Los Angeles-Based South Korean Author Steph Cha Is The Only Writer Of Korean-American Feminist Noir
South Korean author Steph Cha shares about her Juniper Song series. The first book of the series entitled "Follow Her Home" was released in April 2013. It introduced the character of Korean private investigator Juniper Song, who played as a detective to find out a possible romantic affair between her friend's father and a young employee.
Following the success of "Follow Her Home," Juniper Song is back for the second installment called "Beware Beware." The book, which was first published in May 2014, takes on the truth behind a Hollywood murder scandal.
The Los Angeles-based author reveals that the character of Juniper Song is somehow a reflection of who she is, as noted by Korea Times. Cha says she desires to write a Korean-American novel that will portray her experiences.
The South Korean author recently released the third installment of her series which is entitled "Dead Soon Enough." The character of Song will be managing her own cases for the new installment. Song will be caught between a community's longstanding issue to build an Armenian genocide memorial.
"[Dead Soon Enough] was American, but there were subtle differences in the household I grew up in, where we ate, where we went," Cha says. "The way that Koreans think and talk about each other. I knew that if I wrote a novel from the point of view of a Korean American woman, all of that would naturally get incorporated, just like it is in my life."
She goes on, "I didn't want to exoticize anything; she goes to Koreatown bars because I've been there. She went to an Ivy League school because of pressure from her parents. That's all stuff I know about and that my friends know about. It borrows heavily from my own life and the lives of my Korean American friends."
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times forecasted on Aug. 11 that Cha is the only author of Korean-American feminist noir because of her Juniper Song series. The LA-based author thinks she has gotten better after years of writing for the series.
Cha started writing for "Follow Her Home" when she was 22. She admits that she even has to improve her speed and discipline to finish a book in a year.
In addition, the South Korean author reveals she was inspired to write about the experience of an Armenian immigrant after she spent some time with her two Armenian friends.
"Two of my good friends are Armenian Americans, and my husband and I ended up getting into a long conversation with them about the genocide during a weekend trip to Lake Arrowhead," Cha says.
She adds, "Later, when I interviewed them about their experiences growing up in Armenian immigrant households, I was struck by the parallels in our upbringings. The emphasis on education and family, the obsession with food, our truly exemplary mothers."
Cha is a graduate of Yale Law School. The South Korean author and her husband are both lawyers, although Cha is not practicing the profession these days.