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Ann Liang
Born (2000-03-08) 8 March 2000 (age 24)
Beijing, China
OccupationWriter
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
GenreYoung adult
Notable worksIf You Could See The Sun (2022)
Website
www.annliang.com

Ann Liang (Chinese: Liang Yuan) is a Chinese-Australian writer.[1] She will also serve as the executive producer for a television adaptation of her novel If You Could See The Sun.[2]

Early life and education

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Ann Liang was born Liang Yuan in Beijing, China, on 8 March 2000. When she was five, she moved to Australia, and was given the name "Ann" by her teachers, as it was short and easy to remember.[3]: 2:14  At age nine, she moved back to Beijing, moving and attending various international schools, the longest being Beijing International School.

Liang was a prolific reader and writer growing up. Throughout her life, Liang was encouraged to become a writer from a very young age, but did not consider it seriously until she was in Year Eleven.[4] In that same year, in 2016, she published her first work called "A Sketch of Perfection", in the anthology My First Lesson: Stories Inspired by Laurinda, by Alice Pung.[5] At the time of her debut, she had freshly graduated from the University of Melbourne.[1][6]

Career

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On February 2, 2021, Liang announced through Instagram that she would debuting in 2022 with her young adult novel, If You Could See the Sun.[7] If You Could See the Sun won the Readings Prize Young Adult Book Prize,[8] was a finalist for the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel,[9] and was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award.[10] On October 11, 2022, the debut day of If You Could See The Sun, it was announced that a television adaptation would be produced by the Seoul and Los Angeles-based Bound Entertainment company, and that Liang would be serving as an executive producer.[2]

On October 19, 2021, Liang announced that she would be releasing her second book, This Time It's Real, in spring 2023.[11]

Liang's third YA novel, I Hope This Doesn't Find You, released on February 6, 2024.[12] I Hope This Doesn't Find You reached number seven on The New York Times Best Seller list for young adult hardcover books,[13] and was a finalist for the Queensland Literary Awards Young Adult Book Award.[14]

Liang's debut adult novel, A Song To Drown Rivers, was released on October 1, 2024,[15] and was chosen for the Good Morning America book club.[16]

Liang's novel I Am Not Jessica Chen was going to be released in summer 2024,[17] but was pushed back to 2025.[18] On August 24, 2024, Liang announced the release of her fifth young adult novel, Never Thought I'd End Up Here, for June 2025.[19] Liang has a spinoff of If You Could See the Sun titled I Could Give You the Moon set to release in 2026.[18]

Writing style and themes

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A common theme in Liang's books is centering around the individual growth of the protagonist, with her first three books following her female protagonists, Alice Sun, Eliza Lin, and Sadie Wen, high school students who struggle to put themselves out there. Another of her major themes is the Asian diaspora experience, with the former two being students who have found disparity with their home country due to being abroad, and the latter growing up in an English-speaking country. The three of them are characterized by their lack of language fluency in Mandarin Chinese.[18]

Liang's books first two books takes place in international schools, excluding I Hope This Doesn't Find You. This is influenced by Liang's childhood, who attended at least six different schools in Beijing growing up.[3]: 24:18  Due to her various experiences, she also touches upon class and privilege that she has seen from her wealthy classmates.

Some of Liang's artistic references are Chinese media such as C-dramas, and music such as Taylor Swift's discography, with the latter used as references to set the mood for each of her scenes.[20]

Liang cites fellow authors such as R.F. Kuang and Chloe Gong as inspirations, as well as the series The Hunger Games and Shatter Me.[4]

Bibliography

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Novels

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  • Liang, Ann (2022). If You Could See The Sun. Inkyard Press. ISBN 9780369721754.
  • Liang, Ann (2023). This Time It's Real. Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780369721754.
  • Liang, Ann (2024) I Hope This Doesn't Find You. Scholastic Press. ISBN 9781338827163.
  • Liang, Ann (2024). A Song to Drown Rivers. Pan Macmillan Australia. ISBN 9781761564222.
  • Liang, Ann (2025). I Am Not Jessica Chen. Inkyard Press. ISBN 9781335523129.
  • Liang, Ann (2025). Never Thought I'd End Up Here. Scholastic Press. ISBN 9781546110675.
  • Liang, Ann (2026). I Could Give You The Moon. HarperTeen.

Anthologies

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Personal life

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She has a younger sister named Alyssa, who is acknowledged in her books. In an interview, she stated that her Chinese name is a combination of her parents' names.[21]

Aside from English, Liang is fluent in Mandarin.[21] In an interview with Penguin Books Australia, she stated that she did an internship with a Chinese entertainment news company, which she also used as an inspiration for This Time It's Real.[4]

Awards

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Year Title Award Result Ref.
2022 If You Could See the Sun Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction Nominated [10]
Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel Finalist [9]
2023 Readings Prize Young Adult Book Prize Won [8]
2024 I Hope This Doesn't Find You Queensland Literary Awards Young Adult Book Award Finalist [14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About". Ann Liang. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (11 October 2022). "Bound Entertainment Options Ann Liang's YA Debut 'If You Could See The Sun'; Will Develop As Series". Deadline. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Dear Asian Youth (16 September 2023). Dear Asian Youth Book Club Interview with Ann Liang (Video).
  4. ^ a b c "Ann Liang shares how she managed to publish two YA books before age 23". Penguin Books Australia. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "My First Lesson". penguin.com.au. Penguin Books Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Congratulations to Ann Liang (Class of 2017 and Dux of the School) who has secured a book-deal with Inkyard/Harper Collins for her debut novel If You Could See The Sun". Facebook. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  7. ^ Liang, Ann [@annliangwrites] (2 February 2021). "can't believe i finally get to scream about this but I HAVE A BOOK DEAL !! ✨😱 my YA academic-rivals-to-lovers novel w a speculative twist is coming out next year from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins and it honestly still feels surreal! i'm so so excited to share this book with you guys 😭💖" – via Instagram.
  8. ^ a b "Master, Liang, Lien win 2023 Readings Prizes | Books+Publishing". Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Aurealis Awards shortlists announced | Books+Publishing". Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction 2022 — Goodreads Choice Awards". Goodreads. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  11. ^ Liang, Ann [@annliangwrites] (19 October 2021). "✨THE NEWS IS OUT—i get to write more books!!!✨ if my debut is the book of my heart, then THIS TIME IT'S REAL is the book of my hope, and i can't wait for you guys to read it in spring 2023!!!!" – via Instagram.
  12. ^ Liang, Ann [@annliangwrites] (29 June 2023). "💌BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT + COVER REVEAL💌 The cover for my rivals-to-lovers YA romcom I HOPE THIS DOESN'T FIND YOU is here!!! This book is basically To All the Boys if Lara Jean wrote hate emails instead of love letters and it comes out feb 6th, 2024!" – via Instagram.
  13. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - Books - March 3, 2024 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Young Adult Book Award". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  15. ^ Liang, Ann [@annliangwrites] (17 December 2023). "we have an official release date and description for my adult debut A SONG TO DROWN RIVERS !!!! inspired by my favourite tragic c-dramas, it's the angstiest book i've ever written and i'm literally buzzing at the thought that it'll be out in less than a year?!" – via Instagram.
  16. ^ "'A Song to Drown Rivers' by Ann Liang is our 'GMA' Book Club pick for October". 30 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Rights Report: Week of June 27, 2022". Publishers Weekly.
  18. ^ a b c Conway, Sara (29 June 2023). "This Is Me Trying: An Interview with Gen Z Author Ann Liang". EnVi Media. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  19. ^ Liang, Ann [@annliangwrites] (24 August 2024). "…and the official announcement is up!!! i'm truly so happy i get to release another YA romcom with scholastic, and i don't think i'll ever get tired of writing about messy girls falling in love and finding joy in unexpected places 💗💗💗" – via Instagram.
  20. ^ Jones, Iyana (2 February 2023). "Q & A with Ann Liang". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  21. ^ a b @ourviolentreads (11 November 2023). "our live with ann talking about many many things! 💕". Retrieved 14 July 2024 – via Instagram.
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