Interview With Author Lyntara Choi
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I’m Lyntara and I’m a newly self-published author. This novella is my debut, so it’s the only one I’ve written and published so far.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called “The Sanctuary of Tomorrow”. I was inspired by my love of telekinesis and telepathy, I find powers like that super fascinating and interesting. And my best friend has instilled in me a fascination for history, so that’s why I decided to set it in the past. Plus, that period of time is just super intriguing to me.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write a lot at a time when I’m inspired. I get afraid sometimes that if I stop while in the middle of one of my frenzies, I’ll lose the idea or the motivation. That is not how an average person should write, but it’s how I write. I just have to sit down and do large chunks without any breaks for a bit to be productive. I’m trying to find ways to better that, though.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh, so many. So, so many. Lois Lowry’s books have definitely been one huge inspiration; “Number the Stars” and “The Giver” are fantastic. Stephen King is a fascinating writer and I honestly envy his prose skills a lot. As for specific books, “When Marnie Was There” is the most recent book I’ve read and is heartbreaking and wonderful, “A Wrinkle in Time” is a classic, and I must admit, “The Metamorphosis” is quite a fascinating read. There are also many more books that I love, like “The Outsiders”, “The Lottery” (incredible read and very short, but also should not be read if you don’t want to be disturbed), the Percy Jackson series, the TumTum and Nutmeg books, the Secret Series, and oh, so many more. I have to stop myself from listing more titles, because then I just wouldn’t stop.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently in the very early stages of working on a prequel comic to my novella! It will focus on Jodi when they were younger and will also feature Max. I am very excited about it, because I love drawing as much as I love writing.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a website that I like quite a bit, which can be found here: https://sanctuaryoftomorrow.com/
And the best way you can get my novella and support me is by using this link:
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=JdWwDcGle5qSxcuVOWYb2QqpNiFpeXkdV85PsYlruZm
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing is difficult. So, so difficult. And it’s incredibly easy to fall into comparison. I’ve been guilty of it myself. Honestly, I’m still a bit guilty of it sometimes, and am still working on it. But they do say comparison is the thief of joy for a reason. The most important thing is to just write and not worry about the quality until you’re finished. It’s easy to try to switch into editing mode as you’re writing, but just getting all the words out first and then editing everything later definitely helps a lot. It gets you actually writing and gets you out of your head. I know I’ve struggled with overthinking while writing, so doing that has helped me. But finding what works for you is the best thing you can do, really. Just setting aside some time to write each day or every other day to get yourself in that habit and consistent can make all the difference.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
That it’s okay to have an awful first draft. As mentioned before, I’ve been guilty of trying to edit my work as I wrote it in the past. And that led to me taking longer to write something than I should. I tend to be a perfectionist with my writing, and editing as I want only worsened that. Getting all my words out first and then polishing it all later has helped my flow a lot. And realizing that it’s fine to have a terrible first draft that you can fix later has helped me a lot with my perfectionism, too.
What are you reading now?
As mentioned before, the most recent book I’ve read is “When Marnie Was There”, which I wholeheartedly recommend. It gets quite sad, but it also thankfully has a happy ending. And I enjoyed it a lot. I also just started reading “The Hate U Give”, and am hoping to get farther into it soon. It’s intriguing thus far.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I will hopefully finish that prequel comic in not too long of a time frame! I also have an idea for a completely new short story that doesn’t have anything to do with “The Sanctuary of Tomorrow” and its universe. Though I love that universe, I’m hoping to branch out from it one day and explore new things.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I would probably bring “Freak the Mighty”, “Sisters”, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, and “Crazy Rich Asians”.
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