With the novel, Chupeco aimed to try a spin on the topic that had not been done before by making the ghost character the sympathetic anti-heroine. Chupeco says that it was inspired by Japanese horror, particularly the Japanese legend of the Bancho Sarayashiki and the Ju-on: The Grudge movies, which they rewatched multiple times prior to writing the book. It was published by Sourcebooks Fire in August 2014 and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Their debut novel The Girl from The Well tells the story of Okiku, a vengeful spirit who hunts for abusers and eats their souls, who finds herself in a battle with another evil spirit when she falls for Tark, the boy that the spirit is tethered to.

Selected works Ĭhupeco's works often draw inspiration from Asian cultures. They are married and live with their partner and two children in Manila. Prior to becoming an author, Chupeco worked as a graphic designer. Chupeco is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. They describe themself as a pansexual, liberal atheist. Their favorite story is that of the kuchisake-onna. They collected the works of Peter Straub, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Christopher Pike.

Īs a child, Chupeco was fascinated with ghost stories, saying that they were drawn in by absolutely injustice of Japanese tales that tend to favor male aggressors and never end positively for women. They are of Chinese, Malay, Thai, and Filipino descent.

Rin Chupeco is a Chinese Filipino writer of young adult fiction, best known for their books The Bone Witch, The Girl from the Well, and The Never-Tilting World series.Ĭhupeco was born and raised in Manila, Philippines.

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