Some Lancers take inspiration from their Saint Francis classes when deciding what they want to do after graduation. For Ms. Linda Kao (’94), this was not the case; in fact, she did not realize that she wanted to become an author until after having children. Ms. Kao visited Saint Francis to talk with The Lancer and the SFHS Book Club about her journey to becoming an author and her experience as a Lancer, including her writing process and favorite memories from high school.
The Lancer: Why did you choose to attend Saint Francis?
Ms. Linda Kao: I was growing up in the area—I went to Saint Martin’s from kindergarten through eighth grade, and then when we were looking for a high school, my parents wanted one that was good in academics, that was religious, and Saint Francis was just a phenomenal school at the time.
TL: What were some of your favorite classes and teachers at Saint Francis?
LK: Chemistry class with Mr. Yamamoto was very fun. I remember, I had this moment: he was up at the board—we still used chalk in those days—and he was trying to explain this problem that we’d all missed on the test, and he went, “People, this isn’t hard!” And I thought I said it very quietly (I was in the front row): “Well, guess we’re not that smart then.” And the whole class went silent. And I was like, “Oh, that was not quiet.” And he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then he just started laughing. And it was what we needed. He was laughing, so I could laugh, the class laughed, and he took a deep breath and said, “Okay, here we go.” And he explained it again. That was the kind of teacher that I had, where it was like, he understood the frustration, and he was right there with us, and it was just a great learning experience.
TL: What sports and clubs were you involved in at Saint Francis?
LK: I ran cross country and track—the distance part, because I could start out at one speed, and I could finish at the same speed, but I could never go any faster, so I ran the two mile. And then for clubs, Interact was the club that I was most involved in. It was a service club. We did things like, for Easter, we put together baskets for the elderly home next door—so just small service projects.
TL: Did you do any writing-related activities?
LK: Oh, no. That was not at all on the radar in high school—I didn’t write anything I didn’t have to write.
TL: What made you become an author then?
LK: I didn’t write through high school or college, and through graduate school I only wrote the graduate papers, research papers, but along the way, I had two children, and they would come with these books, like, “Oh, let’s read this one!” And I’d be like, “Wow, this is not good.” And it got to the point where I’d be like, “I’m going to make up a story for you.” And so I would make up a story, and I’d put them in as characters, and finally, I was like, “How hard could it be to write a book?” It’s very hard—I learned that. But it was fun. It was so fun. And that was how I got started in writing. So it came way after—it was not in the plans at all.
TL: What is your favorite memory at Saint Francis?
LK: I don’t know if it’s a specific moment. I think whenever I think of Saint Francis, I think of my lunch group. It’d be like this sunny day, and I know the grass is gone now, but we’d be sitting outside in the grass, and it was just a safe place. You know, between classes, you’d go out, have a terrible day, but you’d sit in a circle, and it was okay. It would be okay.
TL: Now that you’re on campus after so many years, what do you think of the changes?
LK: It’s very different! I saw the map, and I thought, “Wow, this is incredible!” When I was here, they’d just built the 600 building, so that was the first building with two stories. If you were in the 300 building and then you had to get to the second floor of the 600 building, you were usually late because we weren’t used to going up the stairs. But it’s a beautiful campus.
TL: You touched on this a little bit earlier, but what inspired you to write A Crooked Mark, and what inspires you to write in general?
LK: For A Crooked Mark, I had a moment where I was driving, and I saw someone, and this person—you could tell something had gone wrong in their day. And I find that if you have an idea, you don’t censor the answers. You just kind of let it go, as far as you want to go, and you can get somewhere kind of interesting. So I went through a car breakdown down to a fight with a friend, and into, well maybe the devil reached out and brushed them—kind of ruined their morning. And from there I went, “Well how did the devil get here?” Of course, through accidents! There’s a crack in the world, and something happened, and well then, if the devil’s here, then you have to have someone hunting them. So all of this happened very quickly—like a minute—and the idea just percolated, and it was one of those that just kind of stuck around. I didn’t start writing right away. I thought about it. I think as long as you can just let [your imagination] range and not stop yourself and be like, “That’s silly, that wouldn’t happen,” then you get to find the interesting things.
TL: Onto some lightning round questions, what is your favorite genre to write?
LK: Young adult and thriller.
TL: Who’s your favorite author?
LK: Maggie Stiefvater. She wrote The Scorpio Races, which is the book that got me into young adult in the first place. It’s a fun one.
TL: What is your favorite book?
LK: I’d probably go with The Scorpio Races.
TL: What advice would you give to current students at Saint Francis?
LK: I would say don’t say no to yourself. There are going to be enough people out there who will tell you no, so don’t be one of them. Tell yourself yes, believe in what you do, and keep going.
TL: Do you have any final comments?
LK: I think Saint Francis is an incredible place, and I’m grateful for everything it’s offered me.
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
