Kristi Hong, a pen name for a Taiwanese American author from San Diego, has published a new book, The Teacher’s Match, from Harlequin publishers. She sat down with Michelle Young, author of The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland (HarperOne), to talk about the book, writing romance as an Asian American, her upbringing in the Midwest, and the influences on her writing.
M: What inspired you to write fiction – specifically in the romance genre? Were there any pivotal moments that helped you crystallize your goals as a romance author?
K: This is such a great question to kick off the interview. As a second-generation Taiwanese American, one goal of mine when I started writing fiction was to feature diverse characters, particularly Asian Americans. I remember being in Target a few years ago and looking at all the books they had on display. In the mass market (smaller paperbacks for wide distribution) romance section, many of the books had real people/models on the cover, and maybe two or three featured people of color, but not a single book had both people being Asian. I decided that day to set a goal of publishing a mass market romance novel with just that: two Asians on the cover.
M: Tell me your elevator pitch of The Teacher’s Match. How would it resonate with readers of TaiwaneseAmerican.org?
K: Here’s two, hopefully they make everyone race to buy it!
A new career. A new school. And a very inconvenient new crush.
Abbott Elementary meets Crazy Rich Asians, but less crazy and a lot less rich.
Specifically for Taiwanese American readers, I think they will really connect with the themes of the book: duty and familial obligations, meddling mothers (sorry, I love you, Mom!), language and communication barriers, and a lot of Taiwanese food and culture sprinkled throughout.
M: What characters can we look forward to meeting?
K: Joanna is a second-generation Taiwanese American who is starting a new career as an elementary art teacher and determined not to let anything—especially her match-making mother—get in her way.
Jack is a charming, successful teacher whose passion for education sparks Joanna’s interest—but he’s promised to return to Taiwan to take over the family business in just a few months.
M: I love that the characters embody different kinds of Taiwanese American identities, and that Taiwanese American culture is very present in your book. A lot of scenes made me smile, like the matchmaking mother. In my case I had a matchmaking dad! How did you decide what to incorporate from your personal life and what to imagine, as all novelists do?
K: I must hear about this matchmaking dad of yours—sounds like I might have my next book idea! The Teacher’s Match is published under the Harlequin Heartwarming imprint, which features contemporary and feel-good stories focusing on friendship, family and community, so it was pretty easy to develop Joanna and Jack’s story. While the story is grounded in reality, the characters are imagined—my own mother has never tried to set me up!
M: Joanna, the main character of your book, grew up in a town where her family was the only Asian family and so it seems that she finds herself a little surprised to be surrounded by so many Asians—she’s had so little exposure. This duality of identity for Asian Americans has long been fascinating to me. Was this something you wanted to explore in this book?
K: Yes, it’s certainly part of the main character “finding” herself—the opening of the book has Joanna starting her first day and she’s mistaken for a new, fifth-grade Chinese teacher. Then she meets this perfectly bilingual and bicultural teacher, Jack, and she feels embarrassed for not being able to speak Mandarin. It’s all part of her journey of self-discovery that I think many second-generation Asian-Americans (and perhaps all children of immigrants) can relate to.
M: Where do the ideas for your characters come from and how do you develop them as full-fledged people? I felt like I could see who Jack was and why Joanna was taken by him immediately.
K: The story takes place at a Mandarin immersion school, a setting which I drew from a real-life school that my children attended. The teachers there were all so wonderful and caring, and then at one point, my daughter’s teacher announced he was engaged. It got me thinking, how did that happen? How did love blossom?
Also, I will confess that my husband moved from Taiwan to the US during middle school and his ability to switch back and forth from English to Mandarin practically seamlessly has always impressed me, so readers are seeing a bit of my husband in Jack!
M: When we met, you mentioned that you always wonder if you’ll run into the models who posed for the cover of your book. That really stuck with me, because I was like, why would Kristi happen to see them? Explain more about that.
K: Ha, it’s funny that stuck with you! You’re right—the probability of randomly running into one of them is probably pretty low, but somehow whenever I’m in a place with a lot of Asian Americans (like we were in LA when we met), I always think maybe I’ll see one of them. I also admit I’ve tried to Google-image search them…THE TEACHER’S MATCH Cover Models: if you’re reading this, I’d love to meet you!
M: How significant was it having two Asian Americans on the cover?
K: As I mentioned above, it was HUGE! Romance is the biggest category of fiction, and Harlequin is the world’s largest romance publisher, so I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to represent Asian Americans through them.
M: Let’s talk about Michigan because I have ties there too! My cousins grew up in Grand Blanc and then Rochester Hills. I know a lot of Taiwanese Americans from Michigan! What did you incorporate from your upbringing in the state? If someone is visiting the state for the first time, what’s a must visit?
K: I’m sure our families crossed paths at some point in the past—there’s probably only two- or three-degrees of separation for Taiwanese Americans! As mentioned in the book, springtime in Michigan is simply magical. Some must-visits around the state:
- The annual Tulip Time Festival in Holland, MI, happening in early May this year;
- Mackinac Island, located between the upper and lower peninsulas and is completely car-free;
- The Ford Rouge Factory Tour in Dearborn, MI, where you can see F-150 trucks actually being assembled
- Blake’s Orchard and Cider Mill in Armada, MI, for apple-picking in the fall, and other year-round activities
M: Here’s a question a lot of people want to know in general. How do you become a published author? What was your path?
K: This may sound unbelievable, but I saw a manuscript wish list request for a “G-rated Asian American romance,” and I responded to it right away. There were a few bumps in the publishing road (as there always seems to be!) but a couple of years later, The Teacher’s Match is out on shelves. The advice I give to anyone interested in publishing a book is to read, read, read and write, write, write.
M: What do you love most about Taiwanese culture? What are some of your favorite Taiwanese foods?
K: The food – so many favorites! Taiwanese breakfast is definitely at the top of the list. Dànbǐng(蛋餅): Taiwanese crepes/pancakes, luóbogāo(蘿蔔糕): pan-fried turnip cake, shāobingyóutiáo(燒餅油條): sesame flatbread with dough sticks, just to name a few.
M: What’s the best way to show support to Taiwanese American writers like yourself? How can readers connect with you?
K: Besides buying the book, please share it with others, and submit a review on Goodreads or Amazon. Additionally, I’m always looking for great romance stories, from the “meet cute” to the “happily ever after,” so reach out if you have a fun story idea! Contact me on Instagram @kristihongwriter or via email at info@kristihong.com.
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