This photo, taken late 2019 during pre-Covid-19 time, shows Malcolm at a book-signing event for the ‘Popular Mega Bookfair 2019’ at Mid Valley Southkey in Kuala Lumpur.
Latest book signifies author’s unwavering passion in writing amidst Covid-19 pandemic, and also hints his interest in ‘mermaiding’
KUCHING-born author Malcolm Mejin penned the latest instalment of his ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ series during the Covid-19 pandemic – a period that he said had ‘interfered all his plans’.
The eBook on ‘Secret of the Sea’ was released earlier this month, but the official launch would be this Oct 1 for sales at bookstores.
“When the pandemic was first declared about a year ago, I was not able to do the things I usually would – public book signings, meeting fans, attending author events. Basically, everything changed in the blink of an eye,” the 35-year-old Bidayuh-Chinese told thesundaypost.
Malcolm then decided to expend his energy and focus on what he loved doing the most: writing.
“There’s a silver lining in every situation. Even though the pandemic had interfered with my plans, it did not take away my passion in writing. So during the MCO (Movement Control Order) period, I channelled my creative energy into creating beautiful stories.”
Malcolm holds up a copy of the latest instalment of his ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ series, the ‘Secret of the Sea’.
A fantasy escape
That was when Malcolm began to write ‘Secret of the Sea’, in which he decided to make the story relevant to the real-time situation that the whole world was facing.
“I wanted to write something relevant; something relatable to what we’re all going through… a world crisis – a pandemic.”
In ‘Secret of the Sea’, the characters’ lives were changed when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Their social lives became severely restricted, affecting their mental health.
“It’s just like what’s happening to us right now. No dine-in outside. No sports. You can’t even watch movies with your friends at the cinemas. Everything that you’ve ever taken for granted has become so cherished, so valuable.
“I think that sometimes in life, we have to face trials and tribulations to see the good in things; to be grateful. Gratitude is a beautiful thing.”
Malcolm said to create ‘a fantasy escape’ for the readers stuck at home, he created an imaginative plot where the characters were whisked away to a new world where the pandemic did not exist.
“I decided to bring the characters on an adventure under the sea,” he chuckled.
“We’d watch movies to cast our worries aside, even if it’s just momentarily.
“In the same way, I wanted to create a story where the readers could find a sort of escapism, and also hope amidst all this bleakness.”
‘Into the deep blue sea’
In understanding how Malcolm’s characters were able to go on an ‘out-of-this-world’ adventure, it is vital for the readers to be familiar with Malcolm’s ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ series, especially the titular character.
Robin Jin is the scion of a well-heeled businessman who lives in a palatial mansion in the heart of Kuching. He is an avid globetrotter, setting his foot anywhere from exotic to dangerously-fun locations. His life is one that is quite extraordinary, from taking rides in flying cars to flying across the world to an alluring island.
In ‘Secret of the Sea’, Robin and his friends escaped to sea in a luxury super-submarine replete with an indoor swimming pool, a movie theatre and other cool on-board facilities that kept them entertained throughout the journey.
The ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ book series – all can be purchased via Malcolm’s website.
“We are taught to social distance during this time, and going out to sea is one heck of a way of observing social distancing,” quipped Malcolm.
The adventure took Robin and his gang into the deep blue sea, where they learned about marine life and at the same time, basked in the mystical charm of the ocean.
“That’s when it started to get exciting. A mystery from the deep was about to unravel, changing their lives forever.”
Malcolm juxtaposed mermaids into the ‘Rich Kid’ story, incorporating realism with some elements of fantasy.
“Writing about mermaids was a ‘spur-of-the-moment’ decision. Initially when I started writing the story, I never thought about mermaids or any of those sort, but as I got deeper into it, I suddenly had an ‘a-ha’ moment — ‘Why don’t I include mermaids and merboys? That would be totally mind-blowing.”
In ‘Secret of the Sea’, a bond was forged between a merboy and the characters, but nothing was what it seemed.
“The merpeople had a very dark secret, but you’d have to read to find out. I wouldn’t want to give away the spoiler.”
Malcolm added that in the latest part of the ‘Rich Kid’ series, the coronavirus had something to do with the ocean.
“Yes, this book is full of twists and surprises. I’m pretty excited for the readers to be swept away by the storyline.”
A fan art by @mermangex depicts ‘Robin Jin’ as a merboy, which Malcolm has featured on his Instagram page.
Taking his shot
Malcolm started writing since he was six years old. He only decided to begin publishing his works after a life-changing quote struck him: “If you don’t do it now, when are you going to do it? We only have one shot in life, and this is the time to do it.”
He published his first series entitled ‘Zany Zombie’ in 2010 with a local publishing company.
The first of the ‘Rich Kid’ series was published in 2018, followed by the second part that was sub-headed ‘Road Trip’, last year.
Malcolm claimed that he was not as wealthy as ‘Robin Jin’, but he did have some lavish experiences in the past, which had inspired him to write the series.
‘Let’s talk about merfolk’
However, the third instalment was definitely a much talked-about subject among his followers.
He said when he first announced on social media about writing a book on mermaids, fans flooded him with direct messages and comments, curious about this latest undertaking.
“They were all so excited. Some of them even asked if there was a real mermaid in life, which I thought was quite interesting, so I decided to look for mermaids all around the world,” he laughed.
That was when Malcolm started conducting live interviews with mermaids and mermen enthusiasts who embodied the ‘merlife’ all over the world.
“I have created the ‘Mer-Series’ show on my Instagram, where I have conversations with real-life mermaids and mermen from around the globe.
They are people who have a deep passion for ‘mermaiding’.”
Photo collage shows Malcolm and other participants of his ‘Mer-Series’ show on Instagram Live.
He described mermaiding as ‘the practice of wearing a mermaid tail and swimming in it, done for sport, for fun, for self-expression, for exercise, and even as a career’.
“You’d be surprised to know how many mermaids and mermen there are in the world. It’s taking the world by storm.”
Malcolm said mermaiding had helped people go through their darkest times.
“I’ve spoken to one merman, who said mermaiding had lifted his spirits up and given him a sense of hope. I never knew that something like this could be so powerful and poignant. It’s so great listening to their stories and learning something new from them.”
Malcolm acknowledged that mermaiding was not particularly popular in Malaysia, but there were some enthusiasts in the country who would love to ‘trade their feet for fins’.
“Mermaiding is relatively unknown in Malaysia, but when more people talk about it, I think people would be keen to try it out.”
File photo shows mermaid swimmers during a practice in a swimming pool in Klang. — AFP photo
Making it relatable
When asked about the choice for the title of his ‘Rich Kid’ series, Malcolm stressed that it did not necessarily refer to ‘money or wealth’.
“It also refers to the great experiences in the story, such as going on adventures with your family and friends, and cherishing those beautiful moments. Life is rich when you’re surrounded with the wonderful memories with your loved ones.”
Malcolm also highlighted friendship as being the core theme of the series.
“The portrayal of friendship is, personally, very important to me, so I try to blend that into the series. Friends are a pillar of comfort, but sometimes they argue as well, and make up in the end. That’s what makes that relatable, because they’re all just like us.”
Malcolm was asked also about the possibility of ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ book series being made into an animated movie.
“That would be a total ‘dream come true’ as I’ve always had a vision for this series.
“It has a great potential to become a movie, or even an animated series, where it showcases the cultural experiences of Malaysia. It would be an ‘edutainment’, where it entertains and at the same time, introduces our local food and culture to the audience.
“The characters also come from diverse backgrounds, so each episode could probably focus on different places in Malaysia and some cultural elements that viewers can learn about.”
Malcolm hoped that the state government would be open to funding an animation project, as it could benefit Malaysia as a whole.
“I get tingles just thinking about it. I’ve even planned on doing some scriptwriting for the animated series. But doing that would require an immense budget, so I hope the government would be open to realising this wonderful project.”
‘There’s always hope’
Malcolm also reminisced a little about life prior to the pandemic.
“I miss interacting with people face to face. Back then, you could chat freely with anyone but now, masking up is the new norm. So you have to learn to adapt to it.
“I miss going to the malls and schools for my book tours, but I’m glad I had been able to do all that previously. Those are memories that I would cherish forever.”
Malcolm was also asked about one of his greatest lessons of life.
“I was on a long writing hiatus many years back. And then, someone told me, to the effect of: ‘If you don’t do it now, when are you going to do it?’
“That really struck me hard – it resonated with me. You have one shot in life, and if you don’t do it, then when? We only have a certain lifespan on Earth, so make the best of what you can and have.”
He also spoke about another quote: ‘When life seems bleak, there’s always hope’.
“This quote has been true for me over and over again. Sometimes, life can be pretty upsetting.
“Things don’t go the way you want, or something terrible happens.
“But deeply knowing that you’re going to be OK no matter what, is truly a great blessing.”
Speaking of blessing, Malcolm said he had never expected that ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ could grow into a series.
“In the beginning when I wrote the first book, I thought that would be it –my only book.
“Then, the book gained a wonderful response, and I was asked to continue writing.
“I was overjoyed. Never in my life had I imagined that I would be writing more books for the series.
“The second book ‘Road Trip’ did pretty well too, and now, I present to you ‘Secret of the Sea’. “Looking back, life can be mysterious and so beautiful sometimes.”
The ‘Diary of a Rich Kid’ series is sold in both Malaysia and Singapore.
Pre-orders can be made via www.malcolmmejin.com.