Loan Le on “A Phở Love Story,” the Sequel, and Editing
Graphic by Christina Hara.
Being an author is not Loan Le’s dream job.
Shocking, knowing this, when she is a successful YA author with her 2021 debut novel “A Phở Love Story,” but being an author is not Loan Le’s dream job.
Le’s dream is to help other authors bring their stories to life. Sure, she loves sitting down on a Sunday afternoon and bringing vibrant and heart-warming characters like Bảo Nguyễn and Linh Mai to life on the page, but she also loves the hours between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, when she gets to edit stories and uplift her writers. It’s not one or the other for her; she finds fulfillment in both.
Many people would relate to that narrative of juggling two careers on opposite sides of the same coin, but juggling multiple identities is not new for Le.
Being Vietnamese-American, and living at the crossroads of those two, is her home base.
Le explores this dichotomy in her debut novel, “A Phở Love Story,” which is about two teenagers whose families own rival restaurants across the street from one another. While exploring more complex themes about identity, growing up, and figuring out what you want to do with your life, Loan balances them with sharp-witted characters, relatable family members, and a story about finding your way.
When speaking to Le on the phone, she said that the story came from the common phenomenon in predominantly-Vietnamese areas where there are two restaurants that sell exactly the same thing but are equally popular in the area and can coexist.
“I didn’t really see Vietnamese food in many pieces of literature, and I wanted to introduce that,” Le said.
“And also not just food as sustenance, but as a way for people to express their emotions.”
As a full-time editor at Simon & Schuester, Le knows very well both sides of the publishing industry. And though there are pros and cons to each, Le notes that the best advice to give to aspiring writers is to, “have a really tough skin. There’s a saying where you can’t be precious with your writing… And I really believe in that.
Perfection is just an idea, but I think all writers need help in some ways, and it’s important that they realize that.”
For aspiring editors, Le says, “There’s so much you can learn from reading across genres. You’d be surprised about the things you can learn from, say, if you’re a horror lover and you read romance, you can still learn stuff from the romance.”
Le is now enjoying herself in her career where she currently is. She recently got a promotion (she’s now a Senior Editor), she’s writing her next YA book set to come out in summer 2023 (more on that in a moment), and she’s still taking the time to enjoy every moment of it.
Loan Le is a wonderful example of you don’t have to compromise any part of yourself in order to get what you want.
The journey can be tricky, but she says, “as long as you find your people to support you and chase what you want, it’ll all work out in the end.”
And, as we mentioned before, the journey still continues for Le; and her characters.
Two of the side characters in “A Phở Love Story,” Viet and Evie, will continue their stories in the companion novel called “Solving For The Unknown.”
The journey may also continue for Bảo and Linh, we hope, in a different way: on your screen. The rights to adapt “A Phở Love Story” have been auctioned, so we’re crossing our fingers we get to see these characters once more in a new way. As far as dream casting goes, Le hopes that up-and-coming young Vietnamese stars would be able to play her main characters.
Many Vietnamese recipes — no, not just phở — were mentioned, and even took center stage at points in this book. If after you read this article (or the book) and you’re absolutely craving a comforting bowl of phở, you could make it yourself.
Here’s a recipe from our own Corinne Davidson and her family you could try (and be sure to take a photo and tag us @trashmagtrashmag and Loan Le @loanloanle on Instagram if you do!):
Ingredients:
2.5lb of Beef Bones or ox tail
1 Onion (charred on stove)
1 medium nob Ginger (charred on stove)
2 Cinnamon Stick (add to a cheese bag)
6 Star Anise (add to a cheese bag)
1.5 tbsp of Coriander Seeds (add to a cheese bag)
1 tbsp of Whole Cloves (add to a cheese bag)
2 tbsp of Fish Sauce
1 tbsp of Salt
1 tbsp of Sugar or Rock Sugar
15 Cups of Water (or max line of IP)
Beef or chicken flavoring (bullion)
Thinly sliced sirloin beef (set aside)
Pho noodles
Cilantro and green onions chopped
Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeño, lemon or lime
Hosin sauce, roostersauce
Directions:
Brown beef bone and rinse.
Toast the spices (optional and throw into the cheese cloth bag).
Add everything into IP and set for 45mins, natural release.
Plating:
Boil water and cook pho noodles as directed on package and add to a soup bowl.
Line thinly sliced beef into the ladle and cook in the soup. Add to the bowl of noodles.
Add boiling soup and garnish with onions and cilantro.
Add hosin and rooster sauce to a plate as dipping sauce.
Graphic by Christina Hara.