Alice Lin is the author of Fireworks and Love Points to You. She is an avid reader who first started dreaming up stories in sixth grade and who loves to get lost in other people’s imaginations. She holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Rutgers University and has a working background in public libraries.

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

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

Sure! My first “serious” venture into creative writing was through fan fiction. Prior to publishing my first book, I was a teen librarian for six years. Although I no longer work in libraries, I still love books, and when I’m not exhausted from my day job, I even try to write them!    

What can you tell us about your latest book, Love Points to You? What was the inspiration for this story?  

Love Points to You is a young adult sapphic ace romance that follows Lynda Fan, a digital artist who is determined to go to art school and unexpectedly finds love when her arrogant and rich classmate, Angela Wu, hires her as a character designer for an otome game. 

This book is actually a rewrite of my first manuscript, which I completed back in 2017 but failed to publish. The original story was very different and was more contemporary fiction than romance. I started brainstorming ways to revive this manuscript at the end of 2021. By then, I had played a few mobile otome games—so things kind of took off from there. 

As an aspec reader, I was excited to hear there’s ace representation in Love Points to You. Would you mind discussing that here and what it meant for you to have that representation in the book, as well as queer representation in general?

To put it plainly, I am who I am. If I like someone, I like them. That’s all there is to it, and I wanted my writing to reflect that. 

Lynda, our flawed protagonist, is confident in who she is. While she does occasionally feel different for identifying as bi and ace, she’s never felt ashamed of it nor should she. The same applies to Lynda’s love interest, Angela, who is bi (but prefers girls) and identifies as demisexual. Although Angela’s mom holds some misguided opinions about her sexual orientation, that doesn’t stop Angela from being true to herself. At the very least, it is my hope that some of my readers will recognize a bit of themselves in Lynda and Angela. 

As an author, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically young adult fiction and romance? 

I’m an introvert and a daydreamer, so storytelling is a comfortable way for me to express myself and explore ideas and experiences (some of which I will never know firsthand, like getting hired by a rich classmate to work on an otome game). 

As for what drew me to young adult fiction and romance—well, I was a very dramatic teenager. Young adult fiction embraces the intensity, messiness, and (dare I say) absurdity of youth. It’s fun and embarrassing to revisit my adolescence through the characters I create and the ridiculous situations I put them in. Although I’m not much of a romantic, I enjoy capturing the joys and frustrations that romance brings to people who are still learning who they are and who they want to be.      

How would you describe your writing process?

I’m a slow writer. I don’t follow a routine, and even when I make an outline, I often don’t follow it. My process usually involves telling myself, “Stop overthinking and just write!” That said, I can always rely on reading books by other authors to help me with my next project.  

As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general? 

Sailor Moon. I love writing about magical girls and celebrating female friendship. 

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

My favorite element, which is also the most challenging, is finishing the darn book! Sometimes, I just can’t find the words to describe what I’m thinking, but when I finally do find my stride—it’s amazing. The book almost seems to write itself at that point.   

Many authors would say one of the most challenging parts of writing a book is finishing one. What strategies would you say helped you accomplish this?

When I find myself struggling to write a scene, I enter some placeholder description and move on to the next scene. If I’m really in a slump and can’t write at all, I leave the book alone and find something else to do. Then, once I’ve had enough time away from my book, I can return to it with a better attitude and a fresh pair of eyes.  

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

I love cats and guinea pigs.  

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)?

What’s my favorite bubble tea! (My go-to is a hot jasmine green milk tea, 30% sugar.)  

What advice might you have to give for other aspiring writers?

Becoming a published author isn’t a race. Not everyone starts at the same place or arrives at the same time. If writing ever starts to make you unhappy, step away and take the time you need—and don’t feel guilty for doing so.    

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

I’ve been slowly plugging away at a visual novel. It’s a personal side project that has admittedly taken me away from the next book I wish to write, which is loosely inspired by Yeh-Shen (aka Chinese Cinderella).    

Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of GeeksOUT?

Check out Andrew Joseph White and Dahlia Adler!