5 Qs with My Favorite Authors: Stacey Lee's Witty Humor and Unputdownable Storytelling
New York Times bestselling author of KILL HER TWICE and more
Hello, lovelies!
Wow, I just realized that last’s week French Book Tour post was my 100th newsletter! Huzzah and thank you to all of you for being here with me. I write WORDPLAY for you, and I adore each and every one of you who are reading this.
Anyway, (ahem—let’s be professional)… Welcome back to my interview series, 5 Questions with My Favorite Authors, where I chat with some of the wonderful people I’ve met throughout my career and introduce you to their books!
Stacey Lee and I first met at a gorgeous writing conference on a California beach, run by SCBWI SF South. Although that’s not true… we didn’t meet there exactly. The presenter had put something up on a projector about authors on social media, and I had tweeted live with the conference hashtag, and when Stacey saw my name appear on the projection screen, she wrote it down in her notebook. She reached out a week or so later to introduce herself, and we became fast friends!
Back then, neither of us really knew what we were doing yet. We were aspiring authors who had been working hard on our manuscripts and hoping that the literary gods would smile down upon us.
Well, they did (or maybe we just persevered long enough), and Stacey soon landed an agent and her first book deal. I followed in her footsteps a pace behind (if you haven’t read my piece about Finding the Perfect Mentor, you should!)
Since then Stacey has written eight novels for teens and children and won all sorts of awards, including the PEN America Literary Award. She is also a New York Times Bestselling author, and her novel The Downstair’s Girl was a Reese’s Book Club Pick (Reese Witherspoon, not my daughter Reese, although she is also a fan of Stacey’s books.)
Stacey is also the nicest person (when she goes on vacation with her family, she brings back gifts for her friends!) I am thrilled to have her here on WORDPLAY today.
Welcome, Stacey!
(1) You have written a sweet YA rom com (Secret of a Heart Note), several YA historical fiction novels about strong Chinese-American girls, and two zany middle grade novels. Do you have to put on a different mindset each time you switch to a different genre or audience?
Yes and no. Plotting wise, it's all about the same. But it definitely changes in terms of language, sentence structure, word choice, subject matter, thoughts. We all have the same emotions, but how we express them or don't express them, or how we work through them, definitely changes according to age, time period, gender, and a whole bunch of other things I can't think of right now, because I'm the age where it doesn't come quick as it used to, haha.
(interview continues below)
(2) You always find the most interesting historical events and icons to write about. Can you tell us a little bit about Kill Her Twice—what is it about?—and why did you decide to write this story?
When police don't investigate, two sisters in 1930's LA Chinatown attempt to solve the murder of a Hollywood star, who was once a childhood friend, and in the process, rehabilitating the image of Chinatown, which is slated for demolition to make way for a new Union Station.
I really wanted a story set in Los Angeles, where I was born, and I wanted to write a mystery. I'd always enjoyed reading mysteries—I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys growing up —and still love it when I find a mystery that pulls me in. When I'm writing my own books, I'm always interested in weaving mysteries into the storyline because it helps me keep pages moving, but the idea of writing a full-on mystery was a little intimidating. Which of course meant I should try it, at least once in my life and get past that fear.
It was definitely a learning experience! I found myself running out of beta readers as I needed fresh eyes with each pass to ensure I kept the reader guessing. I personally like everything to connect together in some way, even the red herrings. I'm not going to lie, tying all the strings together took a lot of mental effort!
(3) What was your research process like for Kill Her Twice? Did it differ how you approached the research for your other historicals, Under a Painted Sky, The Downstairs Girl, or Luck of the Titanic?
The process was about the same. I get a map of the area as close to the date as I can find it to my story, so I can orient myself to how the place looked like back then. I read newspapers, in this case, from the 1930's, to understand what was happening in the country at the time (the Great Depression consumed most of the news, though it wasn't called the Great Depression until later). I go to museums, which are like giant living books, in this case, the Chinese American Museum, Los Angeles, which is located right across the street from the Union Station and is one of the few original buildings left after the demolition of Old Chinatown. That was quite a rich resource for me, allowing me the opportunity to actually walk around my setting. Old Chinatown may no longer be visible, but it's still very much felt.
(4) The Downstairs Girl was chosen by Reese Witherspoon as a Reese’s Book Club pick. For readers who don’t know how that happens, can you draw back the curtain and tell us about the process? How did Reese find out about your book? And how did being a Reese’s Book Club pick change things for you as an author?
A member of Reese's Book Club team had received an advanced reading copy, but due to the timing of the Reese's Book Club YA releases, I wasn't notified that they had selected my book until almost two years after it had already been out. It was such a fun surprise. I got an email from Reese herself. One of my favorite movies was Man in the Moon, Reese's first major movie, and so it was quite surreal to see her name in my inbox.
From there, there was a bit of prep work as they prepared to announce the book selection, including meeting the team, interviews, essays, etc. Being selected definitely changed the trajectory of this book and I'm super grateful. (Also, it raised its profile enough that I got the dubious honor of it being banned pretty immediately.)
(5) Last question—what is your favorite thing about being a writer?
I love the flexibility of being able to “work” on my own time. That's a double-edged sword because stories have a way of consuming my life once they get going, so in a way, I'm always working even when I'm not working. But if it's a good story, I don't mind. :)
Thank you so much for hanging out with us, Stacey!
If you’d like to check out any of Stacey’s books, you can find them here or anywhere books are sold. KILL HER TWICE—her new novel—was just released today! (And if you’re in the Bay Area, Stacey and Stephanie Garber will be throwing a launch party at Linden Tree Books in Los Altos, CA tonight from 6-8pm.
Reader Spotlight
Every week, I’ll feature a few books or essays that WORDPLAY readers have loved or written. Here are this week’s to add to your TBR:
Want to share something that you’ve recently read or written?
Just reply to this email or write me at evelynskyebooks@gmail.com with a 1-2 sentence description. I can’t wait to hear from you!
I'm still waiting for my copy of Kill Her Twice to arrive but I'm so excited to read it! I still adore Under the Painted Sky.
I met Stacey pre-covid at the sadly-no-longer-a-thing Boston Teen Author Fest. She was so nice to talk to and so interesting to listen to. She's done so many great things since then! It was great to hear how she's doing. Thanks for including her in your newsletter; she does not get the attention she deserves.