Just in time for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, She Reads got the chance to sit down with Kyla Zhao, author of Valley Verified and The Fraud Squad, a Forbes 30 under 30 trailblazer aiming to see more Asian American representation in fiction. We chatted with her about her latest book, the mission of her work and got the scoop on some of her favorite AAPI authors.
Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao
Zoe Zeng achieves her dream as a fashion columnist in New York, living in a small shared apartment and struggling with editorial constraints and financial limitations. Disenchanted with her fashion career, Zoe takes a lucrative tech job at a Silicon Valley startup, FitPick, facing a cultural shift and ethical challenges in her new industry. Amidst Silicon Valley’s elitism and critical company stakes, Zoe is tasked with revamping FitPick’s image, navigating her new role to ensure both the company’s and her own future success.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Tell us a little bit about your book Valley Verified.
Imagine The Devil Wears Prada meets Legally Blonde, but this time Elle Woods is a young Asian woman tackling the cutthroat startup world. In Valley Verified, Zoe Zeng is forced to leave her fashion job and take on a new challenge at a Silicon Valley startup, where she must secure an eight-figure investment that could make or break the company—and her future. In the cutthroat land of tech bros, this fashionista will have to tackle judgmental coworkers, tech billionaires and her own insecurities to prove she’s more than what meets the eye.
What would you say the inspiration behind the book is?
The inspiration for Valley Verified came from a very personal place. A few years ago, I was living my dream working for Vogue in my home country of Singapore. Then, a surprise opportunity arose at a Silicon Valley tech company. I decided to take the plunge, packed my bags, and ended up in California alone. Quickly, I realized I’d been thrown into the deep end. I was a communications grad used to writing about fashion, but suddenly expected to code and program. And going from a female-dominated industry to a room full of software engineers and data scientists—almost all men—felt very isolating.
I felt like a complete failure at my new job. Even worse: I was convinced that everyone else could see it too and question if I deserved to be there. Although I was crumbling on the inside, my pride still made me want to appear successful on the surface. So instead of admitting defeat to my family and friends, I channeled all my frustration, loneliness, and self-doubt into writing a story of a young woman. Like me, Zoe Zeng tackles a big career shift, a new city, and struggles with imposter syndrome. Exploring her journey gave me a safe space to come to terms with my own insecurities.
Tell us the message behind the book.
Valley Verified explores the feeling of inadequacy we often face when starting something new or going through change. It is such a normal and valid emotion. But when we try to hide it to create a façade of success, all we end up doing is isolating ourselves. With this book, I hope to encourage open communication and vulnerability.
When I started my job in tech, I felt a lot of pressure to mask my struggles because I was so intimidated by my friends’ accomplishments. But after Valley Verified came out and I admitted that Zoe’s story is partly based on my own journey, my friends also confessed to similar experiences. But none of us revealed it in the past because we all thought no one else could relate. By sharing our true experiences—even, or especially, the difficult ones—we can normalize these feelings and build supportive communities where we realize we’re not alone.
STEM books centering female MCs are becoming gradually more popular. What do you think of this movement and do you have some favorite reads in this genre?
It’s fantastic to see more STEM books with female leads and this is long overdue. It opens the door for young girls (and anyone, really!) to see themselves as inventors, coders, and problem-solvers. Personally, I loved Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, for its touching, poignant portrayal of a female video game designer. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is also a brilliant book starring a female scientist.
ALA described your book as “Brimming with necessary discussion on sexism and gender bias in the tech industry.” Talk a little bit about the change-making abilities of fiction.
Fiction isn’t a magic solution, but it can be a powerful mirror. By following Zoe’s journey navigating sexism and bias in tech, readers gain insights into a world they might never personally experience. Stories might not solve problems directly, but it creates a space for them to be acknowledged, explored, and hopefully, challenged. This spark of understanding can ignite discussions, which is where change begins.
You’ve said that you wrote this book because you wanted to see more Asian representation in fiction. Describe what it has been like for you to pursue this endeavor and what you’d like to see in the future.
During the pandemic, the way Asian characters were portrayed in media often leaned negative or stereotypical. I wanted to see stories that reflected the vibrant, funny, and uplifting Asian community I know. And that’s what inspired me to write my debut novel The Fraud Squad, and now—Valley Verified. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see readers connecting with Zoe, especially young Asian women who might not have seen themselves reflected in fiction before.
We deserve to see ourselves not just struggling with stereotypes, but thriving in all sorts of narratives. In that vein, I have a third book coming out in September, May the Best Player Win, which stars an Asian chess player out to prove her sexist rival wrong. Looking ahead, I hope for a future where Asian characters are simply part of the rich tapestry of stories we tell, with all the complexities and joys that come with being human.
Can you remember the first book you read where you felt like you could really see yourself in a character?
Actually, it came from a movie experience! The Disney film Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior was a gamechanger for me. It was the first time I remember seeing an Asian last name on Disney Channel. And I instantly fell in love with the Chinese-American heroine, who kicks butt with traditional martial arts moves while also becoming Homecoming Queen. It made me realize that Chinese girls could do it all.
Who are some of your favorite AAPI authors?
There are so many fantastic AAPI authors out there! Here are a few whose work I deeply admire:
Vanessa Chan for her stunning and moving debut, The Storm We Made. It’s a war story set in Malaya/Malaysia, the neighboring country of my hometown, Singapore.
Kirstin Chen, who wrote the darkly humorous bestseller Counterfeit. I first learned about her after reading Bury What We Cannot Take, one of her earlier works set in Maoist China. I loved it so much that I quickly devoured everything else she wrote.
Christina Li, who writes the most touching children’s novels: Clues to the Universe and Ruby Lost and Found. She has a young adult book coming out soon which I’m very excited about because it’s inspired by an (in)famous invention at our alma mater, Stanford University.
This is just a small sample! There are so many incredible voices out there waiting to be discovered.
About The Fraud Squad
Crazy Rich Asians meets The Devil Wears Prada in this tale of an ordinary woman who goes to extraordinary lengths to get her dream job. In The Fraud Squad, Samantha Song enlists her friends to help her masquerade as a socialite and infiltrate high society, all in the hopes of getting her dream job at Singapore’s poshest magazine. But as her fraud deepens, so do her fears of being exposed—especially with a mysterious gossip columnist on the prowl for dirt. As she slowly realizes not all that glitters is gold, Samantha is forced to reconcile her pretense with who she really is before she loses it all.
Buy the book now: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
About Kyla Zhao
Kyla Zhao writes novels starring women of color in the workplace. Her first book The Fraud Squad was a buzz pick by Good Morning America and a #1 new release in Asian-American literature on Kindle. Her second novel Valley Verified was recently released worldwide by Penguin Random House. She and her books have been featured by media outlets such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, CBS, FOX, South China Morning Post, etc.
Kyla was also selected by Forbes for its 30 Under 30 list and Tatler as a Leader of Tomorrow. In addition, she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly for her contributions to Asian media representation. She now works at a tech company in Silicon Valley after graduating from Stanford University in 2021.
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Twitter: @kylazhao_
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