Author: Rachel Tey

Rachel Tey is the author of the middle-grade fantasy adventure series, Tea in Pajamas and Tea in Pajamas: Beyond Belzerac, and most recently contributed an original short story, "The Midnight Mission", to the anthology A View of the Stars: Stories of Love (Felix Cheong and Anitha Pillai, eds). She is also a resident writer and creative writing workshop instructor under Sing Lit Station’s “Book A Writer” programme. Since she was awarded the National Arts Council grant in 2015, Rachel has been featured in The Sunday Times, has spoken at the Singapore Writers Festival, and her books have been presented at the London and Frankfurt Bookfairs. Outside of writing and conducting talks and workshops for schools, she works as a content and communications specialist. Rachel lives in Singapore with her husband, who illustrated her books, and two children.

Reunited and it feels so good—or does it? Have you seen Friends: The Reunion?

Posted on by Rachel Tey

How I feel about the Friends: The Reunion is how I feel about most reunions in general. The idea of catching up with a bunch of people from a long time ago is nice, but only if I’m in the mood—and it depends on who’s going. Maybe it boils down to the fact that I’m just not a reunion-y sort of person, which might explain why it took me three sittings to finish the Reunion.

The first time I tuned in was because my husband had put it on. “What? I thought you were a Friends fan,” he said, upon seeing my surprised expression. “Of course I’m a fan,” I insisted, before hearing myself complete the sentence in my head: “except I’m midway through a gripping KDrama.” (Move to Heaven, if you were wondering).

I believe that if the Reunion special had aired five (even ten) years after the show’s final season, I might’ve been more curious about what the actors looked like and what they were up to. But nearly two decades later, most fans who grew up with the show have inevitably grown old(er) and moved on. So why a reunion now?

Continue reading “Reunited and it feels so good—or does it? Have you seen Friends: The Reunion?” →
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Is Writing Viable, and Other Questions: Answered

Posted on by Rachel Tey

A: “You’ll never make it as a writer, mark my words. You will never succeed.”

B: “You should be more involved in your son’s studies instead of doing this. You only care about your own success. You’re selfish.”

C: “You sit home all day writing stories? How many copies must you sell for this to become a viable career?”

D: “The theme is too continental, the spelling is too American, the premise is too international.”

Since I made the announcement about my book deal(s), I’ve received overwhelming support that’s really touched and humbled me. Most people who’ve been around since the start of my publishing journey are aware that I worked very hard on these projects, especially the sequel. But many who reached out were also curious if “being a writer” would be as smooth-sailing as I made it appear. “You make it look effortless,” one said. Continue reading “Is Writing Viable, and Other Questions: Answered” →

I got a book deal!

Posted on by Rachel Tey

Hello, I have some exciting news…

I’m pleased to share that I’ve signed a book deal with Marshall Cavendish to publish Tea in Pajamas and its sequel, Beyond Belzerac!

Both titles will be hitting all major bookstores very soon—the first book in September and the sequel around November of this year. Yep, that’s right, in time for Christmas!

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at both covers. (Book 2’s cover is still a work-in-progress, and not a final draft.)

Continue reading “I got a book deal!” →