Author Interview with Thanhha Lai

The DMS was lucky enough to interview Thanhha Lai. Lizzy reviewed her book Inside Out and Back Again, and it was great to share our thoughts about it and hear yours! We're excited to learn a little more about her story. So, without further ado... take it away, Thanhha!

What inspired you to write Inside Out and Back Again?

I had been struggling for 15 years with a much more ambitious novel that went nowhere. Right before giving up writing for good, I had an idea to write a much more contained book, spanning one year instead of 4,000 and developing one central character instead of 15. So the inspiration came mostly from exhaustion.

How long did it take you to write Inside Out and Back Again?

I was already writing about a Vietnamese family coming to Alabama. But the voice was never right. Once I came up with the prose poem format to convey how the girl is thinking in Vietnamese, the actual writing of Inside Out took about six months. But those six months resulted from a 15-year struggle.

What are some of your favorite books from childhood? Were there any specific authors who inspired you?

I read anything that had to do with animals, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlotte's Web, The Call of the Wild. Growing up between two cultures, I found human beings too confusing. Animals, though, showed unconditional kindness.

 

If you could befriend a character from any of your books, who would you befriend? Why?

I would befriend the Mother in Inside Out. Luckily, I modeled her after my own mother, so we're built-in friends. I can imagine spending hours listening to her talk.

Where do you like to write? Do you listen to music while you are writing?

I write in a small bedroom sitting in a love seat with a laptop on my lap. When I need to nap, I just lean over. I like quiet, with just a few chirps out the window.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?

I would be a gypsy and spend half a year in every major city in the world. I love cities, the idea of being faceless among millions.

The path to publication varies from author to author. Every author has a unique story and one that other authors can learn from. Can you tell us a little bit about your path to publication or do you have any advice for new authors?

It took my close to two decades to get published, so I'm not sure I have any advice for authors other than "keep going." I wrote and rewrote and my first manuscript of an overly-written novel, which was rejected by agent after agent. When I finally sent out Inside Out, seven out of ten agents got back to me within a day.  Rosemary Stimola was the first. She asked for five pages, then 25, then 50, then the whole novel. Rosemary nudged an editor to read Inside Out, which had been sitting on her desk for a year. We received an offer shortly after.

Inside Out and Back Again is written in prose. Have you always been a fan of poetry? What inspired you to write a book in this style?

I’ve always read poetry but do not consider myself to be a poet. I wrote Inside Out in prose poems to convey what it’s like for the character to think in Vietnamese, which is naturally lyrical and rhythmic, at least to my ears. So my protagonist dictated the style.

Are you currently working on a book? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?

On February 17, 2015, my second novel will be published. Listen, Slowly is about a Vietnamese-American, Laguna Beach girl who has no interest in her heritage. One summer she is forced to accompany her grandmother back to a village in Vietnam. And what a summer she has! 

Read the reviews!

 ☞ Independent Book Stores  ☞ Barnes and Noble ☞  Amazon

 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin