Ep 67 | Love Boat Taipei: An Interview with Best Selling Author Abigail Hing Wen

Mar 23, 2020

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Earlier this year I went to Books of Wonder (in New York City’s Upper Westside) to attend a book launch event for Loveboat, Taipei. There I heard the book’s author, Abigail Hing Wen speak frankly and openly about her 12-year writing career and journey leading up to getting her first book Loveboat, Taipei published. All too often when we hear of success stories like hers, what gets lost is what it took to get there. I was really impressed by her story of persistence and tenacity.

After getting her first book rejected, writing five novels along the way, she wrote four versions and 26 drafts of Loveboat, Taipei, before deciding to make Ever Wong the main character. In her interview with me she was just as candid- talking about all of the hard work behind honing her craft of writing and how Loveboat, Taipei, a story about the rebellion of youth in a safe environment actually brought her closer to her parents.

The latest exciting news is that ACE Entertainment (the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series) has optioned the film rights to Loveboat, Taipei.

If you’d like to learn more about the Love Boat language study program, be sure to listen to our previous episode, episode 66 [hyper link “episode 66” to: http://www.talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taiwan-interview-asian-american-studies-professor-film-maker-valerie-soe-ep-66/], which is about Love Boat: Taiwan, a documentary film made about the Love Boat program.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Loveboat, Taipeihas benefitted from the growing interest in diverse characters and storylines
The Love Boat study program experience
When Loveboat, Taipei hit the New York Times bestseller’s list
Abigail ‘s decision to step off the path to becoming a law professor and to try writing
The first book Abigail tried to get published, but was ultimately rejected
Abigail ‘s decision to enter an MFA in writing program
How Abigail persisted for over ten years after her first novel was rejected and wrote five novels before Loveboat, Taipeigot published
How she wrote Loveboat, Taipei from four different perspectives before deciding to write it from the perspective of Ever Wong
The process of shopping around a book to get it published
How Loveboat, Taipeihas been optioned for a film by ACE entertainment
What Abigail hopes that people will learn from the story of Loveboat, Taipei
The announcement that Loveboat, Taipeihas been optioned for a movie by ACE Entertainment, the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series
How important it is for writers to have critique partners
Her role as a Senior Director of Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Abigail’s future book projects
What advice Abigail has for people who want to write a book
The feedback that Loveboat, Taipeihas received
How Loveboat, Taipeihas brought Abigail closer to her parents