About

I was born and raised in Malaysia, and live in the UK.

I write historical and contemporary fantasy and romance. The overarching theme is probably “fluff for postcolonial book nerds”. My newest novel is The Friend Zone Experiment, a London-set contemporary romance inspired by the romance, humour and drama of kdramas.

My writing has been awarded the Crawford, British Fantasy and Hugo Awards, and the LA Times Book Prize/Ray Bradbury Prize. I’ve also been shortlisted for the World Fantasy, Lambda and Locus Awards, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer.

My literary agent is Caitlin Blasdell of Liza Dawson Associates. For film/TV rights, I am represented by Angela Cheng Caplan of Cheng Caplan Company, Inc.

For a proper bio, author photos, cover images and rights queries, please check out my press kit. If you’ve got any questions, you can contact me directly here (though they might be answered in my FAQ).

Press Kit

Zen Cho writes fantasy and romance. Her fiction has won the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards, and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize. Her newest novel, The Friend Zone Experiment, is a contemporary romance set in London. Born and raised in Malaysia, Zen now lives in the UK.

Zen Cho writes fantasy and romance. Her newest novel, The Friend Zone Experiment, is a contemporary romance set among London’s East and Southeast Asian community. Zen is a winner of the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, as well as a finalist for the World Fantasy, Ignyte, Lambda, Locus and Astounding Awards. She was born and raised in Malaysia, resides in the UK, and lives in a notional space between the two.

Zen Cho was born and raised in Malaysia, and lives in the UK. She writes fantasy and romance. Her titles include the Sorcerer to the Crown historical fantasy novels and Malaysian contemporary fantasy Black Water Sister, as well as the Lambda Award-nominated novella The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, and a short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Her newest novel, The Friend Zone Experiment, is a contemporary romance set among London’s East and Southeast Asian community.

Zen is a winner of the Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Awards and the LA Times Ray Bradbury Prize, as well as a finalist for the World Fantasy, Ignyte, Locus, Astounding, Kitschies and Diverse Book Awards. Her short fiction has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Finnish, Chinese and Japanese. She has spoken at literary festivals and conventions, taught creative writing and appeared on radio, and was once a model in a campaign for a global luxury make-up brand, chosen specifically for her accomplishments rather than her looks.

When she isn’t writing, Zen works as a lawyer. She enjoys cooking and baking, reading, gossip and travel.