In the new YA fantasy Breath of the Dragon (Wednesday Books, Jan. 7), 16-year-old Jun has been separated from his mother and twin brother ever since he and his father were banished 10 years earlier for practicing martial arts, forbidden in the kingdom of East Longham. Now in West Longham, Jun practices martial arts daily. His goal: to win the Guardian’s Tournament and attain one of the country’s highest positions, in hopes of reunifying his family. But the tournament is full of dangers, and Jun must decide whom to trust and what is truly worth fighting for.  In this first entry in the Breathmarked series, Shannon Lee (daughter of martial arts legend Bruce Lee) and Fonda Lee (the author of Jade City; no relation) have crafted a moving tale full of intrigue and action. Kirkus spoke with Shannon (in Los Angeles) and Fonda (in Boston) by Zoom; our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Breath of the Dragon is a powerful read. How did your collaboration come about?

Shannon: I had archived a lot of creative works, in various stages of development, that my father had started. [Ed: Lee died in 1973, at the age of 32.] All these elements could be crafted into a world of their own, and I loved the idea of doing something for a younger generation, so I wrote a treatment. Fonda’s name was among the first to come up for a collaboration. I read some of her works and thought she was an amazing writer; when we met, I even found out that she’s a martial artist and that she already knew so much about my father and his legacy! It felt like there was a real connection there. We just hit it off.

Fonda: That’s right. When I got the call from Shannon I thought, I have to take this, because her father was a huge influence on me as an Asian American and a martial artist and a storyteller. That made this project feel like the perfect fit. And when I read the treatment, I saw how it could be turned into a fantasy world. I didn’t know at that time that Shannon was a fan of the fantasy genre. That was another very cool connection, so I said, “Let’s run with this!”

Fonda, how has collaboration been for your writing process?

Fonda: I’ve been just very grateful that Shannon is so open to creative collaborating. I’ve been working my own process with inspirational input that I get from Shannon. Every time we get on a call to brainstorm and bounce ideas back and forth, it feels very easy, very fun. We both respect the input that we’re bringing and we both just want it to be a good story. Neither of us is precious about anything.

I was familiar with her father’s writings that I’d read in the past, so I refreshed myself on those and rewatched his films. I loved working in all the easter eggs that show up in the book and making sure there were things for the fans, our homages. I felt confident because Shannon’s eye was always on the whole thing.

Bruce Lee’s films were for adults. Was there a particular reason why you chose to write this for young adults?

Shannon: I really wanted to create something for a new generation, something broader, a little more artistic and creative. I wanted people to get my father’s messages in a story-driven way, not just a quote on social media. I do a lot of work through our foundation with youth mental wellness and felt it would be a beautiful tie-in to create something where fantasy and martial arts action can speak to coming-of-age issues and how to look at the world and oneself, which was a big part of my father’s messaging. I also wanted to anchor the story in a culturally Asian world.

Fonda: I, too, wanted to introduce a younger generation of readers to her father and his philosophy. Catching readers at that age is important. I think back as a writer to the media, the books, the films that had the most impact on me as a storyteller, and I encountered them early on in my life. In your teens and early 20s—that’s when the things that are going to make us really have a huge impact.

I can see that this book would appeal to many readers who might not see themselves reflected in other YA books.

Fonda: Yes, I started out writing action-packed YA fiction—my books were known for appealing to the reluctant male reader. Librarians and teachers would say, “Thank you for writing these books because I want to be able to hand something to the boys in my class who play video games, who like sports, who watch UFC, but don’t necessarily want to read the books that are typically considered YA.” Breath of the Dragon was a fit with what I already had worked on and believed in. It contains so many of the messages that I think are very relevant for that coming-of-age period.

Let’s talk about those messages. Many philosophical ideas, such as your father’s, are timeless, but some feel more relevant at certain points in history than others. Which ideas do you feel are important for young people today to hear?

Shannon: One message would be one of my father’s core tenets: Using no way as way and having no limitation as limitation. I loved to write when I was younger and took a creative writing class in college, but I hated that class—and the professor—and left the class thinking I’m not good at this. It took decades to believe I could actually write something. So I would say, Don’t let anyone else set your limitations. If you have a passion for something, work at it.

Fonda: One of the messages that resonated for me was not being rigid, not being dogmatic, not being mentally stiff. Be like water is a timeless message that we have to keep revisiting. People do get stuck thinking, There’s just this one way forward.

Bruce Lee was asked once, “Do you think of yourself as Chinese or American?” He answered, “I think of myself as a human being.” That, I think, is a message that is as relevant as ever. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. We have core things in common. We all want to be safe, secure, self-actualized, and respected, and we all deserve to have opportunities. Those are things that he stood for. He refused to be boxed inBreath of the Dragon revolves around a nation that is divided, people that are divided, not willingly but because other forces around them are forcing them apart. One throughline is about overcoming polarity. There’s a discussion on what you take a stand on. How do you take that stand? What are the turning points that open your eyes to those different discussions of unity and self-worth? How do you bring people together?

These messages have always been important—there’s always been some kind of struggle going on in the world. But of course, right now, times are very intense. A huge theme in this series is about breaking down barriers and finding unity. This is something that everyone needs to hear. Especially young people, but all of us, too.

Christine Gross-Loh is the author of Parenting Without Borders and The Path.