Eve J. Chung: On Finding Surprises in Historical Fiction Research
In this interview, author Eve J. Chung shares surprises in the research process, why community is important for writers, and more.
Eve J. Chung is a Taiwanese American human rights lawyer focusing on gender equality and women’s rights. She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Learn more at EveJChung.com.
In this interview, Eve shares surprises in the research process for her novel, why community is important for writers, and more.
Name: Eve J. Chung
Book title: The Young Will Remember
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: May 5, 2026
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Previous titles: Daughters of Shandong
Elevator pitch for the book: A Taiwanese American correspondent gets trapped behind enemy lines during the Korean War, and must find her way back home with help from two North Korean women.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to write about the Korean War because Americans often call it the “forgotten war,” and don’t know much about it. My family is from Taiwan, and my husband is half Korean, so I was also motivated to write about a time period that was very important for Chinese, Korean, and American history.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started writing this book in January 2024, and turned my first draft in later that year to my editor. So, from idea to publication, probably about two and a half years.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
There weren’t surprises in the publishing process, since it was fairly straight forward. Or maybe there were, and I don’t remember! Most of my surprises were in the research, so perhaps I was more focused on that!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There were surprises in both the research and the writing. Since I was educated in the US, there was so much about the Korean War that I had never learned in school. I was constantly surprised by what I found, the biggest being that I had no idea how close the world had come to nuclear war then.
When writing, I start at the very beginning, and write until the end. I never outline, so as the story develops, I do end up surprising myself because there are developments that I didn’t see coming when I originally came up with the idea for the book. Imo was not supposed to be such a major character, but she ended up developing a friendship with Ellie that I did not anticipate.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that readers will learn more about a time period that is unfortunately left out of so much of our school curriculum, and also that readers know more about the impact of war on women—and also how women human rights defenders fight for justice.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Find a community—whether online, or through in person writing groups. Writing a novel is a mental marathon, and it helps to have people to commiserate with along the way.
