Lyla Lee is the bestselling author of YA books about K-pop, K-dramas, and reality TV as well as the Mindy Kim series for younger readers. Her books have been translated into multiple languages around the world. Originally from South Korea, she’s lived in various cities throughout the United States, worked various jobs in Hollywood, and studied Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She now lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit Lyla on social media (IG, X, and TikTok @literarylyla).

I had the opportunity to interview Lyla, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi! I’m Lyla. I’m an author of books for all ages that are inspired by my love of pop culture and my Korean American heritage. I was born in South Korea but have lived in the US for most of my life, residing in states like California, Florida, and Texas. Love in Focus is my debut adult romance novel.

What can you tell us about your most recent book, Love in Focus? What was the inspiration for the story?

Love in Focus is a cute but also spicy second chance sapphic adult romance between two former college sweethearts, Gemma and Celeste, who are now exes that are forced to work on a career-defining project about love together. A lot of things went into the project but it was initially inspired by a Halsey album, hopeless fountain kingdom (2017), which featured songs like “Bad at Love” and “Strangers.” 

“Bad at Love” is the first song I ever listened to that was so unapologetically bi (Halsey sings about her bad experiences with both men and women). I heavily related with that song since I also had comedically disastrous experiences with both men and women in my twenties. “Strangers” is a duet with Halsey and Lauren Jauregui, the first romantic duet I ever listened to between two women. It had so much sapphic yearning for a love that once was and isn’t anymore that it also inspired Love in Focus. 

Other inspirations include: my own chaotic experiences as a bi Korean American who dated men and women across two different states, my love for queer friendships and communities, and, in the final stages of the book, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, especially romance?

I was a storyteller since before I can remember, and my mom always likes to tell people that when I was some ridiculously young age, maybe 2 or 3, and I couldn’t even read books, I’d come up with my own stories based on the pictures I saw on my board books.

Romance is a genre I ended up writing because I love romance books. I was always a very big romance reader, ever since I read my first few in middle school, but particularly during the COVID pandemic and the first few years after it, where romance books by Emily Henry, Alexis Daria, Helen Hoang, and Ashley Herring Blake were some of the few things that gave me joy in a personally very challenging time. 

How would you describe your creative process?

My creative process is multi-disciplinary. I first start with making a playlist, since music plays a large role in me discovering the “heartbeat” of a book. I then create an outline with all the beats, from the beginning to the end, of the story. Then, I draft, which is my least favorite part, where I do my best to put whatever cool vision I have for the book into less-exciting and often very sloppy words. During this time, I also travel if I can, going to places I feature in the book and taking lots of pictures and videos of seemingly insignificant details like cross-sections and the backs of pedestrians walking on the street. Then, when I’m back at my desk, I use both to flesh out the story more and to give everything and everyone more life. Once the first draft is done, I start my favorite part of the entire process, revising. I love hacking away at my book and making it closer and closer to the story I envisioned in my head. A quote I like to share is what Michelangelo once said about “seeing” the angel he’s carving in the slab of marble he’s working with and setting him free. That’s kind of how it feels like when I revise. It’s electrifying because with every revision, big and small, it feels like I’m bringing my book closer to the story I always envisioned it to be.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging? 

I touched on this in my previous answer but revising, definitely. And I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy drafting. To me, it always feels like pulling teeth, no matter how many books I write.

As a creative, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

I’m hugely inspired by the musical artists I listen to. There would be no Love in Focus without amazing sapphic artists like Halsey, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish, FLETCHER, and Hayley Kiyoko. Period. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want readers to know about you?

Honestly, I love finding people with the same hobbies as me. And I’m an avid gamer, movie and TV show watcher (especially reality TV and k-dramas), and romance reader. I love it when people come up to me at one of my events and just tells me about their favorite show, game, or book. Writers are fans, too! It’s often why we fell into this business in the first place.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Since it’s uncommon to have two romance books out in one year, I haven’t been asked about my other release coming out later this year yet. I have another romance book out in November from HarperCollins called The Cuffing Game. It’s YA, and I like to call it a modern-day K-drama remix of Pride and Prejudice and Love Island. Except really gay. Like, almost all the characters in the book are queer. I’m really excited for it.

What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers out there?

The usual two: read a lot of books and keep writing. But also, be nice to yourself and take care of yourself. It’s a tough industry out there, and more so for queer BIPOC authors. The cards will be stacked against you sometimes. Don’t be against yourself, too.

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I’m working on my next adult romance, which I can’t talk much about, but I can say that it is a bi4bi romance where both the male and female MCs are bi. It’s my first bi4bi romance since my debut, I’ll Be the One, in 2020, so I’m very excited for this one.

Finally, what books/authors (LGBTQ+ or otherwise) would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

I’ve read the following books recently and enjoyed them a lot. They’re all by sapphic authors.

Messy Roots by Laura Gao, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, and A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen.