Dominic Lim
AUTHOr.
singer.
storyteller.
“A romance with the irresistible melody of a Broadway hit. Lim offers up a swoony, joyful rom-com to take readers into a love story worthy of a Broadway stage.”
–Entertainment Weekly on All the Right Notes
PRAISE for ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
- Entertainment Weekly: The 27 Best New Books to Take on Your 2023 Summer Vacation
- SF Chronicle: 17 Books We Can’t Wait to Read this Summer
- Goodreads: The Hottest New Romances for Summer
- Goodreads: 11 New Reader-Approved Romances for June
- Buzzfeed: 25 New and Upcoming LGBTQ Romance Novels You’ve Got To Read
- BookRiot: 40 of the Most Anticipated Beach Reads of 2023
- BookRiot: 25 of the Best Romance Books for Summer 2023
- We Are Bookish: 30 Books by Asian Authors to Read in 2023
- BookBub: The Best Books of Summer 2023
- BookBub: 18 Must-Read New Releases by AAPI Authors
- SheReads: Most Anticipated LGBTQIA+ Romances of Summer 2023
- LGBTQ Reads: Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Romance of 2023
“With its incisively etched, marvelously inclusive cast of characters, perfectly polished writing lightly dusted with sly wit, and swoon-worthy sexual chemistry, Lim’s soul-nourishing debut not only perfectly captures the hope and heartbreak of two people falling in love, but also music’s power to transform lives.” – Booklist – *starred review*
“With a relatable queer protagonist, this uplifting book portrays the power of owning one’s truth. Heartfelt, poignant writing and iconic supporting characters boost Quito’s story. The friends-to-lovers trope is wonderfully accomplished, full of sweet yearning and perfect harmony. A lyrical, romantic debut with tender, moving notes about Filipino American families and queer love stories. Perfect for fans of Casey McQuiston and Alexis Hall, this is a must-have for library shelves.” – Library Journal – *starred review*
“Lim debuts with a delightful queer second-chance romance between Quito Cruz, the gay Filipino narrator, and Emmett Aoki, biracial heartthrob of Sunvalley High…Light and charming, with a hint of snark, this is a promising start for Lim.” – Publisher’s Weekly
“Fun and effervescent…There’s a lot of promise in Lim’s debut…with its dual-timeline storytelling, charming cast, and love of show tunes.” – Kirkus
“All the Right Notes is a love letter to family, queer love, and music, handled with passion and skill. The romance burns with tension, and the details of Filipino food had me continuously hungry. I loved it.” – Anita Kelly, author of Love and Other Disasters and Something Wild & Wonderful
“All the Right Notes is a rainbow-sprinkled delight that hits the perfect beats of a rom-com. The inventively-told story features fun, moving and complex characters, wrapped in Dominic Lim’s fresh voice. I particularly loved all the music references. The only way to best express how much joy you’ll feel is to break out into song.” – Sid Karger, author of Best Men
“This book will make you sing. Lim has composed the perfect second chance romance. All the Right Notes blends laugh-out-loud humor with the poignancy of imperfect people finding joy in an imperfect world. The alternating past-present storytelling perfectly captures the longing of youth and the regrets of lost love. I couldn’t stop cheering for Quito and Emmett. They can live rent free in my mind for a long time. There’s no way you will finish this novel and not be in love with Quito, Emmett, Ujima, and Mr. Cruz.” – Karelia Stetz-Waters, author of Behind the Scenes
MUSIC VIDEO for ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
The main character, Quito Cruz, composes a song his freshman year in high school when he realizes he is gay. As I was writing Quito’s story, I knew that in order to be fully immersed in his world I had to have solid idea of not only what the song’s lyrics were, but also what the music sounded like. So I collaborated with the incredible composer, Martin McGinn, to actually bring it into existence.
As a special preview of All the Right Notes, please enjoy the lyric video of “A Part I Play,” with music and lyrics by Quito Cruz (IRL: music & keyboard by Martin McGinn and lyrics & vocals by yours truly)!
PUBLICATIONS
Books
All the Right Notes – forthcoming on June 6, 2023 from Forever (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group)
Literary Magazines
Theme and Variations: Solstice Literary Magazine (2018 Fiction Finalist)
A Small Seed: The Jellyfish Review
Tinago Triptych: Whoa Nelly Press: (Unheard Voices)
Birdcage Man: Down in the Dirt
INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES
- The Ampersand Manifesto: Multi-Passionate People Dive Deep – Aug 31, 2022 (podcast)
- We Are Bookish (NetGalley): Four Debut Authors on Finding Inspiration, Writing, and Their Publishing Journeys – May 2023
- Hachette Book Group: Open Book Authors – June 2023
- The Incoherent Fangirl – June 2, 2023 (podcast)
UPCOMING EVENTS
ALL THE RIGHT NOTES – THE BOOK LAUNCH
June 6, 2023 @ 7:00 pm
Pinole Valley High School Performing Arts Theater
2900 Pinole Valley Rd, Pinole, CA 94564
In partnership with The Booksmith
June 10, 2023 @ 5:30 pm
The Sycamore
2140 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94110
with:
🤩 Kathryn Ma (The Chinese Groove)
🤩 Nina Schuyler (Afterword)
🤩 Toni Mirosevich (Spell Heaven)
🤩 Keli Dailey (Surviving San Francisco)
SUMMER BOOK FESTIVAL – B&N and HAPPY TO MEET CUTE
July 28 & 29, 2023
Barnes & Noble
23630 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita, CA 91355
August 17 & 18, 2023
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802
Celebrating the romance genre and amplifying the identities in it which have been historically underrepresented.
PAST EVENTS
OBERLIN COLLEGE 2023 Commencement and Milestone Reunion Weekend
May 20, 2023
Moffat Auditorium (Career Exploratory Center)
Seeley G. Mudd Center
148 W College St, Oberlin, OH 44074
Reading & book signing
AWP | A Very Important Karaoke Party
March 10, 2023
9:00 – 10:00 pm
Hugo House – Lapis Theater
1634 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
I’ll be singing some karaoke parody songs about being a writer (one of which I wrote)! Dancing might be involved…
AWP CONFERENCE & BOOKFAIR 2023
March 8–11, 2023
Seattle Convention Center
705 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC LIBRARY: Grotto Nights (Virtual)
“Queering Up Traditionally Straight Spaces”
March 7, 2023
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Dominic Lim’s debut novel, All the Right Notes, will be released in June 2023 by Forever (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette). His stories have appeared in The Jellyfish Review, Ghost Parachute, and Solstice Literary Magazine (as a finalist for their Annual Fiction Contest). He is a member of the Writers Grotto and is a co-host of the long-running Babylon Salon reading and performance series in San Francisco. Dominic holds a Master of Music from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, is an alum of Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, and has sung with numerous professional early music and choral ensembles. As a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association he has performed Off-Broadway and in regional productions throughout the US. He works as a paralegal for a biotech company in the Bay Area and lives in Oakland with his loving and supportive husband, Peter, and their whiny cat, Phoebe.

OTHER MEDIA
Storytelling is embedded throughout everything I do.
Sometimes, when the story has lots to say, it can be said in song.
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Dominic Lim sings "Finishing The Hat" (Stephen Sondheim)
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Dominic Lim sings I've Got You Under My Skin
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Dominic Lim, IU Opera Theater - Domerò la tua fierezza (Handel: Giulio Cesare)
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NovAntiqua: Consors paterni luminis (plainchant), Cantique de Jean Racine (Fauré)
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Could I Leave You? - Follies (Broadway Cover)
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Dominic Lim - "This Nearly Was Mine" (South Pacific) - Sing For Your Supper Concert
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