In April 2022 I was connected to Royalty, Mayly Tao - The Donut Princess. Mayly’s hit podcast Short n’ Sweet was featuring authors in the run up to her very own book launch, An American Dream With Sprinkles. I first heard about Mayly after watching the documentary Donut King. Which chronicles the Cambodian diaspora and how Cambodian refugees were able to take over the Donut market in California. She is based in LA so I was able to go to her studio and film the podcast episode in person! After sound and lighting check she was extremely easy going and the conversation flowed. I always enjoy talking about my book, but it was refreshing to talk about how it is like being an author. Being an author has a never-ending set of challenges. Especially as an indie author where a lot more groundwork is needed to get your name out there. I was happy to share my lessons learned with Mayly before the launch of her own book. Plus, she gave me yummy Cambodian food! Out of all of the places I have traveled, Cambodia had the best food. Every dish I ate in Cambodia had the most unique flavor profiles. Every bite felt like a different experience. Not a lot of people I know have been to Cambodia. I had to go to Cambodia in 2015 as part of a research trip during my MBA program, and I’m glad I went! Cambodia is beautiful, the people are beautiful, and the food is superb. The country does not get as much notoriety as it should. I enjoyed learning more about Mayly and her family’s story. Before my scheduled time to be a guest on the podcast, my homework was to think of 3 little nuggets of information to share with the audience. Since I always strive to be the best podcast guest, I took this homework seriously and spent the days prior to the interview pondering these little tips. But when it came time to share the nuggets I blanked. I’m not sure if it was the improv classes I took, or great editing, I delayed until I could remember my favorite one. In the end it was a good day!
Here are the official 3 nuggets I wanted to share:
1- If you have an idea for a book or story, just write it. Even if you don’t have anywhere to publish it, just get it out of your head before you forget. You can rearrange it later.
2- If you’ve always wanted to write a book but don’t know how, then read. Read a book in the genre that you want to write to get ideas for structure and plot tricks.
3- Life is long. Yes, life is short, tomorrow is never promised, life is very long to fit in all of our goals. If you are 30, you theoretically have 60-70 more years on this planet. There is so much time to take 1-2 years learning a new skill, building a business, or writing a book. Love and Mardi Gras was an idea of mine for 10 years. We have time to pursue anything we want. So go ahead and do it, if it takes off then great! If not, then no big deal. You have time, use it.
Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!
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