Standout Authors Unbound amplifies the voices of underrepresented writers and indie authors to disrupt an industry that rewards conformity over authenticity.
What happens when the stories you grew up without finally get written?
Thien-Kim Lam didn’t set out to change the romance genre. She just wanted to read a book where people like her existed. And when she couldn’t find it, she wrote it herself.
In this conversation, she shares how a bookmobile in rural Louisiana sparked a lifelong love of reading, why representation in romance is about more than diversity checkboxes, and what it really means to stop writing for the white gaze and start writing for yourself.
Highlights
A bookmobile that started everything.
Thien-Kim grew up in a small Louisiana town where her parents couldn’t afford to buy books.
Then one day, a library on wheels pulled up in front of her elementary school.
“I was just like, I could take these home and read them. I was flabbergasted.”
That moment cracked something open. She started journaling. Writing strange stories in middle school. And eventually, after becoming a mother and devouring romance novels to survive the sleep-deprived haze of early parenthood, she realized something was missing.
There were no books featuring people of color.
So she decided to write one.
When Thien-Kim started writing, she assumed that reading hundreds of romance novels meant she already knew how to write one.
She was wrong.
“The audience knows that there’s a happy ending, but you have to make the journey feel worth it. You got to put them through their ups and downs. And I think that’s the hardest part.”
A lot of writers think the genre gives them a shortcut. It doesn’t. It just means the bar for the emotional journey is that much higher.
Community is what gets you to the finish line.
Thien-Kim didn’t write her first publishable book alone.
She found a romance writing community online, joined writing sprints on Zoom, and leaned on beta readers who gave honest, generous feedback.
“When I got my book deal, everybody in this community was so excited for me. It wasn’t the, oh my gosh, when is it going to be my turn? They’re all just… a rising tide lifts all boats attitude.”
That’s the kind of community that changes everything. Not the ones that celebrate only their own wins. The ones that celebrate yours like it’s their own.
You don’t need to write for the white gaze.
By her third book, Something Cheeky, Thien-Kim had stopped asking herself whether her work would be palatable enough for readers who didn’t share her background.
“I’m just like, I don’t give an F what people think. It’s going to be so Asian. If you don’t know something, you can Google it.”
That decision made Something Cheeky the book she’s most proud of. Because when she stopped holding back the most specific, most personal, most true parts of herself, that’s when the writing came alive.
The specific makes it universal.
Thien-Kim describes something in this conversation that most writers get backwards.
She intentionally creates communities of color in her fiction because she never had that growing up. And when you’re writing a scene set in New Orleans, or at a shared family-style meal, you don’t have to explain the cultural details to the reader. You just trust them.
“When I’m with a group of Asians, I feel like we don’t have to explain why we love food so much or why food is such an important way to share, not just sustenance, but connection and community.”
That specificity is the thing that makes readers feel most seen.
Word of mouth beats the algorithm.
Thien-Kim is refreshingly honest about social media.
She’s cutting back because it costs more energy than it returns.
“The word of mouth is probably the best way to market your book. And it doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything because you’re just doing one-on-one.”
She’s prioritizing in-person connection, local writing community, and showing up for other authors in the ways people showed up for her. That’s her version of marketing. And it sounds a lot more sustainable than chasing the algorithm.
Embrace your weird.
When I asked Thien-Kim what authors can do to stand out, she didn’t hesitate.
“Write your weird. Embrace your weird. What makes you special? What makes you different? Put that in your writing.”
Her challenge to writers: make a list of everything you love and think makes you weird. Then figure out how many of those things you can put in your next book.
The more you lean into what makes you you, the more your writing becomes something no one else could have written.
Closing Reflection
Thien-Kim Lam writes romance that says: you deserve to see yourself in these pages.
Her journey from a bookmobile in Louisiana to three published novels with HarperCollins is proof that the most personal stories are often the ones that reach the furthest.
If you’ve been holding back the most specific, most honest, most weird parts of yourself in your writing, this episode is your permission slip to stop.
And if you’re an author with a story to tell, leave a comment and share your work with us. You deserve the spotlight too.
Thien-Kim’s “Pho-King Awesome” shirt and other merch: https://chopstixlove.threadless.com/
