Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. Hello. My name is Sebastian Lee. I am from Korea and moved to Malaysia when I was seven. I have lived in Malaysia for 12 years and moved back to Korea in 2016.
I have always liked reading books and writing since I was young. I identify as demiman, meaning I identify mostly as a man, but not fully as one. My pronouns are he/him and they/them, and I like to use them interchangeably. My current interests are K-pop, neurodiversity, and LGBT issues.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “A Queer Penguin’s Survival”?
A2. The key challenge I faced while writing my book was my procrastination. One of my weaknesses is starting a project recklessly without thinking about whether I can finish it. This project was done recklessly. I struggled because I was unsure what or how to write. There were times when I feared not being able to finish this book. There were also times when I became doubtful whether this book was worth publishing. I never thought I would be able to finish it, and finishing this book gave me hope that I would be able to write more books.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. I loved reading fantasy, mystery and horror. My favourite writer was Rick Riordan, the writer of the Percy Jackson series. Not only does he write his books interestingly, but he is also quite inclusive. The series representation of ADHD may not be perfect, but it was surely a positive one. It portrayed ADHD not as something that needed to be cured, but as a difference that should be embraced. The series also included a lot of queer people. Some contents have a queer character, but mostly it would be a gay side character, and they would be the only queer character that ever exists in the entire book. However, this was not the case for this series. The series contains a lot of queer characters including Nico who is gay, and Alex who is genderfluid. And as a queer person myself, it inspired me to be more inclusive in my future books.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I don’t travel around often, I stay indoors or just go to places that I am familiar with. My favourite spots to visit in Malaysia are Coffee Bean, Golden Screen Cinema in 1Utama, and my school, Garden International School. I like Coffee Bean as I enjoy eating Break O’day. It is my favourite food. I am sad this is not available in Korea. GSC is my other favourite spot as I love watching movies, and I chose my school as I have a lot of memories with that school.
My favourite spots to visit in Korea are coffee shops and Yongsan I’Park Mall. Although I cannot eat Break O’day, I enjoy drinking a green tea latte, and writing is a lot easier when I do it in a coffee shop. I enjoy going to Yongsan I’Park Mall as I can go to the cinema and go to the bookshop as well.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘A Queer Penguin’s Survival’?
A5. A teacher told me it would be nice if I wrote a book about myself. Since then, I have been thinking about how I should write a book about my life. I knew I wanted to write a book about myself, but I was unsure how to write it. Should I make it hundred per cent fiction, should I just write it as an essay? In the end, I decided to write it as fiction, changing many names, and events to make it more interesting.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘A Queer Penguin’s Survival’?
A6. It took about a year to get it finished. I
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. You can find it on the Partridge Publishing website, and Amazon. You can buy a hardcover version, a softcover version, and an e-book of my book.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘A Queer Penguin’s Survival’?
A8. The cover was chosen by the publisher after I expressed the want to have a penguin in the cover. As for the title, It was inspired by a K-pop Idol, Kyuhyun of Supre Junior. According to him, penguins approach humans thinking they are one of their kind, then get confused, and shocked when it finds out the human is not the same species as human. This resonated with me a lot as I always felt like an outsider trying to find someone who was similar to me. That is why the title is “A Queer Penguin’s Survival.”
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. I am not sure how to answer this. I just write an overall plan for the book such as what would happen in the beginning, climax, and the end. Then I would write about what the main characters are like (their personality, their appearance and such). After writing the rough plan of what would happen at what stage, I write the rough draft of my writing, and then go over it to make sure if there are any corrections I can make. There are still areas that I miss, but I still try my best to correct as many mistakes as I can.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. Just write. I am not the best person to be advising people about writing. I am not the best writer. All I can say is just write. I know this is not the best advice, and it would feel quite unrealistic. Still, this is the only thing I can say. There would be days when you would not be able to write any words, and there would be times when you would be so immersed in writing that you would forget about your surroundings. Whatever it is, you will earn something if you don’t give up. I wish you luck.
Buy A Queer Penguin’s Survival on Amazon
Sassy Reviews 