Lauren Ho's Blog

Ooh baby. Has it been a month plus since my last post? You know when I started this blog, which my developer linked to my website, I thought I'd be posting more regularly, but to be honest Goodreads (and this blog) has been neglected because it's not interactive with readers (which is fine, I need to delink this GR blog with my site), the format is pretty crap, and GR just lacks the immediacy of IG and Twitter.

So what this means is, this will be my LAST blog post on Goodreads. I'll just update you guys on my IG from now on.

September has been a busy month. I've been working hard on the Aussie promo of LAST TANG STANDING and I am so excited to announce its arrival Oct 7 on Aussie shores.

LAST TANG STANDING will be carried by several chains such as @dymocksbooks in locations like Melbourne and Perth and wonderful indies like @bbound @avidreader, with which I have a launch on Oct 29 with the super cool Donald Tran @thefellafrommelbourne.

If you are an Aussie #BIPOC bookstagrammer and haven't heard my announcement calling for reviewers, I remain committed to ensuring this community has access to ARCs, where physical copies are available. Get in touch with me by 3 October 2020 via DM on IG @hellolaurenho if you'd like a review copy! At very least I'll get my publicist to send an e-galley to you (provided your account is a legit bookstagram account fulfilling some of the minimum requirements set forth by my publisher--no pay to plays please.) 🌞

I'm also looking forward to be able to announce some exciting side projects I'm working on, which has admittedly taken up some of my book writing time. Stay tuned on IG and sending you all lots of ✨good vibes. We all need it these days.

I am a novice in terms of novel writing, and I had to work hard to re-up my skills in order to finish a manuscript that could sell.

For aspiring novelists out there, I really, really liked Annie Lamott's Bird by Bird and Elisabeth Gilbert's Big Magic.

What are some of you favourties? I'd love to hear about them.

Guys, it's great you want to contact your fave author. It is! I try my best to respond, and when I respond, I try to be of service to the person writing to me. Especially when it's someone seeking advice.

Some basic principles to keep in mind though:
- no one, and I repeat, NO ONE is obliged to respond (do you expect a response every time you cold call someone in real life?)
- if that person responds, it's up to them how they want to respond to you. You don't get to dictate the content of their response, nor the form.
- there's a REAL PERSON behind this avatar you see. So you know--be a decent human being?

80% of the shit we see around us would not be a thing if we just learned to exercise more common sense, and dish out some kindness.

Now go forth and be productive, positive humans, my dears. Our time on earth is precious.

Something some readers have asked me is: what books do you recommend when it comes to the Craft?

There are a lot of good books out there that will help you level up your writing craft. I personally LOVE Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, and Stephen King's short but sweet book On Writing. I also consider Struck's manual The Elements of Style to be instructive.

I'm a pantser by nature, which leads to shaky plots and shaky stories. I worked on this aspect and now I'm kind of a plantser-- a gorgeous hybrid between plotter and panster. I love KM Weiland's amazing website with her detailed guide to plotting--free (-ish) and EXCEPTIONALLY helpful. She's amazing!

But most of all, read widely, read across genres in your spare time, and schedule me time for yourself. Avoid toxic energy vampires (family and friends included--but especially learn how to turn off social media. Some people just don't know how to be people). Live well, spent at least 30 mins a day writing, and you're on your way to becoming a better writer :)

I did a fabulous podcast with the Malaysian hosts of Two Book Nerds Talking (@tbntbooks) on 8 June, which debuted a few days ago (episode link here: https://bit.ly/2Yjq92d). We talked about issues that I touched on in LTS, including the sizeism and name-calling that we and our relatives faced from our "well-meaning" relatives, casual racism in dating, gender stereotypes and other deep stuff. I cracked a whole bunch of inappropriate jokes, some of which the producer and the hosts had to censor. I am sad that most of you will never hear that especially filthy comment I made about fetish porn. Imagine away!

I especially cherished this experience because we (all 4 of us) were a mixed bunch of people from different racial/ethnic/religious backgrounds and genders, and still as Malaysians we found commonalities in the themes of the book. Malaysia has had a bloody, fraught history of racism and discrimination, and there is much to be done when it comes to race relations in our country.
But a lot of us want to do better, are doing better. And what better way to do it by laughing with a bunch of people who have different backgrounds from you. This is the part of the Malaysian experience I love. OK, I'll stop being maudlin now.

Granted, the past two weeks as a debut have been tough, I won't mince words.

Three years of my life, one book, a difficult climate to debut in, to say the least.

But during this tumultuous time, I've had veritable author angels who, unasked, offered to help spread the word about this promo, or have organically tweeted about this book.

Aside from the magnificent authors who blurbed for my book (and seriously, thank you again on this blog), I've had Jodi Picoult tweet about my book, Chuck Wendig host me on his blog/newsletter, fellow Malaysians Yangsze Choo and Hanna Alkaf tweet about my book, and David Nicholls offer to tweet about me this week.

And reviewers who loved the book tag me on IG. It is especially heartwarming when they are from a similar cultural background and they tell me they feel seen.

Seen.

As BIPOC author who grew up mostly in Asia, who'd faced othering and racial discrimination in my own birth country, I understand the importance that fiction plays in humanizing a marginalized group. I understand the need to be seen. Seeing comments like that make my day.

Reader I want you to be seen, and I will commit to providing a platform for our voice, our #ownvoices, to be heard.

I thank you for reading this book, and for supporting my debut journey.

This is a fun 'author interviewing her character' piece I did for Women Writers, Women's Books (reproduced with permission here but you can read the piece here here: https://booksbywomen.org/authors-inte...)

Lauren: Hi Andrea so good of you to–

Andrea: (takes out three phones) Sorry, one second, I need to put my phones on silent. (jabs at several buttons) Alright that’s done, I’m all yours but I’ll have to answer any calls though—they’ll be work emergencies. Or my mom. Same thing.

Lauren: Please introduce yourself to the readers.

Andrea: I’m Andrea, I’m a corporate lawyer in Singapore specializing in mergers and acquisition. I get involved when companies decide to, well, merge. There are three main scenarios: when a company, my client, wants to buy another, or is itself being bought by another, or—I’m losing you, right?

Lauren: Sorry, sorry, I’m listening. Go on.

Andrea: (sighs) It’s ok. Sometimes I get that same crossed-eyed look too when a difficult client sends me an email. I go to my happy place.

Lauren: What’s your happy place like?

Andrea: (eyes unfocussed) A uninhabited tropical island with an abundance of fruit and plump, trusting, flightless animals, clean water, no electricity, no phone lines, no internet….

Lauren: Your work sounds brutal. Have you considered leaving?

Andrea: To do what?

Lauren: Something else. Something that you might enjoy a little more.

Andrea: Pfft. Not with my kind of financial obligations, you don’t. It’s fine, it’s like a crime scene cleaner or a beautician in a waxing salon for men only—someone’s got to do it, and with great skill. Plus it’s not all bad. I do have fun at work from time to time, and I have couple of friends there. And most of my colleagues are nice—except Genevieve Beh, my nemesis and Suresh Aditparan, who’s my contender for promotion. I mean, not that he’s any real threat. I am after all, a Top 40 under 40 lawyer in M&A, as voted by my peers. You can’t buy your way to get on that list. I have reputation. All Suresh has is his tolerable accent—he’s British, you know—and his muscles. (mutters) How any lawyer has that much time to work out, I don’t know, he must be taking protein. I mean, I barely have time to do my laun—I mean, taxes. It’s not ideal but I’d like to make partner this year so I’m billing through the roof.

Lauren: So what’s your downtime like? Any hobbies?

Andrea:(burst out laughing; while laughing, takes the opportunity to check notifications on all 3 phones in what she thinks is a faux-natural way) I don’t have down time. And I don’t have hobbies. Hobbies are for people who won’t make partner. Any downtime I have, I’m On The App.

Lauren: Oh, which one?

Andrea: Just the one. You know. LinkedIn.

Lauren: Ri-ight. Andrea, you’re very career-driven. What does that mean for your private life?

Andrea: Not great. I try to make time for family and friends, but I must admit I see my colleagues way more than I do them. As for love interests, I’d like one if only because it would get my family off my back and allow me to focus on my career. I don’t really have the inclination to put myself out there though, as I just got out of this long-term relationship. That was a real bummer because I’d invested all that time on it for nothing, I have to start all over again and dating these days takes time and skill. It’s brutal out there; I don’t know how to Photoshop.

Lauren: Sorry, did you say Photoshop?

Andrea: Yes. For all the apps, especially the dating ones. It’s all about how you look in the profile pics. It doesn’t matter about your achievements, like being Woman Lawyer of the Year for 3 consecutive years or being able to eat a whole chicken by yourself. Just the superficial stuff. Stuff that distracts you from making partner.

Lauren: Well—some upkeep is necessary, isn’t it?

Andrea: Nope. It’s just society’s way of boxing women in by binding us to a certain aesthetic. (Leans forward) I mean, between you and me, I haven’t done any maintenance, y’know, down below for so long, there’s been a royal baby since. Sorry if it’s TMI.

Lauren: It’s…it’s fine. So. What are you looking for in a life partner?

Andrea: Well, that’s easy. He has to be smart, driven, in a respectable career, have no bad habits, and be, of course, of Chinese ethnicity. My mother’s so picky.

Lauren: It does seem like you bring her up a lot. Tell us about her.

Andrea: I don’t want to come off ungrateful, but she’s very present in my life. Maybe because after my dad passed away, she had too much free time on her hands to monitor me. Sometimes I feel like the walls are closing in on me…I’m speaking metaphorically, of course. Aha. Ahahah. Ahahahahaha.

Lauren: Clearly.

Andrea: (clears throat) I’ve got everything figured out, don’t you worry.

Lauren: And if you make partner—

Andrea: When.

Lauren: When you make partner, what’s next?

Andrea: I’m sure there’s another ranking system I would need to work my way up on (glances at watch in a pointed way).

Lauren: Well, thank you for giving me so much of your time today, Andrea. It was lovely getting to know you.

Andrea:(nods, shakes my hand, passes a business card over, then checks all her phones) Likewise. (starts walking away while speaking into phone) Time management: Log 30 minutes as Business Development. God I hope I get back to the office before Genevieve rats me out.

Phew. Two launches in 3 days. And now something that I had worked on for close to 3 years is out in the world, hopefully bringing much-need escapism and relief to readers around the world.

Over the course of this week alone I've done a grand total of....6 virtual interviews, and quite a few written Q&As (I'm especially proud of the one I did for Chuck Wendig's blog--and seeing it being published yesterday on the 11th reminded me how I should be writing more blog pieces--that's the whole point of my website, too *note to self: update website*). I'm doing another virtual one in an hour. It's a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work. But it's necessary because with many bookshops shuttered, some sadly for good, it's outreach that must be done.

On the promo side, my publishers have asked me to write personal (more literary) pieces about my life. I tried, and found that I couldn't. I had zero bandwidth, mentally and emotionally, to write. The last time I experienced something like this was when I was working in a law firm, and when things sometimes got dark in my last job in an international aid organisation.

I find it hard to write fiction, or personal pieces, while the world burns. Writing, for me, is not escapism. It's intensely personal.

I talked a little bit about that on my interview with Belmont Books today, about what inspired or transpired behind some of the difficult scenes the book. We discussed gender discrimination in the workplace, filial piety, racism, a whole bunch of heavy stuff, which I guess of the participants were not expecting from the call about...well, a comedic novel. I felt myself getting emotional at some points in the call. Thank goodness I had Mary Pauline Lowry as my wonderful interviewer, so the call, on the whole, remained upbeat.

Mary asked me a lot of challenging questions, and one of them was (I'm paraphrasing) what role did I see humour playing n the book. I thought about why I had chosen humour as a vehicle for heavy themes. I could have chosen to write literary fiction. But somehow, using humour helps diffuse the intensity of my focus on heavy subjects, just a little. It acts like a cheese cloth, Vaseline on a lens, between you and the subject matter. And that can make a difference when you yourself are personally triggered by some of issues discussed.

Writing good fiction, writing good personal pieces, requires you to draw from personal experiences. And sometimes you just can't go there, because it's already chaotic enough in the world around you.

So that's why I'm sticking to producing Q&As on the book. Fun, funny. But not too personal.

It's funny, I never gave more thought to how much we have to be in the right state of mind to write anything real. Because that's what fiction requires--for you to be real with yourself, and the world.

I wanted to do a quick author's note to accompany the reading of LTS for my international readers who might not be familiar with the cultural landscape of Singapore/Malaysia, as well as to address potential triggers.

*spoilers ahead*
- "casual racism" in the context of dating ("you only date within your community!")--this is quite often espoused by older members of Asian diasporic communities, even those that have established themselves in a host country with some success--maybe even especially so in such communities. Perhaps this mindset comes from the fact that members of this generation have been discriminated and othered in their host countries, hence they feel the need to protect people they love (family members, their children) from further attacks and hurt by encouraging them to date others from a similar ethnic/cultural/religious background-- even if they believe that by doing so they are not racist, as they don't condone "outward acts" of racism towards others. It's a mindset that needs to be changed, of course, but my hope is that readers understand where this "casual" racism is coming from, and why. In this book, I took care to portray this issue, through the interracial relationships depicted, with as much sensitivity as I could. I hope the international reader will understand, after finishing the book, that the book has a clear anti-racist theme and message.

- queer representation in the book: there is an openly-gay supporting character who has had to pretend to live their lifestyle differently, at face value, to their parents/older generation, even though their sexual orientation is known to the protagonist and all of their peers (of their generation) and accepted as such. It's a difficult and unfortunate double life/reality for many members of the LGBTQ community in this part of the world. Much needs to be done to protect the rights and safe spaces of LGBT members of our society. While this character is clearly a very successful, wealthy individual, with a lot of power in their professional world, the fact that they are still subject to the moral code of the wider, more conservative community highlights this absurd tightrope the queer character has had to walk. I depicted this without varnishing it in hopes that we start to question why this is the case, and that sympathy for their plight might lead to understanding, and understanding to acceptance by the wider community in this, and many other parts of the world where more conservative views are held when it comes to LGBTQ community. [Note: there is also another minor character (a male relative) that is openly gay, and a closeted queer character formerly married to one of the supporting characters.]

I hope that this author note helps serve as an important cultural lens through which these issues might be viewed in LTS. From a personal note, I believe that debate, and real change, are needed in both areas, but also that, more importantly, kindness and compassion towards others whose lived realities (and thus struggles) are different from ours.