We chat with author Sophie Kim about The God and the Gumiho, which sees the most notorious nine-tailed fox in Korea pairs up with a trickster god–turned–detective to track down a wrathful demon . . . before it can destroy the mortal world.
Hi, Sophie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello, and thank you so much for having me! I’m Sophie Kim, author of The God and the Gumiho, as well as the YA Talons Trilogy. Writing stories with monsters, mythology, mystery, and magic is my forte.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
As soon as I could read, I wanted to write my own books. As a kid, I filled up a veritable mountain of notebooks with stories, all within the fantasy sphere. I remember sitting in front of a window and practicing my “autograph” for when I made it big as an author.
Hilariously, that’s the signature I use now!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Probably a Junie B. Jones book!
- The one that made you want to become an author: So many, but most notably, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Your latest novel, The God and the Gumiho, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sabotage, K-Drama, bickering, romance, and COFFEE!!!
What can readers expect?
Succinctly? A Korean drama bottled up in book form.
The God and the Gumiho follows Seokga the Fallen (a trickster god thrown out of the heavens for his attempt at a coup) and a gumiho named Hani (a serial killer known as the Scarlet Fox).
When a dangerous demon escapes the underworld and threatens to destroy the mortal world. Seokga’s offered a way to earn back his godhood. All he needs to do is kill both the rogue demon and the elusive Scarlet Fox.
Yet unfortunately for him, Hani has absolutely no intention of being caught. Snatching a job-opening of Seokga’s assistant, she plans to do anything to sabotage his investigation right under his overly pointy nose.
Yet neither of them plan to fall in love…
Where did the inspiration for The God and the Gumiho come from?
Primarily, my love for K-Dramas. I wanted reading this novel to feel like being cozied up in bed, watching one. My favorite dramas include Dokkaebi, Tale of the Nine-Tailed, and Hotel Del Luna. This book, The God and the Gumiho, is (to me) the ultimate Korean drama. It’s the one I wished existed at the time of writing!
I was also inspired by Korean mythology itself, which I’m deeply connected to (my YA series, Talons, is also rich in this lore). A few other muses for me while writing this project were my love for a few romance tropes: forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – out of all the ones I’ve created, Seokga the Fallen is my favorite character. Ever. I love all the characters I’ve written, of course, but there’s something special about this green-eyed god who hates everyone and everything (except iced coffee).
I adore writing him. He’s the biggest grump in the world, but has a secret soft spot that mortifies him. He guzzles down an unhealthy amount of caffeine per day. He secretly listens to TLC. He has nothing in his pantry besides instant ramyeon.
Yet he’s also an ancient deity with a history of violent bloodshed in his past.
It’s impossible not to love him.
What’s your process when it comes to worldbuilding, in particular for this series?
The fictional city of New Sinsi was incredibly fun to pen. I’ve lived in many different places throughout my life, rural towns and big cities included. These experiences made it easy for me to create a city from scratch, as I’m intimately familiar with a variety of very different places.
New Sinsi is a South Korean city with a magical twist. Your barista is a gumiho. Your policeman? A haetae. New Sinsi came alive for me, almost like I’d visited before (as cheesy as it sounds).
What a stunning cover! Can you tell us a bit about how it came to life?
I really have my publisher, and Kuri Huang, to thank!
Early on in the process, my UK editor at Hodderscape, the fantastic Molly Powell, reached out to me for input on what I imagined the UK cover looking like. I eagerly sent over a few ideas, one being that Hani–in her fox form–could be wrapped around Seokga’s shoulders.
I was positively ecstatic when Molly loved this vision as well! And when Kuri Huang was announced to be the illustrator, it was a dream come true. I’ve been a huge fan of her for so long, and she did a perfect job on the illustration. I could not wish for anything more beautiful.
What’s next for you?
I’m about to dive into revisions for Reign of the Talon, the third installment in my YA series. Revisions are also coming in for another manuscript–one that I think fans of The God and the Gumiho will be very excited about. (And there’s one more project up my sleeve as well, although I’m sworn to secrecy at the moment!)
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I’m an avid reader, and I have so many books I want to gush about! I’m a huge fan of So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, as well as Darker by Four by June CL Tan. I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Phantasma by Kaylie Smith, which releases in September, and I LOVED it! I highly recommend it for readers who are craving a riveting gothic romantasy, and have a thing for unfairly attractive demons.
