1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,279 Good morning, n Abigail. How are you doing today. I'm well, 2 00:00:03,359 --> 00:00:05,440 it's big to meet you, Earo. Thanks so much for having me. 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:08,119 Oh my god. Yes, this book needs to be talked about. This 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,080 book needs to be in people's arms so they can read it and they can 5 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,519 feel the pages while they're turning it. Because I mean, you've got romance, 6 00:00:14,599 --> 00:00:20,399 self discovery, empowerment. I mean you put everything into this. Oh 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,480 I'm so glad you enjoyed it. How does that play out on your personal 8 00:00:24,519 --> 00:00:30,679 emotions knowing that it's coming from you. You are the seed planter, you 9 00:00:30,719 --> 00:00:35,000 know. It's so crazy, Like I think my books came out during pandemic, 10 00:00:35,079 --> 00:00:37,439 I didn't really have a chance to meet a lot of readers in person 11 00:00:38,119 --> 00:00:42,600 because my tour, my first tur got canceled, my second tour was only 12 00:00:42,679 --> 00:00:47,479 virtual. And now this is my first like huge launch after Pandemic is over. 13 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,240 So I'm really excited to meet real people who read it. I think 14 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,119 every time I talk to someone who's interacted with the story and the characters, 15 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,479 it's kind of a shock to my system in the best of ways. So 16 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,960 I think it's just the sun's gone me. That's one of the things that 17 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,239 I've learned lately, especially is you know since the lockdown, is that people 18 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,719 have really become better readers. And I mean they go in and they digest 19 00:01:07,719 --> 00:01:10,640 a book. It's not one of those things where you know, it takes 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,200 two or three months to get through it. They're getting they're getting the job 21 00:01:12,239 --> 00:01:18,599 done. Hmm. Yeah. For you to know that, though, I 22 00:01:18,599 --> 00:01:19,519 mean, I mean, because you've got to make that connection. I mean, 23 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,079 I'm in radio. My connection is it's got to hit somebody on the 24 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,519 other side. That listener's got to receive it and then take it and pass 25 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,319 it along. You you have that page that's going to be the word when 26 00:01:30,359 --> 00:01:36,120 on somebody else's street. That's right, that's right. How do you make 27 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:42,599 that connection? Yeah? Gosh, I think writing characters that are real, 28 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:48,159 like writing characters and actually real at their highest and lowest moments. So my 29 00:01:48,319 --> 00:01:52,920 character in love book Forever, Pearl, she has gotten into this prestigious summer 30 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,120 music program in Manhattan, and it's so excited to go. She goes and 31 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,879 takes like glamour shocks and everything and ready to go and posts on social media, 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,159 Hey I'm coming, and then everything blows up and goes right to pot 33 00:02:04,239 --> 00:02:09,000 like she's she gets her TikTok videos viral in the worst of ways. She's 34 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:13,439 always haters piling on. There's this big social media blow up, and the 35 00:02:13,439 --> 00:02:15,719 programmer since her offer. So it's a really low point for her. Her 36 00:02:15,719 --> 00:02:20,439 father had actually passed away a year ago and had really wanted her to go 37 00:02:20,479 --> 00:02:23,240 on this program. And so I think just those real human moments when a 38 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:29,120 disappointment of things outside of your control, bad things happening to you that you 39 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,800 can't stop. She she has nothing to do for the summer, and since 40 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,120 she ends up going on love Boat, this program in Taipei that her sister 41 00:02:36,159 --> 00:02:38,759 went on because she has nothing else to do. Yeah. See. See, 42 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,919 this is the relatable part of your writing, is that because readers will 43 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,560 put themselves inside these shoes. They may not be living the same lifestyle, 44 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:51,719 but they've got a story that they can relate with it. M Yeah, 45 00:02:51,719 --> 00:02:53,719 thank you. I'm so glad to hear it. And I do hear from 46 00:02:53,759 --> 00:02:58,199 readers like that. They relate to those moments where my characters are in pain, 47 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,240 and they we've all been there. Vice is hard and we've all had 48 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:06,840 the experience those moments. Well, and you you actually went through this program, 49 00:03:06,879 --> 00:03:09,560 Did you not in Taiwan? I did. Yeah. So it's a 50 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:14,240 real program that's been around since the nineteen sixties. Parents had send their kids 51 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:16,439 there to learn language and culture, but also to find a spouse. And 52 00:03:16,479 --> 00:03:22,039 that's how God's nickname Loved Vote based on the nineteen seventies TV show, and 53 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:23,800 a lot of couples came out of it. But my husband actually was on 54 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,919 Love Vote a couple of summers before me. We didn't meet on Love Vote, 55 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,639 but it's one of the things that connected us later. How do you 56 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:31,960 get how are you going to make that transition change in the way that when 57 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,280 we hear Love Boat, we think of the TV show. And I just 58 00:03:35,319 --> 00:03:38,240 want listeners to understand we're not talking about the TV show. She's not rewriting 59 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:45,159 stories. That this is a really good book about a program. Ah, 60 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,199 yes, thank you. So it is a totally different than the actual There's 61 00:03:47,199 --> 00:03:52,199 No Boat. I laughed the first time when I started the book started coming 62 00:03:52,199 --> 00:03:55,319 out in the world, someone actually had a graphic of a boat failing through 63 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,719 the ocean, like, actually, there's no Vote, It's really just a 64 00:03:58,759 --> 00:04:04,520 program. It's a building. Culled Shenthan in Taipaid with dorms and a campus 65 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:11,120 and classrooms, and you're there for six weeks learning language and culture with a 66 00:04:11,199 --> 00:04:13,599 group of kids that you know, you see day in and day out. 67 00:04:13,599 --> 00:04:16,279 And that's really where all the fun happens, because you're together in this foreign 68 00:04:16,319 --> 00:04:19,680 country with no parental supervision, and the kids end up speaking out, clubbing 69 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:25,399 and drinking snake blood sack and really in the process of making their culture their 70 00:04:25,439 --> 00:04:27,879 own. I got to tell you, Abigail, I'm so proud of you, 71 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,120 from one creative person to another creative person, the way that you have 72 00:04:30,199 --> 00:04:34,000 taken your writing, because so many writers will do it and then they hide 73 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,000 it underneath their bed or they put it in a closet. And the thing 74 00:04:38,079 --> 00:04:41,519 is is that you've taken your writing released it to people. I mean, 75 00:04:41,519 --> 00:04:45,920 look at Love and Taypei on Paramount Plus. I mean, you keep pushing 76 00:04:45,959 --> 00:04:48,480 it into areas where there's always going to be new fans waiting for you. 77 00:04:50,319 --> 00:04:54,560 Yeah, it has been amazing. It is really unbelievable to just see the 78 00:04:54,639 --> 00:04:57,360 numbers. I think the numbers, don't I don't believe the numbers, right, 79 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,920 They're just so big that I'm like, I don't know what a million 80 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,160 viewers means like I have a TikTok of the film or an instagram of the 81 00:05:03,199 --> 00:05:06,199 film that has had I think nine million views now, and I'm just like, 82 00:05:06,199 --> 00:05:12,319 what that number? At some point it becomes meaningless inviting a new characters 83 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,120 such as Pearl. How do you bring that up in a new storyline, 84 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:16,879 because I mean things are coming up? You know that that that that kind 85 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:23,240 of you know, there's a fall from Grace in this situation, right, 86 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:28,279 yeah, So Pearl is the younger sister of the main character from the first 87 00:05:28,319 --> 00:05:31,319 book, Ever Wrong, And yes, absolutely there's a fall from Grace. 88 00:05:31,399 --> 00:05:35,759 She was on this path to stardom. And but you know, it's also 89 00:05:35,759 --> 00:05:40,639 really important that to understand that classical music is really important her. She loves 90 00:05:40,759 --> 00:05:43,959 music, It's in her blood. And you know again that point about her 91 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,519 father like her before he passed away, he was her music by he sat 92 00:05:46,519 --> 00:05:49,360 next to her at the piano and he just loved feeling the music along with 93 00:05:49,399 --> 00:05:53,720 her. So to lose that, like it kind of shakes the foundation of 94 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:58,279 a world like who am I if I'm not a classical music prodigy. So 95 00:05:58,319 --> 00:06:00,959 she grows on, loved it and learned the whole She ends up connecting with 96 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,639 another classical music prodigy. She's totally stunned to find this guy Ethan there who 97 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:09,279 she's heard of. She's even seen them on stage Carnegie Hall, and for 98 00:06:09,319 --> 00:06:12,319 some reason, he's on love Boote too. But at the same time she 99 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,240 ends up connecting with this brooding kid in her Chinese classical music class where they're 100 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:20,240 learning all these different instruments. She finds out he plays the Chinese lute. 101 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:25,279 It's the people that she's never heard of this instrument in her western upbringing. 102 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,199 But he's like this really sour chrimongeny guy, and she doesn't know why. 103 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,720 And over time she finds out like he's also had his music taken from him, 104 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,639 and that's like a really important journey that they when they team up to 105 00:06:36,639 --> 00:06:41,759 figure that out together. Do you think part of your success is based on 106 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,519 that you finally have a book here that people here in the United States and 107 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,920 around the world can hold it and say, wow, my image is on 108 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:54,399 these pages that they feel it's not like the typical stories of twenty thirty years 109 00:06:54,439 --> 00:07:00,920 ago, whereas you're talking about real people from anywhere in the world. Yeah, 110 00:07:00,959 --> 00:07:03,759 I have been really overwhelmed by like the number of countries where the books 111 00:07:03,759 --> 00:07:10,000 are sold and the movies has come out. It's the twelve major languages and 112 00:07:10,519 --> 00:07:14,319 more, and I you know, it's I think it's at the core because 113 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,279 we're all human and that's really what it comes down to. And you know, 114 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:24,560 my editor is actually Italian American and she said that Ever's family is just 115 00:07:24,639 --> 00:07:27,680 like hers, and I love that, and I think that's kind of part 116 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,120 of the hope is people read these stories, they meet all these Asian American 117 00:07:30,199 --> 00:07:32,040 characters. I'm like, oh my gosh, they're just like we are. 118 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:35,160 Yeah. Do readers have to start with book number one? Or is it 119 00:07:35,199 --> 00:07:40,439 okay to start with Love Bote Forever and then go back? Yeah, they 120 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:44,720 absolutely can start in any order they want the book. The third book is 121 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,040 set features later, you do get cameos of these fan favorites from the first 122 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,399 two books, and so you find out more about what happens to them. 123 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:55,279 But in the third book it's its own standalone story following Pearl. Yeah. 124 00:07:55,319 --> 00:07:59,199 Wow, it's really interesting how you make it so real in the way that 125 00:07:59,279 --> 00:08:05,040 social media plays a huge role in this story. Yeah, it's very much 126 00:08:05,079 --> 00:08:07,480 of our time. I think it's so funny, Like it's set six years 127 00:08:07,519 --> 00:08:09,399 later, Eve, though I wrote it three years later. But it feels 128 00:08:09,439 --> 00:08:13,040 like Pearl is so much more modern than even her older sister. I mean, 129 00:08:13,079 --> 00:08:18,199 listeners don't understand that sometimes that the number of years required in order to 130 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,680 bring a story forward. Yeah. Yeah. Each of my books have taken 131 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:24,519 me many years to write. So the first book was three years, the 132 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:28,800 second was few, and the third is two. What's next? I mean, 133 00:08:28,839 --> 00:08:31,920 I mean, are you going to continue growing in? I mean, 134 00:08:31,959 --> 00:08:33,799 because you said there's a third book and things. I mean, I mean 135 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,759 you've you've always got to be asking that next question, what's next? Yeah? 136 00:08:37,919 --> 00:08:41,159 Yeah, So there's three love book books now. Now this is the 137 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,480 third love book book. And I've actually got a fourth novel standalone, different 138 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:50,159 universe, different characters called Kisses, Codes, and Conspiracies. It's coming out 139 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:52,279 with Macmillan in August of next year, so less than a year away, 140 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,600 and I'm super excited for that one. It's a seventh Silicon Valley. It 141 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:00,559 was pitched to me by my editor based on a short story that I wrote 142 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,360 for an anthology, and she said, can we have a babysitting story? 143 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:07,240 So it's the most unusual baby story, babysitting story you've ever heard. My 144 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:11,000 main character, Tanley's like sixteen, seventeen years old. He's babysitting his five 145 00:09:11,039 --> 00:09:15,879 year old sister when his parents go off to Hawaii with the parents of his 146 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,080 love interests, who he's like trying to stay away from. And then his 147 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,960 ex girlfriend from Shanghai shows up on his doorstep with millions of dollars stolen from 148 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:28,799 her father and international sug deals. So it ends up being a caper. 149 00:09:28,799 --> 00:09:31,440 It sends them, like you know, running around through all of the area 150 00:09:31,799 --> 00:09:35,960 trying to get away and quite an unusual babysitting assignment. So I'm super excited 151 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,039 for that one to come out into the world next year. Do you ever 152 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:41,559 wonder where these stories come from inside of you? I mean, do you 153 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:43,879 defrag break it down, break it down, break it down, And all 154 00:09:43,919 --> 00:09:48,639 of a sudden, in the center of this egg is this story. You 155 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:50,440 know? For me, I have ideas all the time, Like I walk 156 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,159 around and get an idea. I see a picture, I get an idea. 157 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:56,279 Someone says something and I have an idea of her story. And so 158 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,519 for me, the exercise is actually narrowing down which story is I tell? 159 00:10:01,039 --> 00:10:03,919 So I am really thankful to have a wonderful team of agents and managers that 160 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,679 kind of helped me figure out, Okay, what's the next one of my 161 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,399 million ideas that you know I should move forward next? How do you really 162 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,840 mean so loyal but so passionate about it? Because I mean, yes, 163 00:10:13,919 --> 00:10:16,120 it's a job. But the thing about it is, though you don't write 164 00:10:16,159 --> 00:10:18,440 like you treat it like a job. You know what I mean. I 165 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:22,960 mean you you're sharing a story that doesn't feel like that you're having to do 166 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,720 a job. You know. It's such a great question, especially today, 167 00:10:26,799 --> 00:10:30,639 I feel like, Wow, it's launch day, and but there's so much 168 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:33,519 work that goes into a day like this, and I forget that I have 169 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,159 to celebrate. So I did go out with one of my dearest friends who's 170 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:41,120 my critique partner, soebigta here yesterday. She's actually the National Book Award winner 171 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:45,679 for Young People's Literature last year. So we went out and celebrated and that 172 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:48,000 sheally, I'm going to lot to do with my family, and I'm just 173 00:10:48,159 --> 00:10:52,039 yeah, I'm so grateful to have such an honor, to be able to 174 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:54,159 put my works into the world and to have this, you know, even 175 00:10:54,159 --> 00:10:58,679 to have this conversation really really, I'm so honored. I love the way 176 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:03,000 you use the word sell because it reminded me of taekwondo with my black belt 177 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,879 tests and Sabinian would always tell me, he says, this is not a 178 00:11:05,919 --> 00:11:09,279 test. You're celebrating. This is you're celebrating your knowledge. And I love 179 00:11:09,279 --> 00:11:13,039 the way that you you celebrate for that because you realize it's a job. 180 00:11:13,039 --> 00:11:18,200 I got to get it done, but celebrate it. Yes, absolutely, 181 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:22,159 Well where can people go to find out more about you and to get because 182 00:11:22,159 --> 00:11:24,879 people are always asking that question, well where do I find it? So, 183 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,559 Abigail, here's your opportunity let people know where you are. Yeah. 184 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:35,080 So you can order the books through your local independent bookstore. It's in Barnes 185 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:39,279 and Noble all around the country. Amazon, And the best way to keep 186 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:41,039 in touch with me is to sign up for my newsletter. I actually email 187 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,879 it out for my own email account. You know, I'll let you know 188 00:11:43,919 --> 00:11:48,000 if I'm in your neighborhood and when the next book comes and other you know, 189 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,600 other film and TV projects that I'm working on. So you can sign 190 00:11:50,639 --> 00:11:56,440 up on my website, which is just my name Abigailking when dot com and 191 00:11:56,879 --> 00:12:00,960 I'm also on social media Abigail Heine when well, if you ever make it 192 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,720 to Charlotte, because there's a lot of authors that come through Charlotte. We 193 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,759 got to get together and have a face to face conversation. Oh I would 194 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:09,720 love to do that. Excellent. Will you be brilliant today? Okay, 195 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,399 thank you, thank you so much for having me.