INTERVIEWED BY: HA NGUYEN
Gloria is an MIT business graduate who became a dentist then an author. She came out with her debut novel, American Panda, on the 6th of February, 2018 and had become a full-time writer since. Other novels created by her are romantic fictions Our Wayward Fate and Rent a Boyfriend. Find out more about her through this interview including her hobbies and how she got into writing!
Instagram: @gloriacchao
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
When I’m not writing, I am usually on the curling ice in the winter! My husband and I are avid curlers, and we spend a lot of time practicing, playing in leagues, and competing. I’m also a big fan of board games! Some of my favorites include Takenoko, Splendor, Duel, Forbidden Island, Ticket to Ride, and my most recent discovery, Lost Cities.
How did you start writing? When did you get into it?
When I was very young, I loved reading and writing/illustrating my own books. I have a pile of (very terrible) picture books I wrote when I was between the ages of 3-6 that had no plot and no character. For most of my teenage years, I didn’t read or write because my traditional Taiwanese parents encouraged me to focus on math and science.
I found my way back to writing when I was completely miserable in dental school. I hated germs, and the only thing that got me through five years of dentistry was reading and writing. My first novel, AMERICAN PANDA, is a fictionalized version of the struggles I went through, about a germaphobe MIT freshman whose parents want her to become a doctor.
How do you select the name and find inspiration for your characters?
I always like for my characters’ names to serve a purpose. For example, in RENT A BOYFRIEND, the main characters’ parents name her Jing (the Mandarin character 晶 with three suns in it) so that she will be “shiny, bright, and so successful others can’t open their eyes.” Her name alone shows how much pressure her parents put on her, which is part of the reason why she ends up hiring a fake boyfriend to introduce to them.
I often come up with the book idea first, then develop the characters so that they are the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) person to go through that particular journey. With RENT A BOYFRIEND, I knew I wanted to write a book about Asia’s boyfriend rental market but set in America, so I knew that the main character would have to be someone who cares about her parents and their expectations while also secretly fighting for the life that she wants. She struggles to balance these two sides, and the book is about her journey to figure out who she is.
What is your favourite under-appreciated novel?
PICTURE US IN THE LIGHT by Kelly Loy Gilbert. This was the first novel I read where I felt like I understood the main character’s parents on a deep, inexplicable level because their interpretation of Chinese culture was similar to my parents’. Reading it stirred up a lot of emotions for me, and I’ve never quite experienced this with any other book before.
Describe your typical writing day.
I’m fortunate that writing is my full-time job so I spend the majority of my day writing. Sometimes that means drafting new words, sometimes that means brainstorming (and feeling like I’m not being productive), and some days that’s editing. Promotion and social media is also a part of being an author, and I try to balance that throughout. When I’m struck with an idea at night or when I’m not at my desk, I often stop what I’m doing to work on the book while inspired.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Before I was published, the most difficult part of writing was finding the line between fiction and reality. My debut novel (AMERICAN PANDA) was so much inspired by my own life that when I was drafting, I had a hard time distancing myself and fictionalizing the events to better serve the narrative. After writing several books, this is no longer an issue for me. Now, the hardest part is keeping other voices out of my head. When I draft, I try not to think about the market or what reviewers might say, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult with each book.
If you can invite 3 literary characters to dinner, who would you invite?
Maya from Samira Ahmed’s Love, Hate & Other Filters because we could commiserate about having strict parents who didn’t let us date in high school; Skye from Lyla Lee’s I’ll Be The One so we can chat about K-pop, sing and dance around for fun, and talk about body positivity and the struggles one can face dealing with Asian mothers who care too much about looks; Izumi from Emiko Jean’s upcoming Tokyo Ever After (out May 2021) because she makes me laugh (and she’s Japan’s princess)!
What advice would you give to the Asian youth who want to begin doing similar work that you are doing?
My advice is that if I can do it, anyone can! Please write your stories because I promise there are readers out there who need them! Don’t be afraid to write about what makes you unique or what you’re struggling with—in my experiences, those have been the parts of my books that readers resonate with most. And the best writing advice I have: read as much as you can. I write my best work when I’m also finding time to read.