We chat with debut author Kyla Zhao about The Fraud Squad, which follows a working-class woman who infiltrates Singapore’s high society to fulfill her dreams risks losing everything in the process—including herself.
Read on to learn more about The Fraud Squad, writing, her publishing journey, and more!
Hi, Kyla! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Kyla! I grew up in Singapore and came to California for college in 2017. After graduating from Stanford University in 2021, I’ve been working in Silicon Valley. But before that, I worked in fashion—I wrote for several magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Tatler. My experiences in the fashion and high society worlds helped inspire my debut novel The Fraud Squad.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved books since as far back as I can remember! Back in elementary school, I was actually part of a national organization called The Bookworm Club. Reading so many books gave me an itch to start writing, but before The Fraud Squad, I’ve only written for non-fiction platforms a.k.a magazines. Writing a novel is a whole different ballgame and challenged me in unexpected ways. When writing The Fraud Squad, I actually had to discard a lot of the writing best practices I learned previously.
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!
The first book I ever remember is actually Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I didn’t read it myself but my dad, who is a huge Chinese history buff, would tell me bits of the story every day—even though I was far too young to understand or appreciate this epic saga. I credit my dad with sowing the seed for my love for Chinese historical fiction.
The book that made me want to become an author was Crazy Rich Asians. It was the first book I read that featured Asians in the starring role of a fun and vibrant story. So when I was struggling with loneliness during the pandemic and against a backdrop of anti-Asian racism, I wanted to read more light and escapist books like Crazy Rich Asians. Because I couldn’t find any others like that, I decided to write my own.
A book that I can’t stop thinking about is the Percy Jackson series. Even though it’s been over a decade since I first read it, I still think that the Percy Jackson universe is so amazingly crafted and I would have given anything to be a part of Camp Half Blood.
Your debut novel, The Fraud Squad, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Putting the lie in socialite
What can readers expect?
Glamorous fun, schemes and scandals, realistically and relatably flawed characters, and Asians as the stars of the story.
Where did the inspiration for The Fraud Squad come from?
The inspiration came from my personal experience working at luxury magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Tatler. I got to meet and interact with many socialites in my line of work, and my firsthand observations of this exclusive world helped me authentically craft the high society setting and characters in my book.
I really love Crazy Rich Asians and asked myself: What if I flip this story around? What if it’s told from the point of view of an outsider who would do anything it takes to be a part of this elite group?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
While my main character, Samantha, is the most obvious fraud since she’s the one who pretends to be a socialite to get her dream job, I really enjoyed exploring the idea that every single character is a fraud in their own way. I think it is human nature to always yearn for more and to experience imposter syndrome—regardless of whether you come from a working-class or privileged background. So I found it interesting to consider how these two universal feelings manifest themselves in different ways in the different characters of The Fraud Squad.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting The Fraud Squad published?
I started writing The Fraud Squad the summer before my last year at Stanford University. It was during the height of the pandemic lockdown and I was really looking to escape into a fictional world that’s as unlike pandemic reality as possible. I finished a first draft that summer but because I was coming up with the story as I wrote, the draft was riddled with plot holes. I spent a lot more time trying to fix everything. After another six months of editing, I thought that the book was in decent shape and some friends encouraged me to give publishing a shot. So I started looking for a literary agent and eventually signed with one from the Creative Artists Agency. A day before my 23rd birthday, my agent sent my manuscript to publishers and I was just praying that someone would be interested. I was so fortunate to get several interested offers so my agent set up an auction, in which every publisher would submit their best bid. I was in Singapore when the auction took place and it only closed at 2 AM because of the time zone difference, so I was really fighting to stay awake that day. The coolest thing is: I got to announce my book deal exactly one year after I started writing my book! At that point, only a few people knew I had even written a book, so I was swamped with incredulous reactions after my announcement haha!
What’s next for you?
I have another adult novel coming out in November combining two of my favorite things: fashion and Silicon Valley (where I now work). It’s unrelated to The Fraud Squad but the protagonist in this next novel is just as bold and someone readers would love to root for.
I also have a children’s novel coming out in 2024 about a young chess prodigy who makes a bet to prove her sexist teammate wrong.
Lastly, are there any 2023 releases our readers should look out for?
So many good ones! I’m currently reading Exes and O’s by Amy Lea. Also on my list are Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao, Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder, and Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. 2023 is shaping up to be an amazing year for my reading!
You can find Kyla on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, plus be sure to subscribe to her newsletter!
