Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Graci Kim, author of new middle grade novel, Dreamslinger.
On 7 April Graci Kim announced on her social media channels that she wasn’t going to be touring the US to launch her latest novel, Dreamslinger (published in America by Rick Riordan Presents). We’ve added an extra question to address this.
What it’s like to be an Aotearoa author of Korean heritage with strong ties to the US market
There have been some unexpected challenges trying to release a new book into the US recently. I had originally planned to do a two-week book tour for the launch of Dreamslinger, visiting schools across the country. It was something I was very excited about, since I’ve always received nothing but warmth and welcome from my American readership.
But unfortunately, I wasn’t able to secure a tour this time around for a few reasons – one of which was that some schools are worried about the repercussions of having an author like me (ie. of Korean heritage) who writes books inspired by Korean culture and mythology. The teachers who reached out to me explained that my visit could be seen as a DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiative, which could attract scrutiny from their schools and authorities.
It’s disappointing of course, to say the least, but I mostly just feel for the teachers and librarians who are having to navigate these strange waters. As for me, I am trying to keep my chin up, because I’m not going to stop writing, nor am I giving up on my American readers.
Lucky for me, my Korean heritage has gifted me grit and perseverance, while my Kiwi upbringing has gifted me optimism and a can-do attitude. This is but a blip in my journey, and I’m excited to continue sharing Dreamslinger with my wonderful readers in Aotearoa, in the US, and in all other corners of the world!
The book I wish I’d written
There are so many books I wish I’d written, but in terms of books I’ve read in recent years that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about – it would have to be the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. The concept is that humanity has conquered death, and only Scythes can end life. It explores morality and control, and what could possibly go wrong in a world where everyone can live forever. I am convinced Neal Shusterman can’t be human, or at least, full human. I don’t condone theft, but with all transparency, if I could steal his brain, you bet I would.
Everyone should read
A book I read recently that was just the perfect mix of hilarious, feel-good, and heart-wobbly goodness was The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood. You think it’s just going to be this fun rom-com romp, and then it wipes you off your feet with its hefty emotional slap. The characters are so delicious and sticky, they stay with you long after the last page is turned. I recommended it to my sister, and my claim to fame is that she got so engrossed in it she almost forgot she had a baby she had to feed (sorry, niece!), and then we both separately slid into Kirsty’s DMs to confess our love for her brain.
The book I want to be buried with
I want to be buried with the gazillion “books” that my kid “wrote” as a pre-schooler. I say “books” in inverted commas because they range from 5–10 pages in length, and I say “wrote” in inverted commas because she made a grown-up write the words while she dictated them. One of my favourites is about a mysterious unicorn who laid apples, whose dream was to open a supermarket. Oh, and another about a land called Mysteria, where seven good queens and seven bad queens live. On one day a year, it rains, and special magical powers are bestowed upon those who get wet. Unfortunately, that’s when the seven bad queens turn everyone into chickens. Womp womp. She used to watch me struggle through my drafts and ask me, in a quizzical tone, “Mummy, how come it takes you sooo long to write a book? It only takes me one Bluey to write one! But that’s OK, you’re still learning.”
The first book I remember reading by myself
This was not the first book I read by myself, per se, but I distinctly remember discovering The Babysitter’s Club series and feeling like my brain had been lit on fire. It was the first time I felt inspired to apply something from a book into my real life. Of course, in a wholly unoriginal plot twist, I also set up a babysitting club with my friends — although ours had a Spice Girls flavour to it, where we each had a special alias (I was “Midnight Black”), and we performed pop concerts when we weren’t busy babysitting…
The book that made me cry
I absolutely love it when a book can make me cry, and the first time it ever happened, I was in primary school and I had just read The Day After Forever by Erin Skiffington. Despite not being able to tell you much about the plot or characters, I will tell you I bawled like a baby as I closed that book, and felt like I’d entered some kind of new world. I remember being stunned into silence at the power of words — and how reading about imaginary characters could make me feel such an intense torrent of emotion. I was hooked. Then I found out the author (also a Kiwi) was only 14 when she wrote the book. It absolutely blew my mind!
The book I never admit I’ve read
So I read this question wrong, and thought it was asking about a book I admit I have never read. I now realise the question is the opposite of that, but since I’ve already thought of an answer, I will pretend my first reading of the question was correct.
The book I admit I’ve never read is the Harry Potter series, which my husband thinks is wild since I write children’s fantasy novels. The thing is, I loved reading for pleasure as a kid, but then I went through a whole chapter of life from high school until my late 20s where I lost touch with books. I read textbooks (against my will) and the occasional self-help book (to further my will), but there seemed no time for reading for the sake of enjoyment and escape. School, and then work, took too much of my time for such indulgence. But then when I temporarily went blind (that’s a story for another day), I suddenly remembered about the existence of stories again. And I’ve never looked back — well, except for Harry Potter. Does it count if I watched (most of) the movies?
Greatest New Zealand book
This is a terribly unfair question (how can you whittle so many greats into one favourite?!), but right at this moment, I am reflecting on how much I adored Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox. For a theatre arts kid who is obsessed with dreams (there’s a reason my new upcoming book is called Dreamslinger), this book grabbed me and never quite let me go. Imagine having the special gift of catching larger-than-life dreams, then relaying them for audiences in a magnificent dream palace called the Rainbow Opera. I want to go to a live dream performance! Add a heaping of politics, danger, and intrigue, and you have yourself a great New Zealand book.
Greatest New Zealand writer
This is also a terribly unfair question to ask, because it’s too difficult to choose just one. Can I say it depends on the weather and my mood? You know what, I’ll just go rogue and tell you some of the writers I’ve recently read and adored (but know this is far from an exhaustive list): the aforementioned Elizabeth Knox, Sherryl Jordan, Nalini Singh, Rose Carlyle, Claire Mabey, Rachael King, Rose Lu, Joanna Cho, Allegra Hall, Shilo Kino, Kyle Mewburn, Leonie Agnew, and so so so many more…
Best place to read
So recently, I’ve been dreaming about a retreat in a beautiful location, with like-minded bookish folks, cute huggable dogs and/or cats, where they cook delicious meals for you, and all you do is relax, read, hug animals, and then talk about books. Can someone create this so I can go??
What are you reading right now
I haven’t gotten into it yet, but I just picked up The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, set in the near future, where a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry gathering “expats” from across history to test the limits of time-travel. The Sunday Times called it “the most talked-about debut of 2024” and it was even a Barack Obama reading pick, so I’m curious to see what I discover within its pages.
Dreamslinger by Graci Kim ($24, Penguin NZ) is available to purchase through Unity Books.
