WHO IS PIXIU?

Pixiu (pronounced pee-shoo) is a creature from Chinese mythology rumored to bring good fortune to businesses.

WHAT IS PIXIU PRESS?

Founded in 2008, Pixiu Press is an indie publishing company that specializes in science fiction and fantasy with Asian influence.

A MESSAGE FROM CAMILLE PICOTT, INDIE AUTHOR AND OWNER OF PIXIU PRESS

I’ve always felt that minority characters are under-represented in the genre of speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy). I have noticed a growing awareness of this among the hard-core fan base, but change is slow. As a person of mixed race (half Chinese, half Caucasian), some part of me has always struggled to find characters I could identify with racially.

Every book I voluntarily selected as a child was speculative fiction. The closest I ever came to finding a character with whom I could racially relate to was in the form of a half elven, half human warrior. He straddled two cultures and two worlds, never really fitting into either. This character so reflected what I had experienced that I felt an instant connection with him. He was called “half-breed” by some of the other characters. I was thrilled with the term. In my mind, this described me perfectly–I was half-and-half, just like this character. I remember the day I proudly walked into the kitchen and told my mother I was a half-breed. I thought I had discovered something insightful about myself, a label that made sense. My horrified mother had to sit down and explain to me that half-breed was a derogatory term, not something I should use when talking about myself.

The sad part is that in all the thousands of pages I devoured as a young reader, there were no characters like me. I never encountered an Asian or part-Asian character. Likewise, the settings and magical creatures I encountered were always based on Western history and Western mythology.

In 2008, I decided to do what I could to change the racial and cultural landscape of science fiction and fantasy. I founded Pixiu Press and began to publish my works, all of which star characters of Asian descent and/or mixed race. Asian myth and/or legends, as well as Asian-themed settings, are also often incorporated. I strive to publish books with characters and settings that I was never able to find as a young reader.

I hope you will take a look at some of them. Thanks for stopping by!

Best,

Camille Picott