"My markers of success are not about book sales or advances"

Author A.H. Kim on divine inspiration, mourning fictional characters, having a debut do-over, and her delicious new book, Relative Strangers

A.H. Kim: Am I on?

Me: SUCCESS!!!!

Woo hoo!

omg, thank you SO MUCH for rolling with it. I truly appreciate your patience!! [Ed. note: I was 15 minutes late and then we couldn’t get g-chat to cooperate!]

No problem! It seems old dogs (me) CAN learn new tricks after all.

Now you're fully equipped to g-chat wherever and whenever you want!

Haha, you are overestimating my ability to remember things.

But let me not waste more of your day after all that faffing about (on my end)

Faffing is a new word to me.

It's a pretty apt term for all the silly snafus we're running into during this Mercury Retrograde

But, okay! HUGE congrats on your latest, Relative Strangers!! Let's talk about it!

Can you share a little about this story?

Yay, my favorite topic: me!

haha

Relative Strangers is my sophomore novel. It's a modern retelling (or homage) to Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility with two half-Korean sisters, their hippie chick mom, and a cast of very sexy and diverse love interests.

It takes place at a cancer retreat center in Northern California and has tons of foodie and pop culture references. All my favorite things!

Okay, that checks ALL the boxes! What made you want to start with Jane Austen's classic?

Imagine me, sitting on my couch, trying to get an agent for my debut novel, feeling miserable and rejected and awful, eating a pint of Ben and Jerry's and self-soothing by watching my favorite comfort movie: Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility.

I'd read that, if you are getting nowhere with your first novel, you should work on your second novel. But what should I write about??? Suddenly, the clouds part, angels sing, and I decide to write a modern version of my comfort movie.

That is one of the best book origin stories I’ve ever heard!

Wow, and you've heard a lot of them!

It’s true.

Omg, my internet just went out and I’m now typing on my phone

Oh no, a parade of horribles!

But we soldier on! Tell me about setting it in a cancer ward? That’s a hell of a unique backdrop!