Fall is here, but in Los Angeles, we’re in the midst of a searing heatwave! I’m enjoying early morning walks with Joey, and warm summer nights with my husband watching the fiery sun disappear over the horizon. My husband and I also recently celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary at Zion and Bryce National Parks in Utah. And I turned 61 in August! How is that possible?
I’m also celebrating turning in the first draft of my second novel, RED SEAL, to my publisher! Since I typed the words THE END on my manuscript in July, I spent six more weeks revising and polishing the draft before I presented it to my editor at Lake Union last week. I asked my agent, my husband, and a few beta readers to review it first, and they all gave me great feedback. I was relieved when I pressed send to my editor because I met my deadline. But more importantly, I was happy because I wrote the best draft I could at this time.
Here is a brief description of the novel so far. I’m still working on it! Let me know what you think!
RED SEAL follows the journey of a mother and son over four decades as they struggle to build a life together in Manchuria, a divided Korea, and America, even as war, displacement, and family secrets threaten to tear them apart. The novel explores identity, the bonds of parent and child, the impact of history, and the enduring power of love.
Now the manuscript is in my editor’s court, and I’m waiting for her to come back with suggestions to tighten, deepen, and make the novel better. I already have the schedule for developmental edits, which includes three rounds of revisions over a span of three months. There will be line editing, copyediting, and more after that. I’ve done this once before with WHITE MULBERRY, so I know what’s coming up next. It’s comforting to know what to expect, even though I know there will be lots more work to get it to the finish line! I have a wonderful editorial team behind me, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
In the meantime, I’ve been working on my Author Questionnaire for RED SEAL. The publisher asks for information specific to my book that are essential to the book’s production. The questions include whether my book will have an author’s note, maps, etc. It also asks if the editors should pay particular attention to, or fact-check, specific areas. Is special formatting needed, for such things as letters? These are pretty straightforward questions, and I can answer them easily.
The more challenging part of the questionnaire are the marketing, promotional text, and cover design questions. These include describing the themes of my book, pitching my book in one sentence, comparative titles, and my target audience. For my audiobook, for example, it asks whether there are specific accents that should be considered. And finally, there are cover design questions, such as ideas I have for the cover, and pasting links to covers that I like and why. I’ll have to do more thinking on some of this information, but I’m glad I get to give my input to help make the final book align with my vision.
Speaking of covers, the Hungarian Edition of WHITE MULBERRY is here! Isn’t it gorgeous?
Fall has always been a time of starting anew. With edits in progress, it feels like the beginning of something exciting taking shape and I am thrilled that it’s going to be my next book.
I would love for you to email me back or leave a comment on my website here and let me know what’s new for you this fall and what you are looking forward to.
Thank you for following along!
Past and Upcoming Events
This Wednesday, September 17, 2025, almost 1500 members of 33 incredible alumni book clubs around the world are registered to listen to my virtual Author Talk at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET, including:
- Boston College
- Johns Hopkins University
- Kamehameha Schools
- Northwestern University
- New York University
- Pepperdine
- Santa Clara University
- Smith College
- SUNY Oswego
- University of Auckland
- UConn
Check your alumni website to see if your school has a book club with Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru and register! If you’re a Smith College alumnae like myself, you can register here. Please join me!
Next month, I will be on the Author Stage along with an incredible line-up of talented and celebrated authors at the California Library Association Conference in Riverside, CA. I’m so honored to be a part of this library event!
I had a delightful time speaking at Southwest Harbor Library in Maine this summer with my friend Hyeseung Song. My husband, son, and Hyeseung’s sister joined us for a delicious, sunset meal together afterward. You can hear the replay of our talk here.
I participated in a few book clubs too. For my own book club, I interviewed the lovely Sarah Ahn, the author of the cookbook UMMA, and we all cooked a dish from her and her mother’s cookbook to share. I have more confidence and fun cooking Korean food now, thanks to this incredible cookbook. It was an unforgettable time!
I also had the privilege of speaking at Peninsula Seniors in front of 50 engaged members, including my own parents! I presented a slideshow, chatted with my father’s Japanese language conversation group, and met Horace, a 102-year-old fan!
What I’m Reading
UMMA: A Korean Mom’s Kitchen Wisdom and 100 Family Recipes
Recipes are interspersed with poignant family stories that touch on the struggles and joys of being an immigrant in the US.
FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi
Susan Choi is a brilliant writer, and her novel traces a father’s disappearance off the shore of western Japan and the shockwaves that are created for the family over decades and continents. FLASHLIGHT sheds light on (literally and figuratively) the disappearance of dozens of residents from the same area who were alleged to be abducted by North Koreans in the 70s and 80s. Choi is a National Book Award winner, and her book is a finalist for the Booker Prize and National Book Award this year. .
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