Of Malaysian-Chinese heritage, Selina Siak Chin Yoke (石清玉) grew up listening to family stories and ancient legends. She always knew that one day, she would write. After an eclectic life as a physicist, banker and trader in London, the heavens intervened. In 2009 Siak was diagnosed with cancer. While recovering, she decided not to delay her dream of writing any longer. Her first novel, The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds , was published on November 1, 2016 and made an immediate emotional connection with readers. It debuted as an Amazon best-seller in historical fiction, was named by Goodreads as one of the 6 best books of November 2016 and has been compared to the work of Pearl S. Buck and Amy Tan.

Her second novel, When the Future Comes Too Soon – an emotional exploration of betrayal, survival and what courage means – was published on July 18, 2017. It has been described as “intensely visceral”, “atmospheric” and “thoughtfully written with a very human touch”. Following the novel’s release, Siak was invited to be a guest on the BBC World Service, Talk Radio Europe and CBS Boston Radio. She has also appeared in the Guardian, Independent and National Geographic Traveller. In addition, she is a book reviewer, events speaker and blogs at http://siakchinyoke.com/blog.