At just 12 years old, the precocious Shah Alam-born author has already completed two young adult books: ‘‘Laura Taylors: The Case of the Phantom Emerald”, and “Laura Taylors and the Shadow of Three”.
“I started by reading books when I was young. Then I started writing my own stories in little notebooks, before moving to the computer,” Herng told FMT Lifestyle.
“I enjoy making up new characters and their backstories. And I like being able to turn the story wherever you would like it to go.”
Herng initially wrote for her own enjoyment. That was until her parents, Nicole Tan and BK Ng, realised how engaging her stories were, and decided to help her self-publish them.
“She poured her heart into writing this novel. After some time, she came to us very seriously and urged us to read it,” Tan said.
“When we finished, we told her that if she truly wanted to publish it as an official author, she would need to be professional about it. Our daughter was very determined and that’s when we decided to support her and help make it happen,” Tan added.
Creating the novels are a family affair: Herng illustrates and designs their covers herself, while her older sister, Vanessa Ng Yu Xuan, 16, lends a hand with editing.
Herng’s first novel, “Laura Taylors: The Case of the Phantom Emerald” was released last year. It tells the tale of young Laura and her friend Camillia, who become apprentices at a theatre. There, Laura is appointed to assist a well-known actress Auralie Montmorency, who has mislaid an emerald given to her by her fiancé.
As Laura tries her best to locate the emerald (which is rumoured to be cursed), secrets emerge, and a strange series of misfortunes unfolds. Will the plucky young protagonist succeed in her goal before something truly unfortunate happens?
Herng, who is home-schooled, enjoys books by authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Stephanie Garber and George Orwell, and names Holly Jackson’s ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ and Franz Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ as among her favourite reads.
Apart from writing, she also engages in outdoor activities such as rock climbing, tennis, and jungle trekking.
According to Herng, many events in her novel were based on a family trip to London, where she visited the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The family also had front row seats for a performance of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera”, which wove itself into the fabric of the plot of her book.
“A few characters in the book are inspired by real-life people I’ve met. Like there’s a baker, Jolan, in the story, who is based on my French teacher back then,” Herng said with a smile.
“I hope readers are surprised by the plot twists I’ve written, and enjoy them,” she added.
Herng recently completed the sequel to her novel, “Laura Taylors and the Shadow of Three”, which is currently at the printers and ready for pre-orders.
The book sees Laura and Camellia look into the simultaneous disappearance of three priceless treasures at three locations.
Witnesses believe they saw the same shadowy figure at each crime scene, but how could one person be at three places at once? Things become more serious after Camellia’s father is accused of the thefts.
Despite having written two books already, Herng shows no signs of slowing down. She plans to complete the Laura Taylors trilogy with another book.
She is also working on a separate project, which she hints will also be in the mystery genre.
The young author hopes readers will be inspired to be bold and brave like the protagonist of her novels, and that they will be inspired to chase their dreams.
Her advice to other aspiring authors? Be persistent in perfecting your craft.
“Read more. Try to read a book a day or a week. A few words a day won’t hurt, and before you know it, you will end up having written more pages than you realise,” Herng concluded.
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