I have some exciting news I want to share with you today.

My debut novel, White Mulberry, has been selected as an Amazon First Reads editor’s pick for the month of November!

This means Amazon Prime members get early access to new books before their official release date. Each month, members can choose one book from a selection of editors’ picks for free. This lets you discover new authors and genres before anyone else!

Starting today, if you are a prime member, you can download White Mulberry for FREE!

White Mulberry on a tablet

Inspired by the life of my grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.

1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.

In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.

As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.

“A beautiful and deeply researched novel…If you loved Pachinko, you’ll love White Mulberry.”
—Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women

For those of you who have been following me on my writing journey for the past ten years, you know it’s taken me a long time to tell my family story.

I interviewed my grandmother numerous times before she passed away. I wrote a family memoir using her stories, but something was missing, and I knew I wanted to develop her character and emotional arc more. So, I took a leap of faith and tried my hand at fiction when I didn’t know anything about fiction writing. I had to learn a lot of new things along the way, and there were a lot of ups and downs. Rejection, self-doubt, fear—but I also became more curious to discover what I was capable of if I set my mind to it. Finally, this year, my 60th birthday year, I get to be a published author.

If I can do it, you can too. Claim your dreams, pursue your passions, don’t give up, and you might be surprised at what’s in store for you.

Thanks for following along and helping me celebrate today!