Happy Asian Heritage Month!

As we celebrate Asian heritage in the month of May, and as the author of stories about the Chinese-Canadian community, I thought this would be the perfect time to make an announcement.

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the publication of my young adult novel Guitar Hero. Publishing has changed so much in the last 10 years. Back then, I took a daring leap into self-publishing when I released the book in November 2013.

The story about a Chinese teenage boy who dreams of becoming a rock and roll guitarist was well received by reviewers and readers. It was my first book-length work. I had published short stories, newspaper articles, and one children’s picture book up until then. I would get up an hour earlier than usual to write before I left for my office job so I could get at least a couple of hours of writing time for the day. With the help of a wonderful mentor, young adult author Lori Weber, I completed a decent first draft within a year. It was exciting and fun finding ways to get the main character in and out of trouble.

When I look back on what I’ve achieved since then, I don’t just see the work that was published. I also see the people I met and the things I learned. 

The people and authors I’ve met over the years have been so supportive. A few have become good friends. I received invitations to do school readings and book fairs. At gatherings, people introduced me to other guests as an author of children’s books. Their generosity and interest means a lot to me. Doing research for articles and books was an opportunity for me to learn about the Chinese culture. My parents, who spent 12 hours a day working at our restaurant, didn’t have the time or energy to teach me about Chinese traditions. As for myself, I was too involved with my own adventures growing up and going to school to think that perhaps there was something I should know.  It was my passion for writing that led me to connect with my own culture and to explore Chinese-Canadian history.

Being a writer can take you down some other interesting paths. Documentary film was the one I chose to travel on. As a self-published author, you wear many hats: writer, agent, web designer, editor, public relations, etc. So, when I decided to make a documentary about Chinese-Canadian restaurants, I took everything I learned from being a writer, the major lessons being that I know how to tell a story and that I can learn the necessary skills to get it done. That’s how I created Meet and Eat at Lee’s Garden, a documentary film about my family’s restaurant. It took six years from the day I started working on it to when it finally aired on the CBC network in November 2020.

So, I think it’s time to change the title Guitar Hero to give the story a new life. I love telling stories. I have ideas for short stories, books, articles, and films, but the one thing that my brain still cannot seem to do is come up with a title. It’s easier to write a 50,000 word novel!  I agonized over the title ten years ago. I wanted something that would reflect the story, but my brain could not come up with anything other than Guitar Hero.  But this time, I have to thank my friends, Virginia Modugno and Judie Troyansky, for their help in choosing a new title.

So stay tuned for the big reveal!