Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Suzanne Park (The Christmas Clash)!
Meet the Author: Suzanne Park
Suzanne Park is a Korean American writer who was born and raised in Tennessee.
In her former life as a stand-up comedian, she appeared on BET, was the winner of the Seattle Sierra Mist Comedy Competition, and placed as a semi-finalist in NBC’s “Stand Up For Diversity” showcase in San Francisco.
She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband, female offspring, and a sneaky rat that creeps around on her back patio. In her spare time, she procrastinates.
About the Book: The Christmas Clash
Who’s naughty and nice at Riverwood Mall? In this hilarious YA holiday rom-com, two rivals get together to save their families’ livelihoods, and Christmas, too!
Chloe Kwon can’t stand Peter Li. It’s always been that way. Their families don’t get along either: their parents operate rival restaurants in the Riverwood Mall food court—Korean food for the Kwons and Chinese food for the Lis. Now it’s the holiday season and Chloe’s the photographer at the mall’s Santa’s Village, and Peter works at the virtual reality North Pole experience right across the atrium. It’s all Chloe can do to avoid Peter’s smug, incredibly photogenic face.
But it turns out the mall is about to be sold to a developer and demolished for condos. Eviction notices are being handed out right before Christmas. Their parents don’t know what to do, and soon Chloe and Peter realize that the two of them need to join efforts to try to save the mall. Just when it seems like they can put aside their differences and work closely (very closely) together, they discover that the Kwon and Li feud goes far deeper than either of them realize…
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
During the pandemic, I heard from a family friend that the suburban mall I practically grew up in was going to close. I wrote this book as an homage to my old childhood stomping grounds. When I turned in my book draft, I found out the mall was saved by a regional developer! I’d always wanted to write a holiday romcom, and having a book set in a mall seemed perfect for that.
YABC: Which came first, the title or the novel?
For this book the novel came first. We had a working title prior to THE CHRISTMAS CLASH that I loved, YULE BE SORRY, which was hilarious but didn’t fit the story at all. We brainstormed a lot of titles and the publisher put It through research and testing, and the top 2 titles from the research results were NOT YOUR SECRET SANTA and THE CHRISTMAS CLASH, and I needed to pick between them. I went with the latter because my book has zero mentions of a Secret Santa!
YABC: What scene in the book are you the most proud of, and why?
There’s a moment where Chloe and Peter are arguing, and Peter calls it banter, which infuriates her so much. I love the idea of having them bickering about whether they are bantering or not. I don’t think it’s high concept or meta, more than anything it’s funny to take something that is commonly loved in romcom novels and movies, and not taking it at face value as romantic and realistic, and questioning it.
YABC: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
I thought it was important to write every day, or almost every day, but now I see it’s not always the best thing from a self-care perspective. What writing every day helped me do was become disciplined about writing habits and carving out time, and I think that’s what is important.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
This book went through multiple rounds of concept development. I’m so happy with how it turned out. I love the Asian American rep, the holiday touches, and in the final cover, the spot shine aspects on the strings of lights make the book twinkle.
Title: The Christmas Clash
Author: Suzanne Park
Release Date: 10/04/2022
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Age Range: YA
