I really enjoyed reading your interview with Publishers Weekly, where you shared how learning about medicine informs your writing: “I’ll be sitting in a classroom, and my classmates or professors will be talking about some disease, and I’ll think, ‘I’m making that a plot point.’” Can you share one of those fascinating facts you learned that you’d like to weave into a book, if you haven’t already? And is there a world/genre outside of silkpunk/science fantasy/medical mystery that you’d like to write?
In books, I love when magic makes sense and feels like it could be real if our universe just formed a little differently. And in real life, I love when science feels a little bit like magic, something limitless to learn and apply. Medicine definitely strikes that balance for me–part magic, part science. In that way, a lot of the things I studied in medical school translated cleanly over to Bloodcarver. It’s been a while since I wrote those books, but I recall learning about rhabdomyolysis, the breakdown of muscle fibers, and thinking that felt exactly like something a “bloodcarver” would do.
That being said, despite all my studies in the STEM fields, I have one rule that I maintain while writing, and that is to never sacrifice art for accuracy. There were times I took a bit of creative liberty—a drug that I designed after neuromuscular blockers definitely didn’t display the same pharmacokinetics, and a lot of the medical technology within the world didn’t exist at the same time in real life. It’s the old adage: Learn the rules to break the rules. I figured that I’ve been spending years learning the rules of medicine so that I can break them in my writing.
As for other genres, I’ve been toying with science fantasy as I love, love anything with space. I hope to give it as intricate a magic system as Bloodcarver, so I’ve been brushing up on physics. But for now, it’s a little bit of a white whale. You can keep expecting medical magic murder mysteries with my next duology!
How did you go about researching for and building the world of Theumas, including the names of places and your characters, to their dress, customs, and biases ? Even as you were initially inspired by your Vietnamese heritage, how did you continue to craft this world and story to be more reflective to your Vietnamese American and child of immigrants experience?
When I first started writing about Vietnamese culture, I set my worlds in fictionalized versions of historic Vietnam. Yet, I felt detached from my own writing and came to realize it was because I was writing a story that didn’t belong to me. I wasn’t raised in Vietnam. I was raised in America.
Bloodcarver came from writing my culture exactly as I experienced it, nothing more. Despite a cast full of Vietnamese characters, the setting is Western and inspired by Victorian steampunk. Culture comes through primarily in dress, food, and ceremonies, as it did during my childhood. Nhika yearns for a heritage that she never really had.
The central setting of the story, Theumas, was built to represent a core theme of my childhood: the American Dream, the idea that success is determined by hard work, even for someone who came on a boat. Theumas touts a meritocracy, yet has a sinister backdrop of prejudice that corrupts this philosophy. Similarly, I grew up learning that every pitfall could be overcome with hard work, only to learn that wasn’t quite the case. I think that’s a uniquely first-gen American feeling.
You dedicated your debut novel to your parents and your bà ngoại. In addition to being a child of immigrants, you’ve also shared that you belong to a culture of healers, as your parents are doctors and your grandma worked in a hospital as a laundress as an immigrant. I’d love to know if your family members have read your writing and their reactions. Was there any healing that writing The Last Bloodcarver duology brought for you?
My dad always told me that because he worked hard and I was born in America, I could be anything I wanted–even a president. I didn’t have to become a doctor like him. So, I decided I wanted to be an author (and also a doctor…but my parents were a lot prouder of me for publishing a book than for getting into medical school). While I expressly forbade them from reading my book, they unfortunately both read Bloodcarver. More fortunately, they both seemed to enjoy it. While I tease them, I’m also incredibly thankful that they were so supportive of this dream. Everything I am, I owe to my parents and my grandmother who raised me while they were in training.
Unfortunately, my grandmother was in the late stages of dementia when Bloodcarver was published. She died a few weeks after its release. I have a lot of regret that I wasn’t able to share this achievement, as well as my medical achievements, with her in any way that mattered. She was the one who inspired me to write Bloodcarver in the first place, and Nhika’s love for her grandmother is my own. Book one was written in her honor; book two was written in her memory. In that way, Bloodcarver was very healing for me to write, but also painful for me to revisit. It’s not a book I would write at this point in my life anymore, but I’m very glad it’s written.
Vanessa Le was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, though her education has taken her to frigid Rhode Island, where she received her Bachelor’s in Human Biology at Brown University, and to dry California, where she studies medicine. When not writing, she’s studying or studying or sometimes studying. She is the Forbes 30 Under 30 author of The Last Bloodcarver and His Mortal Demise and has found a home in writing science fantasy that blends magic with a little bit of medicine.
This interview was conducted by Cathy Duong as part of the Author Spotlight series. All featured authors participated in Viet Book Fest 2026, a literary event presented by the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association (VAALA).
Join us on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California for a full day honoring Vietnamese storytelling and culture in literature.
Viet Book Fest 2026 offers a full day of programming focused on Vietnamese literature, storytelling, and culture. Attendees can participate in five panel discussions, enjoy interactive activities for children, and experience youth performances that showcase Vietnamese traditions and creativity. The festival also provides a space for community collaborations, where participants can create their own art and engage in hands-on projects.