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In this episode of About Your Mother, I am pleased to introduce Angie Kim. Angie’s debut novel Miracle Creek was named Best Book of the Year by Time, The Washington Post, and The Today Show. It went on to win many other prizes throughout the year.
Before writing Miracle Creek, Angie Kim was the former editor of Harvard Law Review and a trial attorney. She has also written for Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Glamour, and numerous literary journals.
My conversation with Angie is far and reaching, discussing things such as her life as a Korean immigrant, writing, and the myth of the Good Mother.
Reflections of the Mother
The conversation begins with Angie’s description of her mother and her most defining trait. For Angie, her mother’s generosity and kindness have left a deep impression on her.
“I got to observe her with her customers a couple of times. I was just floored by how generous and kind she was with her customers, even sort of the cantankerous ones. She was just so kind to everyone. And everyone loved her as a result. “– Angie Kim
Angie hopes that she can do it as well with her professional relationships – going that extra mile of being kind and generous with your time can help build better bonds with others.
Miracle Creek
Discussing her book, Miracle Creek, Angie shares how her life experiences inspired the book’s themes; in a way, she’s sharing takeaways from her life with their readers through a new world woven in the story.
“So yes, Miracle Creek is my debut novel…people say that you put a lot of yourself into your first books. That’s definitely the case for me as well. I’ve put so many threads of my own life into this book, one of which is the whole immigrant thread. Another facet of my life that’s in this novel is that of me as a mother. Then finally, the other thread that’s in my novel was my first career as a trial lawyer.” – Angie Kim
Angie Kim on Being a Writer
Angie shares that for the longest time, she never wanted to be a writer. Even when she was going to a school with an incredible Creative Writing department, it never occurred to her to take it up.
Back then, she thought writing meant just sitting in one place and writing all day, which sounded boring. She found this ironic since, as a lawyer, there was a lot of writing, just a different kind.
After going through her colorful experiences in life and listening to friends be fascinated by her journey and life lessons, she decided on her next career to tackle: being a writer.
One day, when I was just having a really hard day, I just opened up my laptop and started writing about what I was upset about. And it was just so cathartic. I had never really experienced that through writing before. And I thought,… Click To Tweet
To hear more from Angie Kim and how to be kind and generous to people around you, download and listen to this episode.
Bio
Angie Kim is the debut author of the international bestseller and Edgar winner Miracle Creek, named a “Best Book of the Year” by Time, The Washington Post, Kirkus, and The Today Show, among others. Her novel also won the ITW Thriller Award, the Strand Award, and the Pinckley Prize.
A Korean immigrant, former editor of the Harvard Law Review, and one of Variety Magazine’s inaugural “10 Storytellers to Watch,” Kim has written for Vogue, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Glamour, and numerous literary journals.
She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and three sons.
