Lee Y. Miao - Middle-Grade Author
- litkidsmagazine
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Lee Y. Miao grew up in a small Pennsylvania town with a library to die for. After working in financial jobs and writing K-12 educational material, she turned to middle-grade fiction. Her novels feature mystery, sports, humor, and heart with contemporary characters discovering connections to their cultures from their pasts. Please sign up for Lee’s news about books, libraries, and reading-writing tidbits on her website.
1. Out of all your projects, what was the hardest piece to create?
My second middle-grade novel, It’s a Rhap, Cat, involved time-consuming research on Italian Renaissance art. I loved learning about the great masters of that era, so I wove in a mystery regarding an unidentified woman in a famous Raphael portrait.
2. What inspires you the most? (For context: what is something that you look at that immediately puts your brain into creative mode?)
I’m inspired by people who don’t allow personal or exterior challenges to distract from achieving their goals. This could be starting a new school without any friends or playing professional sports with only one hand. How people overcome life’s hurdles motivates me.
3. Where do you get your ideas from?
Something will click when I observe an everyday event that may be different from what I experienced. This also happens when I’m reading a book or streaming a movie. A phrase or movement of one’s hands or a funny tilt of the head can be catalysts for my own ideas.
4. What did you like to write and read as a kid?
I loved reading fiction, but honestly, I devoured everything from comic books to biographies. Nonfiction or exposition seemed straightforward when I wrote school reports, but I struggled with creative writing. Now, I write middle-grade fiction—a comical turn of events.
5. Who is your favorite author?
Hands down, Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle in Time, is my absolute favorite. A close runner-up is Gary Schmidt, who also writes middle-grade novels, of which The Wednesday Wars is a humorous, insightful book.
6. How do you come up with titles for your books?
My first book, Wei to Go!, had the protagonist’s middle name in the title because it was a takeoff on “way to go.” I decided to continue having a name in the other book titles. However, I struggled with finalizing those (It’s a Rhap, Cat and Take a Shot, Kipp) until right before publication.
7. Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
On the contrary, my dog has been incredibly supportive, sitting patiently by my desk while I write. Her reward is multiple walks throughout the day. Plus, when I’m taking a break on the sofa, she also rests with me—we are mutual couch potatoes when we choose to be.
8. What are the essential characteristics of a hero you can root for?
To me, heroes must have many flaws and yet possess a dogged determination to meet their goals. It helps to have supportive friends and family. Most importantly, the heroes must equally support these loved ones while striving to sort out their own problems.
9. Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know (yet)?
Sometimes I practice the piano, trying for more than twenty years to move beyond book one. To spur me on, my previous dog used to sing along with her woofs and howls, occasionally off-key. My family never believed me because I couldn’t get out my cell phone fast enough to record her.
10. Do you write more than one thing at a time?
While I’m revising one book, I usually start another. However, I recently started a new novel but am stumped on a “second” one, so may once again dig up some of my old short stories. A few years ago, one of them became the start of a new novel, so always save your older writing!
11. Do you let people read your work before it is finished?
Absolutely! For me, the key to getting a novel written is to have critique group writers review your chapters as you review theirs. Regardless of whether I agree with their feedback, I appreciate their comments and usually make corrections, both nitpicky and big picture ones.
12. What do you do when you feel stuck?
I’ll engage in completely different activities, like playing with my dog. I also do minor tasks like reviewing the local orchestra schedule or folding laundry. All of these usually clear my mind—who doesn’t like clean clothes—and I’m always delighted when fresh ideas pop up after my breaks.
Lee, thank you so much for sharing your excellent writing advice with our young creatives! Please follow Lee on social media and find her middle-grade novel, Take a Shot, Kipp, in our Bookshop. Keep shining!
Website: https://www.leeymiao.com
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