Librarians

13 Dec 2015 2 Comments

by fannywrites in Chinese and Japanese

Blessed are the librarians. As a writer of historical middle grade novels and nonfiction, librarians have helped me tremendously in my research. Starting from my local library  only five blocks from my house to the librarians in the Bay area, California, they are unceasingly helpful and enthusiastic in assisting me.

In the San Francisco Historical Society, the librarian first doubted that she could find material that old. She suggested that I should go to the Chinese historical Society. I told he I had been there already, but it did not have immaterial dating that far back to early 20th century. Lo and behold, she found me two volumes of records in English and Chinese (names hand written) of the Chinese businesses in San Francisco and Oakland with the addresses in that era.

The Maritime Museum, likewise, had volumes ready for me to peruse. I had emailed the librarian in advance.

The Oakland Librarian showed me maps of the landing pier of refugees from the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. I never knew about the pier or that it jutted way out in to the bay.

The above research in July 2015 was for my second novel “The Girl With Big Feet.”

 

Last week I went to the Sterling Memorial Museum to see the exhibition of the Japanese Internment. I’m in the second big revision stage of “The Wrong Face.” It was a small exhibition, smaller than I had expected. I already went to the Poston camp in Arizona and interview six surveyors in LA in 2013. I still found a few nuggets of new information. I went there to read the diary of one survivor, Yonekazu Satoda,who was a recent high school graduate when he was sent to a camp. Only the first page was visible in the case. His handwriting was clear and legible.  I was given a link to read the rest of the dairy at my leisure. (I haven’t started yet.) Coincidentally, every chapter of my book starts with a short journal entry of the protagonist, a 11 yr.old when he entered Poston, 13 when he left. Mr. Satoda’s entries were as short!

I’ve been told and also know by experience, that middle grade historical novels are a hard sell to agents and publishers. And yet, without having sold the first one, I’ve started the second. Am I sadistic or what? But I do enjoy historical research and I believe,  have important stories to tell.

The Madding Crowd movies

13 Dec 2015 Leave a comment

by fannywrites in Movies

I watch movies on the airplanes and not in theaters because I just don’t that much leisurely time. I watched the 2015 Far from the Madding Crowd starring Carey Mulligan. I enjoyed it very much. The acting was good, the vistas of Dorset beautiful.  It prompted me to read the book. Then I checked out the older version, starring Julie Christie, probably from the early 1970s. To me, it’s a better film. Bethsheba was supposed to be a great beauty. Julie Christie fitted the bill more than Mulligan. The other leads were also better, especially Peter Finch as Boldwood. The landscape of Dorset was more sumptuously  shot.  The older version contains more scenes from the book, which I would not have missed if I hadn’t read the book.Try to catch the two versions if you can. And read the book.

The book is typical of 19th century writing, full of exposition and an oomniscient  point of view. Of course, i’ve been taught not to write like that for children!

My MG novel

24 Nov 2015 2 Comments

by fannywrites in Chinese and Japanese

I was advised by a mentor to revise my debut middle grade novel, set at an internment camp for the Japanese in WWI, to make it more appealing to agents.  It may take me a long while to get it done. I’m writing  my second novel and some picture book texts. But I plan to do it, no longer how long it takes. The setting and plot are timeless and now TIMELY.

The King and I

19 Jun 2015 1 Comment

by fannywrites in Uncategorized Tags: ,

I had been looking forward to the revival of  The King and I at Lincoln Center since I ordered tickets on line. One lesson learned. I should have taken the time to go to the ticket office instead. The services charge was $48 a ticket.

The production didn’t disappoint. Gorgeous costumes, magnificent scenery. And of course, the music! My 12 year-old grandchildren were mesmerized. My one big disappointment was that Kelli O’Hara was not on that afternoon. Her standby was good, but she was not Kelli O’Hara!

This revival featured many Asian actors and actresses. Whoever was supposed to be South Asian was played by an Asian. Best of all, the King was played by Ken Wanatabe, not a Caucasian. (On screen, the King was played by Chow Yun-Fat.) Wanatabe ‘s singing voice was not in the same league as the others, but he was a good actor and he carried it off splendidly.

Of course, knowing all the songs already added to the pleasure of the performance.

Gigi

13 Apr 2015 Leave a comment

by fannywrites in Movies

When I watched Gigi when I was in my late teens, I had no idea that Gigi was being groomed to be a high price prostitute. Raised in a protective home and taught by nuns for thirteen years, I just didn’t get it. I thought that Louis Jordan singing “GiGI” at night by the water fountain was so romantic!  I was in my thirties, or even forties when I watched it again. What a shock ! I had compared Gigi’s getting dressed up in splendor to Eliza’s( of My Fair Lady) introduction to society, when there was no comparison! Now,the new Broadway’s musical excised the song “Thank Heavens for Little Girl” from an old man’s mouth. A creepy pedophile? I really should rewatch some old favorite movies to see whether I had misinterpreted them in my youthful innocence.

People who gave me their time

09 Apr 2015 Leave a comment

by fannywrites in Uncategorized

I’ve been fortunate that when I asked for an interview for my writing, I was granted access. Jacques D’amboise gave me three hours of his precious time at our first meeting when I wanted to write his biography . We met several times after that. Professor Victor Mair gave me information and an exhibition catalog about the mummies in China and took the time to meet me at the University of pennsylvia. I met with five survivors of the Poston Internment camp  for the Japanese when I wrote my novel “I Have the Wrong Face” and corresponded by email with other survivors.

So far, what I wrote with these people’s help have not found a publisher. I feel badly that I used their time and good will. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I do. I also know it’s not the end of the story. I can use the information I have gathered for other projects or rewrite them to make them more marketable.

Another Author I admire

31 Mar 2015 2 Comments

by fannywrites in Uncategorized

I had blogged about the authors Laurence Yep and Lensey Mamioka. Another author I would like to emulate is Andrea Cheng. Some of her stories have a Chinese perspective. Others, a Hungarian Jewish one. She is of Hungarian Jewish heritage and married a Chinese. She also wrote about cancer, about hers, from the point of view of her younger daughter as a teenager. A possibly dark book becomes one of hope as she finished chemotherapy sessions and recovered fully. The book is Brushing Mom’s Hair.

Diversity in children’s books

10 Mar 2015 Leave a comment

by fannywrites in Ststistics Tags:

The Cooperative Children’s Book Center released statistics on diverse books and their authors in 2014. These books were acquired in 2012 0r earlier. The report shows that creators of color are still heavily underrepresented. Also, books about diversity were mostly not written by people of color. I don’t find that offensive, as a long as that author does not misrepresents the culture she or he is writing about, or reinforce stereo types.

Four  groups were studied, Africans and American africans, American Indians, Asian Pacifics and Asian American Pacific Americans, and Latinos. Only the last group has the largest ratio of books written by Latinos.  The biggest difference is in the African groups.  Fewest books written by or about, is in the American Indian group. The difference between “about but not by” and “by and about” is smallest in the Asian group.

As an ethnic Chinese, I find this information very interesting. As I go through my six published stories and articles in magazines, five had a Chinese sensibility. A forthcoming article in the April issue of a magazine about a German-Jewish man does not. “You write what you know”, a mantra among writers, is probably why this is so. I am looking for a publisher for my debut novel,  about the Japanese Internment in WWII, has a Japanese sensibility. I did a lot of research to write this book and felt compelled to write it. If US and China were at war, the American- Chinese would have been in the same boat.

Talking for myself,when diverse books are needed, if I write well and often, I should have a chance to be a published book author.

Writing Conference

13 Feb 2015 1 Comment

by fannywrites in writing conference Tags:

I was at the annual winter conference of the Society of Children’s book writers and illustrators  in Manhattan.There were 1132 attendees from 47 states and 16 countries. 68 % of us were republished (sounds better than unpublished). I count myself as one of those since I have unpaid magazine credits only. So, there are so many aspiring writers and fewer interested agents and publishers.  Since this was my fourth conference in a row, I find that the breakout sessions with an expert(agent, publisher) repeat writing tips that I have heard before. They would accept queries from attendees, but this time, both experts I listened to were not interested in the genres I’m interested in at this moment, historical fiction and picture storybooks. What I get the most out of the conference is the inspiration from keynote speakers who had struggled and considered us “our people.”

Kwame Alexander was booked to be the last speaker in September 2014. What a joy it was to hear him as a Newberry Award winner, announced only 7 days before.

Persistance, persistence. That’s the mantra to us from these successful authors.

Debussy’s March

23 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by fannywrites in Uncategorized

This morning, I heard on WQXR Debussy’s Scottish March. “Debussy” and Scottish” together? It was beautiful music. I could discern a Scottish theme, but it sounded more like a dance than a march. You can hear it on Youtube.

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