Hi Cheah, this is Wena Poon. I was attracted by the captivating title of your post. The word "SingLit" turns me off too! I wish I wasn't in that category. Somehow I get put in the "SingLit" bucket, even though I have not lived in Singapore for a quarter of a century. My concerns as a novelist are international ones.

I have published 13 fiction books. The only book that gets attention in Singapore is the first, "Lions In Winter", precisely because it was about Singaporeans (albeit living overseas). I wrote those stories nearly 20 years ago; I hope I have improved since. The other 12 fiction books I subsequently wrote had very little to do with Singapore. They cover Spain (including my challenge to Hemingway as a female student of bullfighting), Japan, America, Britain, China, and so on. These later books did not attract much notice in Singapore because their subject matter was too "foreign".

I am often asked by Singaporeans to produce more "SingLit". It's hard to crank something out under that label since I don't just read "SingLit" anyway, I read all kinds of things! I have always believed that novelists should have a broad view of the world and produce good literature, not simply "Singaporean Literature", which few outside Singapore's borders can relate to.

I do, however, have deep respect for many Singaporean and Malaysian writers I have met. I hope you have met/will meet some. They are kind and gentle people, especially the older generation. You will find something to learn from their outlook on life, even if you don't identify with their writing style.

Bravo to you, and hold on to your childhood dreams. Keep writing and living an interesting life. And if you can't find a publisher you like, design, publish and distribute your own books worldwide on Createspace/Amazon. Because of new technology, it is very cheap, and more importantly, it's liberating!

All the best, Wena.