We chat with author Kara H.L. Chen about Asking for a Friend, which is a charming YA rom-com that follows a strong-willed, ambitious teen as she teams up with her childhood frenemy to start a dating-advice column, perfect for fans of Emma Lord and Gloria Chao.
Hi, Kara! Welcome back! How has the past year been since we last spoke?
Hi! I’m so excited to be able to speak to you again! The past year has been rather surreal and wonderful. I still can’t believe that my debut book, LOVE & RESISTANCE, is out in the world. Seeing the book in bookstores, having in person events, and meeting other authors and readers has been a dream. I am grateful for all of it.
Your latest novel, Asking for a Friend, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Grumpy meets sunshine advice columnists.
What can readers expect?
ASKING FOR A FRIEND is a YA contemporary novel about seventeen-year-old Juliana Zhao, who has always tried to follow her mom’s advice for living the good life: do well in school, try to go to a prestigious school, get a job in a stable field. Her dream is to win the Asian Americans in Business Competition, which was started by her late father before he died. But when her partner unexpectedly dumps her days before the competition is to begin, she is forced to pair with her childhood frenemy, Garrett Tsai. They had almost become friends last summer before he ghosted her for unknown reasons. As the competition progresses, Juliana and Garrett both have to unpack the lessons they’ve been taught by their parents in order to find out what they truly want and to form a genuine relationship.
Readers can expect grumpy versus sunshine vibes, a frenemies-to-lovers relationship and an exploration of what it means to be raised with one culture’s values while living within another.
Where did the inspiration for Asking for a Friend come from?
I wanted to explore the tension that can happen when a character is navigating two cultures. The main character, Juliana Zhao, is Taiwanese American. Her mother has lovingly tried to teach her the values that she has grown up with, the ones that she believes will help Juliana have a secure and successful life. However, those guidelines don’t necessarily apply in America or align with what Juliana really wants.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The main characters, Juliana and Garrett, are forced to pair together for a business competition, and they decide to write a love advice column together as their entry. Juliana is a sunshiny romantic and Garrett is a grumpy cynic. I had a lot of fun writing their contrasting love advice.
This is your second published novel! What were some of the key lessons you learned between writing the two?
I’ve learned to be more accepting of my own writing process. I am not a plotter. I am more iterative; I take multiple drafts to whittle down the heart of the novel and to find out the central conflicts. It takes a long time and I used to be frustrated that I couldn’t draft more quickly. But I’ve come to peace with the fact that this is just how my writing brain works. J
What’s the best and worst writing advice you have received?
The best writing advice is to make sure that the character goes through an emotional change. This is equally (if not more than) important as the main/action part of the plot.
The worst advice – and I realize my stance may be controversial!—relates to show, not tell. Showing is generally good advice, but I think it can become easy to get bogged down with showing everything. Sometimes you can increase the pace of your plot by including a tell here and there.
What’s next for you?
I am working on drafting my next book. It’s another YA, but with some magical elements. I’ve been working on it on and off for a while, so it’s wonderful to be able to wholly focus on it.
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 loved Funny Story by Emily Henry and Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. I can’t wait to read two books at the top of my TBR: The Quince Project by Jessica Parra and Lily Xiao Speaks Out by Nicole Chen.
