Chatting about Love and the Chinese Zodiac with Lauren Kung Jessen
And a book giveaway!
Lauren and I first crossed paths on Instagram, where I caught sight of the beautiful cover for her novel, Lunar Love, which just came out yesterday! The book’s premise hooked me from the start: two seemingly incompatible rivals, the Chinese zodiac, and an insider look into the matchmaking business—what’s not to love? When I got my hands on an advanced copy, I immediately fell for the characters, who have such warm chemistry and great backstories. Plus, the food descriptions made me want to dash to my nearest Chinese bakery! Below, Lauren and I talk about her book, our favorite romcom tropes, and of course, the zodiac signs.
And because I can’t keep this magic to myself, I’ll also be mailing out a copy of Lunar Love to one Wallflower Chats reader in the continental U.S. Enter here if you want a copy of this charming enemies-to-lovers romance!
Hi, Lauren! I’m so excited that Lunar Love is here. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Lunar Love is about a mixed-race Chinese American woman, Olivia, who's taking over her Po Po’s Chinese zodiac matchmaking business. On the first day she’s in charge, she learns about a competitor dating app that is also based on the Chinese Zodiac. She tries to learn more about this business by getting in with the founder, Bennett O'Brien. They become engaged in a competition over whose method works better: traditional versus modern.
While falling in love, of course! What’s your idea of a great rom-com?
I look for dialogue and chemistry. I'm a byproduct of the classic romantic comedies that I grew up on! I write clean rom-coms, and I want the dialogue to stand on its own. I also love a catchy premise and a fresh take. I like learning something, whether it’s a new culture, an experience the character goes through, or a job that the character has.
And like speaking of jobs, Lunar Love is about the coolest job in the world—matchmaking! What can you tell us about matchmaking and the Chinese zodiac?
I grew up with the Chinese zodiac. As a mixed-race woman, I've always been so interested in not only my traits as a Scorpio, but also my Year of the Horse traits. As a kid, I would wear a little jade horse around my neck. I think the Chinese zodiac serves as a language for learning about ourselves and others. Apparently, sometimes people don't want to share their birthdays, because it gives away their signs. And then you really know a lot about somebody!
As for matchmaking with the zodiac, I find that it’s an interesting system of love guidance, because there's a lot of nuance to it. I wanted to tell a love story where the two people are incompatible on paper.
Have you ever participated in matchmaking?
I've never done in-person matchmaking before, but I did meet my husband while online dating, which is a kind of matchmaking. Seven years ago, I realized I had been the third wheel to my sister and her now-husband too many times, so I signed up for an online dating app. Five days later, I met the man who is now my husband. Being a byproduct of romantic comedies, I assumed I’d have a meet-cute in the street with my future partner. But that’s not how it worked out.
Is your husband compatible with your horse sign?
He's not! He’s a snake. In Lunar Love, I actually make the villain-figure ex-boyfriend a snake. But he’s totally not based on my husband. We did sit down and look at the love signs while we were dating. We’d ask each other, “Do you relate to this? What about that trait?”
One of the elements that makes Lunar Love feel so propulsive is the competition between Olivia and Bennett. It gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes! Did you go into this thinking it was the trope you wanted to explore?
I went in knowing that it was going to be enemies-to-lovers. It’s such a fun trope, and it lends itself to witty banter. In a competition story, there’s also tension from the start, and the characters have forced proximity. I was thinking about Joe Fox’s bookstore in You’ve Got Mail, which is so huge in reach like Bennett’s app, and this local Kathleen Kelly bookstore, which is the equivalent of Olivia’s Lunar Love business. So there's big tech versus small businesses dynamic in the book.
You also write about what it means to be a multiracial person in the world. Was there anything that you hoped to convey with this representation in your book?
Putting multiracial characters in my stories is and will always be so important to me. Growing up, I didn't have stories that represented or looked like me or my family. It’s why I write. I want to showcase mixed-race characters like myself just living their life. They have fun, they fall in love. There's a lot of hunger for mixed-race stories.
There’s a ton of food in this book, which was delicious to read. What’s the importance of food to you?
This book was a way for me to explore my own culture and identity. Food is a really accessible entry point into a culture. I cook Chinese recipes on the weekends to learn about different cooking methods and ingredients. I like to explore what my mom ate when she was growing up in Taiwan or what we ate when we visited my grandparents in Hawaii. And on the other side of my culture, I like learning about Danish and Welsh foods. I’m going to be making Scottish shortbread for the holidays. Food captures my whole family lineage and history!
What’s the best romantic advice you’ve been given?
Grow together. Embrace and encourage the other person’s evolution.
Any rom-com recommendations for us?
There are so many amazing rom-coms coming out this year! But to spare you a very long list, I'll stick to recent reads and books that I'm looking forward to this month. Because it was recently the holidays, I read and enjoyed Just Like Magic by Sarah Hogle, Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun, and Season of Love by Helena Greer. Books I'm excited about that are coming out this month include (but are not limited to!) Exes and O's by Amy Lea, The Year of Cecily by Lisa Lin, The Reunion by Kayla Olson, A Love by Design by Elizabeth Everett (historical romance), and Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni. A book coming out at the end of this month that I enjoyed that's not a rom-com but does still have a spark of romance in it is A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase. If I thought last year's To Read list was long, I have a feeling this year's will be even longer—and honestly, I can't complain!
Thank you so much, Lauren! Grab your own copy of Lunar Love, follow Lauren on Instagram, and subscribe to her excellent newsletter, Past, Present, and Future.
Recent Notables
Writing:
“The Mindful Spiritually of Ăn Chay” (Simply Recipes): On my Vietnamese family’s love of vegan food.
Reading
Books:
Babel by R. F. Kuang: I loved this book and have already recommended it to a dozen people. It’s a compelling, epic story set in an alternate version of 19th-century England where translators hold the key to a magic system that runs civilization. In addition to the escapist setting, this novel also offers important insights on colonialism, power, loyalty, and the evolution of language.
The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward: This suspense mystery follows three mothers and their sons in the wealthy neighborhood of Zilker Park in Austin, as the mothers try to determine which of their kids is complicit in the murder of a young woman on the nearby greenbelt. It’s a quick read and though I wish every loose end were tied up a little more, I enjoyed it.
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: McCurdy’s memoir is full of dark humor, painful insight, and gripping first-hand observations of child stardom. I found it difficult to finish because of the many instances of child abuse, though I think it’s a valuable piece of writing. (Content warnings: eating disorders and child abuse.)
Loving
Book darts: a friend gifted me these tiny gold darts to use as bookmarks and they are a huge upgrade from my crinkled receipts. They also make me feel very elegant.
Foot warmer: another pamper-y gift from my family—a double-sided, temperature controlled warmer that keeps me cozy as I read in bed.
Stovetop popcorn: E. got a tiny bag of popcorn kernels in her advent calendar and we decided to finally look up a recipe to make popcorn on the stove. Finished it off with some melted butter and garlic salt—an instant hit and way quicker/easier than I would have thought.
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