Van Hoang

Van Hoang is the author of Girl Giant and the Monkey King, Girl Giant and the Jade War, and the forthcoming Auntie Q's Golden Claws Nail Salon for middle grade readers. Her adult debut novel is The Monstrous Misses Mai; Silver and Smoke is her new novel. Hoang earned her bachelor’s in English at the University of New Mexico and her master’s in library information science at San Jose State University. She was born in Vietnam, grew in up Orange County, California, and now resides in Los Angeles with her family.

My Q&A with Hoang:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

Silver and Smoke seems like a simple title, but it conveys all the parts of the novel that I wanted to focus on. Silver draws to mind the silver screen, where the novel is set during 1936 Old Hollywood. The Smoke refers to the magical element, but it could also reference how much of the film industry is about illusions, whether behind a fantastical world or through tricks--both are true in this book.

What's in a name?

The main character's name is Issa Bui, which I thought would be a bit silly to have an actor with the last name resembling so close to "boo." She also has to literally spell it out for people even though it's a straightforward sort of name, which is indicative of the struggles she faces on such a miniscule level, being a person of color.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

I don't think I'd be surprised at all! My adult self is more surprised that I ended up writing a ghost story set in history, but looking back, I was always drawn to slightly scary stories during times that allowed for an escape from my current problems.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I find beginnings much harder to write, mostly because I can't move forward until I get it almost perfect. Sometimes, I have to accept that I'll have a few "false starts" and just give myself permission to write badly, but I do end up rewriting the beginning so much more than the rest of the novel.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Usually, I put a lot of myself into the main character, but Silver and Smoke is the first where the characters are least like me. The book is about two movie stars who have to be confident and sophisticated and ambitious, and I don't think I'm anything like that. It was really fun to channel these personality traits and pretend that I could be though!

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

All the Old Hollywood films! But I was especially drawn to the You Must Remember This podcast when I was researching this book, and highly recommend it! I was also inspired by Anna May Wong's life and experience in Hollywood, and much of the story of Silver and Smoke was written to honor her legacy.

Visit Van Hoang's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Monstrous Misses Mai.

The Page 69 Test: Silver and Smoke.

--Marshal Zeringue