As an author, my biggest weakness is world-building. I love creating compelling stories around relatable characters, but world-building isn't my greatest strength. My friend and fellow author Fred Yu is a master at world-building in his stories. He's soon to release book two of his sprawling epic set in the world of ancient Chinese martial arts. Join us for this fascinating conversation about how our cultural differences affect our storytelling and how we see the world. And how Fred uses his past in the banking world to plot his stories. I mean, Excel... really?

About Fred: Fred Yu writes fiction in the Asian Historical Fantasy genre. He is a filmmaker, chef, Feng Shui practitioner, martial artist, and for over a decade was a risk manager in a global bank. He graduated from New York University, majoring in film and television.

Yu’s publications in the Historical Asian Fantasy genre include The Legend of Snow Wolf and The Orchid Farmer’s Sacrifice. He has also published a cookbook, Haute Tea Cuisine, as well as a martial arts instructional book, Yin Yang Blades. Yu is currently a full-time writer and lives in New York City.

Fred Yu's website Fred's Amazon page for The Orchid Farmer's Sacrifice About Ryan:

Soul-R Powered Facebook page Royal Hearts Coaching Facebook page Twitter Instagram - Ryan Hall royalheartscoaching@gmail.com Hello Again on Amazon Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/soul-r-powered/support

(0:00) Introduction by Ryan Hall and guest Fred Yu (1:36) Fred Yu's background and using Excel for story plotting (3:15) World-building, battle scenes, and research trips to China (8:50) Balancing story details with character development (11:23) Overview of the Redcrest series and literary influences (19:18) Translating Chinese literature and cultural differences (27:40) Key takeaways from the Writers Hotel conference (32:36) Fred Yu's culinary journey and innovative cooking techniques (37:37) Future plans for the Redcrest series and where to find the books