Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Jenna Yoon, author of the MG novel, Lia Park and the Missing Jewel, which releases in June!
Would you please describe your book, Lia Park and the Missing Jewel in seven words?
Adventure, magic, Korean mythology, friendships, courage, family.
Did you always want to write MG books?
Yes! I absolutely love the age range for middle grade books because it’s such a magical age for reading, creativity and growth. I was an avid reader growing up but never saw myself in any of the books I loved so much. It’s so exciting to be able to write more books about Korean-American characters, and I hope that it will find the right readers.
Random question! What’s your favorite board game?
Love this question! I love board games! Growing up, I have the fondest memories playing board games with my mom, dad and sister. It was such a great bonding family moment with lots of laughs and some tears. Even now, when we get together we make sure to set aside time to play. Now that my daughter is old enough to fully enjoy the fun world of board games, I’m delighted to have these bonding moments with her too. Our favorite go-to board game these days is Sequence with Uno as a close second.
What’s one piece of advice you would give aspiring writers?
One piece of writing advice I’d like to give aspiring writers is please do not worry about your first chapter. Write it and keep going. Don’t let rewriting and trying to perfect your first chapter hold you back from finishing your draft. Most likely the first chapter will change many times during revisions. I think of the first chapter like planting seeds that will grow throughout your book, but you won’t know exactly what seeds are most important until you’re done with your draft. My first chapter has changed several times and then further refined to bring the main story seeds to life.
What are some books you’re looking forward to reading in 2022. And if you’ve already read some ’22 books, would you like to mention them?
There are so many wonderful books coming out from my fellow 2022 debut authors that I can’t wait to read.
Some include HANA HSU AND THE GHOST CRAB NATION by Sylvia Liu, THE WAY I SAY IT by Nancy Tandon, ETTA INVINCIBLE by Reese Eschmann, THE PRINCE OF NOWHERE by Rochelle Hassan, NURA AND THE IMMORTAL PALACE by M.T. Khan, MOLLY AND THE MACHINE by Erik Jon Slangerup, and FREDDIE VS THE FAMILY CURSE by Tracy Badua.
I’ve had the chance to read some amazing Arcs for A COMB OF WISHES by Lisa Stringfellow, SIR FIG NEWTON AND THE SCIENCE OF PERSISTENCE by Sonja Thomas, KELCIE MURPHY AND THE ACADEMY OF THE UNBREAKABLE ARTS by Erika Lewis, and THE UNFORGETTABLE LOGAN FOSTER by Shawn Peters. They are all page turners, imaginative and delightful reads!
I’m also looking forward to reading SEOULMATES by Susan Lee, THE NOH FAMILY by Grace K. Shim, and I GUESS I LIVE HERE NOW by Claire Ahn. I’m thrilled to see more books by Korean authors about Korean main characters because representation is so important!
Author Bio: Jenna Yoon studied Art History at Wellesley College and received her Masters degree in Korean Art History from Ewha Woman’s University. She’s lived about half her life in both Korea and the United States. When she’s not writing, Jenna loves to travel, find yummy eats, play board games and takes skin care very seriously. Currently, she lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two kids.
LIA PARK AND THE MISSING JEWEL is Jenna’s debut MG book and will be published by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster in Summer 2022.
She is represented by Penny Moore at Aevitas Creative Management.
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