tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8486207729084166602024-03-18T11:03:58.127+08:00A Kindle in Hong KongA place for all the books I finally have time to read.Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.comBlogger339125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-88972992163589845852016-02-18T17:18:00.002+08:002016-02-18T17:19:13.406+08:00Ferry Tale reviews + a video update!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Goh5gC0SGgQ/VsWKe53ueUI/AAAAAAAAFFE/FtNGTqDWIrI/s1600/Ferry%2BTale%2B-%2BHigh%2BResolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Goh5gC0SGgQ/VsWKe53ueUI/AAAAAAAAFFE/FtNGTqDWIrI/s320/Ferry%2BTale%2B-%2BHigh%2BResolution.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
My new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ferry-Tale-Shannon-Young/dp/1530017726/" target="_blank">a love story set in Hong Kong</a>, has been out for one week. Thank you to everyone who grabbed a copy! The reviews are starting to come in, and I wanted to share some of my favorite excerpts:<br />
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“A fun, fizzy story that takes readers from the smoggy ferry decks to the spectacular harbor views of the InterContinental Hotel’s Lobby Lounge. Young’s fondness for her adopted home of Hong Kong comes through on every page of this cheerful and charming romance . . . as effervescent as champagne.” –<a href="http://mauracunningham.org/2016/02/14/romance-in-hong-kong-both-light-and-dark/" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Maura Cunningham</a></div>
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“Young evokes the vibrancy and sense of possibility in her adopted home Hong Kong. Her characters are each cast with their own unique mix of endearing qualities and weaknesses. Through alternating viewpoints, you’ll barrack for Katrina and Sam as they tackle their demons and learn more about themselves and each other in the process. <em>Ferry Tale</em> is an enjoyably sweet and classy romance – set in the digital age, but not lost in it.” – <a href="http://bookloverbookreviews.com/2016/02/book-review-ferry-tale-by-shannon-young.html" style="color: #772124; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">Booklover Book Reviews</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">Get the book on </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ferry-Tale-Shannon-Young-ebook/dp/B01BN6VQ0W/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">Kindle here</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">, or buy the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ferry-Tale-Shannon-Young/dp/1530017726/" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">paperback</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">!</span></h4>
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I'll be reading from <i>Ferry Tale </i>at a love-themed event at Aesop on Hollywood Road on February 24th. Come along if you can!<br />
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In the meantime, I've also posted a video update about my ongoing writing journey. It has been 18 months since I quit my day job! Check out the update here:<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h7FEzxc5zT4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7FEzxc5zT4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-91754971532645432032016-01-04T18:51:00.002+08:002016-01-04T18:51:45.676+08:0010 Plans for 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wosj9l5kJX8/VopLwT5AwaI/AAAAAAAAFDo/DoNDtQHKjNo/s1600/Burnt%2BSea%2B-%2BJordan%2BRivet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wosj9l5kJX8/VopLwT5AwaI/AAAAAAAAFDo/DoNDtQHKjNo/s320/Burnt%2BSea%2B-%2BJordan%2BRivet.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's that time of year again. Last January I posted <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/01/29-things.html" target="_blank">29 Things</a>, a report on my 14 goals for 2014 and 15 plans for 2015. Most of the items revolved around the completion of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-3-Book-Series/dp/B019OS6RBY/" target="_blank">The Seabound Chronicles</a>, a post-apocalyptic adventure series under the pen name <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">Jordan Rivet</a>. Here's how I did: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">1. Rewrite </span><i style="line-height: 21.56px;">Burnt Sea (</i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">the</span><i style="line-height: 21.56px;"> Seabound </i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">prequel</span><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><i>). </i><b>Done!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 21.56px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">2. Finish revising </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Seaswept </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">(</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><i>Seabound Chronicles 2). </i><b>Done!</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">3. Publish </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Seaswept</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"> in e-book and paperback. <b>Done! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WZOT69A/" target="_blank">Here's the link to Seaswept</a>.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">4. Rewrite </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><i>Seabound Chronicles 3. </i><b>Done! The title is <i>Seafled</i>.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">5. Finish revising </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Burnt Sea.</i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"> <b>Done!</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">6. Publish </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Burnt Sea </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">in e-book and paperback. <b>Done! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burnt-Sea-Seabound-Prequel-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00YS14D1E/" target="_blank">Here's the link to Burnt Sea.</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">7. Finish revising </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><i>Seabound Chronicles 3. </i><b>Done!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">8. Publish </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Seabound Chronicles 3 </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">in e-book and paperback. <b>Done! <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018P97HV2/" target="_blank">Here's the link to Seafled.</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">9. Write a memoir about growing up in a homeschooling family of nine kids, possibly of Kindle Single length, under the Shannon Young name. </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">The project is complete, but I haven't yet decided on the appropriate publishing path for it.</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">10. Promote </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a> </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">in Hong Kong and during the US/e-book launch. <b>Done. I was also able to speak about the book at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival again in November.</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Op5CaTbpRvI/VopL5NP3cCI/AAAAAAAAFDw/pzGEfbTjZd0/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Op5CaTbpRvI/VopL5NP3cCI/AAAAAAAAFDw/pzGEfbTjZd0/s320/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">11. Write a brand-new novel for NaNoWriMo, probably under the Jordan Rivet name. </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">I wrote 34,000 words during NaNoWriMo before the <i>Seafled</i> publication consumed all my hours. I plan to complete the draft in January.</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">12. Begin production of a </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Seabound </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">audiobook. <b>This is on hold for now. </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">13. Write one more secret pen name short, just for fun. </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Nope. In fact, I unpublished these three shorts as part of my ongoing effort to devote time only to projects that grow my Shannon Young/Jordan Rivet career.</b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">14. Read </span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">Infinite Jest (</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">which has been on my Kindle for a long time) and all the paperbacks I have purchased or been given this year</span><i style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">. </i><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;"><b>Nope. This one's still on the to-do list. I watched <i>The End of the Tour</i> on a plane recently, and it has given me new motivation. As for the paperbacks, I made decent headway but my Kindle lured me away almost every time.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">15. Make enough money from writing to avoid returning to my day job. </span><b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 21.56px;">I ended up taking a part-time teaching job for October-December to replenish my savings. I'm back to full-time writing until April, at which point I'll reassess my situation again. I have big plans for the intervening months!</b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDIfqR1wJU8/VopMihBnxkI/AAAAAAAAFEA/xcV-GPuUX8w/s1600/CreateSpace%2BeStore%2BBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mDIfqR1wJU8/VopMihBnxkI/AAAAAAAAFEA/xcV-GPuUX8w/s400/CreateSpace%2BeStore%2BBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="line-height: 21.56px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2015 Milestone Roundup</span></b></h4>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Completed and published three full-length novels</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Completed a new as-yet-unpublished memoir project</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Honed my promotion strategies, eliminating time-consuming tasks with low ROI</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Had my first 10,000-word writing day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Had my first 100 sales day</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Broke into the top 2,000 e-books on all of Amazon on three occasions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Planned a new series, a fantasy about a professional duelist in a mountaintop kingdom, and wrote the first draft of Book 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Exercised my "focus muscles" to the point where I now regularly manage 6-hour writing sessions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.56px;">-Kept up my writing and production schedule during the months when I had a part-time job with a lengthy commute</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9doS1GYWgJE/VopNiIVvQqI/AAAAAAAAFEI/6diaZEwiDGg/s1600/IMAG3391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9doS1GYWgJE/VopNiIVvQqI/AAAAAAAAFEI/6diaZEwiDGg/s400/IMAG3391.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's one I never expected: an interview in Chinese!</td></tr>
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">10 Plans for 2016</span></h4>
Looking ahead to 2016 is quite exciting. My writing and publishing process is getting smoother, and I have a better sense of how long things take. I've decided to set 10 goals for the coming year.<br />
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Here are my plans for 2016:<br />
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1. Release a box set of the <i>Seabound</i> trilogy.<br />
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2. Finish my NaNoWriMo project, a Hong Kong love story called <i>Ferry Tale.</i><br />
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3. Publish <i>Ferry Tale</i> under the name Shannon Young.<br />
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4. Complete Book 1 in my new fantasy series.<br />
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5. Commission covers, possibly with custom artwork, for the fantasy series.<br />
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6. Write Book 2 in the fantasy series.<br />
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7. Publish Books 1 and 2 approximately 6 weeks apart to gather sales momentum.<br />
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8. Write Book 3 in the fantasy series.<br />
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9. Write first draft of a new post-apocalyptic book (this great idea jumped fully formed into my head on the MTR one day).<br />
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10. Publish Book 3 in the fantasy series in time for Christmas.<br />
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<b>Thank you all for supporting me along the way, and especially for buying my books and writing reviews. You have all been so kind and helpful. Apologies if you don't see me outside of Starbucks for the next four months!</b>Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-53374243778470915992015-10-29T11:46:00.000+08:002015-10-29T11:46:44.785+08:00Cross-Cultural Love at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.festival.org.hk/wp-content/themes/flippingrainbow/images/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.festival.org.hk/wp-content/themes/flippingrainbow/images/logo.png" /></a></div>
Last year, I launched my memoir, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a></i>, at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. This November, I'll be participating in the festival again with a panel on <a href="http://www.festival.org.hk/program/cross-cultural-love/" target="_blank">Cross-Cultural Love</a>. The event takes place on Sunday, November 8th at 3:30 pm at the historic Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences in Central.<br />
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<a href="http://typhoon-media.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bitter-Orange-Cover-Shadow-V6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://typhoon-media.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bitter-Orange-Cover-Shadow-V6.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a>The panel, which will be moderated by David Nunnan, features a great line-up of writers. We'll be talking about cross-cultural relationships and sharing from a wide range of experiences as expats in Asia. I'll be joined on the panel by...<br />
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<a href="http://marshallmoore.com/" target="_blank">Marshall Moore</a><br />
In addition to being the author of multiple novels and short story collections, Marshall is the publisher of Signal 8 Press, which was responsible for the expat women in Asia anthology <i>How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit</i>.<br />
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<a href="http://i2.wp.com/www.blacksmithbooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SouthChinaMorningBlues_800.jpg?resize=800%2C1228" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i2.wp.com/www.blacksmithbooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/SouthChinaMorningBlues_800.jpg?resize=800%2C1228" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
<a href="http://rayhecht.com/" target="_blank">Ray Hecht</a><br />
Ray is an American living in Shenzhen. His debut novel, <i>South China Morning Blues</i>, just launched from <i>YOFD</i> publisher Blacksmith Books. I'm reading the novel now!<br />
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<a href="http://www.susanbkason.com/" target="_blank">Susan Blumberg-Kason</a><br />
<a href="http://www.susanbkason.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/good-chinese-wife-cover-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.susanbkason.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/good-chinese-wife-cover-small.jpg" /></a>You may remember <i>Good Chinese Wife</i>, Susan's memoir of her marriage to a man from central China. Susan also contributed to the <i>Dragonfruit</i> anthology and she has been a great supporter of my writing. Susan is traveling from Chicago for the festival.<br />
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The discussion is sure to be interesting. I know many of you have experienced cross-cultural relationships of various kinds in your lives abroad. It would be great to see you there and hear your thoughts on the topic. <a href="http://www.festival.org.hk/program/cross-cultural-love/" target="_blank">Buy your tickets for the event here!</a>Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-17315249392771644252015-09-27T11:07:00.000+08:002015-09-27T11:07:42.881+08:00Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!It's Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, the season of fire dragons, moon cakes, and the first hints of fall. What are you doing to celebrate? I'll be enjoying a relaxed weekend with my husband and going to see another fire dragon!<br />
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In honor of Mid-Autumn festival, here's the chapter from <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a></i> that takes place at the fire dragon dance in Tai Hang...<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1 </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Fire Dragon</b> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fire dragon trundled toward me through the crowded street.
Smoke curled from the incense sticks protruding from its long, thin
body like thousands of spines on some mystical porcupine. Sweat poured
down the face and back of every spectator. The fire dragon wound back
and forth through the streets, faster and faster, dancing to the beat of
drums. A wave of cheers rippled through the crowd each time it came
near. The drums rattled the high-rises, the dragon danced, and the
pavement shuddered under our feet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong, a time to celebrate
the moon goddess and her flight across the sky. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My flight wasn’t like that of Chang’e, the goddess who escaped her lover
in a blaze of luminescence. I was flying toward mine. His gravitational
field had pulled me across the sea, drawn me to a distant isle of fire
dragons and skyscrapers. I’d follow him anywhere—even to Hong Kong.
We hadn’t lived in the same country since we’d met, but this was our
chance to be together, to build a life in the city where he grew up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But one month ago, his company sent him to London. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I first met Ben in London, at a fencing club. I was a bookish American
student on a semester abroad. He was an opportunity for a real live
English romance, my very own Mr. Darcy, except that unlike Darcy, Ben
was talkative—and half Chinese. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’d taken up fencing several years before, attracted by the romance of
sword fighting and the fact that it was something unique, historic, literary
even. I wasn’t bad, and the sport brought me unexpected confidence. It
seemed like a great way for an introvert like me to connect with people at
the university in London. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I pushed open the door to the club, the familiar buzz of the
scoring machine and the squeak of athletic shoes on the floor reached my
ears. I rocked on the sides of my feet, unsure how to join in. Ben came
over immediately, introduced himself, and invited me to fence him. I
was relieved at being included and already curious about this open-faced
young man whose accent I couldn’t place. He won our first bout by one
point; he always said I wouldn’t have dated him if I had been able to beat
him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We fenced a few more bouts, and then sat cross-legged in our matching
gear, masks forgotten on the floor. He prodded at my shy shell; he asked
me questions, joked about fencing, told me he was from Hong Kong. He
had an eloquent vocabulary mixed with an offbeat sense of humor. He
didn’t seem to mind when people didn’t get his jokes. He put me at ease,
and I found myself stealing glances at him as I adjusted my equipment
and met the other fencers. By the time I changed my shoes and left the
gym, I was already lecturing myself about reading too much into his
attention. I didn’t want to get swept away, blinded by the novelty of an
international fling. But it was too late. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For two months, we wandered the streets of London together, kissed
on street corners, and took spontaneous trips to Oxford and the coast.
He took the time to get to know me, using our shared love of fencing
to get me talking. He surprised me with his insight, his persistence. He
seemed to understand why I, analytical and introverted, never quite fit
into any group. As someone who had grown up shuttling between Hong
Kong and London, not quite Chinese and not quite British, he knew
what it was like to be an outsider. Ben had a gift for coaxing people to confide in him and trust him. Before long, he got even the most reserved,
responsible American girl to give him handfuls of her heart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When the semester ended, we said goodbye at Heathrow in a flurry
of kisses and long-distance promises: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“It will just be for a year, maybe
two.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I can visit you in America.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I’ll get a job wherever you live after graduation,” I told him. Our
confidence in each other was reckless and optimistic, but staying together
felt like the only sensible thing to do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2010, thoroughly in love, I moved to Hong Kong to be with him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It lasted for one glorious month. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ben left me in Hong Kong on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Instead
of exploring the city with him, I was at the airport saying my goodbyes
while the children of Hong Kong flooded the streets and parks with
lanterns. Instead of walking beneath the Mid-Autumn moon together,
we shared a fierce hug and made a hundred tiny promises. The next day,
still reeling from the sheer solitude, I found my way to Tai Hang—to the
incense and the drums. The fire dragon loomed, full of possibilities. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It had already grown dark, or as dark as it ever gets in the city, when
I emerged from the subway into a night that felt nothing like the end
of September. The humidity surrounded me like steam pouring out of a
broken dumpling. I made my way along the street. An arch announced
the festival in gold foil and tissue paper fringe. I found a spot beside a
Chinese family of three or four generations. A group of Mainland girls
chattered in shrill Mandarin in front of me. The balconies of a hundred
apartments teetered over our heads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hadn’t had a chance to ask Ben what the fire dragon would be like
before the airport security line swallowed him and carried him away. The
fire dragon in my mind looked like a dancing, tuft-eared Pekinese dog,
with people standing under a big sheet to form the body, holding up the head. Of course, that’s an image from a lion dance, not a dragon dance, I
would soon learn. I was just starting to discover that Hong Kong was full
of surprises—and I was ill prepared. I jumped up on my toes and looked
for the Pekinese head. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The drums began. “Want me to hoist you up?” An American man
stepped close behind me. He was tall, and the scent of stale beer mixed
with the incense. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“No, thanks,” I said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“You sure? You want a good view when they bring out the dragon,” he
reached for my arms. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“I can see just fine.” I maneuvered away from the man, finding refuge
on the other side of the Chinese family. My fingers curled tighter around
my purse. Suddenly, I was aware just how alone I was in the crowd, and
in the country. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Why didn’t you just go to London instead of Hong Kong when you
found out Ben would be leaving?” my friends had asked me. “You’re
already moving across the world for him.” I wondered the same thing
myself—now. But this was 2010. I wasn’t in a position to jet around
the world after men lightly. I’d graduated from Colgate University with
US$70,000 in student debt, debt I had taken on before the economy
crumbled. Moving without a job was not an option. Employment would
be hard to find in London for an English major with limited work
experience and no visa. I didn’t have a chance. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jobs were not easy to come by anywhere in the Western world. My
generation faced the worst job market in living memory. My college educated
friends competed tooth-and-nail for part-time barista work,
borrowed more money for graduate school, and moved in with their
parents. There was a mounting sense of desperation among those of us
who had taken out big student loans only to discover there was no work
for us in our own country when we graduated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Asia was another story. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were rumors going around that this was where the jobs were to
be found. Ben had found work in Hong Kong, his hometown. My own
sister had recently begun teaching English in South Korea. So, I spent
nearly a year applying and interviewing for a job in Hong Kong (and yes,
living with my parents while I did it). When a local school emailed and
asked me to be their new English teacher, it seemed the long distance part
of our international romance, which had lasted two and a half years by
now, was finally done. I showed up with a work visa and a salary advance,
ready to take on the city and the next stage in our relationship. Yet here I
was, alone in a crowd as the fire dragon approached. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I couldn’t afford to give up my new job when Ben’s circumstances
changed. With a one-way ticket and a monthly student loan payment of
US$935, I stayed in Hong Kong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The drums pounded. A row of children appeared, carrying lanterns that
bobbed above the crowds. Their glow mixed with the lights from the
apartment buildings looming over our heads. My arms brushed an elbow
on one side, a woman’s handbag on the other. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ben had been lucky, really, to be sent to London. It was a one-year
placement at a law firm with the prospect of a permanent contract
afterwards. All I had to do was spend this year in Hong Kong looking
for an opportunity in London where we could be reunited once again.
“It’ll be for one more year, and then we’ll be together,” we promised each
other as we set up our web-cams. “We already know we can handle the
whole long distance thing.” We plotted our reunion in a whirl of emails
and long distance calls. “It’ll just be this year,” we said, “and then that’s it.
No more long distance.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course, the other thing people asked was, “What if you don’t get
along when you finally do live in the same country?” That was a question
I couldn’t answer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I stood in the Mid-Autumn crowd, little did I know that my move
to Hong Kong would bring about our longest separation ever, a separation
that would bring me face to face with the reality of the risk I had taken. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pounding of the drums intensified. The people around me drew
closer together, choking what little breeze there was. Finally, the fire
dragon appeared, followed by more children carrying lanterns. I was
surprised when I saw what it was really like. It had an elaborate head,
made from branches twisted into intricate shapes and filled with a thicket
of incense. The thin body was over 200 feet long and muscular bearers
danced beneath its undulating shape. The people around me cheered as
the dragon’s head passed us and then turned back on itself, leaving behind
a million tiny trails of smoke. I felt a growing sense of excitement as the
fire dragon whirled and darted through the streets. Its wiry, crackling
body defied my expectations. It was fast. It was wild. I pushed forward
so I could see better. I was a part of the crowd. I didn’t feel like a foreign
girl, alone, in an interrupted romance. This was an adventure! I could
do this; I could live in Hong Kong, alone. Ben and I would be together
soon enough. </span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SFxtc7HRy_o/VgddAMz_CtI/AAAAAAAAFBc/-5TmK-imAg0/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SFxtc7HRy_o/VgddAMz_CtI/AAAAAAAAFBc/-5TmK-imAg0/s320/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the dragon twirled in front of me, I didn’t know that in nine months
I’d be sitting on the floor of my single apartment, cell phone pressed to
my ear, feeling the foreign ground shift beneath me, feeling a panic I’d
been too confident to anticipate. I pulled my hair away from my neck,
trying to find relief from the suffocating heat, too stubborn to guess at
the coldness that was coming. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was not what I had planned. Nothing happened the way I
expected. This was Hong Kong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As the rumble of the drums reached a crescendo, the men carrying
the dragon pulled off the sticks of incense and passed them to the crowd. Within seconds, the fire dragon dispersed into a thousand tiny sparks in
the night.</span><br />
<br />
<b>You can buy <i>Year of Fire Dragons</i> in <a href="http://www.blacksmithbooks.com/books/year-of-fire-dragons-an-american-womans-story-of-coming-of-age-in-hong-kong/" target="_blank">Hong Kong bookstores</a>, on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Kindle</a>, or anywhere else books are sold</b>.<br />
<br />
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-52495552755772715222015-07-08T18:47:00.004+08:002015-07-08T18:48:17.856+08:00Giveaway Winner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HltTRhk67hc/VZz9C7BAKHI/AAAAAAAAFAM/mcs0IJi_6Zw/s1600/3ExpatMemoirsBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HltTRhk67hc/VZz9C7BAKHI/AAAAAAAAFAM/mcs0IJi_6Zw/s400/3ExpatMemoirsBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Thank you so much to everyone who entered our giveaway over the past few weeks. Thank you, especially, to all the bloggers who posted it on their sites and everyone who shared the links on social media. We really appreciate your help spreading the word about our books!<br />
<br />
We are happy to announce that the giveaway winner is <b>Charlotte Steggall</b>. She will receive copies of all three books in the post soon. Charlotte used to be an expat in Japan and Germany. <a href="http://charlottesteggz.com/" target="_blank">You can check out her blog here</a>!<br />
<br />
If you didn't win the giveaway but you'd still like to grab a copy of any of the books, here are the links one more time. Thank you for your support of these new stories of life and love in Asia. Happy reading!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank"><b>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</b></a> by Shannon Young ($7.99 on Kindle)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Sun-Journey-Adoption-ebook/dp/B00XUYQVMY/" target="_blank"><b>Here Comes the Sun: A Journey to Adoption in 8 Chakras</b></a> by Leza Lowitz ($9.99 on Kindle)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Shufu-Finding-World-ebook/dp/B00OQS4CTW/" target="_blank"><b>The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self, and Home on the Far Side of the World</b></a> by Tracy Slater ($10.99 on Kindle)Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-75637106383398985802015-07-02T16:50:00.001+08:002015-07-02T16:50:28.174+08:00HERE COMES THE SUN by Leza Lowitz<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week I'm participating in a joint blog tour with two
other authors of new memoirs set in Asia. <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/06/giveaway-3-summer-memoirs-by-women-in.html" target="_blank">You can enter our giveaway here.</a> We each read each
other's books, and I'm pleased to share my thoughts on the second one today: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Here Comes the Sun </i>by Leza Lowitz.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6bMzQ3_KF6o/VZI8SZzZjtI/AAAAAAAAE_8/RvAtuUEZqug/s1600/HereCometheSun_FrontCover%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6bMzQ3_KF6o/VZI8SZzZjtI/AAAAAAAAE_8/RvAtuUEZqug/s320/HereCometheSun_FrontCover%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="206" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">THE GIST</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">An American woman finds love in Japan and embarks on a
journey toward motherhood through adoption and yoga.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">THE REVIEW</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you're a fan of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Does-One-Dress-Dragonfruit-ebook/dp/B00K21ZXF4/" target="_blank">How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit</a>,
the expat women in Asia anthology I edited for Signal 8 Press last year, you
might recognize this title. Leza Lowitz contributed a moving excerpt
of her then-unpublished memoir to the anthology, also called <i>Here Comes the
Sun</i>. Now we get the full story! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leza's memoir follows her journey to motherhood through adoption, and to
peace and self-understanding through yoga. Set primarily in Japan but also
featuring Leza's roots in Berkeley, California, the memoir is a beautifully written reflection
on life, motherhood, and finding a home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leza's background in poetry is evident in the language of this memoir. There's a moving simplicity to her words that draws you in as you follow her move to Japan, her romance with a handsome Japanese writer, and her search for the child she knows is calling out to her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In addition to the story of her family finding each other, Leza's memoir features her heartfelt attention to yogic practice and philosophy. Leza writes about her decision to open a
yoga studio in Japan and organizes her story around the eight chakras. Her spiritual journey is particularly interesting because she brings together her practice of yoga and the traditions of her Jewish upbringing.
It's a story for modern, multicultural times if there ever was one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">THE LINKS</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://lezalowitz.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can check out Leza's website here.</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Sun-Journey-Adoption-ebook/dp/B00XUYQVMY/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or grab a copy of <i>Here Comes the Sun</i>!</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">THE COST</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Kindle edition is $9.99. I received a free copy of the ebook for review. Disclosure: Leza also wrote a very nice blurb for my memoir, <i>Year of Fire Dragons.</i></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">THE GIVEAWAY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
If you'd like to win a copy of <i>Here Comes the Sun, </i>along with <i>The Good Shufu </i>and <i>Year of Fire Dragons</i>, you can <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/06/giveaway-3-summer-memoirs-by-women-in.html" target="_blank">enter our giveaway here</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-24821990312144594272015-07-01T20:20:00.000+08:002015-07-01T20:20:52.755+08:00THE GOOD SHUFU by Tracy Slater<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This week I'm participating in a joint blog tour with two
other authors of new memoirs set in Asia. </i><i><a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/06/giveaway-3-summer-memoirs-by-women-in.html" target="_blank">You can enter our giveaway here.</a> </i><i>We each read each other's books, and I'm pleased to share my thoughts on the first one, </i>The Good Shufu<i> by Tracy Slater.</i></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-udcADH7NGzY/VZI3ZRWWZZI/AAAAAAAAE_s/xbhXtBWyky8/s1600/TheGoodShufu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-udcADH7NGzY/VZI3ZRWWZZI/AAAAAAAAE_s/xbhXtBWyky8/s320/TheGoodShufu.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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THE GIST</div>
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An American academic finds herself falling in love and
moving to Japan with a Japanese salary man. </div>
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THE REVIEW</div>
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American Tracy Slater was not looking to move abroad. It came as quite a surprise when she fell in love with a Japanese
businessman who also happened to be one of her English students. In this candid
memoir, she shares the process of coming to terms with the new life she
would share with the man she loved. Rather than permanently moving to Japan, Tracy spent years trying to split her time between her new life and marriage and her first
love: the city of Boston. Eventually, the combination of her father-in-law's
ailing health and her efforts to conceive throughout her early forties drew
Tracy further into the arms of Japan.</div>
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This memoir is a candid look at a journey of love and
compromise as a couple works to make a life together despite vastly different
backgrounds and plans for their lives. The central relationship in the memoir
is sweet in its earnestness, and you really root for Tracy and her husband
throughout the book. The portrayal of Tracy's relationship with her father-in-law is especially moving as his health slowly fails. She examines what it is like to take on a highly traditional carer role
as a woman who never quite expected her life would take this turn.</div>
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The memoir is deeply thought-provoking because of the way
Tracy's expectations and affluent background war with her new life as a wife in
a more conservative culture. Her journey to conceive after the age of 40 is
heart-rending. I won't spoil the ending, but this is a book that will leave you
thinking for days afterwards.</div>
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THE LINKS</div>
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<a href="http://tracyslater.com/" target="_blank">Check out Tracy's website here.</a></div>
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<a href="http://widgets.penguin.com/Pages/affiliateLanding/index.aspx?isbn=9780399166204" target="_blank">Grab a copy of <i>The Good Shufu</i> from your retailer of choice.</a></div>
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THE COST</div>
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The Kindle edition is $10.99. I received a free copy of the ebook for review.</div>
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THE GIVEAWAY</div>
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Don't forget to <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/06/giveaway-3-summer-memoirs-by-women-in.html" target="_blank">enter the giveaway</a> for a chance to win the hardcover edition of <i>The Good Shufu</i>, along with copies of <i>Here Comes the Sun</i> and <i>Year of Fire Dragons.</i> Look for my review of <i>Here Comes the Sun </i>tomorrow!</div>
Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-42664955669850488672015-06-30T14:05:00.000+08:002015-06-30T14:05:41.787+08:00Giveaway! 3 Summer Memoirs by Women in Asia<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etg_SWKYTtM/VYJrGd-FpUI/AAAAAAAAE-k/l1L9rOj4es8/s1600/3ExpatMemoirsBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-etg_SWKYTtM/VYJrGd-FpUI/AAAAAAAAE-k/l1L9rOj4es8/s400/3ExpatMemoirsBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This summer I'm participating in a joint blog tour with two
other women who have also written memoirs about love, life, and finding home in
Asia. <a href="http://tracyslater.com/" target="_blank">Tracy Slater</a> and <a href="http://lezalowitz.com/" target="_blank">Leza Lowitz</a> have fascinating stories about their lives
and loves in Japan, and I'm excited to offer <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a></i> alongside
their books. We are holding a huge giveaway for all three titles (two paperbacks
and one hardback). To enter, use the Rafflecopter below. </div>
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Each title offers a unique take on expat life, with common
refrains that I think you'll enjoy. Here is a bit more about each book and where to find it.<br />
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<b style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Sun-Journey-Adoption/dp/1611720214" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Here Comes the Sun: A Journey to Adoption in 8 Chakras</a></span></b><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fa1VE6hlOc/VYuSkZKPntI/AAAAAAAAE_U/rvOHXx6Jey0/s1600/HereCometheSun_FrontCover%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--fa1VE6hlOc/VYuSkZKPntI/AAAAAAAAE_U/rvOHXx6Jey0/s320/HereCometheSun_FrontCover%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="206" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By </span><a href="http://www.lezalowitz.com/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Leza Lowitz</a><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 30, Californian Leza Lowitz is single and traveling the world, which suits her just fine. Coming of age in Berkeley during the feminist revolution of the 1970s, she learned that marriage and family could wait. Or could they? When Leza moves to Japan and falls in love with a Japanese man, her heart opens in ways she never thought possible. But she’s still an outsider, and home is far away. Rather than struggle to fit in, she opens a yoga studio and makes a home for others. Then, at 44, Leza and her Japanese husband seek to adopt—in a country where bloodlines are paramount and family ties are almost feudal in their cultural importance. She travels to India to work on herself and back to California to deal with her past. Something is still not complete until she learns that when you give a little love to a child, you get the whole world in return. The author’s deep connection to yoga shows her that infertile does not mean inconceivable. By adapting and adopting, she transcends her struggles and embraces the joys of motherhood. “Here Comes the Sun proves that love is not bound by blood. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in that which connects us, holds us together, and makes us family.”—MC Yogi</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cbsdsmarttools.com/sites/m89832/index.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Stonebridge Press, June 2015 </a></span></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tq4Pueufxuo/VYJrTmlrAoI/AAAAAAAAE-s/0RNsFV4_wVE/s1600/TheGoodShufu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tq4Pueufxuo/VYJrTmlrAoI/AAAAAAAAE-s/0RNsFV4_wVE/s320/TheGoodShufu.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://widgets.penguin.com/Pages/affiliateLanding/index.aspx?isbn=9780399166204" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self, & Home on the Far Side of the World</a></b></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tracyslater.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">By Tracy Slater</a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Good Shufu</i> is a true story of multicultural love, marriage, and mixups. When Tracy Slater, a highly independent American academic, falls head-over-heels in love with the least likely person in the world--a traditional Japanese salaryman who barely speaks English--she must choose between the existence she'd meticulously planned in the US and life as an illiterate housewife in Osaka. Rather than an ordinary travel memoir, this is a book about building a whole life in a language you don’t speak and a land you can barely navigate, and yet somehow finding a truer sense of home and meaning than ever before. A Summer ’15 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection, The Good Shufu is a celebration of the life least expected: messy, overwhelming, and deeply enriching in its complications.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://widgets.penguin.com/Pages/affiliateLanding/index.aspx?isbn=9780399166204" style="color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Putnam/Penguin, June 30, 2015</a><b> </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</b></a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bPhV1x0o5hw/VYJraNdW-eI/AAAAAAAAE-0/iV3AmeukJMk/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bPhV1x0o5hw/VYJraNdW-eI/AAAAAAAAE-0/iV3AmeukJMk/s320/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By <a href="http://shannonyoungwriter.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Shannon Young</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2010, bookish 22-year-old Shannon follows her Eurasian boyfriend to Hong Kong, eager to forge a new love story in his hometown. She thinks their long distance romance is over, but a month later his company sends him to London. Shannon embarks on a wide-eyed newcomer's journey through Hong Kong—alone. She teaches in a local school as the only foreigner, explores Asia with other young expats, and discovers a family history of her own in Hong Kong. The city enchants her, forcing her to question her plans. Soon, she must make a choice between her new life and the love that first brought her to Asia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><i><span style="color: #333333;">Good Chinese Wife,</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> has called</span><span style="color: #333333;"> </span><i><span style="color: #333333;">Year of Fire Dragons</span></i><span style="color: #333333;"> "a riveting coming of age story" and "a testament to the distance people will travel for love."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Blacksmith Books, June 20, 2015</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This week I'll also be
sharing my reviews of <i>The Good Shufu</i>
and <i>Here Comes the Sun.</i> Stay tuned!</span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Enter the giveaway below. You can earn up to 4 entries by tweeting and commenting on this post. I'd love for you to comment with your favorite memoir by a female author or your favorite expat story!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="abf64bb51" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/abf64bb51/" id="rcwidget_8brxqhtu" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-18535308569998535382015-06-23T22:44:00.000+08:002015-06-24T10:35:39.175+08:00Year of Fire Dragons is out on Kindle!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a></i>, the book I started writing around when
I started this blog, is finally available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">on Kindle</a>! Thank you for sticking
with me on this publishing journey for so long. The gorgeous paperback has been
in Hong Kong bookstores since November, but now you can read it no matter where
you live!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you already have the book, please consider leaving an
honest review on your online retailer of choice some time this week. This will
help give <i>Year of Fire Dragons</i> the best launch possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a bit more about it!</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AxdXvRTXNSA/VYJoshtm7XI/AAAAAAAAE-Y/4fBWCQT9q6w/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AxdXvRTXNSA/VYJoshtm7XI/AAAAAAAAE-Y/4fBWCQT9q6w/s320/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">In 2010, bookish 22-year-old Shannon follows her Eurasian boyfriend to Hong Kong, eager to forge a new love story in his hometown. But when work sends him to London a month later, Shannon embarks on a wide-eyed newcomer's journey through Hong Kong – alone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;">She teaches in a local school as the only foreigner, explores Asia with other young expats and discovers family history in Hong Kong, all while trying to hold on to her thwarted romance. The city enchants her, forcing her to question her plans. Soon, she must make a choice between her new life and the love that first brought her to Asia.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><b>Buy it in paperback or as an e-book!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans-ebook/dp/B00ZSBYR8C/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/year-of-fire-dragons-shannon-young/1120668782" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/year-of-fire-dragons" target="_blank">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-Shannon-Young/9789881376411" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></span></span></div>
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chapters on <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" target="_blank">my publisher's website</a>. The publisher also offers free shipping on
the paperback within Asia!</span><!--EndFragment-->
Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-45627350643621049332015-04-23T21:51:00.000+08:002015-04-23T21:51:51.335+08:00Notes from the London Book Fair <br />
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I'm back in Hong Kong after nearly three weeks in London. I had a great time wandering around, catching up with old friends, and doing a bit of writing.<br />
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The timing worked out so that I was able to attend the first day of the London Book Fair. I've never been to a big trade fair like this, and it was fascinating. Geared toward industry professionals rather than readers, it was a good chance to see what people are up to in the London book world. The real work of the fair takes place during pre-booked meetings, but on this trip I just wanted to soak it all in.<br />
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One of my writing friends from Hong Kong moved back to London last year and she accompanied me around the fair. We attended talks at Author HQ, explored the expansive halls full publishers and book-related exhibitions, and chatted with other authors. I got to meet <a href="http://thecreativepenn.com/" target="_blank">Joanna Penn</a> and Mark Dawson, who was featured in <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaymcgregor/2015/04/17/mark-dawson-made-750000-from-self-published-amazon-books/" target="_blank">a Forbes article</a> a few days later.<br />
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We listened to back-to-back talks on the traditional industry by an agent and editor and on Kindle Direct Publishing by four indie superstars. As a hybrid author, I've participated in both publishing paths and it was interesting to observe the differing moods between the two talks. The agent and editor emphasized how much a book has to stand out in order to be picked up for publication. The KDP authors talked about practical strategies for finding readers.<br />
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We attended another talk on publicity and marketing and I went to one near the end of the day on YA fantasy. I had to run to pick up my suitcase and get to the airport after this talk, but it was worth it. (I literally ran across most of Regent's Park to where we were staying because I couldn't find the bus that goes around it).<br />
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Now that I'm back in Hong Kong, I'm hard at work as always, though the jet lag has turned me back into a night owl. I'm currently in the final stages of publication for <i>Seaswept</i>, the second book in my post-apocalyptic series under my <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">Jordan Rivet</a> pen name.<br />
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I'm also gearing up for the June 7th worldwide and e-book launch of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a></i>, my coming of age travel memoir about my first year in Hong Kong. It's already in Hong Kong bookstores, and <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" target="_blank">you can read some sample chapters on my publisher's website</a>. If you want to write a review of <i>Year of Fire Dragons,</i> please shoot me an email at snyoung88@gmail.com!Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-33129429009511543172015-03-19T16:33:00.000+08:002015-03-19T16:33:43.423+08:00London calling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Next week I'm flying to London for the first time in four years! As many of you know, I met my husband in London during a semester abroad over seven years ago. For a long time I thought we'd be moving there permanently. As we get even more settled in Hong Kong that looks unlikely, but I'm very excited to return for an extended visit. </div>
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Our schedules have worked out so that I'll be able to attend the first day of the London Book Fair on April 14th. If any of you are planning to be there, please let me know!<br />
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In the meantime, I've been hard at work on a short project under the name Shannon Young and the soon-to-be-released sequel to <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM/" target="_blank">Seabound</a></i> under the name Jordan Rivet. I was also recently interviewed about my work under two names by <i>gbtimes</i>. <a href="http://gbtimes.com/life/american-writers-coming-age-hong-kong" target="_blank">Read the article here!</a><br />
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We're also getting closer to the wide release of <i>Year of Fire Dragons</i>, the travel memoir featuring my move to Hong Kong and my love story. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416/" target="_blank">It's available for pre-order now</a>, and the e-book will launch in June. You can find the gorgeous paperback in Hong Kong bookstores already! <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" target="_blank">To read some sample chapters, check out my publisher's website!</a><br />
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-71142818971012768222015-02-26T15:36:00.001+08:002015-02-26T15:36:17.217+08:00Adventures On the Air<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This month I had a chance to appear on RTHK, the English radio station in Hong Kong. In the first program, State of the Art with Reenita Malhotra Hora, I talk about balancing writing for two different pen names and about my personal journey in Hong Kong. I also got to share three of my favorite songs!<br />
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<a href="http://programme.rthk.hk/channel/radio/programme.php?name=radio3/state_of_the_art&d=2015-02-08&p=6684&e=296080&m=episode">Listen to State of the Art here</a><br />
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On the other program, Morning Brew with Phil Whelan, I talked about my Hong Kong travel memoir, Year of Fire Dragons, and had some very interesting conversations with Phil about writing, Hong Kong, and even homeschooling!<br />
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<a href="http://programme.rthk.hk/channel/radio/programme.php?name=radio3/morning_brew&d=2015-02-11&p=2505&e=295813&m=episode">Listen to Morning Brew here</a><br />
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I just finished a new memoir piece about growing up in a homeschooling family. I'm having some people read it and give me some feedback and then I hope to tell you all about!Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-62091646330514710472015-02-04T20:24:00.000+08:002015-02-04T20:24:04.298+08:00My first six months as a full-time writerI recently posted a video update on my first six months working as a full-time writer here in Hong Kong. Some of the milestones I mention in the video were four years in the making, but it has still been an amazing ride over the past few months!<div>
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If you missed the video when I announced my decision to quit my day job, here it is. This is by far my most-viewed video, by the way.</div>
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<i>I recently appeared on RTHK's State of the Art program. As soon as I get the links sorted out I'll post those too. Did anyone in HK hear it live?</i></div>
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Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-35519614677793647692015-01-26T10:51:00.000+08:002015-01-26T10:51:37.953+08:00Paperback Book List<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7S3cXL3NUWM/VMWp7UoOU5I/AAAAAAAAE60/opoKgSe7QjA/s1600/IMAG2414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7S3cXL3NUWM/VMWp7UoOU5I/AAAAAAAAE60/opoKgSe7QjA/s1600/IMAG2414.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My unread books shelf</td></tr>
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One of my goals for the year is to read all the paper books I've acquired and not yet read since moving to Hong Kong. I still get most of my books on my Kindle, but sometimes I buy paper books at events and I actually really love getting them as gifts. The problem is that I get through these books much more slowly. My Kindle is always with me, but the paper books tend to sit on my shelves looking pretty. This year I am going to catch up. It helps that I no longer have a long commute. I'm much more likely to read a paperback at home than out and about. My Kindle has also been behaving fitfully lately, so I may need to order a new one soon if I can't get it sorted out.<br />
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Here are the paper books on my list for the year:<br />
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<i>The Dreamer</i> by Rajeev Balasubramanyam<br />
<i>The Elegance of the Hedgehog</i> by Muriel Barbery<br />
<i>Paper Tigress</i> by Rachel Cartland (from my publisher!)<br />
<i>Kisses for Katie</i> by Katie Davis<br />
<i>Empty Mansions</i> by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.<br />
<i>Blind</i> by Rachel DeWoskin<br />
<i>11/22/63</i> by Stephen King<br />
<i>Salem's Lot</i> by Stephen King<br />
<i>About a Boy</i> by Nick Hornby<br />
<i>Unexploded</i> by Alison Macleod<br />
<i>Owen's Daughter</i> by Jo-Ann Mapson<br />
<i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i> by Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />
<i>The Accident </i>by Chris Pavone<br />
<i>The Mime Order</i> by Samantha Shannon<br />
<i>Rough Justice</i> by Lisa Scottoline<br />
<i>Home Leave</i> by Brittani Sonnenberg<br />
<i>Before I Go to Sleep</i> by S. J. Watson (I borrowed this from someone, so it's the #1 priority!)<br />
<i>Petals from the Sky</i> by Mingmei Yip<br />
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What's on your reading list for the year? Do you sometimes feel like you have a lot of catching up to do?!<br />
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P.S. Last week I recorded an interview for RTHK's State of the Art program. I'll let you know in advance when it's going to air! I was also on RTHK during the literary festival. <a href="http://app1.rthk.org.hk/special/bookmarks/interviews.php?id=302">Here's the link for the 10-minute segment</a>.<br />
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-14091941990428445452015-01-21T18:23:00.000+08:002015-01-21T18:23:01.506+08:00Fused Society's Diversity MagazineHi everyone! I'm back in Hong Kong after a nice long visit with my family in Arizona. Jet lag has been getting me up before the sun every day this week, which is great for my productivity!<br />
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I wanted to take a moment to spread the word about a new project from Eva Cohen, one of the contributors to How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit. <a href="http://fusedsociety.com/">Fused Society</a> is an arts publication and website celebrating non-homogeneous culture.<br />
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The magazine will include essays and artwork exploring mixed and fused heritages. If you have a complicated answer to the question "Where are you from?" you might be particularly interested in submitting your work! The submission guidelines for the second issue (on interracial relationships of all kinds) can be <a href="http://www.fusedsociety.com/submissions/">found here</a>.<br />
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Here is a video explaining a bit more about the project:<br />
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The magazine will also feature the work of several Dragonfruit contributors! You can find out more at their website: <a href="http://www.fusedsociety.com/about/">Fused Society</a>.<br />
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Fused Society is currently running a fundraiser on <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/fusedsociety">GoFundMe</a> in case you're interested in supporting this endeavor.<br />
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P.S. There is still time to win a free copy of the new <i>Pay Off </i>audiobook. <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.hk/2015/01/pay-off-my-student-debt-kindle-single.html">Check out this post for the details!</a><br />
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<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-3659228045554622472015-01-10T00:08:00.000+08:002015-01-10T00:08:47.863+08:00PAY OFF, my student debt Kindle Single, is now an audiobook! (+ a giveaway)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm in Arizona preparing for my little sister's wedding tomorrow, but I wanted to make a quick announcement: <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Pay-Off-Audiobook/B00RMKHMJI" target="_blank"><i>Pay Off</i> is now an audiobook</a>! It has been so exciting to work with the lovely people at Audible and a very talented narrator.<br />
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This is my first audiobook, so I wasn't sure what to expect. After signing the deal, I was asked to listen to a bunch of samples on <a href="http://audible.com/">Audible.com</a> and let the production team know if there were any narrators I particularly liked. Sandy Rustin was my first choice--and she was available!<br />
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<a href="http://www.sandyrustin.com/actress.html" target="_blank">Sandy Rustin</a> has performed audiobooks for the likes of Meg Cabot, Barbara Freethy, and Cameron Diaz, but the sample that made me certain she would be the best narrator for <i>Pay Off</i> was for Jenna Miscavige Hill's <i><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Beyond-Belief-Audiobook/B00B7NAESC" target="_blank">Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape</a>. </i>She has just the right balance of youth, humility, and earnestness in her voice for this book for Millennials struggling with student debt.<br />
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You can listen to the free sample of Sandy's rendition of <a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Pay-Off-Audiobook/B00RMKHMJI/" target="_blank"><i>Pay Off</i> here</a>.<br />
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<b>Giveaway!</b><br />
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I also have the opportunity to give away a free copy of the audiobook, which goes for $6.95. (If you are already an Audible member you can listen for free anyway.) You can enter the drawing one of two ways:<br />
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1) <a href="http://shannonyoungwriter.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=8d57af24223a2cb7b50b17495&id=e3a6327add" target="_blank">Join my email list</a>. I only use it to announce new releases, so you don't need to worry about spam from me.<br />
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2) Comment below with the three words you think of when you hear the words "student loans." Use this option if you're already on my email list, don't want to join, or want a second entry :).<br />
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The giveaway will run until <b>Sunday, January 25th</b>.<br />
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P.S. If you are an audiobook reviewer and would like a complimentary copy of <i><a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Pay-Off-Audiobook/B00RMKHMJI/" target="_blank">Pay Off: How One Millennial Eliminated Nearly $80,000 in Student Debt in Less Than Five Years</a></i> please email me at snyoung88 @ gmail.com!Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-63253427569267980752015-01-06T03:53:00.001+08:002015-01-06T03:54:09.494+08:0029 ThingsAt the beginning of last year I wrote a post with <a href="http://akindleinhongkong.blogspot.com/2014/01/27-things_3.html" target="_blank">13 things I did in 2013 and 14 plans for 2014</a>. I prefer lists and planning to making resolutions. 2014 was kind of a banner year, so I figured I should start this year with a similar post. First, here are the 14 things I planned to do in 2014, and their results:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pA1omRH3T3g/VKrnUzDG-YI/AAAAAAAAE5M/fk4Zm6xw3hw/s1600/Dragonfruit%2BFront%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pA1omRH3T3g/VKrnUzDG-YI/AAAAAAAAE5M/fk4Zm6xw3hw/s1600/Dragonfruit%2BFront%2BCover.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a>1. Launch the expat women in Asia anthology (with the help of the amazing contributors). <b>Done! Here is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Does-One-Dress-Dragonfruit-ebook/dp/B00K21ZXF4" target="_blank">How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit?</a> </i></b></div>
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2. Finish polishing <i>Seabound</i>, book 1 in my post-apocalyptic adventure series. <b>Done!</b></div>
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3. Write and revise the second draft of <i>Seaswept</i> (book 2). <b>Done!</b></div>
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4. Write the rough draft of book 3 in the <i>Seabound </i>series. <b>Done! (This was my 2014 NaNoWriMo project)</b></div>
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5. Write the second draft of the <i>Seabound </i>prequel, <i>Burnt Sea. </i><b>Nope. I ended up doing draft 3 of <i>Seaswept </i>instead. <i>Burnt Sea </i>is on my to-do list for January.</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XR6nJ9Hvxpc/VKrnfMYhkuI/AAAAAAAAE5U/vm-Q-UfQeko/s1600/payoff%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XR6nJ9Hvxpc/VKrnfMYhkuI/AAAAAAAAE5U/vm-Q-UfQeko/s1600/payoff%2Bcover.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a>6. Polish and submit essay/e-book about paying off student debt. <b>Done! Published as a Kindle Single called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pay-Off-Millennial-Eliminated-Student-ebook/dp/B00KI7QWNY" target="_blank">Pay Off: How One Millennial Eliminated Nearly $80,000 in Student Debt in Less Than Five Years</a></i></b></div>
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7. Publish third secret pen name e-book. <b>Nope. The secret pen name shorts fell by the wayside. I wrote the beginning, but haven't been back to it in a while.</b></div>
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8. Write and publish fourth secret pen name e-book and publish a 4-book compilation. <b>Nope. See above.</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4WopQDxb3q8/VKrnoMAg5iI/AAAAAAAAE5c/HsnbWvkVI9s/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4WopQDxb3q8/VKrnoMAg5iI/AAAAAAAAE5c/HsnbWvkVI9s/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a>9. Submit my Hong Kong travel memoir to traditional publishers. <b>Done! Now published by <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" target="_blank">Blacksmith Books as <i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</i></a>. It's available in Hong Kong bookstores and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416" target="_blank">online</a>. The e-book is coming soon!</b></div>
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10. Choose a new pen name to use for <i>Seabound </i>and distinguish my SFF writing from my creative non-fiction/Hong Kong/expat-related work as Shannon Young. <b>Done! Meet <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">my alter ego Jordan Rivet here</a>.</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9tBMD3Ftv0w/VKrnwOf7cjI/AAAAAAAAE5k/2VkTcNagOdI/s1600/Seabound%2B-%2BJordan%2BRivet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9tBMD3Ftv0w/VKrnwOf7cjI/AAAAAAAAE5k/2VkTcNagOdI/s1600/Seabound%2B-%2BJordan%2BRivet.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></div>
11. Begin publishing my <i>Seabound </i>series (publishing path TBD). <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM" target="_blank">Done! I decided to self-publish <i>Seabound (</i>as an e-book and paperback) without ever submitting it the traditional way. I think it's the way forward for fast-paced genre fiction.</a></b></div>
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12. Build up savings now that I am debt free. <b>Done! <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRgBKEjlM6Y" target="_blank">I quit my job</a> to write full-time starting in August. I should make it another six months before I'll need an income again.</b></div>
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13. Learn to ski (in Canada at Chinese New Year). <b>Done, but it was completely terrifying. I need a lot more practice.</b></div>
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14. Decide how to proceed with A Kindle in Hong Kong. <b>Sort of. I've been posting a lot less, and I've decided not to accept books for review anymore. I like being able to read without as much pressure to review. I'm also bookspotting less often since I no longer commute to work. I'll continue to post whenever I have something to say. I also now have a column called <a href="http://thedisplacednation.com/?s=Diary+of+an+expat+writer" target="_blank">Diary of an Expat Writer</a> on The Displaced Nation where I post monthly updates.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I didn't carry out my secret pen name plans and I ended up working on a different <i>Seabound Chronicles </i>draft than the one I planned to do in #5. Overall, though, I'd say 2014 was a pretty successful year. I also spoke at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival and got an audiobook deal for <i>Pay Off</i>, so I'd say that makes up for #7 and #8.<br />
<br />
Now it's time to make plans for 2015! Here are 15 things I plan to do this year. My primary goal is to complete and publish the remaining three books in the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM" target="_blank">Seabound Chronicles</a></i> by the end of the year. Let's break that down a bit.<br />
<br />
1. Rewrite <i>Burnt Sea (</i>the<i> Seabound </i>prequel<i>).</i><br />
2. Finish revising <i>Seaswept </i>(<i>Seabound Chronicles 2).</i><br />
3. Publish <i>Seaswept</i> in e-book and paperback.<br />
4. Rewrite <i>Seabound Chronicles 3.</i><br />
5. Finish revising <i>Burnt Sea.</i><br />
6. Publish <i>Burnt Sea </i>in e-book and paperback.<br />
7. Finish revising <i>Seabound Chronicles 3.</i><br />
8. Publish <i>Seabound Chronicles 3 </i>in e-book and paperback.<br />
9. Write a memoir about growing up in a homeschooling family of nine kids, possibly of Kindle Single length, under the Shannon Young name.<br />
10. Promote <i>Year of Fire Dragons </i>in Hong Kong and during the US/e-book launch.<br />
11. Write a brand-new novel for NaNoWriMo, probably under the Jordan Rivet name.<br />
12. Begin production of a <i>Seabound </i>audiobook.<br />
13. Write one more secret pen name short, just for fun.<br />
14. Read <i>Infinite Jest (</i>which has been on my Kindle for a long time) and all the paperbacks I have purchased or been given this year<i>.</i><br />
15. Make enough money from writing to avoid returning to my day job.<br />
<br />
Thank you for all your support this year. I'm looking forward to a great (and busy!) 2015.<br />
<br />
<i>What are your plans or goals for the year?</i></div>
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-71737860471880329612014-12-10T12:48:00.000+08:002014-12-10T12:49:13.484+08:00Ideal Gifts for my Ideal Readers<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81%2Bt-WRR3OL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81%2Bt-WRR3OL.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a>Last week, Jocelyn Eikenburg of the Speaking of China blog posted <a href="http://www.speakingofchina.com/china-articles/gift-recommendations-books-featured-on-this-blog/" target="_blank">a list of book recommendations </a>that would make good gifts for people interested in China, Hong Kong, and life in Asia. The list includes <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Dragonfruit-Stories-Expat-Women/dp/9881219523/" target="_blank">How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit</a>. Thank you, Jocelyn!<br />
<br />
It's a great idea, but as many of my China/HK/Asia book recommendations are already on Jocelyn's list, I wanted to do something a little different. I thought about four kinds of people who might have read my books and what else I'd like to get them for the holidays (in addition to more books, of course).<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Newbie Expat</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
They read: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Dragonfruit-Stories-Expat-Women/dp/9881219523/" target="_blank"><i>How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia</i></a><br />
<br />
I'd get them. . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U8rzzfzUL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U8rzzfzUL.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a>Books:<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Home-Leave-Novel-Brittani-Sonnenberg-ebook/dp/B00FPQCSSQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184544&sr=1-1&keywords=home+leave" target="_blank">Home Leave</a></i> by Brittani Sonnenberg (TCK novel, worth it for the beautiful hardcover alone)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Poisonwood-Bible-A-Novel/dp/0061577073/ref=sr_tc_2_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418184588&sr=1-2-ent" target="_blank">The Poisonwood Bible</a></i> by Barbara Kingsolver (another take on displacement)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Foreign-Babes-Beijing-Behind-Scenes-ebook/dp/B003WQAQE4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184645&sr=1-1&keywords=foreign+babes+in+beijing" target="_blank">Foreign Babes in Beijing</a></i> by Rachel DeWoskin (fast times in New China)<br />
<br />
Other stuff:<br />
Kindle or other e-reader (my very favorite thing)<br />
<a href="http://pimsleur.com/" target="_blank">Pimsleur</a> language course (for conversation, not writing)<br />
A nice scarf (you can never have too many scarves)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The English Teacher in Hong Kong</span></b><br />
<br />
They read: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416" target="_blank"><i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</i></a><br />
<br />
I'd get them . . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91PUYtbmxrL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91PUYtbmxrL.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a>Books:<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/No-City-Slow-Men-Quandaries/dp/9881613876/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184468&sr=1-1&keywords=no+city+for+slow+men" target="_blank">No City for Slow Men</a></i> by Jason Y. Ng (the insider's perspective on our city)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Boy-Memories-Hong-Childhood-ebook/dp/B0080K3DF6/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184492&sr=1-5&keywords=martin+booth" target="_blank">Gweilo</a></i> by Martin Booth (required background reading)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Teacher-Janice-Y-Lee-ebook/dp/B001MSMUDO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184518&sr=1-1&keywords=piano+teacher" target="_blank">The Piano Teacher</a></i> by Janice Y. K. Lee (beach read for Christmas in Thailand)<br />
<br />
Other stuff:<br />
<a href="http://god.com.hk/" target="_blank">Goods of Desire</a> swag (especially those stacking mugs)<br />
Octopus card key chain (got one from my MIL; best practical item ever)<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sotehk?fref=ts" target="_blank">Sote Gourmet Popcorn</a> (newly opened on Robinson Road; they have candy cane popcorn!)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Modern Romantic</span></b><br />
<br />
They read: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416" target="_blank"><i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</i></a><br />
<br />
I'd get them . . .<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ju6wVyMhL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ju6wVyMhL.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a>Books:<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Chance-Drowning-Torre-DeRoche-ebook/dp/B009R9RQ7K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184427&sr=1-1&keywords=love+with+a+chance" target="_blank">Love with a Chance of Drowning</a></i> by Torre DeRoche (love at sea)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Made-You-Me-Going-Finding-ebook/dp/B004Q9TYX0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184366&sr=1-1&keywords=made+for+you+and+me" target="_blank">Made for You and Me</a></i> by Caitlin Shetterly (love and life in America)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shatter-Me-Tahereh-Mafi-ebook/dp/B00526VVN2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184404&sr=1-1&keywords=shatter+me" target="_blank">Shatter Me</a></i> by Tahereh Mafi (love and mortal peril and superpowers)<br />
<br />
Other stuff:<br />
<a href="http://modcloth.com/" target="_blank">ModCloth</a> dresses (so many pretty choices)<br />
The new Taylor Swift album (I love her)<br />
Dinner and a movie (I recommend <i>The Hundred-Foot Journey</i>)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Determined Millennial</span></b><br />
<br />
They read: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pay-Off-Millennial-Eliminated-Student-ebook/dp/B00KI7QWNY/" target="_blank"><i>Pay Off: How One Millennial Eliminated Nearly $80,000 in Student Debt in Less Than Five Years</i></a><br />
<br />
I'd get them . . .<br />
<br />
Books:<br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XPcJbM7sL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XPcJbM7sL.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Rituals-How-Artists-Work-ebook/dp/B009Y4I4OM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184807&sr=1-1&keywords=daily+rituals" target="_blank">Daily Rituals: How Artists Work</a></i> by Mason Currey (inspiration for creatives and self-employed entrepreneurs)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking-ebook/dp/B004J4WNL2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418184686&sr=1-1&keywords=quiet" target="_blank">Quiet</a></i> by Susan Cain (introverts unite!)<br />
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Tipping-Point-Little-Difference-ebook/dp/B000OT8GD0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0FX9WDXZ0A7VYKFKH8R4" target="_blank">The Tipping Point</a></i> by Malcolm Gladwell (little things make a big difference)<br />
<br />
Other stuff:<br />
A blazer (makes you feel confident)<br />
Amazon gift cards (use it for everything, but especially for books)<br />
Spiral bound notebooks and erasable pens for checklists (checklists make everything better)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I wish I could go shopping for everyone who has read and enjoyed my books. Thanks for a great year, you guys! I've been holed up in the Starbucks on Queen's Road for most of the past two months working on the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM" target="_blank">Seabound Chronicles</a>.</i> In the meantime, I've been spotting <i>Year of Fire Dragons</i> in more and more bookstores. You can also <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/9789881376411.htm" target="_blank">order it directly from the Blacksmith Books website</a>. They offer free shipping within Asia!<br />
<br />
I'm off to the US in a little over a week for my first Christmas at home in five years, the birth of my first nephew, and my little sister's wedding. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Bonus: Have a science fiction and fantasy fan in your life? I put a list of <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/2014/11/06/youll-like-these-books/" target="_blank">book recommendations on my Jordan Rivet blog</a> that would all make awesome gifts!</i><br />
<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-89689736227432861482014-11-18T17:28:00.003+08:002014-11-18T17:29:41.005+08:00Notes from the Hong Kong International Literary Festival<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z36HpE8zUfg/VGsMVdNo17I/AAAAAAAAE34/wmuntZafpc4/s1600/IMAG2284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z36HpE8zUfg/VGsMVdNo17I/AAAAAAAAE34/wmuntZafpc4/s1600/IMAG2284.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">My spoils from events with X-Men writer Marjorie Liu, expat novelist Brittani Sonnenberg, and </span><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Unexploded</i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> writer Alison MacLeod.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For the first ten days in November, authors from all over the world descended on Hong Kong for the annual International Literary Festival. People like Junot Diaz, Alison MacLeod, and Tash Aw entertained and inspired with talk of their work at venues all over the city. The Hong Kong International Literary Festival has always been important to me. It's where I met my first writers' group and my first author-hero (Peter Hessler). This year, I got to be a festival author too.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fTLjJzTvF_M/VGsNkZrI22I/AAAAAAAAE4A/jOMScRShKKM/s1600/HKILF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fTLjJzTvF_M/VGsNkZrI22I/AAAAAAAAE4A/jOMScRShKKM/s1600/HKILF.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
My event was a panel featuring Hong Kong-based writers. In addition to myself, we got to hear from Marshall Moore (publisher of Signal 8 Press) and Maria Chaudhuri. Jason Y. Ng sadly couldn't make it due to a flight delay, but the event was well-attended and lots of fun. Each author read aloud from their new books and then we had a fascinating discussion with the audience on my three favorite topics: writing, publishing, and Hong Kong.<br />
<br />
Best of all, we launched my long-awaited memoir <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416/" target="_blank">Year of Fire Dragons</a>. </i>The book arrived from the printer just in time for the event. I saw it for the first time myself the night before!<br />
<br />
As a festival author, I also got to do a brief radio interview on RTHK and speak about being a writer at a local secondary school. (It made me miss my old students a lot.) The festival was a great success and I'm so glad I got to participate.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph8U5Y37Pm0/VGsN4bZ6vMI/AAAAAAAAE4I/Tpx7dK30RwM/s1600/Secondary%2BSchool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ph8U5Y37Pm0/VGsN4bZ6vMI/AAAAAAAAE4I/Tpx7dK30RwM/s1600/Secondary%2BSchool.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, <i>Year of Fire Dragons </i>is making its way into Hong Kong book stores. If you spot it, please tweet a picture to <a href="http://twitter.com/shannonyounghk" target="_blank">@ShannonYoungHK</a>! If you're overseas, you can <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416/" target="_blank">pre-order from Amazon</a> or order directly from the publisher, <a href="http://blacksmithbooks.com/" target="_blank">Blacksmith Books</a>. The e-book will be out soon!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnJVTcF5CRg/VGsOD6KQ0RI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/lrIkDy4z6mk/s1600/RTHK%2BRadio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gnJVTcF5CRg/VGsOD6KQ0RI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/lrIkDy4z6mk/s1600/RTHK%2BRadio.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before going on RTHK with Noreen Mir.</td></tr>
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<i>Did you attend any HKILF events? Which one was your favorite?</i></div>
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<br />Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-61667493852345289042014-11-05T18:40:00.000+08:002014-11-05T18:40:46.516+08:00A Tale of Two Book Launches<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YTnRFcxy7qo/VFn59llAwTI/AAAAAAAAE3M/aysq0PmdWV8/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YTnRFcxy7qo/VFn59llAwTI/AAAAAAAAE3M/aysq0PmdWV8/s1600/Fire-Dragons_A.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Year-Fire-Dragons-American-Womans/dp/9881376416/" target="_blank">Available for pre-order on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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In a strange turn of events, I am in the process of launching two books this month. One is the Hong Kong travel memoir I have been talking about since this blog began, now titled <i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong. </i>Though I haven't yet held the book in my hands, it has been printed and will be appearing in Hong Kong bookstores any day now. <a href="http://thedisplacednation.com/2014/10/30/diary-of-an-expat-writer-how-to-fly-solo-without-losing-touch-with-the-people-who-ground-me/" target="_blank">I've written a bit more about this book's journey in my new column on The Displaced Nation.</a><div>
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If you are in Hong Kong, I would be honored if you would attend the launch event, which is part of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. It will take place at 10 am this Sunday at the Duke of Windsor Building on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai. <a href="http://www.festival.org.hk/program/hong-kong-stories-a-festival-book-launch/" target="_blank">You can buy tickets here</a>. The event will feature two other wonderful Hong Kong-based authors, Jason Y. Ng (<i>No City for Slow Men) </i>and Maria Chaudhuri (<i>Beloved Strangers)</i>. I hope you can be there!</div>
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The other book I am launching this week is totally different. It's a post-apocalyptic adventure set at <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM" target="_blank">$2.99 on Amazon</a></td></tr>
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sea that began life as my NaNoWriMo project in 2012. It's available as an e-book from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Seabound-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00P2L20NM" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seabound-jordan-rivet/1120677734?ean=2940150326033" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/seabound" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, and the paperback will be for sale by the end of the month. This book is so different from my other work that I am publishing under a pen name, <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">Jordan Rivet</a>, for which I maintain a separate blog. If you happen to enjoy dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, please check out <i>Seabound. </i>To celebrate this launch, I am digging into another NaNoWriMo project: writing Book 3 in the <i>Seabound Chronicles </i>by Jordan Rivet.</div>
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Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. I'll have more to say about <i>Year of Fire Dragons </i>soon, but in the meantime I just wanted to let you know about this surreal moment in my publishing life. </div>
Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-18249272202315286912014-10-20T10:58:00.000+08:002014-10-20T10:58:20.335+08:00The Dragonfruit Launch PartyOn Thursday we celebrated the launch of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Does-One-Dress-Dragonfruit-ebook/dp/B00K21ZXF4" target="_blank">How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia</a> </i>with a party at Bookazine in Hong Kong. Thank you to everyone who came out and made the event such a success! All photo credits go to Anshuman Das from Signal 8 Press.<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-px738ts-0Lo/VER2Ji3qpvI/AAAAAAAAE1w/gLIj7OhMg58/s1600/Launch%2BParty%2BCrowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-px738ts-0Lo/VER2Ji3qpvI/AAAAAAAAE1w/gLIj7OhMg58/s1600/Launch%2BParty%2BCrowd.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great crowd at Bookazine on 16 October 2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02Pv_JQPT3Q/VER2IPuN4yI/AAAAAAAAE1k/ewtaAC5u0NI/s1600/India%2BHarris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-02Pv_JQPT3Q/VER2IPuN4yI/AAAAAAAAE1k/ewtaAC5u0NI/s1600/India%2BHarris.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contributor India Harris came all the way from the Philippines for the party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--QpZPQ2rGuM/VER2D2jGuhI/AAAAAAAAE1M/e-gcGtPg0IY/s1600/Coco%2BRichter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--QpZPQ2rGuM/VER2D2jGuhI/AAAAAAAAE1M/e-gcGtPg0IY/s1600/Coco%2BRichter.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contributor Coco Richter introducing her story.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M3eocXLot6s/VER2PoJjzpI/AAAAAAAAE2g/TF2ijTK9iBk/s1600/Stephanie%2BHan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M3eocXLot6s/VER2PoJjzpI/AAAAAAAAE2g/TF2ijTK9iBk/s1600/Stephanie%2BHan.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contributor Stephanie Han gave a beautiful reading of her Hong Kong story.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYsChdR02Ik/VER2PjG-NdI/AAAAAAAAE2c/rWIdUmuB2-k/s1600/Susan%2BBlumberg-Kason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYsChdR02Ik/VER2PjG-NdI/AAAAAAAAE2c/rWIdUmuB2-k/s1600/Susan%2BBlumberg-Kason.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contributor Susan Blumberg-Kason came all the way from Chicago for the event, and to launch... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYZbcFkXWIw/VER2D0CkPWI/AAAAAAAAE1I/RP1Bd_qJqWM/s1600/Guest%2Bwith%2B2%2Bbooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rYZbcFkXWIw/VER2D0CkPWI/AAAAAAAAE1I/RP1Bd_qJqWM/s1600/Guest%2Bwith%2B2%2Bbooks.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...her new memoir Good Chinese Wife.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rP1yhboqqKs/VER2IzlhelI/AAAAAAAAE1o/rtelbB0kBdU/s1600/Jennifer%2BDeayton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rP1yhboqqKs/VER2IzlhelI/AAAAAAAAE1o/rtelbB0kBdU/s1600/Jennifer%2BDeayton.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contributor Jennifer S. Deayton finished off the readings with an excerpt from 'Bread and Knives.'</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V0ZH2nqtbmg/VER2D4gYafI/AAAAAAAAE1E/fPuJN1vAE2w/s1600/Contributor%2BSigning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V0ZH2nqtbmg/VER2D4gYafI/AAAAAAAAE1E/fPuJN1vAE2w/s1600/Contributor%2BSigning.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the readings all the contributors signed books for their friends and fans.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--RVirN9EUGw/VER2MH6rKjI/AAAAAAAAE2E/3Dw7rX7KHfY/s1600/Marshall%2Band%2BXu%2BXi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--RVirN9EUGw/VER2MH6rKjI/AAAAAAAAE2E/3Dw7rX7KHfY/s1600/Marshall%2Band%2BXu%2BXi.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's Signal 8 publisher Marshall Moore with Dragonfruit inspiration and novelist Xu Xi.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGQmS32cXc4/VER2NnoQ9aI/AAAAAAAAE2U/Vjrk8W90HqM/s1600/Shannon%2Band%2BCarol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGQmS32cXc4/VER2NnoQ9aI/AAAAAAAAE2U/Vjrk8W90HqM/s1600/Shannon%2Band%2BCarol.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friend and writer Carol tells me she is already almost finished with the book!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0bqF1BNw9U/VER2Ks-CuTI/AAAAAAAAE18/1rnwKXv5m7c/s1600/Marshall%2Band%2BKelly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d0bqF1BNw9U/VER2Ks-CuTI/AAAAAAAAE18/1rnwKXv5m7c/s1600/Marshall%2Band%2BKelly.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were happy that Asia Literary Agency founder Kelly Falconer could make it to the event.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mN6Aj1ZlNso/VER2GEwtGlI/AAAAAAAAE1c/f1PI6ylbBC8/s1600/Guests.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mN6Aj1ZlNso/VER2GEwtGlI/AAAAAAAAE1c/f1PI6ylbBC8/s1600/Guests.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you to everyone who attended!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHnvX4Q2WZE/VER2MlqGi2I/AAAAAAAAE2I/ibDnBHwhGB0/s1600/Shannon%2BYoung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dHnvX4Q2WZE/VER2MlqGi2I/AAAAAAAAE2I/ibDnBHwhGB0/s1600/Shannon%2BYoung.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's me eating the microphone.</td></tr>
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P.S. On the day of the Dragonfruit party I turned in my final edits for <i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</i>. The book will be in stores very soon. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23267208-year-of-fire-dragons?from_search=true" target="_blank">Here's the Goodreads page if you'd like to add it!</a><br />
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Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-56072742411973576852014-09-23T10:25:00.000+08:002014-09-23T10:30:27.470+08:00Cover Reveal for Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong KongDrumroll, please! I'm so excited to reveal the cover of my new travel memoir Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong. This is the first book I started writing, and it will be published by Blacksmith Books, an excellent Hong Kong-based publisher, at the end of October.<br>
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Cara the designer did a wonderful job of capturing the story, which is about my first year in Hong Kong. The main drama of the book follows my thwarted long distance romance, but it's also about my love affair with the city of Hong Kong and I think the cover captures that beautifully. The illustration reminds me of Love with a Chance of Drowning (UK edition), a book sharing similar themes of love, travel and self discovery.<br>
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The book should hit the shelves, virtual and literal, at the end of October, just in time for the Hong Kong International Literary Festival. This is probably a good time to announce that I'll be speaking at the festival this year! I'll visit a school as part of the Young Readers program and be a speaker at one of the big events. I'll share more details about that soon!Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-30238807947482494232014-09-08T15:18:00.001+08:002014-09-08T15:19:40.486+08:00A Mid-Autumn Eve's Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm back in Hong Kong just in time for my favorite part of the year: Mid-Autumn Festival. This was the first holiday I experienced when I moved to Hong Kong four years ago, and I'm very happy to be marking the beginning of my fifth year here in Asia's World City.</div>
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As you know, I spent the month of August in Arizona writing with my mom and getting in plenty of quality family time. We enjoyed some nice afternoons working in local restaurants and coffee shops (including Liberty Market and Coffee Rush, where I used to spend a lot of time grading essays). We visited a local writers' group and attended a talk with Southwest novelist Jo-Ann Mapson. I even got to check out First Draft Book Bar with my sister, which is literally a bar inside a bookstore. </div>
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The trip was reasonably productive, too. I wrapped up a draft of the sequel to my forthcoming <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">post-apocalyptic novel</a>, worked on a new group of articles for <a href="http://modernlovelongdistance.com/" target="_blank">Modern Love Long Distance</a>, and reread the entire Harry Potter series. My mom wrote 500 words a day and she's getting ready to launch a cool new blog that I'll tell you about as soon as she lets me!</div>
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Perhaps one of the best things that happened while I was out of town was that I got to see some cover designs for my memoir that is being published by Blacksmith Books later this fall. It's called <i>Year of Fire Dragons: An American Woman's Story of Coming of Age in Hong Kong</i>. The story begins and ends at the Mid-Autumn Fire Dragon Dance in Tai Hang (video above from 2011). It's hard to believe that my dream of having this book published will be coming true very soon. The cover we settled on is so beautiful and I can't wait to show you guys the final version!</div>
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For the first time, I'm not returning to school as the autumn begins. I'm giving my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRgBKEjlM6Y" target="_blank">dream job</a> a chance, and so far, I'm absolutely loving this writing life. Thank you all so much for your continuing support and enthusiasm. If you're in Hong Kong, I hope you have a safe and happy Mid-Autumn Festival!</div>
Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-13186551912648823962014-08-07T07:31:00.001+08:002014-08-07T07:32:05.126+08:00On a Writing Holiday in Arizona<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hope you guys are all having a terrific summer! I wanted to post a quick update on what I've been doing this summer.<br />
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My husband and I went on a beautiful Alaska cruise to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. It also served as a research trip for my <a href="http://jordanrivet.com/" target="_blank">post-apocalyptic series</a>, which takes place on a souped-up cruise ship. I disembarked with a phone full of inspirational photos and a notebook full of ideas (and new vocabulary) to use in my final revision of SEABOUND and in the later books in the series. Plus, Alaska was super pretty. Highlights included seeing humpback whales, cruising through Glacier Bay and taking a historic mining train into the mountains from Skagway.<br />
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Next, we drove from Seattle to Bandon, Oregon to spend a week at my grandparents' farm. Highlights included a post-crabbing BBQ, blueberry and blackberry picking and hanging out with a bunch of my relatives.<br />
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Now, I'm in my hometown: Gilbert, Arizona. I'll spend August with my family before heading back to Hong Kong. As I've shared before, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRgBKEjlM6Y" target="_blank">I recently quit my day job to write full-time </a>for six months. My mom is also concluding her day job in her own way this fall. Over the past 27 years, she has raised and homeschooled nine children. Next week, my youngest sister will start full-time school (7th grade). For the first time, my mom will be free for eight hours a day. And she wants to write! So for the month of August we'll be writing together and helping each other build good habits as full-time writers. I'm incredibly excited about this, and I'll keep you posted on how it's going.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_k7h1JviE/U-K4-eWZZjI/AAAAAAAAEy4/dKo8wjPjC2Y/s1600/IMAG1306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_k7h1JviE/U-K4-eWZZjI/AAAAAAAAEy4/dKo8wjPjC2Y/s1600/IMAG1306.jpg" height="320" width="181" /></a>If you happen to be in Arizona and want to meet up this month, please email me! snyoung88@gmail.com. We'll be checking out a few writing workshops and meet-ups, and investigating the local writing scene.<br />
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What are you up to this summer? Have you read any good books lately?Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-848620772908416660.post-84807728863891035672014-07-29T02:06:00.000+08:002014-07-29T02:07:39.147+08:00GOOD CHINESE WIFE by Susan Blumberg-Kason<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvQlffUHjpU/U9X9toEYdFI/AAAAAAAAEx8/_GMvth-qh7Q/s1600/GoodChineseWife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GvQlffUHjpU/U9X9toEYdFI/AAAAAAAAEx8/_GMvth-qh7Q/s1600/GoodChineseWife.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><br />
THE GIST:<br />
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A young American woman meets and quickly marries a man from central China while living in Hong Kong. Soon, she discovers she doesn't know him as well as she thought.<br />
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THE VERDICT:<br />
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If you occasionally read the comments of this blog, you'll probably recognize the name Susan Blumberg-Kason. She is a huge fan of books (both fiction and non-fiction) about China in general and Hong Kong in particular. Susan lived in Hong Kong as a young woman, right before the Handover. Now, I'm excited to participate in the blog tour for Susan's own memoir, <i>Good Chinese Wife</i>. It's the dramatic story of Susan's marriage to a dashing musician from central China named Cai who turns out to be a moody and tumultuous partner.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUrpfzsZ0ls/U9X-suOymGI/AAAAAAAAEyE/_3t6-RhCHr8/s1600/Susan+Blumberg-Kason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rUrpfzsZ0ls/U9X-suOymGI/AAAAAAAAEyE/_3t6-RhCHr8/s1600/Susan+Blumberg-Kason.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><i>Good Chinese Wife </i>explores the rapid breakdown of a marriage between two people from different cultures who don't quite manage to communicate. They can speak each other's languages, but Susan and Cai can't break through barriers of culture and insecurity to make their marriage work. Hints of infidelity and emotional abuse begin to emerge, but Susan is caught between her desire to be considerate of Cai's worldview and her need to protect herself. Their troubles are compounded when their son is born and they move to San Francisco, where Cai experiences depression and culture shock and Susan finds herself the sole breadwinner for not just her husband and young son, but also her in-laws and the occasional unwelcome houseguest.<br />
<i><br /></i>A very important part of this story is that Susan acknowledges her own mistakes while describing an untenable situation. She recognizes that she was rash and naive in jumping into her marriage with Cai. She was starstruck by his good looks, charm, and the fact that she was in love with Chinese culture already. She's also frank about the way she was treated as she describes her journey through insecurity to the point where she would finally stand up for herself and her son. Although the account is painful at times, it's a revelatory look at what can happen when two people (regardless of culture) have very different expectations for their life together. This is an honest and vulnerable memoir that will appeal to people who are interested in cross-cultural relationships, especially those between Asian men and Western women.<br />
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THE LINK:<br />
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<a href="http://susanbkason.com/" target="_blank">Susan Blumberg-Kason's website</a> features reviews of many Hong Kong and China-related books.<br />
Susan also has a story in my anthology <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Does-One-Dress-Dragonfruit-ebook/dp/B00K21ZXF4/" target="_blank">How Does One Dress to Buy Dragonfruit? True Stories of Expat Women in Asia</a> that serves as an epilogue to this memoir.<br />
You can find links to the other blogs in this tour at <a href="http://www.speakingofchina.com/china-articles/welcome-official-good-chinese-wife-blog-tour-july-15-july-28" target="_blank">Speaking of China</a>. Many deal specifically with relationships between Asian men and Western women.<br />
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THE COST:<br />
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$9.99 for the Kindle edition<br />
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THE QUESTION:<br />
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How do you think marriage expectations differ between Chinese and American culture? Do you think the troubles of this story are primarily due to cultural differences or due to the personalities of the couple involved?Shannon Younghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17375300716238391523noreply@blogger.com1