We had the absolute pleasure of talking Lydia Kang, who has just released her new young adult sci-fi novel this week titled Toxic! While talking to Lydia, we asked her about her new book, writing, becoming an author, and even got some recommendations!
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hi there! I’m an author of young adult fiction (Toxic, The November Girl, Control, and Catalyst) and adult historical mysteries (The Impossible Girl, A Beautiful Poison) and nonfiction (Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst).
What made you want to be an author?
I loved the idea of writing stories that were my own, and that people actually wanted to read. I didn’t know how until I tried, and then failed and tried again. I learned a ton about writing craft in those first few years.
Your new book ‘Toxic’ sounds quite intriguing! Can you tell us a little more about it?
Toxic is about a teen girl, Hana, who was secretly created on a spaceship (a living biological ship that can communicate with its passengers). She wakes up one morning to find her mother and the entire crew is gone. She’s discovered by a mercenary crew who lands there as a field mission to study the dying ship, knowing they’ll die along with it. Hana only starts to live amongst real people and she falls in love, but is doomed to die on the ship with everyone else.
How did ‘Toxic’ come to be?
I like sci-fi, and at some point in time, I thought it was an interesting concept to have a ship that actually lived. What would it be like? Would it have emotions? Could it get jealous? Stuff like that. And then Toxic was born. The book’s original name was CYCLO, which is the ship’s name.
Did you have a favourite character that you enjoyed creating or writing about?
I love all the characters, but Hana felt very close to me. We are both of Korean heritage, but not born in Korea, so it was fascinating to explore that part of her identity.
What challenges did you face while writing ‘Toxic’?
I actually had to do some math to write this book! The ship rotates to create a gravitational force and I had to figure out how big the ship was and how fast it rotated to make an earth-like gravity.
What do you hope readers take away from your new book?
I’d like them to realise that identity is incredibly complex. It’s not just “Your parents are Swedish, so you’re Swedish.” It’s so, so much more than that. More than just DNA, or a single country of ancestry.
Why science fiction?
Because space is FUN. I loved Star Trek as a kid, and I love the Star Wars movies.
What’s your process when writing?
It all starts with an idea. Then I write copious notes trying to suss out a plot. Then I write a cleaner plot summary. Then I outline a couple of chapters, and I start writing in earnest. Somewhere in there is usually a varying amount of research and reading. I also usually pitch the idea to a few friends to see if it seems worthy of writing. If they give me the green light, I go!
Do you have any advice you would give to aspiring writers?
Don’t compare your journey to anyone elses. Therein lies heartache! There will be always someone who has more (money, publications, book deals, movie deals, bestseller lists) than you. Try to focus on what’s in front of you, and try to keep the joy alive while you create. (Hint: Playlists really help with creative joy for me).
What’s next for you?
I have a new adult historical mystery to write, called Opium and Absinthe. Gotta get cracking on that!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
I’m a fan of Pintip Dunn, April Tucholke, Maurene Goo, Sarah Fine, Jennifer Donnelly, Angie Thomas…pick one and you’ll be happy.
Have you read any books by Lydia Kang? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Cyclo, the first and largest biological ship of its kind, is dying. A small crew of mercenaries have handed over the rights to their life to document the death of the ship, but the abandoned ship is anything but abandoned—one girl has been left behind.
Hana has known nothing but the isolation of a single room and the secret that has kept her there for seventeen years. When she meets Fennec, the boy assigned to watch her, she realizes that there is a world she has yet to experience but she is doomed to never meet.
When crew members begin mysteriously dying, Hana and Fenn realize that they are racing against the death of the ship to find a way to survive—unless someone kills them even before Hana’s truly had a chance to live.
