Inspiring Interviews
Printfresh x Simon & Schuster Book Club: Meet Author Carolyn Huynh
Last month the Printfresh x Simon & Schuster Book Club launched with a bang as we debuted our first book and print pairing! As promised, now we get to share an exclusive Q&A chat with the author of our first book club pick, writer Carolyn Huynh of The Fortunes of Jaded Women.
Lynzi Yearick
March 2023
Carolyn Huynh & Printfresh x Simon & Schuster Book Club
Author Carolyn Huynh was so gracious enough to sit down with Printfresh to chat about her debut novel (and the first ever book club pick pairing with our Celestial Skies print) The Fortunes of Jaded Women. Check out the exclusive Q&A with Carloyn below!
Q: We’re thrilled you agreed to chat with us, in your own words can you give us a brief overview of the book?
A: FORTUNES OF JADED WOMEN is about an estranged Vietnamese American family who are forced to come together when a famous psychic makes three predictions for them throughout the year. She predicts that there will be a death, a marriage, and a pregnancy – which causes chaos as the matriarch has to figure out which prediction belongs to who.
Q: What inspired you to write this novel?
A: I wanted to write a joyful Vietnamese story. It’s rare to read a Vietnamese story without it being centered around the war or with heavy trauma attached. I wanted to write about a Vietnamese family who still carries the weight of that trauma but they also learn how to heal from it.
Q: You also have a background in screenwriting, can you share anything about this?
A: Oh gosh! I don’t know if it’s a background, but my one claim to fame was I used to be an intern for Conan O’Brien! I tried my hand at screenwriting in my early 20s’ but it didn’t go anywhere. My love of storytelling has been constant throughout my life, and I’ve always been writing. My undergrad degree was in journalism, I wrote a few YA books which went nowhere, and I’m so happy I was able to go for it with FORTUNES. Persistence is key!
Q: What’s one thing you’d like to share with shoppers who read the book?
A: All I’ve ever wanted was for readers to close the book with a smile on their face. I hope they walk away frustrated at these women, but also in love with them.
Carolyn Huynh's signed, sealed & printed
Q: What’s one fun fact about the book that readers may not know about?
A: There are some fun Easter Eggs in the book which I won’t spoil (i.e. I named two couples after another very famous couple), but a fun fact is that the psychic I based the book off of, is based on a real Vietnamese psychic in Hawaii!
Q: What’s your favorite part of the book?
A: Am I allowed to spoil it?! The reunion scene was my absolute favorite thing I’ve ever written along with the final sentence in the book.
Q: Can you give readers a sneak peak into your next novel?
A: My next novel is called THE BREADWINNER, and it’s about another Vietnamese family, this time set in Texas. The father is the owner of a national chain of Vietnamese sandwiches and when he suddenly retires, he enlists his estranged adult children in an inheritance scheme, which requires them to each take over a failing shop in different parts of America and revive them in order for them to get their inheritance. It’s a story about father-daughter relationships, mental health, familial legacy, and decaying enclaves across America. (I just have to write it now).
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