Written by Teralyn Mitchell
Pintip Dunn, author of recently released Star-Crossed, was kind enough to speak with Teralyn about what inspired her to write this new novel, her life, and writing. Check out her insightful answers below!
Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I grew up in Kansas, the daughter of parents who immigrated from Thailand. I attended college at Harvard University, where I majored in English, and then law school at Yale.I married my college sweetheart, and after practicing law for a brief time, I left the profession to raise three children and write.
I’m a New York Times bestselling author and a two-time RITA® award winner. I’ve published five novels—STAR-CROSSED will be my sixth! My books have been translated into four languages, and I’ve been nominated for awards in three countries.
From your biography, I see that you have a J.D. in Law. What made you pursue writing instead?
Writing has been my passion my entire life, but for years, I was dissuaded from pursuing my dream because it was “impractical” and “frivolous.”
However, when I was a junior in college, my arms froze as I was typing a paper in the library—as in, I physically couldn’t move them from my shoulders to the tips of my fingers. And they stayed that way for an entire week. I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia/RSI, which means that I can’t type on a keyboard or even handwrite for very long without debilitating pain. I got through college by dictating into a tape recorder and taking my exams orally. I even took the bar exam orally.
I became a lawyer…and then I had a flare-up; my most serious one yet. This one landed me flat on my back for the next six months. I couldn’t even sit up because the pain in my neck and shoulders was too intense. During this time, I wrote my first “real” novel lying underneath a glass coffee table, with my laptop open and face down on the glass, dictating into a microphone.
That was when I had an epiphany. I realised my body wasn’t punishing me. It was talking to me in the only way it knew how. It had tried over the years, starting in the first grade, whispering to me that I should be an author. But I refused to listen, letting other voices, more negative ones, push me away from my dream. So, my body spoke to me, louder and louder until I had no choice but to hear. It told me: this lawyer thing is not the right path for you! This is not what you were put on this universe to do. I left the legal profession at that point and never looked back.
To this day, I still can’t type on a keyboard without immense pain. Stress or extreme emotions can also trigger a flare-up. After dictating for years, I discovered a few years ago that I could tap on my iPhone without pain, so long as it was locked in portrait position. Thus, I now write all my novels entirely on my cell phone. I’ve written my last seven novels this way!
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m a total foodie, so my favourite thing to do is going out to a yummy dinner with my husband and friends. I also love hanging out with my three kids, whether we’re watching movies or white-water rafting or playing laser tag. I also enjoy working out, while watching one of my reality TV shows. Last but not least, I adore reading!
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
I think good writing is two-fold. First, on the sentence level, the prose should be elegant and compelling. Secondly, the storytelling craft should also be solid. This craft includes pacing, hooks, turning points, and character arcs.
Fortunately, there are a ton of classes and books out there about story structure, so craft is something that you can learn. It’s simply a matter of study. Elegant and compelling prose is also teachable—but I find that this is much more dependent on a writer’s intuitive ear and sense of rhythm. What’s more, voice is also wrapped up in producing compelling prose, which is a whole other complicated beast.
Can you describe a typical writing day for you?
My writing day is typically 9:30 am to 2:45 pm, which is when my kids are in school. Sometimes, I am able to squeeze an hour or two in the evenings, but my household is usually total chaos with three kids’ worth of classes, homework, dinner, and bedtime routines.
I’m not very good at multi-tasking, so there are days when I purely write and/or edit and other days when I catch up on the business side of being an author.
I often sprint with friends to keep me on track, and we usually work for an hour, check in with each other for five minutes or so, and then work for another hour. Rinse and repeat.
Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?
There are two pieces of advice that have stuck with me through my entire career. The first quote, from Nora Roberts, is that you can revise a bad page, but you can’t revise a blank one. I think as writers, we put so much pressure on ourselves to write that “heartbreaking work of staggering genius” that it becomes virtually impossible to create anything. I truly believe that we have to give ourselves permission to not be perfect, to slap something on the page that we can fix later. This is how books get written. Otherwise, our perfectionism will keep us stymied on the very first page.
The second piece of advice is: “You are the only person in the world who can write this particular story.” I believe in this quote passionately. When I was getting rejected, again and again, I would tell myself that if I didn’t write this story, nobody would. And if I believed that this story belongs in the world, it would be a shame if it didn’t exist because I gave up.
Since then, a comment I’ve received a few times is “this story is . . . odd.” I’ve learned to embrace that comment because you know what? My stories are odd. And so am I. That’s what makes my viewpoint unique. That’s why I’m the only person in this world who can write my stories.
If you could give your younger self any writing advice, what would it be?
This is an interesting question, since it was the basis of my novel, FORGET TOMORROW! Let me explain. Several years ago, I was frustrated with all the rejections I was getting and lamenting to an editor-friend of mine. She said, “I wish I had a crystal ball. Then, I could tell you that five years from now, you would be published, and you wouldn’t waste so much time and energy worrying about it.”
The next day, I was thinking about her words and wishing that my future self could send to my present self a memory of myself succeeding as an author. My next thought was, “Hey, that would make a pretty cool idea for a book!” And presto, the FORGET TOMORROW series was born.
So, to answer your question, I would tell my younger self to persevere and believe in myself—because one day, somehow, I will achieve my dream!
You’ve published many books before Star-Crossed. How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep writing and publishing new stories?
This is a question that I’ve struggled with since I’ve been published. After all, what if you finally achieve the dream you’ve wanted all your life—only to discover it looks pretty different than what you imagined?
After lots of soul-searching, I realised that publishing, as well as life, is always going to be stressful. We’re not going to be able to change that fact. But the one thing that we can alter is our attitude. And so, these days, I’m much more relaxed about everything that could and does go wrong. I focus my energy, instead, on the parts that I truly love, the reason why I got into this business in the first place: writing.
Do you have a favourite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special?
My favourite character in STAR-CROSSED is probably Carr, the hero of the book. He is the brother of Vela’s best friend, and Vela has been in love with him most of her life.
He’s my favourite for several reasons. He’s super cute, of course, with caviar-black eyes and a lean, ropey build. But more than that, he’s just a stand-up guy. He would do anything to save his sister—even sacrifice his own life.
He and Vela bring out the best in each other. Unfortunately, Carr believes that he is only loved for the things he does for other, and it takes Vela to show him that he is deserving of love because of who he is. Likewise, Vela’s first thought is always to protect the people that she loves, and Carr teaches her that sometimes honour is more important than love, and that the right decision might be the most difficult one.
Ultimately, Carr is one of the most honourable guys that Vela has ever met . . . but it is this very honour that may be the cause of his demise.
Star-Crossed has such an intriguing and captivating synopsis. Where did you get your inspiration? What can you tell us about this book?
As I mentioned, my husband and I are total foodies. For over a decade, we would say to each other after a particularly big meal, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could transfer our calories to someone who really need them?” One night, I was lying in bed drifting off to sleep when it suddenly struck me that this would make a pretty cool idea for a book. (I’d also like to note how often ideas come to me as I’m falling asleep!)
Of course, the premise of STAR-CROSSED is a little more complicated. Because land is scarce on the planet of Dion, not enough food can be produced to feed the entire colony. Thus, Princess Vela steps up to receive a genetic modification so that she can convert food into energy more efficiently. The nutrition is extracted from her via a pill and distributed to the rest of the colony.
The genetic modification means that Vela’s life will be cut short by 60 years—but that’s not her worse problem. She’s been tasked with choosing a boy fit to die so that her father, the King, may continue to live. But the person who emerges as the best candidate is . . . the boy she’s loved all her life.
What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
The biggest challenge in writing this book is that I wrote it while I was on submission with my first novel, FORGET TOMORROW. For a year, I was pummelled with rejections, which all said more or less the same thing: “We love this book, but we can’t publish it because of the genre.” I could’ve despaired. In fact, I did despair — for a short while. And then, that feeling turned into anger. That’s an emotion I had never experienced with my writing before. Hope, yes. Depression, definitely. But never anger.
A fire started burning deep inside me. “I’m going to write a book so good,” I swore to myself, “that they won’t be able to reject me, no matter what the market says!” So, maybe this difficulty turned out to be a good thing. I can honestly say that I put every bit of my heart into this book. I’ve produced seven novels that have been or will be published, and this is the only book I’ve written with this level of fire and passion.
What was the highlight of writing this book?
The highlight of writing this book is the very last scene of this novel. When I conceive of my stories, sometimes I know exactly how the book will end, and other times, I surprise myself as I am writing. In STAR-CROSSED, it was the former: from the beginning, I knew that Vela would have to make an impossible choice, and I always knew what that choice would be.
However, that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to write this scene. I feel like I am doing something right when I cry while writing. And I certainly cried my eyes out as I wrote this finale, so I hope that it will resonate with my readers, as well!
What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
There is a sequel, actually! SKY-KISSED takes place a few months after the end of Book 1, so it’s technically a sequel. However, while Vela and Carr will still play an important role, the story will follow Blanca (Vela’s sister) and Jupiter as they embark on a brand-new adventure. Thus, SKY-KISSED can also be seen as a companion novel. I’m having the best time writing Blanca and Jupiter’s story! It will be available in the fall of 2019.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
1. Toxic by Lydia Kang
I had the honour of reading an early version of this book, and once again, Lydia blows me away! A powerful and evocative tale of a sentient spaceship—and her painfully human bond with the lonely girl who lives within her walls.
2. Once a King by Erin Summerill
This one is a fantasy, and I wanted to include it because I think there’s a lot of cross-over between the fantasy and science fiction genres. For example, STAR-CROSSED has been called a hybrid because it features a king, and what my book and this one have in common is that they both feature good kings, rather than evil ones. With poignant prose and intricate worldbuilding, ONCE A KING casts its spell from the very first page!
3. Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee
The world-building in this book is absolutely delicious! I’m reading this book now, and I’m having a hard time not dropping everything so that I can immerse myself in this world! Oooh, and I was delighted to discover that the hero shares the same name as my hero in STAR-CROSSED! From the summary: “A rising star in the weightless combat sport of zeroboxing, Carr the Raptor Luka dreams of winning the championship title. . . But when [he] discovers a far-reaching criminal scheme, he becomes the keeper of a devastating secret.”
Star-Crossed is now available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers. Be sure to add it to your Goodreads!
