Kara H.L. Chen

Kara H.L. Chen grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, where she once had to shovel snow off her car with a plastic trashcan. She now lives on the West Coast with her husband and daughters, and is learning how to use an Instapot. She has undergraduate degrees in English and economics, a J.D., and an MFA in fiction. She has used her economics degree exactly once, when she tried to make a joke about marginal costs and marginal returns. It did not go well.

Instagram: @HL_Kara 

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?

I listen to different genres of music when I write, and each book gets its own playlist. For example, I listened to a lot of BTS while drafting my next book, ASKING FOR A FRIEND, and classical music for my current WIP. I find that music helps me keep the projects straight!

What period of history do you wish you knew more about?

I wish I knew more about Taiwan’s history after World War II, and the 228 incident in particular.

Favorite non-reading activity?

Watching K-dramas!

Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing?

My comfort food is definitely a comfort drink—oolong milk tea with crystal boba. Food doesn’t inspire my writing, but boba helps me get it done!

What brings you great joy?

Spending time with my family. I love getting to experience the world anew with my kids.