Releasing her seventh book since embarking on her professional writing journey in 2010, Louisville author Leesa Cross-Smith is ready to share her love of all things Seoul, Korean pop music, and drama.
We meet at a local Korean spot called Cafe Kiwa, and talk over drinks inspired by Korean ingredients in a cafe also inspired by the strong cafe culture in Seoul. We met as Korean school classmates, though Cross-Smith knew my sister for years, and bonded over a mutual love of K-culture and drama. After our trips to Seoul, Cross-Smith in the Spring, and mine the following Fall, we shared the things we loved and learned about Seoul.
Today, as we nestle into our table and conversation, we’re talking about her latest release, and of course, all things Korean.
The novel, “As You Wish,” follows the lives of three young au pairs in Seoul who are joined not just by their work but by a group wish that may or may not be responsible for things that begin to happen in their lives. Being inspired by a love for K-pop and K-drama, Cross-Smith wanted to keep the story light, cozy, and dreamy.
“I got asked a question the other day about the wish trope, because they were like, ‘it’s a pretty old trope,” Cross-Smith told Louisville Independent. “I agreed, but I love it.”
“I think it’s so relatable. You can’t meet a person who’s never imagined what would happen if their wishes came true. And so, I really wanted to have them have wishes, but some of them are really not a big deal, and they progressively get more serious.”
Asked if there is a through line from her early works to “As You Wish,” Cross-Smith nods. Cross-Smith loves the idea of exploring women’s desires, whether they be sweet wishes at a waterfall or the desire to kill men.
“Goodbye, Earl is about a group of girlfriends who wanna kill men. And so this does, when it comes to the three girls, I call them girls, young women. It does fall in line with the way I’ve just loved writing about girlfriendships. I love writing about romance. This is my lightest book on purpose.
“I’ve written a book, ‘Whiskey and Ribbons,’ about a woman who’s made a widow when she’s about nine months pregnant. It’s very heavy. ‘This Close to Okay’ was my second novel, and it’s it has some really heavy stuff because it starts with a woman stopping a man from committing suicide. So, I’ve got these heavy books. And so, I was really excited to write ‘As You Wish’ because it is my lightest book. It does, it feels very much like one of my books. But, it’s, I think, the cutest, the lightest, the bubbliest. I feel like it’s very comforting.”
Cross-Smith is a big fan of things that are light, cute, and cozy. She shares her love and collections of K-pop merch and memorabilia on her Instagram stories. She often also adds food that she loves, cozy shoes, etc. Her vibe is very kawaii, to use the Japanese phrase for cute style. In Korea, 귀엽다 pronounced gwiyeopda, is the same idea.
As she was developing the world for “As You Wish,” she dove into the study of the things that made her love K-culture and find comfort in Korean entertainment.
“I think that other people who know what I mean when I say that, will get it. So by that, I mean, they go to Jeju, and they all wear matching pajamas, and they’re going to watch the fireworks. And then, you know, they make their meals together, and then they cozy around doing this, and this, and whatever. I put those things in there on purpose because those are my favorite things.”
Our conversation naturally veers into a long tangent about our favorite dramas and ones that we’d watch again and again. Agreeing that “Reply 1988” is a masterpiece worthy of repeated viewings, as well as “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”
In the novel, Cross-Smith has given the reader playlists and K-drama recommendations, hoping to spread some of the fun and joy she’s found in those works with those who find themselves in the world of “As You Wish.”
In addition to the playlists, fans of K-drama will love the classic tropes Cross-Smith included in the book. Expect umbrellas, sweet piggyback rides, and more.
“It’s so rewarding, the more [K-dramas] you watch, the more you’ll get it, and wait for this to happen. That’s why, in the book, I put all those tropes. I have a list of 30 that I actually deliberately put in the book.”
“As You Wish” is a beautiful detour in what it means to fall in love with yourself in a new place, a different culture, and what it has to offer, while understanding that all of the sweetness and light can come with struggles and misunderstandings. It celebrates the things that Leesa Cross-Smith loves and ties them up as a real gift to her readers.
Knowing the world of girlhood, Korean drama, and the glow of Seoul at night, I finished “As You Wish,” understanding that pieces of these characters will linger in my heart for years to come.
