In my last post, I shared about my 60th birthday and the meaning of hwangap in Korean culture as a rebirth on the lunar calendar cycle. A few weeks after my 60th birthday party, we celebrated my mother’s 86th birthday. I couldn’t help but remember my mother’s 60th twenty-six years ago, and both of my grandmothers’ 60th birthdays too back in 1976! Birthday celebrations are big in my family, and my mother and grandmothers all dressed up in traditional Korean hanboks (and yes that’s me in braces at twelve)!
Although my novel WHITE MULBERRY is inspired by my paternal grandmother’s story, my maternal grandmother and mother also have compelling stories that are poignant and remarkable in their own way. While my mother was related to the royal family, her family was forever changed along with the rest of Korean society after WWII and the Korean War. As a child, my mother lived in Pyongyang and was forced to escape Russian soldiers by boat with her family in the middle of the night. It’s no wonder that every birthday is a momentous occasion, but especially the 60th.
One thing that authors don’t talk much about is this time right before their book launches when book promotion activities can take up so much time and energy. I’ve been overwhelmed on some days where I have an article due for a media outlet, a podcast coming up that I should prepare for, a social media post that needs to go out, or an event that hasn’t been finalized because I’m waiting on a venue, conversation partner, or co-host. It’s a full-time job!
Writing my second book, RED SEAL, early in the mornings has helped my mental health since it’s what I love, and I’ve tried to protect that time. I know all this hard work will be worth it when WHITE MULBERRY gets published, and I connect with readers everywhere. I try to keep that in the forefront of my mind and have fun with it. Only six more weeks!
As I mentioned above, the fall is a time when we celebrate lots of family birthdays and share family stories. Are there stories from your family that you are curious about? What part of their journey strikes you the most and might be worth exploring more? For my first novel, it was my grandmother’s coming of age into adulthood and motherhood that resonated with me the most. I would love to hear from you! Just click reply to this email to share your thoughts with me.
What People Are Saying About WHITE MULBERRY
With less than two months from the launch of WHITE MULBERRY, I’m thrilled to share this blurb from Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of the beautiful novel The Evening Hero.
Marie is a staunch supporter of Asian American writers, co-founder of the Asian American Writer’s Workshop, and curator of the Asian American Book Club site on Medium, among many other things!
I had the chance to attend Marie’s book event for The Evening Hero in Santa Monica when she came out to LA a few years ago and had the best time. Thanks Marie!
My deepest appreciation to Annabelle Tometich for this amazing blurb!
I met Annabelle at AWP in Kansas City earlier this year when we were on a panel together, just before the launch of her debut memoir, The Mango Tree. Her book is fantastic and a must read! I was so touched when she said my novel was the first she had ever blurbed. Thank you Annabelle!
News and Events
I’ve also been busy planning events in other parts of the country, specifically New York and Chicago. I have scheduled readings and book talks with some fantastic conversation partners in both cities in January 2025! I can’t wait to post about them soon. If you live close by, I hope you can join me!
I have more interviews, Q & A’s, and podcasts lined up. You could check them out on the Media page when they’re available.
If you are able to pre-order White Mulberry and share your excitement about it with your reading friends, I would be grateful for your support!
What I’m Reading
I’ve been asked by ElectricLit to provide a reading list of coming-of-age stories set in Korea. This is one of them, written by a dear friend and mentor, Eugenia Kim.
The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim
Almost ten years following the publication of her moving coming-of-age novel The Calligrapher’s Daughter, Eugenia Kim brings another heartfelt story which follows two young Korean sisters who are separated by war, one staying in Korea and the other moving to America. Their parents believe the family will be reunited soon, but the Korean War breaks out and the one daughter remaining in Korea grapples with the cruelty of war and its aftermath while the other grows up in American suburbia, leading vastly different lives. When they meet again in America, the teen sisters are confronted with cultural gaps that threaten to destroy their ties, but they ultimately learn that family secrets can protect, and kinship is forever.
Thank you!
Thank you to all who shared their special milestone stories with me. The winner of an early copy of my book is Sharon Williamson, from the U.K.! I love finding readers from around the world, especially one who is a writer too!
Sharon spent the last decade of her life writing her first novel inspired by her adoption from Hong Kong by a domineering British military couple. She spent her childhood moving around to numerous countries which resulted in identity issues and confusion, but she managed to survive and thrive.
Thank you, Sharon so much for your lovely email and your milestone event of publishing your book next year! It sounds like a fascinating story of strength and resilience, and I would love to read it when it comes out. I’ll be mailing you a copy of my novel soon!
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