Cloistered in California, Kyla was depressed and homesick. With the widespread Asian hate in the United States then, she wanted to see Asians like herself portrayed more joyfully. Writing The Fraud Squad was an imaginative escape amidst the pandemic reality.

“I crafted this glamorous fantasy high society. That was fun to write about when we were all stuck at home during lockdown in our pyjamas,” she recalled. “Writing about my favourite places in Singapore, my favourite foods, I could stay connected to home at a time when I didn’t know when I would be home again.”

The Fraud Squad was sold to Penguin Brenham House in 2021 and published in 2023.

It was the first time she ever wrote a book. ···