Between Worlds: Keshe Chow on Grief, Ghosts, and the Gothic Heart of Fantasy

When Melbourne-based author Keshe Chow sits down to write, she doesn’t think about genre labels or market trends. She just tells the story that wants to be told,  one that often lives somewhere between the beautiful and the terrifying.

“I don’t really start with a clear idea of what genre I’m writing in,” Chow says. “The publishing industry likes people to fit neatly into boxes, but I just write the story and see what comes of it.”

The result is a heady mix of fantasy, gothic romance and horror, all anchored by a deep emotional core. “Fantasy gives me the freedom to play with big stakes and magic,” she explains. “Romance brings the emotion, and the horror just comes naturally because I’m honestly scared of so many things.”

That fear isn’t for show. “I’m genuinely terrified of ghosts and mirrors in the dark,” she laughs. “But writing about them feels like a kind of therapy. When I’m the one creating the scares, I know it’s coming from my own brain, so it’s okay.”

Chow’s upcoming novel, For no Mortal Creature, has been described as a mix between Inception and Wuthering Heights, an unexpected pairing that makes perfect sense once you hear her reasoning.

“The Inception comparison came from this idea of ghosts dying and becoming ghosts of ghosts,” she explains. “I came across a Chinese word that meant ‘ghost of a ghost,’ and it got me thinking about how deep the afterlife could go.”

Initially, the story took on an urban tone, inspired by the film’s layered dreamscapes, before Chow shifted gears. “I’ve always loved Wuthering Heights. It’s so bleak and gothic, full of death, grief and people doing terrible things. It had the tone I wanted,” she says. “So I took Inception’s concept and Wuthering Heights’ atmosphere, and when I put them together, that’s when the book finally clicked.”

Beyond ghosts and genre-blending, For no Mortal Creature is deeply personal. Chow drew on her own experiences with grief after losing her grandmother in Malaysia.

“I never really got to say goodbye to her,” she shares. “I’d just had my first child and couldn’t travel back for the funeral. Writing about a girl who loves her grandmother so fiercely she’d cross into the afterlife to save her, it felt cathartic.”

It’s this blend of emotional honesty and supernatural imagination that gives her work its depth. “A lot of my main characters pull from my best and worst traits,” Chow says. “So when people say my characters are annoying or stubborn, I’m like, yeah, that’s me too.”

Chow’s story is rich with Chinese and Southeast Asian mythology, particularly ghost folklore. “I was fascinated by how differently Eastern and Western cultures think about the afterlife,” she says. “In Chinese stories, ghosts can eat, fall in love, even die again. They’re almost physical beings. That idea really inspired me.”

For Chow, weaving those traditions into Western-leaning genres like romantasy is also about representation. “Growing up, I never saw myself in the books I loved,” she says. “It’s so important for young readers to see themselves in fantasy, to know their culture and stories belong there too.”

Romantic fantasy, or “romantasy” has surged in popularity over the past few years, something Chow attributes to its emotional honesty and inclusivity.

“Romance and fantasy are both such escapist genres,” she says. “And romantasy, especially, gives more space to voices that haven’t always been included. Traditional fantasy has long been geared toward white male audiences, but romantasy opens the door for women, non-binary readers, and anyone who hasn’t seen themselves reflected in those stories.”

While some might find it strange to pair romance with horror, for Chow, the connection is obvious.

“They’re two sides of the same coin,” she explains. “Both genres are about strong, visceral reactions, whether that’s swooning or recoiling. I love subverting expectations, like taking something romantic and making it just a little bit grotesque. It’s fun creatively, and it keeps readers on edge.”

Before becoming a full-time writer, Chow worked as a veterinarian, an experience that’s now finding its way into her next project.

“I’ve always loved writing,” she says, “but during my veterinary career, I didn’t have room for creativity. When I finally decided to try again, I realised I’d lost the skill of writing fiction after years of scientific writing.”

She laughs, recalling her first attempt. “The first 25,000 words I wrote were terrible. I had to relearn how to write creatively.”

Her advice to aspiring authors, especially those from diasporic backgrounds, is simple: find your people and keep writing.

“Find a support network, even if it’s just others starting out,” she says. “No words you write are ever wasted. Even if something doesn’t get published, it helps you develop your voice.”

Chow’s next book marks her first foray into adult fantasy, a duology set in a magical veterinary school where students treat witches’ familiars and mythical creatures. “It’s an academic rivals-to-lovers story,” she says with a grin. “One treats cats and familiars, the other treats dragons and unicorns. It’s been so fun to write.”

And while she’s working on multiple projects, her hope for readers remains simple: “I just want them to keep thinking about the ending. I love seeing people debate what they think really happened.”

Keshe Chow’s For no Mortal Creature is a haunting blend of love, loss, and mythology, a gothic fairytale that lingers long after the final page, much like the ghosts that inspired it.