I got a chance to read an early copy of Suzanne Park’s debut novel, The Perfect Escape and I loved it! Everything in here felt real. The interactions, the VERY awkward flirting between the two main characters, and especially all of the dialogue. I don’t read many YA contemporaries but this one left me reconsidering, especially when I found out this starred a meet cute at a zombie escape room. This book has wit, charm, and most importantly, it’s filled with an easy humour that will have you flying through this book faster than you thought possible. I also had the pleasure of chatting with Suzanne all about The Perfect Escape and what’s next for her!
Hi Suzanne! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me! So, a short version of my origin story…I’m a second generation Korean American who grew up in Tennessee and I write nerdy romantic comedies featuring Korean-American protagonists. For many years, I performed stand-up comedy and took a hiatus to pursue writing with the goal of publication. This year I have two books coming out (young adult and adult). My journey to publication has been a rollercoaster ride, and even with the current state of things I’m so happy that The Perfect Escape, my geeky, awkward romantic comedy, releases in April.
Your debut novel, The Perfect Escape is set to release April 7th. Can you tell us about it?
In THE PERFECT ESCAPE, Korean-American teen Nate Jae-Woo Kim meets his dream girl at the zombie-themed escape room where they both work, and when they realize they each have a critical need for money, he teams up with her for a survivalist competition with a huge cash prize. Two teenagers in a weekend-long survival competition, what could possibly go wrong?
Author Jeff Bishop reviewed the book and described it as ‘THE perfect escape for everyone who read The Hunger Games and thought, “This would work better as a rom-com.’ I’d say this is an accurate description of the novel. He also followed that up with “Suzanne is one of the funniest new voices in YA and anyone looking for a laugh should grab their copy ASAP!” (I hope this is accurate, too).
If you could describe this novel with just five words (a sentence or standalone words), what would they be?
“Am I weird?”
“Weird’s good.”
What was your inspiration behind The Perfect Escape?
Thanks to the influence of my brother and sister, I’m obsessed with THE WALKING DEAD. After the first season aired, I bought a few guides about how to thrive in an apocalypse and the essentials of zombie survival. As I read through them, it occurred to me that it would take a special connection for two people to be on the same page with regards to priorities of survivalism. And if you were to do it as a team, it would probably be best to have a partner with complementary skills.
I had always wanted to write a fun #ownvoices rom-com featuring a Korean protagonist and this book idea came together in just the right way. In this book I address classism, diversity, and racism, and my goal was to do this in a way that felt authentic to me. I’m not trying to tell the story of every Korean-American, but I want it to be true to second-generation kids who sometimes felt more “American” than “Korean” growing up, like me.
I also wanted to make this a rom-com that was heavy on the com. It’s a good (distracting) read these days for anyone who needs a fun, fast read for a few hours.
Escape rooms have become a very popular past-time but I haven’t heard about many that feature zombies, was there a reason behind this choice? Also, why have the two main characters meet at a zombie escape room?
A couple of years ago, my brother, sister and I attempted a zombie escape room challenge. That night, our team (which included a bunch of women who were there for a bachelorette party) set a record for “dying” the earliest— we were just so terrible at solving the clues! The experience was more hilarious than scary, and the host was an energetic guy who really got into the game. He was maybe in his early 20s, and I thought how funny it would be if I wrote him into a book and set a romance right there in the escape room— the most unromantic place in the world. It could be the one of the nerdiest meet-cutes ever. This whole experience inspired me to write the opening escape room scene.
Why give the main characters’ names that rhyme? Was it to add to the humour of the story or something else?
I had their names rhyme intentionally. It was cute-sounding, which Nate really hates. But also I wanted to give Nate an American name (that his friends and classmates use) and a Korean name (which is the name he uses with his family), to show the two sides of him.
Who was easier to write Nate or Kate? And why?
Kate’s story came to me more easily, and a small part of her life was based on my own. She wants to leave home to pursue an acting career, but her tyrannical father wants Kate to follow in his footsteps and work at his company. Her relationship with her father is far from ideal, and there’s a lot they need to work out, but I wanted to portray a deeply troubled family that has started working toward healing at the end of the book.
I found that Nate was harder for me to write because some of his childhood and adolescent hardships were loosely based on my own. I was open to sharing some of my own experiences as a Korean-American in an all white community, but was worried that if I opened up too much by bringing up Nate’s family’s financial challenges, my parents would never speak to me after this book came out. They haven’t finished reading the book yet so I’m bracing myself for the apocalyptic reckoning that is yet to come.
Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?
My advice for writers of all levels, especially people starting their writing journey, is to always be reading. Ideally reading books across genres. I’ve learned so much about pacing and plotting from reading mysteries and thrillers. Upmarket fiction and romance titles have helped me deepen characterization and character arcs. For me, it was good to note what parts I really loved (and disliked) in these books.
Also, I think people should read what they love, not what they think other people think should be read. If you love reading green alien romances, go for it. No one should take your joy away from you.
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
I’m working on my second #ownvoices YA rom-com book about two teens from different walks of life who meet at a digital detox summer camp set in a rural area. I’m excited because like with my obsessive zombie research, I know a LOT about rustic farm life now. That book will be out June 2021. I also have another adult workplace romantic comedy that will be released late next year. It’s about an investment banker who quits her job to pursue a new career developing a Korean cooking show, co-hosting with her Korean mother. Like with the other books I’ve written, prepare for more escapism in 2021!
And lastly, do you have any book or author recommendations for us?
I’ve read so many good books lately that are coming out soon in 2020. Roselle Lim’s adult fiction VANESSA YU’S MAGICAL PARIS TEASHOP is lovely, Rachel Lynn Solomon’s TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW really spoke to my teen self, and Liz Lawson’s THE LUCKY ONES broke my heart and put it back together again. As for my go-to authors, Sandhya Menon and Gloria Chao are my rom-com must-reads for me.
You can find a full list of amazing YA and MG debuts here and adult debuts here (I’m lucky enough to be part of both 2020 debut classes!)
