Novelist

My grandmother used to get her shoes made in Paris in the '30s, and they would be shipped to her in Singapore.

I've lived in New York City for over twenty years now, and every single day is like a new adventure. At this point, there are many places I'd love to visit, but I can't imagine living anywhere else on the planet.

I come from an old establishment family from Singapore.

I was born in Singapore, and I lived there until I was 12. I had a very fortunate upbringing.

I think, at least for me, I'm so impressed by Shanghai and how all of China continues to evolve. On a style level, you're seeing this increased sophistication and brand awareness.

My father came from old money. There was less of an expectation for the children to earn a living.

I spent the first 12 years of my life growing up in Singapore. Back then, in the early '80s, it was still a tropical island at the tip of the Malay Peninsula striving to shine on the world stage.

I'm not revealing any deep, hidden secret that there are wealthy people in Asia.

My books are comedies; I want to take my readers on a jet-setting romp, make them laugh, make them swoon at the beautiful settings, and maybe even make their mouths water at all the food.

When cultural movements happen, it's so beyond your control.

Warner Bros. is just this amazing historic studio that does great movies.

My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every day, and my grandfather, who attended university in Scotland, would smoke his pipe after dinner.

There are old-money Asians that would never be caught dead with a Chanel handbag or sporting anything that has a label it.

It would have been amazing to have been a student at Oxford during that golden moment in the 1910s, rubbing elbows with the likes of Aldous Huxley and T.E. Lawrence, before World War I shattered everything forever.

I've always been drawn to the Edwardian period in England. To me, it seems like such a fascinating time, when the British Empire was at the height of its powers and the strict mores of the Victorian age were dissipating into the decadence of King Edward's reign.

I wanted to introduce a contemporary Asia to a North American audience.

In Singapore, there may be 50 old-money families, but you wouldn't know them to look at them.

I grew up in a household where there were really, really strong matriarchal characters. I think that's true of many Asian households. People tend to think of Asia as a misogynistic society or a society where men rule. At least in my experience, the women rule the household; the women rule the social scene. The men often become very useless.

In Asia, it's customary to get together with your entire extended family on a regular basis, and it's all rife with politics.

People have always been fascinated by the foibles of the wealthy and privileged.