Finding Mimi

Hi! I’m delighted you’ve found this page. I hope you come join me on this adventure.

About me

I’m writing a novel (it still feels weird to say that!). I have no idea if it will go anywhere but I’m passionately in love with the story and I want to give it my absolute best. [After six months the novel has become a series! o_0]

I’m looking for help understanding the cultural context and motivations of one of my main characters, a young Korean woman in Seoul. Before I started this project I knew very little about Korea. While I’m learning as quickly as I can I’m still woefully ignorant. Hopefully this is where you come in.

About you

If you fit this profile I’d love to interview you.*

See the FAQs for more details.

Must haves

Woman, mid-20s to mid-30s
Ethnically Korean
Live(s)(d) in Seoul
Not a famous performer

Nice to haves

Excellent English
Sensitive to and fascinated by the inner lives of other people
If you’re an xNFx this is probably you!
Interested in street fashion
Part of (or adjacent to) the world of performing arts, especially acting or popular music

This list of characteristics is about finding Mimi — if you don’t fit this profile there’s a John side quest in the FAQs.

I’m not looking for a Single Perfect Person.
If you think what I’m up to is interesting I want to talk to you!

* I’m a pro: half of my day job is learning about other people’s worlds and telling their stories (the other half is working with very smart people to build very cool things).

FAQs

Here’s the book jacket summary for Half Lives:

Kit, an isolated middle-aged woman in rural Ireland, is wallowing in despair after unexpectedly being made redundant. Work has been the center of her life; as an accomplished professional she had been intently pursued by prestigious companies. Now she’s finding it difficult to get callbacks, much less interviews. Unemployed, childless, and on the shelf, Kit feels worthless and wonders where her life went wrong. When a mysterious anonymous letter in Korean arrives, Kit suddenly has a purpose: follow the clues in the letter, which promises an opportunity to revisit prior paths not taken.

Ko Mi Kyeong (Mimi), a glamorous young socialite and baby sister of a K-pop idol, is bored with her seemingly-perfect life in Seoul. Used to having her own way, she’s infuriated when her overbearing brother decides it’s time to find her a suitable husband. When a mysterious anonymous letter in Irish arrives, Mimi creates an alternate identity so she can explore her discarded dreams without the paparazzi (or her brother) finding out.

After a chance meeting in Seoul, Kit and Mimi become friends and allies as they explore what it means to be an artist in a world that worships commerce. Along the way they discover that they are connected by two men – dashing rogue Séan Ó Súilleabháin and steady, dutiful John Min Yong Nam. The women’s friendship becomes complicated as Mimi’s dual identity unravels and each man’s secrets are revealed.

Mimi and Kit must navigate their own desires, their Catholic upbringing, and society’s expectations of women as they are forced to choose between the safety of conformity and the risky freedom of unconventional lives — and loves — that they were told they could never have.

Maybe? Some people like it so far, but for me it’s not good enough. I’m not yet hearing Mimi’s authentic voice (yes, I know how weird that sounds).

I am an actual human being writing a novel. I’m happy to tell you my name, then you can pretty easily verify that I am who I say I am.

Only time will tell if I’m a legitimately good author.

We figure out the boundaries, via email or chat. As part of this I’ll send over a list of questions and topics and you decide what you’re willing to discuss.
We sign a contract that defines what we’ll each do and what we’ll each receive in return. In essence: I ask questions, you answer, you receive an honorarium for your time (€100 for an hour). This contract is pretty standard and includes clauses for mutual nondisclosure.
We schedule time to talk via video conference.
We talk! I typically record interviews so that I can be fully present in the conversation.
I transcribe and code the interview, removing any personally identifiable info, and delete the recordings.

Directly? Nothing. I’ll listen. That’s it.

Indirectly? Everything. Your stories will help me write a complex, authentic Mimi character.

I’m so sorry, this is my limitation. I wish it were different, but I’m only fluent in English. No matter how hard I try, my brain is terrible at learning other languages.

If you really really want to talk with me even though your English is marginal or nonexistent then yes, please! We’ll figure something out. Professional translators exist, as do apps. We might also just have our conversation in writing.

None of the characters in Half Lives are famous (although Mimi is fame-adjacent). One of the main characters in Sibling Rivalry is stupidly famous, but I’ve not yet started deep character background on him. The “Finding Byeong Ho” project will start in 2025.
Fame changes the way people view the world. From over here, “famous” in Korea, particularly in the spheres of acting and music, looks to be on a completely different level. I imagine the psychological consequences are even more intense.
The value exchange is skewed: I’m not a journalist, I’m not an influencer, there’s nothing I can do to advance a celebrity’s career.
I have zero interest in leveraging someone else’s fame. I’m a very private person with an infinitesimal social media footprint. At some point Aisling Orá (my nom de plume) will be required to have a professional social media presence for promotion. The thought of it makes me itch.
People who have a certain level of public renown understandably find it more difficult to be open and authentic with a random stranger.

In the extraordinarily unlikely event that you’re a famous performer and, after reading all this, you really really want to talk with me, hello! Please don’t tell me who you are. Use a pseudonym.

Yes! I’m not Korean. I have people helping me to not be a complete asshole but I really need proper sensitivity readers.

About you

Are ethnically Korean
Live(d) in or near Seoul, Busan, Incheon, or another large city
Have excellent fluency in written English
Read fiction in English for pleasure

How it works

You read the alpha chapters (140,000 words) and point out where I’ve gone horribly wrong (for example, “he would never call a grown woman 우리 막둥이”).
I pay €250 for your time and insight.
If you’re an experienced sensitivity reader with published novels on your resume, please send me a link to your rate sheet.

If you’re interested, send me a message.

Yes! Jamming with other people is the best. If you have ideas about we might work together send me a message.

This entire project has been shoved along by beautifully random coincidences that have shown up just as I needed them. (Seriously, I have a ridiculous list.) At this point I’m just going with it. I trust that the right people will find me.