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Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books™️
Ling Ling Huang, NATURAL BEAUTY
Zibby interviews violinist and debut author Ling Ling Huang about Natural Beauty, a piercing, razor-sharp novel about a young musician who gets a job at a high-end beauty store in New York City, where things take a dark turn. Ling Ling shares her sources of inspiration: her own job in a beauty store, a deep love of music, fascination with beauty standards and the industry that capitalizes on them, and an interest in the topics of consumerism, self-worth, and identity. Finally, she describes her publishing journey, from a draft in her notes app and a discouraging querying process to a gorgeous finished book and a second one in progress!
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(Music by Morning Moon Music. Sound editing by TexturesSound. To inquire about advertising, please contact allie.gallo@acast.com.)
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