8. Fangli reveals that she was discouraged from seeking help for her depression. Why was that? What do you think would have happened if she’d sought help anyway? Can you think of any moments in your or others’ lives where mental health stigma kept you/others from seeking help?
9. Gracie is thrust into a far more glamorous life than she’s ever known before. If you found yourself in her situation, what’s the #1 luxury you’d most enjoy?
10. Gracie initially felt powerless in the face of her boss, Todd. What do you think was keeping her from facing him down? What did you think of their final confrontation and the realization that he didn’t have any power over her?
11. Sam clearly envies Gracie’s ability to live a normal life without the eyes of the world on her. How do you think you would handle being famous? Would the trade-off of luxury vs. loss of privacy be worth it?
12. Everyone assumes Sam and Fangli are either a couple or certain to become one someday. If you were in Gracie’s position, would you feel jealous knowing so many people considered them endgame?
13. Gracie has to go through a lot of training and research to become Fangli. Do you think you would be able to convincingly pretend to be someone else for a few months?
14. Gracie and Fangli discover that the reason they look so alike is because they are sisters. Would you be able to forgive your parents for hiding a secret like that from you? If you were in Fangli’s situation, would you be able to forgive your mother for leaving?
15. Gracie and Fangli’s mother was put in an impossible situation when she realized she was pregnant with her second child, thanks to the one-child policy. Women’s reproductive choices have often been politicized and controlled. This has put women around the world in impossible positions. What do you think the impact has been and how can women resist?
16. Why do you think Mei did what she did? Would you have been able to forgive her?
17. Gracie long wished for an organizational method that actually met her needs and, finally, decided to create one herself—becoming a huge success in the process. Is there a similar kind of problem in your life that needs solving, and what steps do you think you’d need to take to create your own kind of Eppy?
18. The future looks bright for Gracie, Sam, and Fangli, but there’s a long road ahead of them. What do you think is in store for them? How will Sam’s complicated relationship with his parents play into their future?
A Conversation with the Author
What was the inspiration for The StandIn? What did you draw on as you developed the story?
I wanted to write a book featuring a biracial main character who has similar experiences as I have. I also wanted to address issues that I think are important, namely questions of identity, love and friendship, and mental health.
On the lighter side, I wanted to create a fun, entertaining story as an escape for readers, like an emotional spa day. The StandIn was written in the early months of the pandemic, so this became increasingly significant as I looked for a place to retreat from reality.
What comes first for you: the plot or the characters? Why?
I usually get a plot idea based on a what-if scenario, and it evolves from there. In this case, I wondered: What if a woman was approached to be a celebrity double? What would she do? What kind of woman would say yes, and what would motivate her to agree? I then create the plot and characters at the same time, which means I go back often to check to see if my characters have had fundamental changes that need to be rethreaded through the draft.
Did anything about the story （characters, plot, etc.） significantly change from your first draft?
Many things changed! I first planned The StandIn with chapters that alternated between Sam and Gracie. The first chapter had Sam on a movie set dealing with his overbearing mother, when a very clueless Gracie walked through as they film. But that didn’t feel right because I wanted more intimacy between the reader and the story. The next version was all from Gracie’s point of view, but Fangli and Sam were there to film a corporate action spy movie instead of acting in a play. But in every draft, the characters remained who they are. They’re the core of the story.
What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve received?
Of the very many pieces of writing advice I’ve heard over the years, the one that I come back to the most is that there is no such thing as perfect—there’s only the best you can do right now. It’s important to recognize that as you grow and learn, your writing will （hopefully） improve. I try to apply this to my non-writing life as well. Oh, and don’t read reviews. That’s solid advice.