Hello and welcome back to HallyuTones – always focused on Sound, Stage and Substance.
Today’s interview is full of firsts. Our first author interview, out first cross-fandom interview, and our first interview with someone I have met in person.
Our guest today is none other than Dr. Lydia Kang – an established author who has written for the Star Wars IP, independent works, and now is venturing to explore Korean culture through her latest book, K-Jane.
I first met Lydia Kang in April of 2023 at Star Wars Celebration: London, straight after the release of her debut Star Wars novel, Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm. The memory stuck with me, as well as our conversation about the many (forgivable) wrongs of Axel Greylark. In this way, this opportunity feels like the best of both worlds for me as both a Star Wars and K-Pop fan.
Thank you as well to contributors from the r/starwarsbooks subreddit for their thoughtful questions for the Star Wars portion of this interview. I am very grateful for your support, excitement, and patience.
Interview:
Part 1: On K-Jane and K-Culture
Q1. Please introduce yourself and your work!
Hi! I’ve got the lucky luck of having two jobs. I’m an associate professor and doctor of internal medicine, and I also write lots of things–young adult. adult historical novels, Star Wars stuff, and nonfiction books. I’ve been been writing in earnest since about 2009 and never stopped.
Some of my best known books are Cataclysm (Star Wars); Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything; Opium and Absinthe; and The November Girl.
Q2. Could you tell us some more about your upcoming YA novel ‘K-Jane’?
K-Jane is a really personal book. It’s a third generation Korean American girl in Omaha, Nebraska who doesn’t feel “Korean” enough, so she tries to teach herself all the things–K-Pop, K-Dramas, the language, the food–and it gets pretty messy along the way!
Q3. What inspired you to write this story, and how does it relate to your own personal experiences?
I think I’ve always been wrestling with my identity as a Korean American. I’m second generation, in that my parents immigrated from Seoul in the 1960s. Growing up, it was hard to be so outwardly different. I was bullied, and the way to survive was to not show how you different you are, or wear your culture in a loud and proud way. I’ve got quite the opposite feeling now and embrace my culture, but it took decades for me to dismantle those feelings. And then–after all those decades, sometimes I felt like I wasn’t Korean enough, either. I didn’t speak fluent Korean. I wasn’t into K-pop or K-dramas when they became huge cultural tidal waves. I felt like I was being left behind (or I was leaving my culture behind?) So I got to explore that a lot in K-Jane.
Q4. K-Culture has grown increasingly in popularity around the world over the past 2 decades. What do you feel has contributed to its massive popularity?
Well, the songs are really quite catchy! Haha. The singers are incredibly talented, and the dancing is *chefs kiss*. How could it not go viral everywhere? And the K-drama creators have, for a very very long time, been good at pulling at those emotional strings in their audiences.
Q5. Do you have a favourite K-Pop artist or K-Drama?
Hmm. I’m pretty boring in that I tend to love whatever is super popular on the airwaves. So, Rosé, BTS, BLACKPINK, but also Lee Hi, I-dle, Fifty Fifty, and I love some of the older Wonder Girls stuff.
Q6. ‘K-Jane’ centres on the important concepts of Korean heritage and identity. Do you have any advice for young people starting their journey discovering and navigating their own cultural roots?
I would say don’t be so hard on yourself! There is no metric you have to meet to be you. And mostly, try to have fun with it. Your experience is yours, and that’s the coolest thing about the whole process.
Q7. This book is a Young Adult novel – what appeals to you the most about writing for a young adult audience?
I love that watershed period when a teen is feeling all the adult emotions, but still has the “bumpers” on as far as how much they can or can’t do. It’s this weird testing ground, when all these awesome things are happening–first loves, first kisses. But also all these awful things too. First heartaches and heartbreaks. Making big decisions in a complicated world that’s really challenging.
Q8. What advice would you have for any aspiring authors looking to share their own original stories in an increasingly competitive market?
Write with heart. It comes out onto the page when you truly care about the stakes of the situation that your character is in. It’s okay to be conscious of the market, but sometimes what you see out on the shelves is already a market that is passing you by. It’s better to write what you love, tropes and all.
Part 2: On Star Wars:
Q9. How did you get the opportunity to write your own Star Wars novel?
I’m not sure? Haha. I mean, I was offered the opportunity to write in The Empire Strikes Back: From a Certain Point Of View, and after that, the offer to write in the High Republic came. But I think those opportunities rose up because I was an established author who could write on a steep deadline, I could write science fiction, and I have a good reputation in the publishing world, in general. But what exact conversations happened behind the curtain for those offers to come, I’ll never know.
Q10. Your book ‘Cataclysm’ played a critical role in the second phase of the High Republic publishing initiative. What are some of your favourite memories associated with this book and the wider High Republic initiative?
Writing and working with the other authors, along with Mike Siglain and the other editors, has been an incredible experience. The amount of creative power happening was a beautiful thing to behold. It was a dream come true for this Star Wars fan to be able to create her own planets, characters, even species in the Star Wars galaxy. Amazing.
Q11. If you had the opportunity to revisit some of the characters you have written about for a future story, who would you like to revisit and why?
I’d love to write more about the Yaddle/Cippa relationship as it grew. They went through so much in Cataclysm and I adored writing them, and creating Cippa Tarko’s character.
Q12. Alongside your work as an author, you are also a working physician. How do you balance your time and ensure you also have time to relax?
I always say, I’m a part time doctor and a full time writer. I make it work because I work rather well on a deadline! I like checking off boxes. I like to be busy all the time. I’m very grateful.
Q13. How does the creative process differ for you for licensed work like Star Wars compared to your original work?
Working in Star Wars is not done in isolation. That’s the big difference. With the High Republic, we have storylines and characters that are being woven through comics, adult, YA, MG, and serialized fiction in the magazines. Lots of pieces to keep track of, so there’s a lot of conversations happening about making the puzzle seamless.
Q14. What is the average length of time from initial pitch to final release of a Star Wars novel?
Ah, I think it really depends on the novel. It varies quite a bit.
Q15. Lastly, do you have a message to Star Wars fans, or for anyone who has supported your writing?
I have friends everywhere. 😉
Thank you so much to Dr. Lydia Kang for taking the time to answer our questions about her new book, K-Jane, her experiences of K-Culture, and her Star Wars experiences! Pre-order links for K-Jane are listed below!
Pre-order K-Jane by Lydia Kang:
https://lydiakang.com/k-jane-preorder-giveaway – Pre-order here for entry into the preorder giveaway to win a bookmark, handmade velvet bookmark, sticker sheet, Rosé tteokbokki recipe card, and enamel kimchi pin! This giveaway is open until 11:59 on October 20th or until supplies run out. (US and Canada Only)
Lydia’s Instagram: https://lydiakang.com/k-jane-preorder-giveaway
Lydia’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorlydiakang
Lydia’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLydiaKang
Lydia’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@lydiakang
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