Meet Gloria L. Huang

Author of KAYA OF THE OCEAN, debuting January 7, 2025

This month, the Debutante Ball is thrilled to introduce you to Gloria L. Huang, author of KAYA OF THE OCEAN, debuting January 7, 2025.

Gloria, take it away!

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Hi! I’m so excited that since my book, KAYA OF THE OCEAN, is the first of the Deb books to be released this year (on January 7, 2025), that means I get to snag the first author intro spot on our Deb Substack. *celebratory dance*

My name is Gloria L. Huang (I like to include the “L.” because there’s a surprising number of Gloria Huangs out there), and I write novels and short stories. My debut novel is a contemporary middle grade novel with elements of Chinese mythological fantasy, and it’s about a Chinese-American girl named Kaya who struggles with anxiety and a fear of the water only to find out she’s descended from the Chinese water goddess Mazu. It’s about friendship and family and boys (a little), and about the journey to self-acceptance. I really hope readers enjoy it!

A little about me: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area now, but I was born in Canada and have been lucky enough to live in some pretty cool cities (including London, Boston, and New York). I love to travel–I recently went to Japan, and it was so cool–and I’m always kind of dreaming of the next place I’ll go. Besides writing and reading, I also love beaches and the ocean (probably not surprising for those who read KAYA), scuba diving, skiing, immersive theater, and food. (Food’s a legitimate interest, right?)

I’m so honored to be part of the 2025 Debs, and I’m so excited to read my fellow Debs’ books this year–they all sound amazing!

I feel like I’m having trouble signing off now, so I’ll leave it here. Thanks for reading!