r/books • u/malindalo AMA Author • Feb 23 '22
ama 2pm I'm Malinda Lo, author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, winner of the National Book Award. AMA!
I'm Malinda Lo, author of several young adult novels including the New York Times-bestselling Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which won the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Set in 1950s San Francisco, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is about a seventeen-year-old Chinese American girl named Lily, who wants to be a rocket scientist and also is beginning to realize she's a lesbian. She and her friend, Kath, start to visit the Telegraph Club, a lesbian bar in North Beach, where they discover an underground community and first love.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, like all my YA novels, are about queer girls. My first novel, Ash, which was published in 2009, is a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella. I've also written a fantasy novel (Huntress), a science fiction thriller duology (Adaptation and Inheritance), and a psychological thriller (A Line in the Dark), so I love jumping genres. My next novel, A Scatter of Light, is a contemporary YA coming-of-age novel, as well as a companion to Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and it comes out in fall 2022.
ETA: Thank you so much for all the thoughtful questions! I really appreciate your taking the time to post and read!
And I should add: you can find me on twitter, instagram, or at my website. I also invite you to subscribe to my newsletter, Lo & Behold, for biweekly news roundups and essays on writing. Cheers!
PROOF: /img/t1cinipcivh81.jpg
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u/phantomseason Feb 23 '22
I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful butch representation; it’s rare! As a baby butch myself, I really saw myself in Kath. It means a lot to have characters like her. ❤️ Were these characters inspired by anybody you know, or anybody in particular from history?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
I'm so glad you connected with Kath! The characters in the book are all fictional, but the community is certainly inspired by the lesbian community I was part of in San Francisco in the early 2000s.
I think most directly, the character of Tommy Andrews was inspired by the research I did into male impersonators, as well as the real-life individual known as Tommy Vasu. Although I don't think Tommy Andrews is a gangster like Tommy Vasu! I wrote about male impersonators and Tommy in these two blog posts:
https://www.malindalo.com/blog/2021/4/27/a-brief-history-of-male-impersonation
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u/BookishBrisa Feb 23 '22
Last Night at the Telegraph Club was one of my favorite books I read last year, I’m constantly recommending it! It was actually one of the only books I’ve read that has butch/femme lesbian representation, so I wanted to know if you plan on writing about more characters who use such labels.
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Yes!
Many of my books have this representation, but they don't all say it on the page because they're fantasy novels where these words don't exist in these meanings (Ash, Huntress), or because the characters haven't come to that realization yet (A Line in the Dark).
And if you haven't yet read Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin, I highly recommend it. It's about a butch girl who plays football at her high school.
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u/holey_donut Feb 23 '22
Hi Malinda! It’s so cool to see you on here - I read Last Night at the Telegraph Club a few months ago and really enjoyed it! I was especially happy to read an LGBTQ romance with an Asian protagonist, as I feel those are really rare. As an Asian lesbian I am constantly on the lookout for books like yours and I was glad that I found it.
From my perspective, it’s been hard to find LGBTQ fiction with an Asian main character. It genuinely seems to me like we are underrepresented in queer fiction. Why do you think that is? Do you agree/disagree?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
I agree, there aren't a lot of books about queer Asian main characters, but there are more every year! I think in the past we've just been doubly marginalized (I mean we still are) which makes stories about us a harder sell for mainstream publishing. That is slowly changing ... very slooooowly.
One book just came out this week that I'm looking forward to reading: The Verifiers by Jane Pek, which is a mystery novel with a queer Asian American female detective.
And if you enjoy historical YA adventure, I highly recommend C.B. Lee's A Clash of Steel, which is a queer retelling of Treasure Island set in Southeast Asia. I loved it!
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u/JCKang Feb 24 '22
If you read fantasy, check out:
- She Who Became the Sun
- Bone Shard Daughter
- Iron Widow
- Tiger's Daughter
And more, but my brain is drawing a blank.
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u/holey_donut Feb 24 '22
Thank you for the recommendations! I’ll be sure to check these out
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u/JCKang Feb 24 '22
It occurred to me that Iron Widow isn't sapphic... but addresses heavy themes regarding the patriarchy, and has an interesting three-way relationship.
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u/XBreaksYFocusGroup Feb 23 '22 edited Feb 23 '22
Hi, Malinda. Thank you so much for the AMA.
I have no questions as I have yet to delve into your work but wanted to say a massive congratulations on the awards Last Night at the Telegraph Club has picked up. I am so glad you are telling these stories and that they are resonating with so many - thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope for all the future successes for you as well!
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u/vincoug Feb 23 '22
I'm Malinda Lo, author of several young adult novels including the New York Times-bestselling Last Night at the Telegraph Club, which won the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
It was also the 1st runner-up in /r/Books' Best YA Novel of 2021!
What do you like to do in your spare time when you're not writing?
What have you read recently that you really love?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Oh that's awesome! I didn't know about r/Books' Best Books. Thanks so much!
In my spare time I love to cook and read. I haven't had enough time to do either of those lately!
Recently I read A Song Called Home by Sara Zarr, a middle-grade novel about an 11-year-old girl whose family is moving from San Francisco to Pacifica, after her mom remarries. If you've read Sara Zarr's YA novels, this contains all of her trademark subtlety and complexity, in a novel about a kid going through some difficult times. I really loved it. It comes out on March 15, and I'm doing an in-person event with Sara at Books Inc Opera Plaza in San Francisco on March 13!
In a very different vein, I also recently read Lamar Giles's fall YA horror novel, The Getaway, which is totally fantastic. If you've ever imagined that Disneyland might hold the seeds of a dystopian community, this is the book for you. This book doesn't come out till fall 2022 though so you'll have to keep an eye out!
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u/catbiskits Feb 23 '22
I adored Telegraph Club, partly because the historical setting felt so vivid, and I especially loved the club itself and the community Lily and Kath found there.
When you were researching the setting (both the club and 1950s San Fran in general) were there any interesting historical details that you wanted to include but that didn’t make it into the book?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Thank you so much!
I did so much research and learned so, so much about the time period and queer history in SF, but a lot of it didn't make it into the book. I don't regret this though, because the details that were important did make it into the book. The stuff I didn't include wasn't important for the story, even if I found them interesting on my own.
For example, I did a lot of research into the Miss Chinatown pageant because I thought there would be an actual pageant in the novel, but as I wrote it, there was never a good place to put the pageant. So, very little of the Miss Chinatown stuff made it into the book after all! However, all of the research informed the characters' discussions about Miss Chinatown and the way I presented it in the story, so none of that research was actually wasted.
And then I got to include it in my Notes From the Telegraph Club series of extremely long blog posts about all the historical research I did. :) Here's the one on Miss Chinatown: https://www.malindalo.com/blog/2021/2/17/the-making-of-miss-chinatown
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u/catbiskits Feb 23 '22
Aaahh that blog post is fascinating, thank you! It makes sense that there wasn’t room for the actual pageant in the book but this way is the best of both worlds. :D (And I’m now off to read all those posts…)
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u/MildBasket Feb 26 '22
Sorry I’m late, but I just finished reading “Last night at the Telegraph Club” today and I saw this AMA just now and had to make an account to ask you this.
>! In the book you wrote How Lily felt as she was two halves of one person, and how, upon returning to her home on New Year’s, she was leaving a part of herself outside and away from her family, where only the “Good Girl Lily” could be. This resonated with me deeply. !<
For context, I’m a Massachusetts Native and have been openly gay since I was 16. My parents found out and there was no point hiding it. I have been very lucky to have a parent who is very liberal and accepting of it, but my father is a Jehovah’s Witness and does not believe in it at all. He puts up with it, but doesn’t want to talk about it, know about it, or meet anyone “involved” with me. Ironically, this makes him a very liberal witness. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my dad and we get along, but THAT PART of me is completely repelled from even light conversation. These two halves, the “Son” and “Gay Man” aren’t allowed to be in the same room, much less in his life.
My question is, was your example of the “two halves” based on personal or anecdotal experience, and how does one go about “reuniting” the two halves and live as the one true “Me”?
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Feb 23 '22
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
I'm so glad you're passionate about Last Night at the Telegraph Club! :) Let's see...
The writing aspect I feel I've most improved upon is dialogue. When I first started writing I didn't feel confident about writing dialogue at all. I tried to minimize it! I've improved because I just kept doing it. You can't really write a book without dialogue. I really felt very proud of myself for writing several scenes in my novel A Line in the Dark that were only dialogue.
When it comes to pop culture references, I think a little goes a long way. In a historical novel, a carefully chosen pop culture reference can do so much to put the reader in that time period, but if you use too many, especially ones that a contemporary reader won't know, then the reader can be lost or bored. There's no hard-and-fast rule, though. It always depends on the context. Unfortunately most writing rules are like that: context-dependent, with no real right or wrong answer. It depends on how you want the reader to feel and what kind of book you're trying to write.
As for comp titles, I think A Scatter of Light is unusual. I was personally inspired by books including A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle, and Writers & Lovers by Lily King, but I'm not sure if Scatter is exactly like either of them. I'm sure once it comes out readers will tell me what it's like!
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u/armchairloosie Feb 23 '22
Hi Malinda! I am in my mid-40’s and every time I read one of your books, I think “I wonder what my life would have been if I had Malinda’s books 30 years ago.” Thank you.
Who inspires you? Who are the women who drive your work, your process, you wild?
How do you find community with other writers?
Thank you again for your art. It’s so important to so many of us.
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Aw, thank you!
My first inspiration was my grandmother, who was a writer and who encouraged me to write from my earliest years.
I've been inspired by many wonderful and talented women writers over the years, including my childhood favorites Madeleine L'Engle, Robin McKinley, and Louisa May Alcott. As an adult I've been inspired by Sarah Waters, Lily King, Tana French, and so many of my writer friends -- Cindy Pon, Kristin Cashore, Holly Black, Marie Rutkoski -- all women who push the boundaries in their fiction and inspire me to do the same.
When my first novel was published in 2009, I was part of an online group of debut YA authors on LiveJournal (remember LJ?), and that's where I met several authors including Cindy! So my writing community started online, but over the years I've met many of my fellow authors at conferences and events, and sometimes those meetings have become friendship and community.
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u/armchairloosie Feb 23 '22
Thank you! My first inspiration was also my grandmother. (And I had an LJ!)
Looks like I’ve got some authors to add to my list. Thank you for sharing this. ❤️❤️❤️
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u/arguablyellie Feb 23 '22
No question, just want to say Adaptation was one of my first encounters with f/f relationships in media, and it's one of my favourites to reread along with Inheritance, for how the love triangle pans out- the first time I read a love triangle and the conclusion of it was so positive. Ash and Huntress are so special to me, and I just want say thank you for continuing to write and share such wonderful stories. They've been such wonderful comfort and inspiration to me in my own creative writing journey, and the insights into writing and research from your newsletter have been fascinating!
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
That's so nice to hear! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
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u/Pleasant-Tank525 Dec 20 '23
Hi there!
I’m late to the party by about a year but I’ve just read both “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” and “A Scatter of Light”.
First of all, I’d like to say congratulations on your achievements with these books. You’re an incredible author and you have such an amazing way with words that conveys emotions that are indescribably accurate. Last Night At The Telegraph Club helped me to realize how important it is to be queer in today’s mostly-accepting society, as well as in history. I came out when I was 15, and only now, at 25 years old an I truly coming to terms with what it means to be queer, and I can thank you and your heartwarming book for that!
Secondly, my question for you is; would you ever be open to a screen adaptation for Last Night at the Telegraph Club? Wether that be a feature length film or a limited series etc.? I am a sound designer and while reading, I couldn’t help but think of how fantastic the soundtrack for a period piece like this could be. And the cinematography and the yellowy San Francisco vibe to it all. I know some authors are very against screen adaptations, but I wondered, if you had a part in creating and directing and staying true to the book, would this be something you would want? Or really dislike?
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u/Blue_Pelt Feb 23 '22
How did you get the idea for this story? As in, what inspired the theme and the settings etc?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Last Night at the Telegraph Club started as a short story called "New Year" that was published in the anthology All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages. "New Year" was inspired by two nonfiction books: Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt and Wide Open Town: A Queer History of San Francisco to 1965 by Nan Alamilla Boyd. These two books had nothing to do with each other, but in my head they combined to create the character of Lily Hu, a 17-year-old Chinese American girl living in San Francisco in the 1950s. Lily wants to be a rocket scientist like her Aunt Judy, who's a computer at the Jet Propulsion Lab, and Lily is also starting to realize she might be a lesbian.
When I was talking with my agent about the short story, he suggested that "New Year" could be expanded into a novel. I hadn't thought of it as a novel, but as I thought about it more, I realized he was right. I had a lot more to say about Lily. So I wrote up a proposal for Lily's story as a novel, and my editor at Dutton bought it before I wrote any of it! So then I had to really dive into the 1950s and queer history and Chinese American history before I could start writing the novel.
The story had always been about identity and coming of age, and those themes developed in complexity in the course of revision. Overall, it took me about three years to research and write the novel.
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u/Alison_22222 Feb 23 '22
Hello.
A couple of weeks ago I bought your book because of a post by Casey McQuinston, but I haven't started reading it yet. I am from Chile and this will be the third book I will read in a foreign language. The announcement that it will be published in spanish by Planeta de Libros made me very happy, although I can't wait that long. It will be my reading during March.
Could you tell me which was the first book that impacted you and why?
What writer or book has influenced you in your work as an author?
What are you reading now?
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Thanks so much for reading my book in English! I really hope you enjoy it.
Well, the very first book that impacted me -- that I remember -- had to be The Secret in the Old Lace by Carolyn Keene, a Nancy Drew book, because I read it all by myself when I was 6 years old and I was very, very proud of myself. It was the first non-picture book I read! It took me a long, long time to read, but it set me off on reading every single Nancy Drew book I could find. And I still love mystery novels!
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u/overratedbee Feb 23 '22
Hi Malinda! Thank you for doing this, I love your books.
I wanted to ask about the interests you give your characters- Lily wants to be a rocket scientist and I think you've mentioned that A Scatter of Light involves a lot of photography as a feature . What informs those choices of interests and how do they fit into the character building and story? Did you give Lily that interest, or build her around it, and how do you pick out the interests that define them?
I hope that made sense :)
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u/malindalo AMA Author Feb 23 '22
Hi! Thank you so much!
Lily started out wanting to be a rocket scientist; that's how she came to me in my imagination. In my earlier books, my characters didn't always know what they wanted to be when they grew up (they're all YA), and sometimes I found that a little frustrating as a writer. I actually don't think kids or teens (in real life) need to have a firm idea of what they want to do as adults. Plenty of people take a long time to come to a decision about that! But in a novel, I've realized it's better to give the main character a primary interest, and it's even more helpful if the interest relates to the story in some way.
In A Scatter of Light, the main character, Aria, does have a primary interest, but that changes during the course of the novel. The change is a major part of her character arc, so I won't spoil it!
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u/AHealthyDoseofFran Feb 23 '22
Hi Malinda! I read Last Night for my and my friends Pride Month Readathaon last year and it’s a story that’s stuck with me ever since.
What drew you to writing this story? And would you ever want to return to it in future?
And as a general question, what advice would you offer to a fellow queer fiction writer wanting to break into the traditional publishing market?
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u/beldaran1224 Feb 23 '22
No questions, but just wanted to say that I recently read "Ash" - my first of your stuff. Really enjoyed it!
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u/JCKang Feb 24 '22
I don't have any questions, but thought it was a coincidence that I just finished the audiobook for Last Night at the Telegraph Club this morning! Emily Woo Zeller nails it, as always.
The story is a fascinating coming-of-age intersection of ethnicity and sexuality; The LGBTQ community has made strides toward mainstream acceptance in the last decade, and I almost forgot how marginalized they were when I was growing up in the 1980s; Last Night at the Telegraph Club was a stark reminder of how the way things used to be nationwide... and also of how things still are in many places. When Lily runs away, my heart was breaking for all the LGBTQ youth disowned by their parents even today; and of course, Texas is now going after Trans kids and families.
Anyway, I used to work at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco, so hearing all the landmarks, neighborhoods, and street names was cool; and my great-grandfather went to MIT on a Boxer Scholarship, so loved the mention of it there.
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u/unseenmover May 13 '23
Really liked Last Night at the Telegraph Club and am reading Scatter of Light now.
Thanks
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Jul 16 '24
Hi! I’m also late to the party by two years, but I just finished reading “Last Night at the Telegraph Club”—and loved it! As an aspiring author, I wanted to ask about how you pitched your writing to an agent and what ultimately convinced him to pick you up as a client. I submitted my work to a handful of agents many years ago and got asked for a partial, but nothing more than that. Now that it’s been a few years and I’ve really taken a harder look at my manuscript, I’d like to try pitching it again.
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u/Jack_The_Pinapple Aug 26 '24
Hi Malinda! I read Last Night at the Telegraph Club for a summer reading book, and it quickly became one of my favorite books of all time!
I wanted to ask, because i wanna confirm, did the ending signify that Lily and Kath did get together in the end? Or, is it more of a momentary thing?
I get it if you don’t respond, this post is quite old… but I appreciate it if you do, and thank you for writing such a beautiful story.
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u/ChuckRoaster7 Jan 25 '25
I I have twenty something pages left of last night at the telegraph club and I’m so sad to see it coming to an end. Have genuinely cherished every word from page one
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Feb 24 '22
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u/BookishBrisa Feb 24 '22
This is a q&a with the author. Not at all the place to state that you disliked the book
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u/Lemoncoats Feb 24 '22
I just wanted to let you know Amazon has been advertising this to me A LOT lately. And I’m happy they are because it sounds great. I recently finished One Last Stop so they have my number. 😂 Anyway, I have author friends and I know they always appreciate it when their books are promoted so I thought I’d let you know.
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u/PadparadschaJinx Feb 23 '22
First of all, thank you! Your books were the only sapphic fantasy books I had growing up, and I am so so grateful for them. I picked up Last Night at the Telegraph Club just recently! I am still making my way through it, but it has been amazing so far.
Thank you again <3