Trying something new with every book
Yesterday I turned in my next adult book! This will be my seventh published novel since the pandemic started, can you believe it?
With each new story I’ve tried to do something different and new to me, and I made it a personal mission to challenge myself with each project. I’ve learned a lot over the last few years and my writing has improved so much, which I think comes from stretching myself in ways I knew would be difficult for me. Here’s a list of my published books and what I tried to do in each one to improve and hone my writing /craft:
THE PERFECT ESCAPE (YA), published April 2020, first pandemic year: I usually write single POV but with this story I tried dual POV. I also wrote scenes out of order, which was hard for me to do as a linear-leaning person
LOATHE AT FIRST SIGHT (ADULT), published August 2020, first pandemic year: I conducted a lot of interviews with people in the video game industry (both men and women) and read many articles, essays and books about working in gaming, and incorporated workplace details into the story
SUNNY SONG WILL NEVER BE FAMOUS (YA), 2021. Most of the story took place on a farm, so I did a lot of farm research lol. Also included integral older/elderly characters, which I really enjoyed. Researched tech addiction from a psychological and business standpoint, and incorporated findings into the story
SO WE MEET AGAIN (ADULT), 2021. Wrote about food and cooking for the first time. Researched investment banking and Wall Street (lots of interviews with women in finance), as well as entrepreneurship and Youtube channel income streams.
THE CHRISTMAS CLASH (YA), 2022. I went into the story wanting to write about family secrets. I’d never tried to incorporate that before! It was also a holiday story, another first for me.
THE DO-OVER (ADULT), coming April 2023! Lots of research about imposter syndrome, AAPI mental health, computer science introductory courses, and I went to a few campuses during the school year to make sure the college setting was right. It was written in present day with flashback chapters (quasi-dual timeline) and this was a new thing for me.
I can’t wait to reveal the next book. All I can say for now is that it’s loosely inspired by TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE and it sheds light on the male-dominated VC industry. Stay tuned to find out more!
For more information about my books: https://linktr.ee/suzannepark