"Your kind spirit will lead to many new friendships." Name: Shawna Yang Ryan Accomplishments: Fulbright Scholar; Teaches at University of Hawaii Latest book: Green Island Shawna Yang Ryan is super sweet and down-to-earth. Her latest novel, Green Island, took many years of research. She ended up interviewing people, both in Taiwan and here in America, about how the 228 Massacre affected their lives. Before penning her book, she also had to process all the turbulent emotions involved in … [Read more...]
Mystery Mavens
October 3, 2016 Leave a Comment
"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." Calling all mystery fans to Manhattan Beach! That's right, I'll be on a panel of mystery writers who live in or write about the South Bay. Details are: Monday, October 17, 2016 7:00pm Manhattan Beach Library 1320 Highland Ave. Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 Other authors present will be Sarah Chen, Sybil Johnson, and Lida Sideris. Here's a recap on my mystery writing (under the name of J.J. Chow): Seniors … [Read more...]
SCBWI Summer Conference
August 1, 2016 2 Comments
"You are original and creative." For the past three days, I've been immersed in children's books at the annual SCBWI conference. Along with almost 1000 other attendees, I geeked out at the superstar faculty and the informative workshops. Here's a picture journey of my experience: Fun fact: Here was my winning joke entry (theme of Olympics crossed with children's book or author): "Diver Wins Gold Medal After Tuck … [Read more...]
Fourth of July Sale!
July 4, 2016 Leave a Comment
"You will soon bring joy to someone." Happy 4th of July, everyone! In celebration of this great holiday, I'm offering 50% off my cozy mystery, SENIORS SLEUTH. Find it on Smashwords: Make sure to use the coupon code SSW50 when you check out! … [Read more...]
Book Parties!
June 13, 2016 Leave a Comment
"You are a true friend." Book celebrations are fun. There's nothing more exciting than launching your first book. (The parallel in parenting is the extravagant party given for your first-born at one year old.) I was super stoked to go to Sarah M. Chen's book launch yesterday. After years of fantastic short stories, she's penned a novella, Cleaning Up Finn. Knowing her, it'll be a gritty but mesmerizing read. Congrats, Sarah! P.S. Writing conferences are like book parties writ large. … [Read more...]
June 1st Relaunch
May 23, 2016 6 Comments
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure." After the sudden and shocking news of my publisher closing, I've finally regrouped. I ended up compensating all my team members with flat fees and am moving ahead with self-publishing. Dragonfly Dreams will be relaunching June 1st, so please remember to support me then. Here's to moving forward and onward! … [Read more...]
Gone Publisher
May 2, 2016 9 Comments
"Failure is the chance to do better next time." It's like Gone Girl but without the twist. So my publisher (Booktrope) is closing its doors at the end of May, after having launched almost 1000 books into the world. It was definitely a shocking and heart-wrenching announcement. Where does that leave Dragonfly Dreams? Great question. There's an option of republishing or just leaving it on the curbside. I'll have to sort out all the legal terminology and tangles before making a final … [Read more...]
I’m a CLUE finalist!
February 1, 2016 8 Comments
"You will soon be receiving some good written news." I'm finally getting back into the groove after my Taiwan vacation. Sometimes it's nice to get away to reflect on things and not experience the doubting waiting game known as submissions. I didn't get any notifications while I was gone, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that Seniors Sleuth is a CLUE finalist. The CLUE awards are run by Chanticleer Book Reviews and recognize the best thriller and suspense novels. I'm on the 2015 list for … [Read more...]
Family Stories
January 25, 2016 2 Comments
"You are always welcome in a gathering." What I love about returning to Taiwan is seeing older relatives and hearing all their stories. Every time I go back, I feel like more family members come out of the woodwork. One day, we even had 23 people crammed in a house talking together. In honor of my first published book, THE 228 LEGACY, a lot of folks shared memories about The 228 Massacre (1947) and its aftermath. Here are a few interesting tidbits: An auntie remembered savoring the … [Read more...]
