SCOTT SIMON, HOST: You turn the pages of "Bliss Montage," Ling Ma's new book of short stories, and find the world you thought you knew shaken up and rearranged.

A year and a half before Covid-19 hit the U.S., Ma published her first novel, ‘Severance,’ about a pandemic first observed in China that paralyzes the world.

Ling Ma, author of our December pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, recently answered questions submitted by readers about her novel, “Severance,” on Facebook.

SEE IT: Ling Ma will be in a virtual conversation with Alexandra Kleeman. 5 pm Thursday, Sept. 15. Free. Register for the Zoom event at powells.com. See More 2022 Fall Arts Here!

When writing “Severance,” author Ling Ma drew inspiration from various sources, including several films. The author shared more details about three of them, and how they informed her novel, below.

NEW YORK — Percival Everett and Ling Ma, already two of the year’s most honored writers, are among eight winners of the lucrative Windham-Campbell Prize. Each of the recipients, who also ...