💬 Town Square | What can you do better than AI? What do you crave that AI can never give you?
Dear Inklings,
First of all, congratulations to the giveaway winner, Nikki L.! Thank you to all my patrons for supporting
Hello, fellow wanderer. My name is Tiffany Chu. I’m a literary fantasy author and memoirist, writing about the topics we’re too scared to talk about.
Preorder my newest book here.
I built The Untangling as a haven for you to untangle identity, trauma, and broken narratives.
This is where we question beliefs—cultural, social, religious, familial—and why we believe them.
Fundamentalist Christianity, traditional East Asian values, mental and chronic illness, and experiencing all kinds of trauma shaped who I grew up to be.
I have spent over the last decade untangling who I was told to be from who I truly am. Perhaps you are searching for freedom, too.
You will not find single-dimensional viewpoints here. If that’s what you are looking for, this is not the publication for you. I am not one thing, and often anger everyone by questioning both/all sides.
However, you are very welcome here, even if we disagree!!
I am making space for us to question, discuss, unwind, and rewind those tangled parts of our souls, together.
This is for you.
With Love,
The Constellation of Forgotten Things
A limited edition hardcover short story collection that will never be printed again.
Prelaunch UpdatesDo you believe in love across lifetimes?
Have you ever felt like you don’t belong anywhere?
Do you love stories that make you think long after you've finished reading?
Then we wrote The Constellation of Forgotten Things for you.
In these stories, love transcends every boundary—death, memory, time itself. A ship captain exchanges letters with a mysterious island dweller through glass bottles that always find their way to each other. Memory Keepers and creatures of the Void discover forbidden love across cosmic divides. A blacksmith's boy and a village girl are torn apart by revolution, their bond tested by violence and forgetting. A ghost mother watches over her differently-abled daughter.
From celestial beings navigating eternal duties to mortals seeking connection across impossible distances, these stories explore love in all its forms—queer and straight, mortal and divine, tender and tragic. Each story is a doorway into a world where devotion defies fate, where souls find each other across lifetimes, and where even the most broken hearts continue to beat with hope.
Perfect for readers who love the lyricism of Madeline Miller, the emotional storytelling of Studio Ghibli films, and the mythic beauty of Ursula K. Le Guin's work. If you read for gorgeous language and deep feeling rather than fast plots—these stories will captivate you.
Writing
Platonic Soulmates: What Happened to Our Friendships?
Many cultural critics argue that the art of friendship is in decline. The United States surgeon general has named loneliness an epidemic. People are lonelier than ever, and they don’t know what to do about it. Why is that?
the windup | issue 09
a lot of books, autumn happiness, another giveaway (scroll to the bottom)!
It Wasn’t Love At First Sight
The common narrative is that when you give birth, you fall in love with your baby at once. In reality, this is a stranger you have to get to know, just like any other person. Sometimes, it’s love at first sight. Other times, it’s not.
💬 Town Square | Is reading really the best way to expand your mind?
Dear Inklings,
First of all, congratulations to our giveaway winners, Sarah Christy, Nisha Mody, and Ruthie Arbeiter! Thank you to
Here. Here. Here.
As I pondered over the madness of spending hours on social media or pursuing an unrequited, unfulfilling friendship, I caught myself thinking more and more, “This is not how I want to spend my life.”
Shop My Books
The Human Constant Equation
Dystopian short story by Renley Nicolas Chu
A Palette of Vengeance
A thriller short story by Tiffany Chu
Equinox
Flash Fiction
The World Dies First
Literary fiction short story by Renley Nicolas Chu
The Untangling: Essays
Buy now
What happens when the stories we're told about faith, family, and belonging begin to unravel? In
When the Hermit Leaves the House
Free Ebook
A Girl Made of Time: A Novelette
★ "There is no rest for the wicked. Or the powerful. Or the lost." ★
In a kingdom where nobles hoard food and peasants starve, ill-tempered Carys discovers she can see what others can't—strange mushrooms glowing like fallen stars. But following their light into the forest after dark breaks every rule she knows.
They say a witch lives in those woods, speaking to mushrooms and knowing the secrets of time. They say the mad queen walks the castle halls at midnight, searching for something only she can see.
And they say girls who wander into the forest at night never return quite the same…
What People Say
Tiffany writes from a deeply personal perspective on literature, parenting, and mental health. She also occasionally shares her original fiction. A wonderful, heartfelt, and giving publication. Not to be missed.
Matthew Long, writer at Beyond the Bookshelf
Whether you’re a reflective writer, a thoughtful reader, or someone who yearns for heart-filled, resonant content, Tiffany’s [newsletter] is a true haven.
Esmé Weijun Wang, bestselling author of The Collected Schizophrenias
Poignant, honest and enchanting. Tiffany's writing is world-class and has a powerful way of speaking to my heart.
Heidi Tai, writer of Letters from Heidi
Tiffany has a raw and honest way of cutting through to the root of so many emotions ... I love the ways she explores the why's, doesn't shy away from difficult conversations and presents her perspective straight from the heart. I sit with her words ... they make me feel, and isn't that what great writing is supposed to do?
Mansi, founder of The Ripple Room
There's something very ancient about the way you write. These stories combine the mundane and the fantastic, the literal and the figurative without the need to clarify which is which. Probably because everything in life is both.
Jennifer James, writer of Adventure to a Quiet Place
Tiffany’s writing is like the gift of a warm fire on a winter’s night. A poignant alchemy of all layers of the experiences and emotions that make up the human condition, her words will continue to resound in your heart long after your first encounter with them.
Suyin Tan, writer of A Tangerine Moon
I love Tiffany's writings because they are vulnerable, authentic, and speak to the human condition. She knows how to tug at my heart strings and I feel less alone.
Alyssa Francine, writer of Timely Tarot
Tiffany always makes me feel something with her writing, and I leave feeling emotionally satisfied and reflecting on my life.
Sarah Li-Cain, writer of Searching for Enough
I commend you Tiffany for taking on the challenge of tackling such a controversial, emotionally-charged, and now (in many parts of the world) politically-contentious issue. You've handled it admirably, exploring the many facets and nuances with thoughtfulness, curiosity and respect.
Ruhie Vaidya, writer of Grieve Fully, Live Fully