We chat with author Jackie Lau about Love, Lies and Cherry Pie, which is a charming rom-com about a young woman’s desperate attempts to fend off her meddling mother…only to find that maybe mother does know best.
Hi, Jackie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a Canadian author of over twenty contemporary romances. All of my books have at least one Asian main character, and most of them are set in Toronto, where I live with my husband. My books usually include lots of food, too. When I’m not writing or reading, I enjoy wandering the city and dining out.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
We had a story-writing period every day in grade two, and that was my favorite part of school. I remember writing stories titled “The Land of Shapes” and “The Heart That Got Lost.”
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
- First Book- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (I know I read shorter books before that, but it’s the first children’s novel I remember reading)
- The Book That Made Me Desire of Becoming an Author- Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (as a child)/Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (as an adult)
- The Book I Cannot Ever Stop Thinking About- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Your novel, Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie, is out May 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Millennial writer with meddling mother
What can readers expect?
Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie is a fake-dating rom-com with an Asian hero and heroine. Emily Hung, author and barista, is the last single daughter. To get her mother off her back about her single status, she fakes a relationship with the son of her parents’ friends.
Where did the inspiration for Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie come from?
This book was partly inspired by my experience as an author, as well as Bridget Jones’s Diary, which is the book that make me actually start writing as an adult, though it was something I’d long wanted to do.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoy writing families, and Emily’s relationships with her parents and her sisters are an important part of Love, Lies, and Cherry Pie. I also enjoyed writing the scenes with the cat! (I rarely have pets in my books, but I think I might need to do it again.)
What are some of the key lessons you have learned when it comes to writing and the publishing world?
You’re never really “made it.” Getting one publishing deal doesn’t mean you’ll ever get another. Also, when I started writing fiction as an adult (about 14 years ago), I don’t think I would have imagined the sheer number of words I’d write.
What’s next for you?
Three Reasons to Run, my second Weddings with the Moks book, will be out later this year. It’s a runaway bride romance, which is a trope I’d never written before. I’ll have another book with Atria in 2025 as well, and that’s what I’m currently working on.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Two upcoming romances that I enjoyed are Triple Sec by TJ Alexander and The Friend Zone Experiment by Zen Cho.
