May-lee Chai On Writing Short Stories That Reflect The Moment

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is May-lee Chai, author of Tomorrow in Shanghai. May-lee Chai is a writer and educator. She is the recipient of an American Book Award and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. In addition to her books, she has published numerous short stories and essays in journals, magazines, and anthologies,

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book

I wrote the stories in Tomorrow in Shanghai over many years, but I started putting the collection together during the pandemic amid a series of anti-Asian attacks. Those twin phenomena really shaped which stories I wrote and/or selected for the collection. None of my stories are set in this contemporary moment, but I wanted all the stories to reflect the anxiety of trying to survive amidst various kinds of violence and pressure.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

For all my stories, I usually start with the image of a character or a setting for a character. For example, in “Life on Mars” it was Yu being driven from the airport in Denver to his new town and his realizing the world looks very different from his home in China. I wanted to see how he’d adapt in a place that felt completely alien to him, so I started throwing problems at him to see how his character would react. In “Hong’s Mother,” I knew the mother and daughter were going to end up in Lourdes, France on a pilgrimage of sorts, one that the mother wanted for religious reasons and the daughter for completely different reasons. I wanted to see if I could write towards them having an epiphany in their relationship, but I didn’t know when I began how they’d reach that point or what it would look like.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Yes! In “Life on Mars,” I originally imagined that the story was going to end differently, but as I wrote into the character, his capacity for resilience and optimism ultimately proved more interesting to me than my original plot point.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I am constantly working on different projects, some short and some long. If I feel stuck in one, then I move on to the others. And when I feel refreshed, and my mind is ready to return to one of the long-term projects, I can go back and work on it again.

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

 I write what I’m interested in developing and discovering more about.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

Distracting! I write with headphones on and need to try to block out all other sensory distractions.

Beyond Body Positivity

By Danielle Jackson, author of The Accidental Pinup

I knew when I first started writing The Accidental Pinup that I wanted the heroine of this book to be confident. It didn’t matter what she looked like, how she wore her hair, or what the world perceived her to be… Cassie Harris was going to love herself and know her worth. The fact is that other people—other characters on page, even—discount Cassie because she’s a plus size Black woman business owner trying to catch her big break to take her career and boudoir photography studio to the next level. But Cassie knows from the start that she’s the best and she deserves to be respected for the job she’s been hired to do.

But when that job morphs from being the photographer to the photographed? Even Cassie, a confident woman who loves her body and curves, has her doubts. Because it’s not just any old photo shoot she’s now starring in… It’s a sexy lingerie ad campaign. Now, Cassie has experience with lingerie photography; she’s the owner of Buxom Boudoir, Chicago’s premiere boudoir and pinup photography studio. She makes her clients feel comfortable and powerful and beautiful at their most vulnerable. And when she has to model dreamy lingerie in front of Reid Montgomery, a fellow photographer with a bit of a bad boy reputation, Cassie isn’t insecure about how she’s going to look, she’s worried about doing a good job in a situation she wasn’t anticipating. 

It was important to me that Cassie didn’t just practice body positivity, but body acceptance. Cassie’s hot and she knows it. But though she’s used to calling the shots on set and aside from goofing off with her friends, she hasn’t been a model. To bring her vision fully to life for the photo shoot in question she has to pose, scantily clad, outside… in winter. In Chicago! But beyond thinking she looks great, Cassie also has to feel it. It’s through these photo shoots and seeing the photographs after the fact that Cassie really embraces that she’s beautiful, powerful, and in charge of how the world is going to see her. 

And the fact that Reid thinks all of this, too, is icing on the cake. But that’s an entirely different blog post ;-) 

Body positivity, body neutrality, and body acceptance are all different things—yes, we should find different bodies beautiful. Yes, we shouldn’t judge people based solely on their outward appearance (because you really don’t know what is going on with someone, the size of their body notwithstanding). But above all, we should accept people as they are. It’s easy to judge someone by what is presented to us first and foremost, and it’s often hard to go beyond the surface. But we owe it to each other to get to know people and understand their values and motivations. And I hope, through this fun love story, more people start to do exactly that. 

Danielle Jackson is a contemporary romance author, avid reader, lackluster-yet-mighty crafter, and accomplished TV binge-watcher. Once upon a time, she was a publicist in publishing and continues to cultivate her love of books and reading by chatting with the best authors in the business as an event coordinator at an independent bookstore and as the co-host of the Fresh Fiction podcast. She also moderates panels, interviews authors, and hosts a romance book club. Danielle lives in Chicagoland with her very own romance hero husband, darling daughter, and two tempestuous cats. For more information, visit https://daniellejacksonbooks.com/ and follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @DJacksonBooks.

Jesmeen Kaur Deo on Writing About Female Body Hair Stigma

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Jesmeen Kaur Deo, author of TJ Powar Has Something to Prove, a charming rom-com about high school debater who—after becoming the subject of an ugly meme—makes a resolution to stop shaving, plucking, and waxing, and prove that she can be her hairy self and still be beautiful

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

I do remember the idea to write a book about body hair stigma came to me all at once. But I don't remember exactly how, or what I was thinking at the time. I think it had something to do with discussions I'd been having with a friend about how ugly women are rarely afforded love stories. That, and the culmination of my teen years wondering how all these female YA protagonists never seemed to care about or mention their body hair at all, were big catalysts for this book.

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

I'd always wanted to write a story about high school debate, but hadn't found the right angle for it until the body hair stigma idea came to me. I wondered if the two concepts could co-exist in the same story. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. And so debate became the structural basis for the plot. From an emotional standpoint, I knew where I wanted TJ to start and where she should end up; a lot of the main beats of the story got filled in with debate related things!

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

Many times! The bones of this book didn't change from what I wanted it to be, although it grew more nuanced and refined as time went on. But other stories I've written for sure have changed a lot. Sometimes the vision in your head doesn't translate well on the page because there are so many things you're forced to think through when actually writing it down! And sometimes I start out with a vision but quickly realize I'm not passionate enough about it. That it needs something else, which I can only figure out by writing through it.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Very hard to come by. I'm not one of those amazing authors who can develop new ideas at the drop of a hat. If I'm lucky, I get 1-2 new book ideas a year. But I'm also a slow writer, so it's fine!

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Part of it is my mood and what's going on in my life at the moment. For example, sometimes I need to write something light when life is challenging (such was the case with TJ, actually), and other times I want to write something heavy precisely because life is challenging and it's cathartic. Another factor in my decision making is strategy. I look at what's going on in traditional publishing, what's selling, what's hot right now, and then look at my WIPs and try to figure out which one might have the best shot at getting published in the current climate. I would try to prioritize that one. But sometimes, I can't control it. If my heart is set on a particular story, and just that one thing, then strategy be damned. I will chase that story that speaks to me.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

That sounds adorable! I don't have any pets, so I don't know whether I'd find them distracting. I do know I don't like writing with other people. I need it to just be me and the story. Some writers find that lonely, and I completely get why. But I love it!

Jesmeen Kaur Deo grew up in northern British Columbia, where she spent most of her childhood daydreaming. She loves books that can make her laugh and tug at her heartstrings in the same paragraph. When not wrapped up in stories, she can be found biking, playing the harmonium, or struggling to open jars. TJ Powar Has Something to Prove is her debut novel.