Get to Know Our Friends Kate Quinn & Janie Chang

Plus Five Questions with A.K. Small

A Conversation with Kate Quinn & Janie Chang

A writing tip, book recommendation, and other great insights from Kate & Janie that were not covered in our on-air interview—including a look at Janie’s truly dreamy writing space!

For any aspiring writers out there, would you please share a short bit of writing advice? (Or, alternatively, Do you have any writing rituals?
JANIE: The most important thing is to write. Bum on chair and write. A novel is 100K words, give or take 10K. That takes time and words. You need to cultivate the habit of writing, to keep writing even when you feel you are writing crap. It’s OK to write crap because you can always edit crap. You can’t edit a blank page.   
KATE: At the end of the day, all the writing advice and writing rituals in the world come down to: butt in chair. Put your butt in the chair and get the words out.

What is the last book you raved about and what did you love about it?    
JANIE: I have to name two because they’re the first two books of a trilogy: Ithaca and House of Odysseus by British author Claire North. It’s the re-telling of the story of Penelope and the women of her household, what they do to keep the kingdom safe and economically viable while Odysseus and all the able-bodied adult men go off adventuring to the Trojan War. I love myths told from the women’s POV and this one is particularly snarky, fun, and wise.
KATE: I just finished an ARC of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Seventh Veil of Salome, and loved it. The initial story is enthralling enough: golden-age Hollywood seen through the eyes of a Mexican starlet newly cast as Salome in a big-budget sword-and-sandal epic, and by the bitter young actress who will do anything to steal her role—but then twined with these two women is the story of Salome herself speaking through history (or is she?). It's a fascinating way to tell a story: where is the truth in all the layers of myth, bias, and film tinsel?

What can you tell us about your work-in-progress?  
JANIE: The title is The Fourth Princess and it’s a Gothic novel set in pre-war Shanghai. If all goes well, it will release in 2025.
KATE: I have another release coming this year. The Briar Club, releasing July 9, is all about the women (and their secrets) who inhabit an all-female boardinghouse in 1950s Washington, D.C. I can't wait for it to hit shelves!

What would you be if you weren't a writer?