A chat with My Summer in Seoul author, Rachel Van Dyken

Rachel Van Dyken is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, a wife, a mother of two, and a prolific writer with a dedicated fan base that she has earned from years of writing great stories. Last month, she debuted a novel that is different from anything she’s ever written— My Summer in Seoul. And it was optioned for television before it was released. I had the pleasure of talking to Rachel about the book and if she’ll be revisiting characters in Seoul sometime soon.

My Summer in Seoul is different from anything else you’ve ever written. What compelled you to write it, and where did the idea come from?

It is so different and that’s what makes it so special to me. It’s a complete passion project for me. I’d watched K Dramas before and been into KPOP (at least knew what it was at least six years ago) and have written a lot of rockstar romances. I was on a plane in I think 2018 to Apollycon, a signing in DC put on by Jennifer Armentrout and I just…felt it, in my soul, that it would be such a cool concept, a cool book. One thing I did know at the time was that if you want to be an “idol” you work differently than you do when you make it in the states, and I wanted to tell that story.

I used to be a school counselor an,d because of my background it really got me thinking about these kids, I mean they’re kids, starting to train at such a young age that they’ve basically just hit puberty and what that would look like when they’re older and actually debut as a group. The members are mainly all in their twenties in my book except for the youngest, but can you imagine leaving your family, doing dance practice into the late-night hours on top of studying just in case you don’t make it? The story was so compelling to me, and I knew I had to write it.

I can only imagine the research that went into this book. Did you start researching long before you began writing the book, or did you research as you went along? And what did it involve?

I started immediately, and already I’d known a good deal or, at least I thought until I took a deep dive and realized that I knew maybe 20% of the story I was about to tell. I had a lot of help with sensitivity readers and with another group from all over the world, including Seoul, who study K-Dramas and KPOP. I would say it was around 2-3 years of research. The crazy part is that I contacted a lot of idols that had retired and, while they responded, most said they weren’t allowed to talk to me because of their contracts even if my lawyer sent them an NDA which also just says a lot.

[Spoiler alert! If you haven’t read My Summer in Seoul, you may want to skip the following questions!)

Okay, let’s talk about Lucas, one of the main characters in My Summer in Seoul. He was broken inside when he met Grace. Was it difficult to write a story with a character on the verge of suicide? 

Oh man, he was so broken! It wasn’t hard because it was his journey so it needed to be told no matter what he went through. I just felt like so many idols suffer in silence, heck so many celebs do, and with social media these days, everything is so public. Cancel culture no matter how guilty or innocent you are is everywhere, and I wanted to make sure his story was told in a way that made sense to maybe someone who doesn’t understand how harsh the industry and people can be.

Why did you decide to have Grace not speak Korean even though she grew up with a Korean father?

Quite honestly I wanted the reader to come at it as if they were also embarking on this journey in Seoul. I wanted them to go through the same confusion, the same struggles, and also learn along with her. Almost every review actually comments on this so I’m really happy the reader feels like they’re too going on the same journey with her.

I have been yes! Haha! For many years. It was just recently with the whole KPOP explosion where I was like okay I need to write this. Not a lot of people in the states are writing this sort of story why not me?

Have you ever been to Korea? And, if not, are you planning to go now?

My plan was always to go, but the pandemic hit right when we were making plans after my last book tour. I held out hope I could make it and then realized very soon that it wasn’t going to be a possibility. I pride myself on visiting any location I write about, but this time I really relied on my sensitive readers as well as friends who live in the area. Fingers crossed I can visit soon!

Do you think you will return to Korea in future stories set in the My Summer in Seoul universe?

YES. It’s such an incredible country. I can’t even begin to express how much fun I had and how wonderful it was researching. My goal is to write more in this book world but also to make sure that I’m able to visit physically and re-visit story-wise.

Since their love story was relatively new even when the book ended, will there be a sequel to Lucas and Grace?

Yes! Whenever I write a series I always make sure to use past characters so you see a continuation of their story, the only reason I kind of ended it the way I did which was a total Happily Ever After with a Happy for now love story was because it is getting adapted for TV and I wanted to leave it a bit more open for the writer.

And what about the other characters? Do you think you will revisit them? (I would love to see Solia melt a little in a romance with Kai.)

Absolutely, I loved their storyline, and I do plan on doing a quick novella with Solia’s sister later this year as well as finish off the series when I can. Each couple will have their own book and we’ll get to see the other characters interact in the process.

Any thoughts on bringing one of the Korean stars to the United States and setting the love story here?

That would be so much fun! Originally, half the book was going to take place in the US when they toured so I would love to revisit that, but my characters took on their own story, and I was like, oh wow, okay cool, so that’s where this is going, thanks for filling me in! I like to let them lead the story rather than myself and that’s exactly what they did.

What was your favorite part about writing this book?

Research. Obviously, I was writing during the pandemic, and on top of that, we had just adopted my youngest son–who hilariously enough spent his entire time in the womb listening to KPOP. His birth mom was obsessed (I had no clue until we met) so he would cheerfully sit on my lap while I researched and listened to music, and it was such an incredible bonding experience for both of us, especially considering most songs were completely in a different language, but how beautiful is that?

The fact that art can create a bond not only between us but between me and his birth mom as well. I remember turning on KPOP music videos in the birthing room to calm her down during contractions and going what is this life? It’s just a really cool reminder that while we think we’re totally in control, we aren’t. We never will be and never are, but we don’t need to be so focused on that. Let life happen, and life begins anew sometimes in ways we won’t ever expect.

What was the hardest part about writing it?

The hardest part was the fact that every character kept screaming at me for a storyline, and I was like look shush! I need to finish this part first! On top of that, I knew while finishing the last half that it had already gotten optioned for TV so it kind of made me feel like I needed to change the style a bit. I didn’t because that’s up to the writer, but that is always going to be in the back of your head when you’re on deadline.

The book is finished and out. Most authors have doubts and questions after a book’s release. Is there anything you would change about it if you could?

Absolutely nothing. I’m so proud of this project, so proud of the incredible reviews it’s gotten and I can’t wait to see it on the small screen.

Can you tell us anything about the television adaptation of My Summer in Seoul as far as how far along it is? Will you have any say in the casting of the characters?

I can’t say anything!  I wish I could! And I truly have no idea. I tend to stay in my lane when it comes to stuff like this. If they want my help, awesome (and you know I based certain characters off of real KPOP idols), but at the end of the day it’s their call to make, and I’m just thrilled they are willing to bring more diverse voices to TV. As you know, I won’t be writing the script. An Asian American female writer will be taking over–as it ONE HUNDRED percent should be. I’m so proud I’m working with producers that get how important that is.

And speaking of casting, who would you like to portray Grace and Lucas when the book finally makes it to the television screen?

That is literally one of the hardest questions ever as I had so much inspiration. I would love to see Lana Condor star as Grace because she really encompasses her personality in a way that would bring life to the character, as far as Lucas, I could see anyone from Bang Chan from Stray Kids or Eric from The Boyz, even Kevin. It would be epic to see any KPOP idol actually bring this story to life.

My Summer in Seoul is now available from Amazon and other retailers. For more information about My Summer in Seoul and the upcoming television adaptation, sign up for Rachel’s newsletter.