Interview With Author Sarah Jinhee Choi
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in Seoul, Sarah spent 17 formative years living in Malaysia, Singapore, and Canada, experiences that deeply shaped her multicultural perspective. She earned her diploma in Graphic Design and Visual Communication from Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore. Upon graduation, she launched her career at Oak 3 Films, one of Singapore’s leading production houses, where she produced a range of award-winning television dramas and infotainment series.
Eager to deepen her expertise, she later pursued film production studies at York University in Toronto and master’s program in Film Studies at Dongguk University, South Korea.
Her unique storytelling voice has been recognized by several international programs. She was selected for the NAFF Film School of BIFAN 2012, Talent Campus Tokyo by Berlinale Talents & Tokyo FILMeX 2013, and the KAFA-Indonesia Co-Production Prebiz 2014.
In 2015, her Korea-China co-production project won the Project Development Grant from the Next Masters Support Program organized by Berlinale Talents Tokyo & Tokyo FILMeX, and presented at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market the following year.
In recent years, she has expanded into literary fiction. She has just completed her first sci-fi manuscript, which received mentoring from the Incheon Fantasy Convention’s Future Film Production Program 2020. In 2022, she was selected for the New Novelist Program by the Korea Creative Content Agency, and her debut crime-thriller novel was published in South Korea in 2023. Her next book, a science fiction anthology, is scheduled for release in 2026.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
This story was born after a short trip to Beijing years ago. Something about the city’s stillness, its layers of past and present stayed with me.
It grew into a screenplay, which went on to win a Project Development Grant from Berlinale Talents Tokyo and Tokyo FILMeX in 2015. It was also selected as a Korea-China co-production project by the Korean Film Council and presented at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Film Market in 2016.
Now, it has found new life as my first romance novel.
I wrote this for those who are learning what it means to love, to lose, and to grow again.
May this quiet journey find you, wherever you are.
Happy reading.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a process that I usually stick to when I start working on a story project. I’m sure most writers do. I usually draw out the rough plot line onto a whiteboard on the wall. It helps to look at the big picture and not lose direction while you write. I even made a diagram to map out the relationships between characters in the story. I think being meticulous and analytical can help you write good stories.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I tend to read classics or works by renowed authors to keep myself updated. Works by Oscar Wilde, Keigo Higashino, Albert Camus comes to mind. But I usually read factual books, to learn about what is happening around the world. They include various categories of books in the field of anthology, philosophy, economics, politics, history, humanities, etc.
What are you working on now?
I have signed with a publisher for a SF anthology novel which includes stories from 4 writers in one book, including mine. I’m excited to have my first SF story out. I have also completed a SF feature manuscript, which I hope to find a publisher soon. Last but not least, my first romance novel is out! I really hope it will find readers all over the world.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m actually learning how to engage proper marketing or promotion experts to help with my launch. It may produce results that I can never imagine, but with a small budget, I’m limited to only a couple of hours of their time. LOL. Other than that, I use my instagram and facebook to tell others about what I’m up to. Please check out @sarahamourjinhee on instagram if you wish to follow me on my work, life and other bits of thoughts.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Oh I’m a novice in romance novel writing myself, so I may not be the best person for the best advice in this specific genre. But I just hope you believe in your story and keep at it no matter what.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A film producer told me not to ‘preach’ my message in the screenplay. I realized I was too caught up in what I wanted to say that I didn’t make the story itself powerful on its own.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading a few books from time to time. They include “The Dark Passion: How Hate Arises and What It Does to Us” by Reinhard Haller, “Afterwards” by Guillaume Musso, “The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty” by Peter Singer.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to get my SF feature novel published soon, and finish a new screenplay by the end of this year.
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?
Oh in that case I’ll need to know how to find food that is not toxic, how to cook with minimal tools, and make drinking water! I’ll probably want books that can teach me that. And perhaps one that help me to build some kind of radio device so that I can signal for help. Lastly, perhaps I’ll want writing papers, binded with lots of pages so that I can scribble out my thoughts. It might serve as my legacy if I don’t survive on the island!
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