82. Malinda Lo Never Went Away
What is a comeback, anyway?
In the second episode in the Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series, Malinda Lo and I talk about her huge year with Last Night at the Telegraph Club and what it has meant for her writing and life. But is it really a “comeback” if she never went away in the first place?
In 2021, Malinda went from being a steadily publishing midlist author to being one of the breakout publishing stars of the year—if not the breakout star—with Last Night at the Telegraph Club winning the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, being an NYT bestseller and a Printz Honor book and landing Malinda on the cover of Publishers Weekly.
Whew!!
We talk about *all that*, how it has and hasn’t changed her writing life, and what the heck does publishing want from writers of color, anyway? We also talk about her follow-up book, A Scatter of Light (which is available NOW), and how it feels to know your new book can’t possibly do as well as your last when your last swept every possible category of success.
Despite all of her recent triumphs, Malinda is as grounded, wise, and delightful as ever, which will surprise no one who knows her.
Find the episode wherever you get podcasts, and tell a friend!
Selected Links
Malinda’s NBA acceptance speech:
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