Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel Flux, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway and VCU Cabell First Novel awards, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and named a best book of the year by Esquire, GQ, and Cosmopolitan. His short stories and other work have appeared in The Southern Review, Guernica, The Rumpus, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, and Electric Literature. He lives in New York.

I had the opportunity to interview Jinwoo, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I am: Jinwoo Chong; a Korean American writer; 29 years old; an author of two books and a handful of short stories; a libra; a husband; a youngest child; a graduate of Columbia’s MFA program in fiction; and a cat father. 

What can you tell us about your new book, I Leave It Up to You? What was the inspiration for this story?

I Leave It Up to You follows Jack Jr., a 30-year-old who wakes up from a two-year coma to find that he is jobless, homeless, newly single, and has skipped the majority of the covid-19 pandemic that began while he was asleep. With no other options, he returns to the Fort Lee, NJ sushi restaurant run by his estranged family in order to start his life over from scratch, along the way learning to find his place again both in the world at large and among his family. It was expanded from a short story I published in the Florida Review. I started writing it while my first book was on submission to editors as a way of coping with the stress of stepping into the author world for the first time. As a result, it is the happiest, most hopeful and joyous thing I’ve ever worked on.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling/ fiction?

I’ve been writing fiction for about as long as I’ve been able to type on a keyboard. I most enjoy the freedom of it. Feedback and criticism are a natural part of publishing, but I’m very thankful that they don’t exist when it’s just me in front of a page. My love for that period of time in which I’m the only person who knows this story exists sustains me through all of the more unsavory parts of putting a book out into the world. 

How would you describe your writing process?

I try to become as boring as possible: I don’t go out, I eat clean, I sleep as much as possible, I try not to talk to anybody, I avoid books and tv. Only when my life is otherwise as empty as possible do I feel comfortable enough to work on something without the danger of becoming distracted or influenced.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating/challenging?

Because I like to outline extensively and know basically every detail of a novel before I’ve started writing it, my favorite part of working on anything is finishing it, seeing all the moving parts come together and resolve in the way that I’d originally envisioned. The most frustrating part of writing is self-doubt: assuming the role of your worst critic prematurely, before you even know what the book you’re writing is trying to say. If I get myself into that rut, whatever I’m working on tends to fall apart. 

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I would like people to know that four years ago, I met my husband’s cat, Harper, and she hated me so much that she hid under furniture for the first three months of our relationship. Today, she actively chooses to sleep next to me in bed instead of him. I can’t think of a better testament to my character.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

I would love to be asked about my favorite cut of fish to eat at an omakase dinner, and my answer is a tie between saba gari (mackerel with pickled ginger) and chutoro (the halfway between lean and fatty tuna).

What advice might you have to give for aspiring writers?

Keep reminding yourself of your achievements. We tend to forget all about them as the goalposts keep moving and our careers continue progressing, and it’s terrible for our self-esteem and creativity. 

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I’ve written my next book! 

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

Mouth by Puloma Ghosh, I Might Be in Trouble by Daniel Aleman, Confidence by Rafael Frumkin, and People Collide by Isle McElroy.

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Header Photo Credit Kristen Fedor