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• Our Wayward Fate Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2019
• Rent a Boyfriend Simon & Schuster BFYR (New York, NY), 2020
• When You Wish upon a Lantern Viking (New York, NY), 2023
• Ex Marks the Spot Viking (New York, NY), 2024
• The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club MIRA 2025

1. Ex marks the spot LCCN 2024950119 Type of material Book Personal name Chao, Gloria, author. Main title Ex marks the spot / Gloria Chao. Published/Produced New York : Viking, 2024. Projected pub date 2412 Description pages cm ISBN 9780593692714 (paperback) (epub) Item not available at the Library. Why not? 2. When you wish upon a lantern LCCN 2022027497 Type of material Book Personal name Chao, Gloria, 1986- author. Main title When you wish upon a lantern / Gloria Chao. Published/Produced New York : Viking, 2023. Description 340 pages ; 22 cm ISBN 9780593464359 (hardcover) 9780593464373 (paperback) (ebook) CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.C4825 Wh 2023 FT MEADE Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 3. Rent a boyfriend LCCN 2020944929 Type of material Book Personal name Chao, Gloria, 1986- author. Main title Rent a boyfriend / Gloria Chao. Published/Produced New York : Simon & Schuster BFYR, [2020] ©2020 Description 390 pages ; 22 cm ISBN 9781534462458 (hardcover) 1534462457 (hardcover) 9781534482753 (paperback) 153448275X (paperback) CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.C4825 Re 2020 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms 4. Our wayward fate LCCN 2019028306 Type of material Book Personal name Chao, Gloria, 1986- author. Main title Our wayward fate / by Gloria Chao. Edition First Simon Pulse hardcover edition. Published/Produced New York : Simon Pulse, 2019. Description 311 pages ; 22 cm ISBN 9781534427617 (hardcover) (ebook) CALL NUMBER PZ7.1.C4825 Our 2019 CABIN BRANCH Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE

• Miss Print - https://missprint.wordpress.com/2024/05/24/author-interview-gloria-chao-on-when-you-wish-upon-a-lantern/

  Author Interview: Gloria Chao on When You Wish Upon a Lantern
  Posted on May 24, 2024by missprint
  When You Wish Upon a Lantern was one of my favorite reads in 2023 (read my review). I loved the way the dual points of view played off each other, the sense of community, the sweet romance between Liya and Kai and, of course, I loved the humor. I’m happy to share my interview with Gloria Chao all about this delightful contemporary novel with you today:

  Miss Print: Can you tell me a bit about your path as a writer? How did you get to this point?

  Gloria Chao: I had a windy path here, studying business at MIT and becoming a dentist before I discovered my love for writing. I was so miserable in dental school that I turned to reading to help me get through, then eventually writing. My debut novel, American Panda, is inspired by my experiences, and is about a girl who whose parents want her to become a doctor despite her hatred of germs. That was the manuscript that landed me a literary agent through cold querying, and I’ve been lucky to continue publishing since then with Our Wayward Fate, Rent a Boyfriend, When You Wish Upon a Lantern, and the forthcoming Ex Marks the Spot (coming January 21, 2025). And stay tuned for more announcements!

  I feel thankful every day that I get to write books and movies as my career. And I’m thankful to spend my days in fictional characters’ heads instead of real people’s mouths!

  Miss Print: What was the inspiration for When You Wish Upon a Lantern?

  Gloria Chao: When You Wish Upon a Lantern began with my desire to capture the Taiwanese custom of writing wishes on the sides of lanterns and sending thousands of them into the sky simultaneously. This is why the book begins with the image of a dark night sky full of wishes and dreams.

  Overall, I wanted to write a contemporary story that feels like magic, with the magic coming from kind acts for others. I hoped to remind people that even though it’s rare, magic can be found in the real world. And sometimes you have to make your own magic.

  This book then grew into my love letter to my culture, featuring some of my favorite traditions, holidays, food, folk tales, and more. This book is a celebration—of the beauty of everyday moments, of love, of community, of my culture.

  Miss Print: This novel alternates chapters between Liya and Kai as narrators. Did you always know this book would feature two narrators? How did you balance the alternating points of view while telling the story and revealing plot points?

  Gloria Chao: When I started drafting When You Wish Upon a Lantern, I knew I wanted both Liya and Kai’s points of view because I wanted to maximize the efficacy of the wish granting, where each character could go off and work on the mission. I also wanted the reader to know how each character felt about the other.

  And once I decided on dual points of view, I tried to use it as much as I could. For example, Liya talks in her point of view about how she’s not superstitious, but then Kai reveals in his that she’s not superstitious but medium stitious. Liya also talks about how sly she is, but then Kai reveals to the reader that she completely lacks the ability to lie. It was such a fun way to help the readers know the characters quickly, to show them how the characters see each other, and to provide some humor.

  Miss Print: When You Wish Upon a Lantern is very grounded in community with the Huang’s lantern shop and the Jiang family bakery feeling like characters in the story. Did any real locations inspire the places that are important to Liya and Kai in the story?

  Gloria Chao: Thank you so much! I wanted to create a tight-knit community that readers could feel a part of, so I’m especially happy you felt the locations were characters in the story. The Huang family lantern shop is inspired by the quintessential random store found in most Chinatowns that carries everything from lucky bamboo plants to rice cookers to Hello Kitty paraphernalia. Kai’s bakery is inspired by an amalgamation of Chinese bakeries I’ve loved throughout the years. I wanted these places to feel like home, not just to the characters, but to the readers as well.

  Miss Print: What does a typical writing day look like for you?

  Gloria Chao: I am fortunate to write full-time, so I spend the whole day at my computer.

  A few random tidbits about my writing process:

  I’m a very linear writer, and I like to work off a detailed outline that I’ll continue adding to as I draft or revise.
  Related to being a linear writer, I like to edit as I write. If a previous scene isn’t working, I like to figure it out before I move on.
  When I write dual points of views, I take detailed notes on each character’s voice so I can more easily slip out of one and into the other.
  Miss Print: Can you tell me anything about what you’re currently working on?

  Gloria Chao: I have so many exciting projects in the works I can’t wait to share about! My next young adult romance was just announced. EX MARKS THE SPOT is about a girl who discovers a puzzle in her estranged grandfather’s will, then embarks on an inheritance hunt that will take her through Taiwan and force her to work with her ex, only to find that her family has hidden more than treasure. This is my first rivals-to-lovers story, and overall, it’s a love letter to my parents’ home of Taiwan and to my love of puzzles, games, and puns. It’s an epic adventure with a Taipei summer program, large cast, and all my favorite Taiwan sights and food.

  I’m also working on my first adult book and first mystery, which has been so much fun. I love exploring something new with each project, and this one is different from my previous books in so many exciting ways. Stay tuned for more information about that! I’m also a screenwriter and hope I can share more about that one day.

  Miss Print: Do you have any advice to offer aspiring authors?

  Gloria Chao: If I can do it, you can! Try to always remember why you started writing. If you can hang on to that passion, it’ll get you through the harder writing days. I also try to appreciate each step and focus on what I love most about each stage.

  And it does get easier the more you do it.

  Happy writing!

  ***

  You can find out more about Gloria and her books on her website: https://gloriachao.wordpress.com/

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Career Advising & Professional Development website - https://capd.mit.edu/people/gloria-chao/

  Gloria Chao
  MIT Grad Turned Dentist Turned Author

  Alumni Profile: Gloria Chao

  Infinite Careers is a collaboration between Career Services (Career Advising & Professional Development) and the MIT Alumni Association to explore career paths and the non-linearity of career decision making. Read profiles of alumni with unique career paths, hear their stories and network at a series of talks.

  Education
  MIT, SB 15-1, 2008
  Tufts School of Dental Medicine, DMD, 2012
  Biography
  gloria chao author photo

  Gloria Chao is the critically acclaimed author of AMERICAN PANDA, OUR WAYWARD FATE, RENT A BOYFRIEND, and WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN (forthcoming 2023). As an MIT grad turned dentist turned writer, she is now grateful to spend her days in fictional characters’ heads instead of real people’s mouths. When she’s not writing, you can find her with her husband (MIT ’09) on the curling ice or hiking the Indiana Dunes.

  Her award-winning books have received starred trade reviews; have been a Junior Library Guild Selection, Indie Next Pick, and YALSA Teens’ Top 10 Pick; and they have been featured on the Amelia Bloomer list and the “Best of” lists of Seventeen, Bustle, Barnes & Nobles, PopSugar, Paste Magazine, and more.

  Visit her tea-and-book-filled world at GloriaChao.wordpress.com, and find her on Twitter and Instagram @GloriacChao.

  Gloria’s Story
  What influenced your choice of undergraduate major? How has it shaped your career choices and professional ability?

  I majored in management science with a concentration in operations research. I rarely use that specific expertise now, but I do not regret my choice of major or college because MIT was where I learned how to think and where I developed my perspective on the world. These experiences helped shape who I am as a person, which also affects my writing and narrative voice. Also, my debut novel AMERICAN PANDA takes place at MIT and includes every tradition I could get in there (hacking, tunnel chair surfing, liquid nitrogen ice cream, LSC, the parabolic benches, and so much more)—so thanks, MIT, for that!

  What influenced your choice of graduate program/programs? How has it/have they shaped your career choices and professional ability?

  This is probably not the answer you were looking for when you wrote this question, but becoming a dentist made me appreciate my change to writing in a way I wouldn’t have without leaving a career I hated. I also would not have found my passion for writing if I hadn’t been so miserable in dental school that I turned to reading to escape my reality. Publishing is a long road but choosing it after turning away from a career that was a terrible fit for me helped me get through the difficult parts. Also, dentistry has inspired many scenes in my books, like in RENT A BOYFRIEND, when the fake boyfriend-for-hire who is supposed to be an aspiring surgeon is brought to assist his “girlfriend’s” father on a dental procedure and almost loses his cover after gagging over the spit and blood.

  Is there anything you wish you had done differently or more of while you were at MIT?

  I wish I had explored more. MIT is known for math, science, and engineering, but it’s also a leader in many other fields. I wish I had taken a broader mix of classes instead of focusing so much on my intended major from the start. I only took one writing class while I was there, and I wish I had branched out more and earlier. If I had done that, perhaps I could have discovered my passion for writing sooner. I think it’s difficult to know what you want to do with the rest of your life at such a young age, and I wish I had viewed college more as a time of discovery. It’s probably not a surprise that all of my books so far are coming-of-age stories about characters figuring out who they are and what they want in life!

  What has been the most rewarding aspect of your career?

  Hearing from readers has been by far the most rewarding part of being an author. I’ve been lucky enough to hear from readers of all backgrounds about how they have related to parts of my stories and characters, and I cherish those messages. I wrote with the hope of helping at least one other person feel less alone, and it was such a pleasant surprise that my readers have helped me feel less alone. I never knew before my books came out that there were other Taiwanese moms who fed their daughters papaya hoping it would make their boobs grow, or that other Asian parents thought going outside with wet hair was worse than licking a pigeon. I’ve also been so honored to hear that my books have helped readers when they’ve been at a crossroads in their life (and I very much hope I didn’t lead them astray!).

  What motivates you to do the work you do?

  Hearing from readers certainly motivates me to keep writing. But when it comes down to it, I just love creating stories and I’m lucky that I get paid to do it. I also like to write about Chinese folk tales, traditions, holidays, and practices that are less familiar here (like when I found out there wasn’t a novel about the boyfriend rental business in Asian countries, I wrote RENT A BOYFRIEND), and I’m motivated to bring those to a new audience.

  Making decisions, especially important-feeling career decisions, is really challenging for people at all stages of their career. What strategies have you used to make career decisions?

  My biggest career decision was when I decided to hang up my dental drill and become a full-time writer. It was especially difficult because I did not have support from everyone in my life. To be honest, I questioned my decision for quite some time even after I’d made it. But I was unhappy as a dentist, and I knew that I needed to make a change. I leaned on the ones who did support me (especially my husband), and I tried to focus on continuing to put one foot in front of the other, even when the step felt very small. And it did help that I was writing a book that was drawing so much from what I was going through. My overall goal is to write with honesty and to stay true to my experiences, and I try to let that guide me in all of my career decisions.

  What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

  Eyes on your own paper. Don’t compare yourself to others and focus on your own journey. I think this is applicable to many careers, not just writing!

  And a more publishing-focused one: Don’t write for the market. If you try to write something you think will be trendy, the trend might be over by the time it’s ready, and you won’t end up with the best book possible. I write what I think will make for the most entertaining book first, then I think about the market later when I’m talking to my agent.

  What career advice do you have for current MIT students, or those interested in entering your industry?

  If I can do it, anyone can! I didn’t have any training, didn’t read for most of high school (Spark Notes was my go-to then), and didn’t have a passion for writing for the first two decades of my life. There isn’t one right way to write, and you don’t have to have any connections in the field to enter it. My best advice is to figure out what process works best for you and to keep going.

  Do you have any tips for networking or job searching for current students and recent graduates?

  For networking in publishing, I think social media is a good way to try to meet other fellow writers. For navigating agents and editors, do your research. All of the resources I used on my publishing journey can be found on my website here (https://gloriachao.wordpress.com/writers-nook/). I found my literary agent through a cold query (meaning, I didn’t know her and emailed her a pitch for my book according to her submission guidelines), so it’s possible to get your foot in the door without any prior connections.

  What do you like to do outside of work for fun/relaxation/inspiration?

  My husband and I are avid curlers, and in the winter, that’s where you’ll usually find us! My husband actually started curling a decade ago as part of the MIT Curling Club, and we have become devoted curlers in the last four years.

  Do you participate in any volunteer/community service activities? If so, how do you balance your professional and personal responsibilities?

  I try to give back to the writing community when I can. I have been and continue to be a mentor through various organizations such as We Need Diverse Books and Pitch Wars.

  Last updated 2022

• Gloria Chao website - https://gloriachao.wordpress.com/

  Gloria Chao is a screenwriter and the award-winning author of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club (forthcoming 6.24.25), Ex Marks the Spot, When You Wish Upon a Lantern, Rent a Boyfriend, Our Wayward Fate, and American Panda. She graduated from MIT and became a dentist before realizing she’d rather spend her days in fictional characters’ heads instead of real people’s mouths. When she’s not writing, you can find her on the curling ice, where she and her husband are world-ranked in mixed doubles.

  Her books have received starred trade reviews; were Epic Reads x Target, Junior Library Guild, Indie Next List, YALSA Teens’ Top 10, Amelia Bloomer List, YALSA Amazing Audiobook, and Common Sense Media selections; and were featured on the “Best of” lists of Seventeen, Bustle, Barnes & Nobles, PopSugar, Paste Magazine, Booklist, Chicago Public Library, Bank Street, and more.

  Gloria is on the NaNoWriMo Writers Board and was a 2022 We Need Diverse Books Mentor and 2019 PitchWars mentor.

  Find her on Instagram and Twitter @GloriacChao.

• Utopia State of Mind - https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/interview-with-gloria-chao/

  Interview with Gloria Chao
  October 28, 2019 inautopiastateofmind Leave a comment
  After finishing Our Wayward Fate I knew I had to reach out to Gloria for an interview. I don’t even have the words to write a cohesive review of Our Wayward Fate. I could go on and on about the plot which will keep you reading until long after you needed to leave the house. Or the characters which will charm you with their love of puns. But the icing on the cake was the way I could relate to Ali’s struggles as one of the few Asian Americans in her mostly white neighborhood.

  Our Wayward Fate

  Seventeen-year-old Ali Chu knows that as the only Asian person at her school in middle-of-nowhere Indiana, she must be bland as white toast to survive. This means swapping her congee lunch for PB&Js, ignoring the clueless racism from her classmates and teachers, and keeping her mouth shut when people wrongly call her Allie instead of her actual name, Ah-lee, after the mountain in Taiwan.

  Her autopilot existence is disrupted when she finds out that Chase Yu, the new kid in school, is also Taiwanese. Despite some initial resistance due to the they belong together whispers, Ali and Chase soon spark a chemistry rooted in competitive martial arts, joking in two languages, and, most importantly, pushing back against the discrimination they face.

  But when Ali’s mom finds out about the relationship, she forces Ali to end it. As Ali covertly digs into the why behind her mother’s disapproval, she uncovers secrets about her family and Chase that force her to question everything she thought she knew about life, love, and her unknowable future.

  Find Our Wayward Fate on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.

  Interview
  I am a huge fan of the mother/daughter relationship in OUR WAYWARD FATE. It’s complex and there’s a lot of good intentions even if they’re misplaced. Can you talk about some of the inspiration and describe these two characters for new readers?
  Thank you so much. Both Ali and her mother love each other but don’t know how to express it. They have a generational and cultural divide neither know how to surmount, leading to hurtful secrets they keep for what they believe to be the right reasons. These secrets build over the course of the book and inevitably come to a head.

  This was inspired by my own difficulties communicating with my parents, which became especially stark when I switched careers. My parents disapproved because they were worried about my future as a writer (fair), and I wasn’t effectively communicating how miserable I was as a dentist or what my long-term plan was. Over the course of writing American Panda, we learned to communicate better, and years later, my parents are now very supportive.

  Where did you get the inspiration for this story? I love how the elements of the Butterfly Lovers is so seamlessly woven in. I saw someone describe it as a re-imagining of the story, but I feel like yours is way more than that! And it functions in a different way that a conventional re-telling might.
  Thank you! The idea for Our Wayward Fate came about when my mother sent me a newspaper article about a park in Hangzhou dedicated to The Butterfly Lovers with a unique tradition. It fascinated me so much that I knew I wanted to write a book about it. And because I grew up hearing The Butterfly Lovers story, I wanted to find a way to bring this famous folk tale to a new set of readers.

  The re-imagining of The Butterfly Lovers appears as short interstitials between Ali’s narrative, and I pictured these as breadcrumbs for the reader. At first, they aren’t related, but soon the reader knows this will be the answer to what Ali is searching for—the why behind Ali’s mother forbidding her romance with Chase. I was hoping to give the reader a head start on the answers, though I hope the end is still a surprise.

  Part of what resonated so strongly with me is Ali’s experiences assimilating to her mostly white neighborhood and the self-erasure. Can you talk about what it was like to write Ali’s character?
  It means so much to me that you resonated with Ali’s experiences, and I’m also so sorry you had to go through that. Writing this part of Ali’s story was, unfortunately, not difficult. I didn’t have to reach far for the way the other students mistreat her or the way she reacts. Writing her at the beginning was painful, but it was satisfying when she found her voice. While that means something different for everyone, for a fighter like Ali, she remembers how to stand up for herself.

  What was it like to write OUR WAYWARD FATE which is your second book? The sophomore slump?
  Our Wayward Fate was easier to write because of all the growing pains I’d gone through with the drafting and revising of American Panda. However, a new struggle was learning how to continue writing as my first book made its way into the world. It took me a little time to quiet the other voices and find my groove again, but luckily, it hasn’t been much of an issue as I work on my third book, Rent a Boyfriend.

  And I do have to take this opportunity to say that hearing your reaction to the book helped me so much. You were the first to resonate this personally with the story, and once Ali found her way to you, I was able to let go of pressure I was putting on myself. Thank you for that. I can’t tell you how much it means.

  What is a genre you have always admired, but haven’t written yet?
  After a decade away during high school and college, I found my way back to reading because of dystopian and fantasy books. I hope one day to write one. However, there are still so many contemporary ideas I want to explore that it likely won’t be for some time. While fantasy holds a special place because I loved them first, contemporary is where my heart lies.

  American Panda is one of the covers that comes to mind clearly when I think of POC specifically Asian faces on covers. Can you talk about the cover design process?
  I have been incredibly lucky with all of my covers. Simon Pulse does a fabulous job with them, and they value POC representation. For each one of my covers, Pulse sends me a close-to-final version, and they’ve all come to me with Asian people on them, for which I’ve been so grateful. (Yes, you can take that as a hint for the Rent a Boyfriend cover, which I’ve seen and love!) Sarah Creech and Laura Eckes do amazing work, and I’m proud to be at an imprint that celebrates diversity and isn’t afraid to show it on their book covers.

  What have been your recent obsessions? Books, TV, film?
  I am sad to say I haven’t had as much time for reading as I would like because of Rent a Boyfriend deadlines (and I find it difficult to read after a more than full day of writing), but I recently read and loved Suzanne Park’s April 2020 book, The Perfect Escape, and I’m currently loving Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Today Tonight Tomorrow (6/2020). And as for books on my TBR, I’m so excited for Stacey Lee’s The Downstairs Girl, Kimberly Gabriel’s Every Stolen Breath (11/2019), Lamar Gile’s Not So Pure and Simple (1/2020), Ronni Davis’s When the Stars Lead to You (11/2019), and Rena Barron’s Kingdom of Souls.

  For film, I recently loved The Farewell, Plus One, Edge of Seventeen, Lady Bird, and Overboard. And some TV shows I’m loving: Pen15, South Side, The Other Two, Corporate, Schitt’s Creek, and I am a huge, huge fan of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. My husband and I have watched every episode too many times. No surprise it makes a cameo in Rent a Boyfriend.

  Find Our Wayward Fate on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.

  About the Author

  Gloria Chao is the critically acclaimed author of American Panda, Our Wayward Fate (releasing October 15, 2019), and Rent a Boyfriend (fall 2020).

  Her wayward journey to fiction included studying business at MIT, then becoming a dentist. Gloria was once a black belt in kung-fu and an avid dancer, but nowadays you can find her teaming up with her husband on the curling ice.

  AMERICAN PANDA received four starred trade reviews, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and Indie’s Next Pick, and is a Seventeen Magazine, Bustle, PopSugar, Chicago Public Library, and Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2018.

• Utopia State of Mind - https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/interview-with-gloria-chao-2/

  Interview with Gloria Chao
  October 23, 2020 inautopiastateofmind Leave a comment
  If you have been following me for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of Gloria Chao. Having fallen in love with American Panda and Our Wayward Fate, I was so excited to host another interview with her all about Rent a Boyfriend. Without further ado, come see my latest obsession and interview!

  Rent a Boyfriend

  Chloe Wang is nervous to introduce her parents to her boyfriend, because the truth is, she hasn’t met him yet either. She hired him from Rent for Your ’Rents, a company specializing in providing fake boyfriends trained to impress even the most traditional Asian parents.

  Drew Chan’s passion is art, but after his parents cut him off for dropping out of college to pursue his dreams, he became a Rent for Your ’Rents employee to keep a roof over his head. Luckily, learning protocols like “Type C parents prefer quiet, kind, zero-PDA gestures” comes naturally to him.

  When Chloe rents Drew, the mission is simple: convince her parents fake Drew is worthy of their approval so they’ll stop pressuring her to accept a proposal from Hongbo, the wealthiest (and slimiest) young bachelor in their tight-knit Asian American community.

  But when Chloe starts to fall for the real Drew—who, unlike his fake persona, is definitely not ’rent-worthy—her carefully curated life begins to unravel. Can she figure out what she wants before she loses everything?

  Find Rent a Boyfriend on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.

  Author Interview
  How was the writing process for Rent a Boyfriend? It’s your third book, did you discover anything different about your process or plotting for this junior novel?
  As I’m currently writing something new, I remember Rent a Boyfriend and Our Wayward Fate’s drafting process going so much easier than right now. But then my husband and friends remind me that I did not have as easy of a time drafting as I remember. Apparently, I tend to block out the pain and only remember the fun parts of drafting a new manuscript.

  One thing I’ve discovered is that the process of drafting each book has been very different. Our Wayward Fate and Rent a Boyfriend were fairly plot-driven, with more of the plot points outlined before I started drafting. For each upcoming chapter, I knew what had to happen. For American Panda and my current WIP, the defined plot points are vague. There are so many ways of getting from Point A to B that it takes a little longer for me to figure out what will happen in the next chapter.

  In Rent a Boyfriend, Chloe is faced with the choice between living for her parents and for herself. Can you talk about why you felt compelled to write about this dilemma for Chloe?
  This is a difficult choice I have struggled with many times, most recently when I switched careers from dentist to writer. I frequently explore this tension in my stories partly because it helps me grapple with my own struggles and partly because it’s an interesting part of life that almost everyone experiences on some level.

  How did Chloe first appear to you in your mind?
  Drew’s voice actually came to me first and is closer to my own voice. Chloe took a little longer to find. She has to balance being a feminist and fighter who goes for what she wants while also loving her parents and maintaining a relationship with them. I relate to that struggle, and I also relate to Chloe’s anxiety—the kind that keeps her up at night stressing and reliving past embarrassments (like the time she couldn’t decide between saying “lovely chatting” or “see you” to a cute guy and instead said “love you”).

  If Chloe and Drew were Taiwanese foods, which would they be?

  This is such a cute question! They could be fish balls because on their first date over a hot pot dinner, they express their feelings for each other as metaphors, talking about how “it’s different when it’s right” and how you need to find the right kind of fish ball. Chloe and Drew also have a lot of inside jokes revolving around mooncakes (saying “mooncake points” instead of “brownie points” or “that takes the (moon)cake!”) and the first time they bond is while sharing mooncakes at midnight. I’m thrilled that there are little mooncakes for the section breaks and pictured on the jacket flap!

  Fear of failure was a hugely relatable theme in Rent a Boyfriend. Can you talk more about Drew and your characterization of him? I didn’t predict how much I would fall in love with him!
  I drew (pun intended) a lot from my own experiences switching careers for Drew’s backstory. Drew Chan is an aspiring artist who drops out of college to pursue his artist dreams and is cut off from his family for that decision. I surprised myself while writing his story, with old unconfronted feelings sneaking up, ones I had thought I’d dealt with but hadn’t. The things that Drew’s family says to him about being a failure are unfortunately things I also dealt with. Drew’s fear to fully go for his dream even after he made steps toward pursuing it was also an obstacle for me, and I didn’t think of myself as a writer or talk openly about it for the first few years after I switched.

  Was Rent a Boyfriend always named that?
  Yes, I was lucky that this title came to me pretty quickly and stuck! It’s rare for books to retain the titles they start out with, but I’ve been lucky in that American Panda and Rent a Boyfriend remained the same through the publication process! (Our Wayward Fate began and sold as Misaligned.) With Rent a Boyfriend, I was hoping for a fun, short title that tells you exactly what the book is about.

  Did Chloe or Drew go through any major character changes through the drafts?
  Interestingly enough, there weren’t any significant changes to character or plot through the drafts. Rent a Boyfriend was on a very tight deadline, and I drafted it in two months and revised it over 1.5 months with my editor (which, for the record, is 2x faster than Our Wayward Fate!). The biggest change in the story was that during revisions with my editor, we intersected Chloe and Drew’s stories more, making them have a bigger impact on each other. I think the story is much stronger because of that!

  Find Rent a Boyfriend on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.
  About the Author

  Gloria Chao is the critically acclaimed author of American Panda, Our Wayward Fate, and Rent a Boyfriend (Nov 10, 2020).

  Her wayward journey to fiction included studying business at MIT, then becoming a dentist. Gloria was once a black belt in kung-fu and an avid dancer, but nowadays you can find her teaming up with her husband on the curling ice.

  AMERICAN PANDA received four starred trade reviews, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and Indie’s Next Pick, and is a Seventeen Magazine, Bustle, PopSugar, Chicago Public Library, and Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2018.

• Third Coast Review - https://thirdcoastreview.com/2021/04/22/interview-gloria-chao-on-love-and-romance-in-the-asian-diaspora

  Interview: Gloria Chao on Love and Romance in the Asian Diaspora
  Terry GalvanApril 22, 2021Fiction, Interviews, Lit
  In Gloria Chao’s third YA novel Rent A Boyfriend, University of Chicago freshman Chloe Wang suddenly has to worry about more than grades when her parents start pressuring her to date an insufferable rich boy from their tightly knit Chinese-American community. In an attempt to assuage her parents, Chloe hires “Andrew,” a professional actor trained to stand-in as a perfect suitor to appease parents like Chloe’s. But “Andrew” turns out to be more than just a good actor. Soon, Chloe’s best-laid plans unravel as she gets to know not just her fake boyfriend, but her own heart, and those of her parents'. Book Cover. RENT A BOYFRIEND in white cursive over a happy Asian couple, the man leaning into kiss the girl's cheek as her hair spins and she smiles with joyTerry Galvan: You’ve pivoted careers from dentist to writer. How did that come to pass? Gloria Chao: For most of my life, I wasn’t much of a reader and didn’t think of myself as a writer. I focused on math and science growing up, studied business at MIT, and went to dental school. But while studying dentistry, I developed a hatred for germs. I was so miserable that the one thing that got me through was reading. I fell in love with young adult books. It was my husband who first suggested I try writing. The idea sounded so foreign to me, but I started writing for myself, to work through some of my own struggles. Eventually, I would dream of getting published. It has been a long and winding journey, but I wouldn’t have found my way here if my life hadn’t taken all those turns. You take some very serious, often painful, personal stuff, and make it into YA novels with bright pink covers and a perky sense of humor. What’s the experience like of writing/balancing those two aspects? As a reader, I love humor in all types of books, and as a writer, I feel that serious moments are more impactful when they are balanced with humor. Additionally, I write a lot of my struggles into my stories, and viewing them with a sense of humor helps me personally. For most of my novels, the subject matter lends itself to both serious and humorous material. Rent a Boyfriend is based on a real practice in many Asian countries where some women feel so much pressure to bring home the perfect boyfriend that they turn to hiring fake ones from a company or classified ads. This creates a complicated family dynamic to explore as well as fun humorous comedy-of-error situations. For example, I played around with Drew’s fake identity, having Chloe’s dentist father bring aspiring surgeon Andrew to the office for an emergency procedure. Real Drew is disgusted by the spit and blood flying around and almost blows his cover. These familial struggles exist not just in Asian-American communities, but everywhere—including my own. Heck, I would have rented a boyfriend at 19! That has been one of the coolest parts about writing. I hear from people of all different ages and backgrounds about how they related to certain pieces of my books. Everything from relating to the fairly universal experience of not wanting to disappoint your loved ones or struggling to communicate, to the mother constantly leaving voicemails for the main character. One reader joked with me, Did you somehow transcribe all my mother’s voicemails from my phone? Another reader thanked me for writing a sweaty girl who got the guy. Your acknowledgement sections mention that you consult with your parents as you’re writing. How do those conversations go? Some of the questions are about traditions and a lot are about Mandarin. I think in what a lot of Chinese Americans call “Chinglish.” In particular, I use a lot of Chinese words in otherwise English sentences when the Chinese word has no good translation. The two languages are so different that a lot of very bizarre grammar questions arise. I joked in the acknowledgments of Our Wayward Fate that no one has discussed the usage of the Mandarin phrase tīnghùa as much as my father and I have. My mom often jokes that she’s never had to think about any of these things before, and she enjoys the challenge. I love that the books give us a reason to chat on the phone more often and about fun things! What’s your favorite folktale or what’s your favorite Chinglish phrase? My second book, Our Wayward Fate, is based on my favorite folktale, “The Butterfly Lovers.” It’s one of China’s Four Great Folktales and has famous movies, plays, operas, music, and more associated with it. I grew up with the story and Our Wayward Fate is my fictional version of it. My fourth book (which is set in Chicago!) will also pay tribute to another one of my favorite Chinese folktales, "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl." One of my favorite Mandarin phrases that shows up in many of my works is rènào. It represents the buzzing and high energy of a crowded, lively room, and that one phrase evokes a feeling for me that takes many more English words to describe. Another favorite Mandarin word that I like to work into English sentences is featured in Rent a Boyfriend. When Drew and Chloe are eating hot pot, he scoops something out of the boiling water and uses the word lāo, which means to fish something out of water. Book cover, white writing over an image of a tree with the afternoon sun behind it and the silhouette of a dark-haired girl in a jean jacket with her back to the viewer, gazing up at the treeThat’s a delightful part of your writing style—having two different arsenals of words at your disposal. It was really pretty. I was learning things, but also very much in the room with them. Thank you. That means a lot. It takes a lot of work to structure it in a way to make sure readers can pick it up while reading, so I’m glad it paid off. I was going to ask about one that’s a bit more serious. In Rent a Boyfriend, it becomes the main conflict—the one that means, “saving face.” I feel like you explained it really well to an audience that’s not familiar with it. Making it into the main conflict was brilliant because then you can see the clear consequences, as plot and action and irony. How do some immigrants coming over here adapt coming from those kinds of norms? How do you negotiate that kind of difference of values within a family? Miànzi. There’s a lot to unpack in such a small phrase, and it’s difficult to get all the nuances. Miànzi is the reason that Chloe and Drew’s communities growing up are so different. Chloe’s community is extremely focused on “saving face” and their reputation whereas Drew’s was not. Chloe’s community is more cutthroat, trying to one-up one another, and resulting in the kids competing. I grew up in several tight-knit Chinese American communities. Some of them were like Drew’s, very supportive and nurturing, while some were like Chloe’s. I drew from different aspects of my experiences because I wanted to represent the range that is out there. I’m glad to hear that you’re drawing on multiple different parts of the diaspora. It’s easy for outsiders to develop overly simplified ideas, like for example, “Chinese people think pears mean this” when in fact there’s a lot of different ideas about what pears might mean among diaspora members. The scene you’re referencing in Rent A Boyfriend is when Drew brings Korean pears as a gift for Chloe’s parents. His family views this as an expensive and treasured gift because one of the things they missed most after immigrating was the fruit they could get in Taiwan. Giving an Asian pear from overseas is giving someone a piece of home. But Chloe’s parents believe that giving pears to someone is wishing for them to have a falling out with a loved one because the Mandarin phrase for pear is a homonym for separate. With this, I wanted to show the multitudes of diaspora, how traditions evolve and one cannot predict which traditions they’ve come across in their lives, or which they let go and which they’ve held onto. Chloe’s mother was also one of my favorite parts. She’s described as being either so polite it was fake or so honest you wished she’d lie. She was such a good character and she was in so much pain too. How did you come up with her character? Thank you so much! From the start, I knew that Chloe and her parents had to be close and that her parents had to put a lot of pressure on her, enough that she would turn to hiring Drew. The mom came to me pretty fleshed out, and I loved writing her dialogue and antics. For example, she continually tells Chloe “no hanky-panky” but she also wants to buy Chloe sexy underwear in case they peek out—a perfect example of how she cares a lot about miànzi and how other people see them. Do you have any thoughts on healthy ways to manage this kind of mother-daughter relationship? At the end of Rent a Boyfriend, Chloe realizes that while her mom does irritate her, she wants her mom to be herself, just like she’s learned to do. It’s an interesting conundrum. She understands where her mother comes from and the traditions her mother was brought up with, but it doesn’t mean things aren’t hard for her at the same time. It’s a difficult question that I don’t have a black-and-white answer to. In fact, that’s exactly why I write about these types of complicated relationships—because there is no easy answer. I believe the best you can do is try to communicate on your end. You said you got into YA around when you started writing. Who are your favorite YA authors? I have so many! Let’s start with some of my favorite Chicago authors. For fantasy and magical realism, Rena Barron, Kat Cho, and Crystal Cestari. For contemporary, Samira Ahmed, Ronni Davis, Stephanie Kate Strohm, Michelle Falkoff, Adi Alsaid. For thriller, Kimberly Gabriel, Amelia Brunskill, and Caleb Roerhig. A non-exhaustive list of more favorite contemporary authors: Kelly Loy Gilbert, Julian Winters, Sandhya Menon, Emily X.R. Pan, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Emiko Jean, Axie Oh, Lyla Lee, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Sarah Suk, Suzanne Park, Ariel Kaplan, Nicola Yoon, David Arnold. A nonexhaustive list of more favorite fantasy writers: Elizabeth Lim, Lori M. Lee, Cindy Pon, Julie Dao. You mentioned your Chicago writer group in your acknowledgements as well. How did you meet this group? Many of us met when we were just getting agents. We all attended Book Expo America when it was in Chicago and met at a gathering of authors and aspiring authors. Once we realized we were all around the same stage of the process and in the same city, we started meeting regularly for brunch. It’s nice to have a group because publishing can be so lonely sometimes. It’s wonderful to be able to cheer each other on, commiserate, and share knowledge. That’s such a dream come true, to be able to go to a conference and walking out with a support network. Definitely. I was very alone walking in. I didn’t know anyone in the industry before that. Especially doing the career change from dentistry into writing. Yes! To finish off, I have some superficial questions. Are there any Chicago-area Chinese cultural events or Taiwanese-American that you’d like to tell people about? People ask me a lot where to get the best dumplings. My favorite spot is QXY dumplings in Chinatown. They have lamb dumplings that are out of this world! You can also get frozen ones to make at home. Taipei Cafe in Chinatown has wonderful Taiwanese food, and a lot of the items they offer are mentioned in my books. Te’Amo Boba Bar is delicious and they have honey-soaked boba—one of my favorite places to get boba tea. Chatting with you, you seem like a very fun person. Would love to meet in real life for boba or something. Thank you so much. I had such a blast talking to you, and boba would be so much fun!

• The Children's Book Review - https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/gloria-chao-discusses-rent-a-boyfriend/

  Gloria Chao Discusses Rent a Boyfriend
  Denise MealyBy Denise Mealy7 Mins Read
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  Gloria Chao Discusses Rent a Boyfriend
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  The Children’s Book Review

  Welcome back again to The Children’s Book Review, Gloria! Your latest book, RENT A BOYFRIEND, is so fun and special to read. We can’t wait to hear what else you’ve been working on, how you’ve grown as a writer, and what the future holds for you.

  Let’s start by talking about RENT A BOYFRIEND. It was a blast to read and a joy to review. Can you tell us a little about it?

  RENT A BOYFRIEND is a dual point-of-view story that follows a nineteen-year-old college sophomore who hires a fake boyfriend from a company, Rent for Your ’Rents, to appease her traditional Taiwanese parents. But when she falls for the guy behind the role who her parents would not approve of, her carefully curated life begins to unravel.

  Where did you get the idea of renting a boyfriend to impress your parents? Is this a real thing? Have you ever?

  RENT A BOYFRIEND is inspired by a real practice that happens in several Asian countries. Some women feel so much pressure to find a spouse worthy of family approval that they hire fake boyfriends from companies or classified ads. When I learned about this, my first thought was: I get it. I understood that kind of pressure and wanted to explore it through fiction. I haven’t done it myself, but for this book, I spent time researching the real-life practice so I could create a diaspora version for the novel.

  Rent a Boyfriend Gloria Chao Instagram

  Chloe is hilarious, witty, and smart. Her character leaps off the page every time we’re in her head. How did you create such an engaging protagonist? What led you to her?

  Thank you so much! I knew from the beginning that I needed a protagonist who was not accepted by her family or the tightknit Chinese community she grew up in. As a result, she has two versions of herself. She’s strong and a feminist, but only when she’s not with her family and friends. She loves her parents, but not the life they’ve laid out for her. And I wanted to balance these more serious issues with humor, like how Chloe lies awake in bed with anxiety but also thinks about funny embarrassing instances like when she farted in second grade during a schoolwide moment of silence. (I may or not may lie in bed at night stressing. I also may or may not have had an embarrassing fart incident in second grade.)

  Are there any central themes or ideas that span all three of your books?

  I strive to write honestly about identity, love, and complicated family relationships. My struggle with identity as a child of immigrants spans all of my works, and I try to explore a different aspect in each book. For example, in RENT A BOYFRIEND, I drew upon my experiences in a competitive, cutthroat Chinese community to create Chloe’s church environment. And I channeled my difficulties from switching careers from dentist to writer into Drew dropping out of college to pursue art, which his family doesn’t approve of.

  I also always work hard to flesh out every character so readers can understand even the ones they may not relate to.

  What is your favorite part of RENT A BOYFRIEND?

  My favorite part of writing RENT A BOYFRIEND was creating the details around Rent for Your ’Rents, i.e., how the company came about, what kind of training the “operatives” undergo, and how clients are matched with their fake boyfriends. My favorite part of the book overall is the shenanigans that ensue when Chloe and Drew struggle to balance their relationship with all the lies they’ve created.

  You sure have a way with dialog and humor. This is a book that begs to be made into a movie or television show. Any plans for the big or small screen?

  Thank you so much! There is unfortunately no news that I can share at the moment, but that would be a dream come true!

  If Chloe were to be interviewed for this article, what would she want us to know about her story?

  That everyone deserves love in all its forms: romantic love, parental love, self-love, and more. Chloe would probably want everyone to know that she’s a little embarrassed about some of her mistakes, but she’s grateful they got her to where she is now. And she hopes readers can learn from her struggles so they don’t have to go through them personally.

  How has your writing process changed throughout these three books?

  With each additional book, I’ve been able to visualize the finished product sooner. I’m able to flesh out the B and C storylines earlier in the process so that I can weave them into the narrative as I write the first draft, which is more seamless than revising them into a completed draft. One new challenge is that I now edit more as I draft, and it’s been difficult to find the right balance. If the section I’m working on isn’t quite there yet, it’s harder for me to move on.

  Favorite book you read last year?

  I adored WE ARE THE PERFECT GIRL by Ariel Kaplan. Ariel’s books make me laugh out loud, and this one had so many iconic scenes. I can’t think about the Zombie video game scene without giggling, even now! This story is a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac centered around self-acceptance and friendship.

  What are you working on next?

  I am part of the upcoming 2021 anthology, FOOLS IN LOVE, which will offer new takes on classic romance tropes. I am thrilled to be in the company of amazing authors including Rebecca Barrow, Sara Farizan, Claire Kann, Hannah Moskowitz, Natasha Ngan, Lilliam Rivera, Laura Silverman, Amy Spalding, Rebecca Kim Wells, Julian Winters, and more! Ashley Herring Blake and Rebecca Podos are editing.

  I am also working on several other projects (including book #4!), and I hope to be able to share more details soon!

  Thank you so much for joining us today, Gloria! We look forward to seeing RENT A BOYFRIEND on shelves everywhere!

• paperbacks and pen - https://paperbacksnpen.wordpress.com/2021/03/23/interview-with-gloria-chao-author-of-rent-a-boyfriend-our-wayward-fate-and-american-panda/

  Interview with Gloria Chao – author of Rent a Boyfriend, Our Wayward Fate and American Panda
  March 23, 2021 kajree gautom2 Comments
  Last year, I got lucky enough to read an early copy of Rent a Boyfriend. And then immediately fell in love with the story. A fake dating trope that takes the concept of renting boyfriend during holidays to keep nagging parents at bay (that rhymed, lol)? Exciting! And so was the book. So I slid into Gloria’s emails and asked for an interview because, like the curious soul I am, I wanted to know more behind the scenes of writing and the book.

  And here is the very fun and AMAZING interview that I had with her. From writing and diverse rep to book and movie recs, I hope you enjoy it!

  1. Hello Gloria! How have you been? What have you been reading lately and what are some of your anticipated releases this year?

  Hi Kajree! Thank you so much for having me on your wonderful blog! I’ve fallen in love with several books releasing this year! I adored Axie Oh’s upcoming XOXO, which follows a cello prodigy who dates a K-pop star. I shipped the two characters so much and couldn’t put it down! I also loved Emiko Jean’s TOKYO EVER AFTER, which is PRINCESS DIARIES about Japanese Princess Izumi. This one made me laugh out loud and swoon! And a book that released last year that I absolutely loved: Rachel Lynn Solomon’s TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW. Rachel writes the best banter and I fell in love with Rowan and Neil. All three of these books are some of my favorite romances of all time!

  2. If you could describe Rent a Boyfriend in three words, what would they be? What can people expect from the book?

  Fake Dating Romance. Readers can expect a story based on the real Asian practice of hiring fake boyfriends to introduce to their families, only the girl ends up falling for the real guy behind the fake boyfriend role. As you can imagine, this makes her life incredibly messy!

  3. What inspired you to write this story? Was there any particular incident or event?

  When I found out that boyfriend rentals were a common practice in China, my first thought was that I understood. I understood how the pressure from family could grow to the point where hiring an actor sounds appealing. It made me want to explore this idea further—both from the client’s perspective and the fake boyfriend’s—and it seemed like a great premise for a rom com.

  4. What are a few things you wish you knew about publishing before venturing into the industry? If given the chance, is there anything you would change about the publishing industry?

  I was mostly prepared for how difficult it would be and how fickle the business is. I didn’t know how hard it would be to have my words out in the world, but in many ways, I’m glad I didn’t. I treasure that I was able to write AMERICAN PANDA in a vacuum without thinking about who would be reading it, and I believe it would have been a different book otherwise.The publishing industry is obviously challenging, and there are surely a lot of things I would change if I could. It’s difficult for authors to break in, stay in, and receive support for their books. But I’m also very fortunate to have the opportunity to share my stories with the world.

  5. The recent rise of discourse around reading more diverse books have been very enlightening and rightly important. Do you think readers should be more conscious of what they read?

  Yes, I think books have a power that is unlike any other media and they have the ability to enlighten and alter perspectives and give depth to experiences. I love that readers are becoming more aware of what they read and I hope this trend continues.

  6. How was writing and publishing a book in the midst of a pandemic like? Did this time bring any changes to your writing routine, style or anything else?

  Both were difficult during the pandemic. There was so much to adjust to at the start of the pandemic that it took me a while to get the writing juices flowing. Because I am lucky enough to write full time and usually work from home, there wasn’t a significant change to my schedule or routine, though it was harder to create when so much is going on in the world. It was tough releasing a book during a time when bookstores were closed and it was more difficult to reach people, but I am so grateful for the online love, including from wonderful bloggers like you, Kajree!

  7. Which of your characters written so far do you relate to the most? And who was the most exciting and fun to write?

  This is such a wonderful question. There’s a piece of me in most of the main characters that I write, but the extent does vary. If I had to choose one, I think I relate to Mei from AMERICAN PANDA the most. Second would be Drew from RENT A BOYFRIEND. The most exciting and fun character to write was Ali from OUR WAYWARD FATE because she says the things I’m too scared to, and she’s the badass that I am not.

  8. As an Asian myself, I could relate to so many of the issues and views that was highlighted in the book. Did your parents read the book? And if yes, how did they react to it?

  The verdict is still out for RENT A BOYFRIEND! My mother is reading it slowly with a dictionary beside her.

  9. Rent a Boyfriend was laden with absolutely cute and adorable as well as funny laugh-out-loud moments. Which were some of your favorite scenes to write?

  Thank you so much! My favorite scenes to write were the shenanigans that ensue when Chloe and Drew struggle to balance their real relationship and real selves with the lies they’ve created. For example, I love the scene where Drew, the supposed aspiring surgeon, is assisting Chloe’s father the dentist on a procedure. As spit and pus and blood is flying in the air, he’s gagging beneath the mask and dangerously close to blowing his cover! (And I did draw from my dentist background for this scene!) I also really enjoyed writing the scene where Chloe is underwear shopping with her mother, who simultaneously wants her to have sexy whale tails “in case her underwear peeks out” but also insists on “no hanky-panky!”

  10. Are you a planner or a panster? How do you go about laying the base for your story?

  I’m a combination of both—I plan the larger beats of the story but pants the details. I’ve noticed that with each book I write, I plan more and more, and my synopses are growing longer before I dive into drafting. The most important part for me is figuring out the character arcs and voice before I start. Sometimes this involves some trial-and-error writing, but usually it’s more about figuring out who the best protagonist is for the story I want to tell.

  11. Would you like to recommend some of your favorite Asian-American centered movies/books to readers?

  I’m of course a fan of the To All the Boys and Crazy Rich Asian books and movies (books over movies though, personally for me!). A movie I watched over the holidays that was really cute is the Lifetime movie A Sugar & Spice Holiday. It has a largely Asian-American cast and a cute baking theme! It has a similar feel to Jennifer Yen’s debut novel, A TASTE FOR LOVE!Some of my favorite Asian-American writers in no particular order: Stacey Lee, Samira Ahmed, Sandhya Menon, Kelly Loy Gilbert, Emily X.R. Pan, Malinda Lo.

  12. Finally, are you working on anything new that we can expect soon?

  I have two short stories in upcoming anthologies: FOOLS IN LOVE (Dec 2021) offers new takes on classic romance tropes, and I am writing an oblivious-to-lovers story about a star female golfer loosely inspired by Michelle Wie. GAME ON (spring 2022) has stories about all kinds of games, and I am writing a short story about a linguistics-themed college mystery hunt!Finally, I am working on a contemporary romance that I hope to be able to share more about soon! It’s a love letter to my culture and it’s been really fun to write.

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  About the author | Website

  Gloria Chao is the critically acclaimed author of American Panda, Our Wayward Fate, and Rent a Boyfriend. When she’s not writing, you can find her with her husband on the curling ice or hiking the Indiana Dunes. After a brief detour as a dentist, she is now grateful to spend her days in fictional characters’ heads instead of real people’s mouths.

  Her award-winning books have been featured on the “Best of” lists of Seventeen, Bustle, Barnes & Nobles, PopSugar, Paste Magazine, and more. American Panda received four starred trade reviews, was on the Amelia Bloomer list, and was a Junior Library Guild Selection, Indie Next Pick, and YALSA Teens’ Top 10 Pick.

• Publishers Weekly - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/96759-four-questions-for-gloria-chao.html

  Four Questions for Gloria Chao
  By Amanda Ramirez | Dec 17, 2024
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  Taiwanese American author Gloria Chao travels to Taipei for the first time on the page in her new YA romance, Ex Marks the Spot. When 18-year-old Gemma Sun is contacted by an attorney, who tells her that her Taiwanese grandfather recently died—and that he’d left Gemma old newspaper clippings with a secret message urging her to visit his apartment in Taipei—the news causes a rift between Gemma and her mother, who’d told Gemma that he died a long time ago. Blaming her mother for her disconnect with her heritage, Gemma determines to fly to Taiwan to unravel the mystery behind her grandfather’s message. But to do that, she’ll have to make nice with her popular and charismatic ex-boyfriend Xander Pan, whose connection to their culture she envies. In a conversation with PW, Chao spoke about exploring her own identity through her work, pushing the boundaries of children’s literature, and making the leap from YA to adult fiction.

  You write in your acknowledgments that you drew from your love of puzzles and Taiwan to craft Ex Marks the Spot. Can you elaborate?

  Ex Marks the Spot is a combination of so many things that I’ve always wanted to write about. As a kid, I loved puzzles and puns, and I used to make treasure hunts for my family. They were terrible; the clues were things like, “go to the piano,” “go to the kitchen.” They were not clever riddles by any means. But they were how I connected with my family. That was where the idea for this book first came from—I wanted to have this treasure hunt, and then I realized I could also combine it with another thing that I’ve always wanted to do, which was write a book set in Taiwan, my family’s home. I was lucky enough to visit my grandparents there growing up, and it always felt like this magical place to me. I wanted to try and capture a little piece of that magic for the reader, so I packed the novel with all my favorite sites and food. I was the hungriest and most nostalgic I’ve ever been while writing this book. It ended up turning into a love letter to my culture, to my family, to Taiwan, and to puzzles and puns and games.

  What was it like being able to write about Taipei and Taiwanese culture in a way you hadn’t before?

  I almost felt like I had too much information. I went through old family photos and wrote a list of all the things I wanted to include. I was like, “How am I going to work everything in there?” There are so many things that I couldn’t get into the book.

  But in some ways, it almost felt easier to write than my previous books because there was so much information to work from. I just felt so passionate about it. I really wanted to capture all these different pieces, so that when I’m describing a certain place, I not only described what it was like but also how it felt for me when I was there.

  Themes of exploring one’s cultural identity are evergreen throughout your work. How does that show up in Ex Marks the Spot?

  I feel like questioning who you are is such a universal thing that we deal with in so many different parts of our lives, but especially in this 17–18 age range when we’re trying to figure out what the next step of our life is. Knowing who you are and what your relationship is with your culture and your family have always been big questions for me, especially when I was writing my first book [American Panda], which was very much inspired by my life. My family had a hard time when I changed careers from dentistry to writing, so a lot of that made its way into American Panda. I keep coming back to identity because it’s something that I’m continuing to question for myself. Writing has helped me a lot with it; it lets me take a step back to see it from my character’s point of view, and it helps me figure out what I want my own relationship with my identity to look like.

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  It’s also something that Gemma thinks about in a way that none of my other characters have. Her mom really pushed assimilation, so she grew up without knowing anything about our culture and without speaking the language. And then there’s her ex-boyfriend Xander, who’s the complete opposite. He speaks perfect Mandarin, and he knows everything about Taiwanese culture, so she feels embarrassed by the fact that she isn’t connected to her roots. She’s so insecure about it that she puts on a brave face and pretends like it doesn’t bother her. It isn’t until she goes on this journey and meets all these other Taiwanese Americans with different experiences and different relationships to their culture that she realizes it’s not a one size fits all. It doesn’t have to look exactly like Xander’s relationship, and she doesn’t have to speak the language to feel connected. It isn’t until the end of the book that she figures out how she wants her relationship to her culture to look and that’s something that I feel like I’ve only recently come to realize myself.

  Your forthcoming novel, The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club, is an adult mystery. How was your experience been like shifting categories from YA to adult?

  I think the bigger change for me was going from romance to mystery. I feel like I’ve always been pushing the age limit with YA. I had a hard time selling American Panda because I wanted it set in college, and in 2016, there weren’t that many YA books set in college—everybody thought YA had to end in high school. But even once I published that one, I continued pushing the age limit: my third book, Rent a Boyfriend, has characters who are 19 and 21. I feel like I’ve always been on the borderline between YA and adult, so it didn’t feel like that big of a transition. Obviously, the protagonist [of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club] is older, and in some ways, they’re dealing with different things, but I’m still talking about questioning identity, so I almost feel like there weren’t that many changes. It was more difficult figuring out how to write a mystery and how to plant all the clues.

  Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao. Viking, $12.99 paper Dec. 31 ISBN 978-0-593-69271-4

Chao, Gloria EX MARKS THE SPOT Viking (Teen None) $12.99 12, 31 ISBN: 9780593692714

Recent high school graduate Gemma Sun goes on a treasure hunt in Taiwan.

Gemma, who's from "Podunksville, Massachusetts," is looking ahead with excited trepidation to attending Amherst College. But covering the tuition weighs on her mind since she and her single mom have limited finances. So she's shocked to hear that her grandfather in Taipei, whom she had believed to be long dead, was in fact estranged from her mom and died only weeks earlier. His attorney shows up with their inheritance: a box filled with old newspaper clippings. Gemma quickly realizes that the articles contain clues hinting at a big treasure for her to find in Taiwan. Her mother agrees to let her go--if she can pay her own way. The tightly written plot moves quickly as Gemma swallows her pride, asking Harvard-bound ex-boyfriend and nemesis Xander Pan to allow her to participate in the all-expenses-paid Taiwanese American Roots Pursuit program he founded (and which she previously scorned). There Gemma explores Taiwanese culture--and her own independence. As she solves puzzles and her hunt for her grandfather's treasure escalates, she also must collaborate with Xander to get to the solution, bringing them closer together in the process. Chao artfully weaves in themes of Asian American identity, generational trauma, and compassion as each clue that Gemma uncovers leads to another compelling revelation.

A thoroughly enjoyable romp that's also rich in self-discovery and romance.(Fiction. 12-18)

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"Chao, Gloria: EX MARKS THE SPOT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883645/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8cdfe0f0. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

When You Wish upon a Lantern. By Gloria Chao. Feb. 2023. 352p. Viking, $18.99 (9780593464359). Gr. 8-12.

Best friends Liya Huang and Kai Jiang have grown distant after an embarrassing incident comes between them, though, privately, neither wants to stop being friends. It suits their families, however, whose businesses in Chicago's Chinatown are locked in a petty feud. Liya tries to distract herself by working at her parents' store, When You Wish Upon a Lantern, and resuming a clandestine service she and her late nainai (grandmother) used to do: making wishes that people place in their sky lanterns come true. One wish requires a matchmaking scheme that takes Liya to the Jiang's bakery, happily reuniting her with Kai, who becomes her new partner in wishgranting. Hints of romance thread through this sweet story, which also confronts the starker realities of parental pressure and financial difficulty--the Huangs' business is being threatened with eviction. Nevertheless, Chao keeps the narrative aloft with its buoyant message of making one's own magic. Chapters are narrated from Liya's and Kai's perspectives, and a guide to Mandarin aids readers with words' pronunciations and meanings. A culturally rich, luminous love story. --Aurora Dominguez

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Dominguez, Aurora. "When You Wish upon a Lantern." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 12, 15 Feb. 2023, pp. 54+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A738954415/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=aec1d062. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Chao, Gloria WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN Viking (Teen None) $18.99 2, 14 ISBN: 978-0-593-46435-9

Best friends reunite to make other people's wishes come true--and maybe even their own.

Chicago teens Liya Huang and Kai Jiang, childhood friends whose families own a lantern shop and a bakery respectively, have been avoiding one another ever since Liya threw up her boba tea on Kai and he assumed it was because he had asked her out. Their friendship is further strained by the fact that their families have been feuding since a dumpster incident in their shops' shared Chinatown alley. NÇinai, Liya's paternal grandmother, was the peacekeeper, but since her passing, every argument between the families has only escalated. Also, Liya has stopped trying to make customers' wishes--written on the shop's lanterns--come to pass, something she used to secretly do with NÇinai. Eager to fight her loneliness from missing both Kai and her NÇinai, she decides to start working on granting wishes again, beginning with arranging a meet-cute between two community elders. Liya enters the Jiang's bakery to order a mooncake as part of her plan, and Kai, who misses her and is dealing with strained family relationships, offers to be her new wish-granting partner. Their friends-to-lovers romance is an endlessly frustrating yet adorable cycle during which there are frequent misunderstandings and oh-so-close moments. Chao immerses readers in Chinese culture, incorporating a variety of Chinese traditions and folktales that are relevant to the couple's story.

As delectable as a mooncake. (note about Mandarin, author's note, glossary) (Fiction. 12-18)

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"Chao, Gloria: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729072611/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=38d42fbc. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Gloria Chao. Viking, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-59346-435-9

Two Taiwanese American teenagers explore friendship, romance, and family in this humorous and sincere novel by Chao (Rent a Boyfriend). Liya Huang and Kai Jiang have been best friends since they were children, but they haven't spoken in the months following a deeply awkward and embarrassing incident: Liya vomited on Kai while he was trying to ask her out. And their parents' mutual feud doesn't help matters. After Liya finds out that her beloved family store, which sells paper wishing lanterns, is in debt and in danger of closing, she embarks on a scheme to try and save it. Believing that there's no magic in the world, she works to secretly grant customers' wishes herself, something she used to do with her paternal grandmother but stopped doing after her death. Missing Liya and hoping to rekindle their friendship, Kai offers to help her carry out her mission arranging meet-cutes and perhaps granting a wish of her own. Together, they navigate their insecurities, evolving feelings for one another, and duty to their families. Laugh-out-loud dialogue, the pair's simultaneously innocent and snarky alternating POVs, and a vividly captured Chicago Chinatown setting imbue this memorable narrative with warmth and joy. Ages 12-up. Agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. (Feb.)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"When You Wish upon a Lantern." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2023, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A733160549/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7d8ef1a8. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Rent a Boyfriend. By Gloria Chao. Nov. 2020. 400p. Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, $18.99 (9781534462458). Gr. 7-12.

While home from college for Thanksgiving break, Jing-Jing "Chloe" Wang implements a plan for dealing with her status-obsessed family, her hypercritical mother, and an unwelcome marriage proposal from Hongbo Kuo, the rude, repulsive, most-eligible-bachelor son of the wealthiest couple in the Wang's social circle. She employs Drew Chan, a Rent for Your 'Rents fake boyfriend trained to wrap traditional Taiwanese immigrant parents like Chloe's around his finger. What starts out as a lie snowballs as Chloe and Drew fall for and support each other in finding the strength to stand tall against adversity. With Chao's signature humor and lovable characters, she once again offers insights into Taiwanese culture alongside scads of delightful rom-com ordeals, mishaps, and kisses. Like a YA version of Crazy Rich Asians set in America, this spirited novel is perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, Jenny Han, and the fake-dating trope, as it entertainingly explores embracing life's challenges, navigating strict cultural viewpoints, and learning to be the person you know in your heart you should be.--Jeanne Fredriksen

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Fredriksen, Jeanne. "Rent a Boyfriend." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 1-2, 1 Sept. 2020, p. 122. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A637433684/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=50f65f78. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Chao, Gloria RENT A BOYFRIEND Simon & Schuster (Teen None) $18.99 11, 10 ISBN: 978-1-5344-6245-8

Chloe hires the perfect Chinese boyfriend to thwart—and appease—her parents.

College sophomore Chloe Wang is horrified by her parents’ latest misguided endeavor: relentlessly pushing her to accept a proposal from the insanely well-off—and deeply sexist—golden boy of their Palo Alto Chinese community, Hongbo Kuo. So, Chloe enlists the help of Rent for Your ’Rents, a “Match.com on steroids” providing fake boyfriends who pass even the most traditional Asian parents’ standards. But even with his perfect Taipei-accented Mandarin and pre-med major, it’s an uphill battle for Andrew Huang to earn enough “mooncake points” to win over the Wangs. Masquerading as Andrew, 21-year-old Drew Chan’s operative training as a winsome boyfriend is severely tested. Over the course of several holiday dates, it becomes progressively harder for both Chloe and Drew to follow the playbook: “Always know the line between the job and reality.” And it turns out, they aren’t the only ones keeping up a charade. Through alternating points of view, Chao keeps up the romantic and dramatic tension, and her characters bring welcome layers to the fake dating trope. Both children of Taiwanese immigrants, Chloe and Drew come from tight-knit communities, and Chao presents the diversity within the diaspora. Frustrating familial tensions and miscommunication abound, and the reconciliation is realistically complicated but also optimistic. Most of the cast of characters are Chinese American.

Entertaining and nuanced. (glossary) (Romantic comedy. 14-18)

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"Chao, Gloria: RENT A BOYFRIEND." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A634467408/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9f530f43. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Our Wayward Fate

by Gloria Chao

High School Simon Pulse 311 pp. 10/19 978-1-5344-2761-7 $18.99 e-book ed. 978-1-5344-2763-1 $10.99

Seventeen-year-old Taiwanese American girl Ali (Ah-lee) Chu has grown up in a predominantly white Midwestern town; she has learned to survive school (where she is known as Allie) by blending in and being "as dry as white toast." Yet as new people enter her life--a childhood friend she doesn't remember, a new Taiwanese American classmate, and a great-uncle she never knew existed--things begin to change. After uncovering family secrets and confronting painful truths, Ali eventually exits survival mode, ditching "Allie" and beginning to live life as her true self, "100 percent Ali." Ali's first-person narration employs colloquial, authentic teen language. The absence of a glossary for the Mandarin vocabulary in the book requires readers to experience, like Ali, what it is like to grow up in a family speaking a different language in the home. Also noteworthy is Chao's inclusion of a retelling of the famous Chinese "Butterfly Lovers" legend; the retelling is parsed out between chapters, providing valuable insight into Ali's culture. WEILEEN WANG

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Wang, Weileen. "Our Wayward Fate." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 96, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2020, pp. 87+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A616788633/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c8f4c1aa. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Chao, Gloria OUR WAYWARD FATE Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster (Young Adult Fiction) $18.99 10, 15 ISBN: 978-1-5344-2761-7

When the new student in town happens be Taiwanese just like her, Ali Chu's world is turned upside down--and not in the ways she might have imagined.

Ali is used to being different: Since moving to Indiana, she's been the only Asian in her whole school. Her classmates can't pronounce her name, and she has to drive to another town for kung fu lessons--where she's still the only Asian. Things aren't much better at home, with parents who won't address any of their problems or family secrets. Instead, they don't talk at all. Then Chase Yu arrives, and suddenly Ali has someone who understands her jokes and has her back when she stands up to teachers. The problem of Ali's family remains. To move forward, Ali has to uncover what their past means for her future. Chao (American Panda, 2018) brings readers a witty protagonist who breaks stereotypes of Chinese Americans by simply being herself. At the same time, she faces problems, including casual racism and balancing commitments to family and self, that she experiences in culturally specific ways. Interspersed throughout are scenes from "The Butterfly Lovers," a folktale that at first seems a perplexing addition to Ali's story but becomes relevant in the end.

A spirited novel exploring the clash between Midwestern America and the expectations of immigrant parents. (note about Mandarin, author's note) (Fiction. 13-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Chao, Gloria: OUR WAYWARD FATE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A596269617/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fd31016d. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

Our Wayward Fate. By Gloria Chao. Oct. 2019.320p. Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, $18.99 (9781534427617). Gr. 8-11.

As the only Asian student at her very white Indiana high school, Ali has learned to blend. She keeps her head down when classmates and teachers casually make hurtful or offensive comments, like pronouncing her name "Allie" instead of "Ah-lee" or thinking she's great at math. When Chase, who's also Taiwanese American, starts at school, Ali is annoyed but not surprised when people just assume they'll date. She is surprised, though, when she actually does find herself attracted to Chase, their common experiences providing a foundation that quickly blooms into a romance. But when Alis overbearing, emotionally distant mother reacts poorly to their relationship, Ali digs into her family's history and her parents' own fractured marriage. Interspersed with Alis story is a retelling of the Chinese folktale "The Butterfly Lovers," another story about a young woman creating her own identity. A slow-moving beginning soon gives way to a faster paced back half in this inventive, deeply heartfelt love story that explores connections of many kinds.--Maggie Reagan

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
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Reagan, Maggie. "Our Wayward Fate." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 2, 15 Sept. 2019, p. 63. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A602232118/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d7ca6ff6. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

"Chao, Gloria: EX MARKS THE SPOT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883645/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8cdfe0f0. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. Dominguez, Aurora. "When You Wish upon a Lantern." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 12, 15 Feb. 2023, pp. 54+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A738954415/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=aec1d062. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. "When You Wish upon a Lantern." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2023, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A733160549/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7d8ef1a8. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. "Chao, Gloria: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A729072611/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=38d42fbc. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. Fredriksen, Jeanne. "Rent a Boyfriend." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 1-2, 1 Sept. 2020, p. 122. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A637433684/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=50f65f78. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. "Chao, Gloria: RENT A BOYFRIEND." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A634467408/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=9f530f43. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. Wang, Weileen. "Our Wayward Fate." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 96, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2020, pp. 87+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A616788633/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c8f4c1aa. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. "Chao, Gloria: OUR WAYWARD FATE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A596269617/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fd31016d. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025. Reagan, Maggie. "Our Wayward Fate." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 2, 15 Sept. 2019, p. 63. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A602232118/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d7ca6ff6. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.

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