying at the end too. It was amazing.

Remy Lai

Yay.

Bianca Schulze

Well, Remy Lai, this has been so much fun. Ghost Book is not only spooky but also so full of heart. And I imagine kids taking it on a camping trip and reading this next to the campfire or staying up late reading it with a flashlight under the covers. And I’m sure it will also be wildly popular for the spooky season of Halloween, too. So, any human who enjoys a book that makes them feel is destined to love this book. I truly, truly believe it.

So, I just want to thank you for coming onto the show today to share all of this incredible graphic novel insight and Ghost Book insight. And I appreciate your writing so much. You are one of my favorites, and I really appreciate you. So, thank you.

Remy Lai

Thank you so much for having me. It’s been so fun chatting with you. Bye.

About the Book

Publisher’s Book Summary: Perfect for fans of Spirited Away, Coco, and Ghosts comes a spooky fantasy graphic novel about the friendship between a girl who can see ghosts and a boy who is stuck between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Twelve years ago, the boy and the girl lived. But one was supposed to die.

July Chen sees ghosts. But her dad insists ghosts aren’t real. So she pretends they don’t exist. Which is incredibly difficult now as it’s Hungry Ghost month, when the Gates of the Underworld open and dangerous ghosts run amok in the living world. When July saves a boy ghost from being devoured by a Hungry Ghost, he becomes her first-ever friend. Except William is not a ghost. He’s a wandering soul wavering between life and death. As the new friends embark on an adventure to return William to his body, they unearth a ghastly truth―for William to live, July must die.

Inspired by Chinese mythology, this dark yet resoundingly hopeful tale about friendship, sacrifice, and the unseen world of ghosts is a dazzling heir to beloved Studio Ghibli classics.

Buy the Book

Show Notes

Remy Lai studied fine arts with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and currently lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Pie in the Sky, Fly on the Wall, and Pawcasso.

Resources:

For more information, visit ⁠https://remylai.com⁠.

Discussion Topics:

• What drives Remy Lai to create books for children
• From the images in her head to finishing revisions on a manuscript
• Ghost Book, and how the idea came to her
• Origin of the characters in Ghost Book
• The concept of hungry ghosts and their significance in Chinese culture and how they fit into the story
• Themes of death and grief and the importance of exploring these themes in a hopeful way
• The importance of quality friendships over quantity
• Finding the right ending to the story

Thank you for listening to the Growing Readers Podcast episode: Remy Lai Talks About Her New Graphic Novel Ghost Book, Offering Hope and a Unique Look At Grief. For the latest episodes from The Growing Readers Podcast, Follow Now on Spotify.