My Half of the Sky: November 2013

Past Events

22nd, 23rd USCPFA Nat Convention, Foothill Authors Series, Book Group Expo 2008, East of Eden Conferences, S.F.Conservatory of Arts, CT English Middle School, China Hands Association, Mendocino Writers Conf, Kaleidoscope Books, IA, Lake Forest Academy,IL, Sidley & Austin Law Off, Villa Montalvo Arts Ctr, De Anza Community Coll, Milpitas Lit Luncheon, Saratoga High School, Barnes&Noble Bookstore, The Elliott Bay Book Co, Books Without Borders, Paulina Springs, Sunriver Books & Music, Public Libraries: Milpitas,Campbell, San Francisco, Evergreen, Saratoga, Martin Luther King-SJ

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Honored to Be On Same Shelf With Amy Tan

Among the many things I'm grateful for, I want to acknowledge you, my reader. I started out on this novel-writing path eighteen years ago, tentative, frightened, only imagining in my wildest dreams that my stories would be more than white computer pages read by my critique group and sympathetic friends and family. Part of my dream came true when Komenar Publishing and Redwood Publishing took a chance on an unknown author like me. But just because the stories came out in books doesn't mean that they’ll suddenly leap into everyone's reading pile. From published books to top of the reading pile is a giant step that involves you. So, thank you for opening the covers and saying, "Hmm. Let me see what these books are about."

You make my dreams come true.

Recent Review on Amazon:

LOVED IT -5 STARS I was well into an Amy Tan novel (my favorite author ever) when I started My Half of the Sky. I put the Tan novel aside to read Sky through to the end. The author drew my in to "village" life in China (in cities 10 times the size of mine), and the thoughts and feelings of a young woman in love in a world where family obligations are priority.(cvance)

Monday, November 25, 2013

Book Signing Dec 3rd at Los Gatos Public Library

Next Tuesday, Los Gatos Public Library is hosting its first annual Local Author Day. Eight of us will discuss fiction, poetry, memoir, etc. It will be a fun morning (and a great chance to stock up on gifts for the holidays.) Come participate.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Chinese in America Talk by Iris Chang

I belong to a Chinese Historical society. They just sent me this link to a talk Iris Chang gave in 2003 about Chinese in America. She said that the Chinese story is not one of rags to riches but of cycles. One day the Chinese are the heroes, the next they are the villains, depending on the mood of the day. Her talk is full of fascinating information.

Friday, November 15, 2013

One Child Policy Relaxed

The one-child policy started in 1979 in an effort to increase the wealth of China (as there would be less mouths to feed) has at long-last been deemed no longer effective. With an increasingly aging population, and not as many children coming up behind, the government decided that it's time to allow more youth. Those parents who are only children are now allowed two.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

USC US-China Institute Film and Event

Last night I took my daughter to a showing of the Independent film Girl Rising, about the importance of education for females, and how girls in nine different countries across the globe struggle for this sometimes unattainable goal. The only problem? The film didn't rise to the screen. We several hundred (mostly) females sat captivated as an Intel commercial ran again. And again. And again. After the tenth time, when all of us started chanting the lines together, the film was pronounced not working. Would we like to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs instead? This seemed ironic. (Only in this instance we were the females not being given access to the education.)

Some events happening today and tomorrow (and archived) at the USC US-China Institute:

11/13 4-5:30: End of an Era. (movie)This is one episode in "Assignment China," a multi-part documentary film series on the history of American correspondents in China. The lead reporter is Mike Chinoy, a Senior Fellow at the US-China Institute, former CNN Beijing Bureau Chief and Senior Asia Correspondent. The film features interviews with journalists who covered China during those years.

11/14 4-5:30 Protecting the Vulnerable with speaker Guo Jianmei. Ms. Guo, one of China's preeminent public interest lawyers, has fought for women's rights in China for more than 17 years. Drawing on her many years of experience as both a lawyer and a pioneer of Chinese non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Ms. Guo will outline recent political developments within China.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Great Writing Advice from Man Booker Prize Winner Eleanor Catton

I went hiking with my neighbor today, a middle school science teacher. I asked what her plans were for the day.
"Grading a thousand blue books," she said a frown.
As we walked, she thought of all the other things she would rather be doing--including cleaning the fish tank.
I had to laugh. Sounded just like a writer in full procrastination mode.
Then I heard an interview with this year's Man Booker prize-winning author, Eleanor Catton.
She said, "If you don't have fun with your writing, how can you expect your readers to enjoy?"
Just that idea--that it's fun, that it should be fun--puts a whole new spin on the fearsome blinking cursor. Throws cleaning the fish tank back to the bottom of the list...where it should be.

This Thursday, Fridays, Saturday I'll be part of an authors' table at The Holiday Boutique.
Where: 5038 Hyland Ave, San Jose (St. Phillip's Church)
When: November 14th and 15th from 9-6, November 16th from 9-4.
There will be a variety of handcrafted items. Stop by and see us!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

New Book Giveaway

Yesterday was a wonderful time at Martin Luther King Jr Library. Hundreds of people gathered throughout the afternoon to talk books and listen to the various authors talk about books. Some great fun.
On another fun note, Goodreads is running a giveaway of My Half of the Sky. It's a great book for the holidays...

Friday, November 1, 2013

Dealing with Rejection the Zen Way

Some rejections are easier than others--but it never feels good. One anecdote that helps me is the story of two monks. These monks were walking by a river and spotted a woman on the other side, obviously trying to get across. She held her skirt up, was putting her feet in the water tentatively. She looked across the river with fear in her eyes. Wise Monk walked through the water, picked her up, and brought her across. She thanked him and went on her way.
At the end of the day, Young Monk said, "I can't believe you touched that woman. That's against the tenets of our practice."
Wise Monk said, "I only held her in my arms for a few minutes to help her across the river. You've obviously been holding her in your heart ever since. Which is worse?"
So when those rejections come (and they will) remember to be like the Wise Monk. Just hold them in your hands for a few minutes and then let them go.

What People Are Saying About My Half of the Sky

My Half of the Sky was the BookSense Pick for August 2006 as well as a Forbes Book Club Pick.

"McBurney-Lin tells a wonderfully entertaining story with the traditional coming-of-age theme (which is experienced universally)...weaving in the cultural challenges of growing up in China's rapidly changing social system."
Mary Warpeha, co-President of the Minnesota Chapter of US-China Friendship Association
March 2010

"The novel ...includes many of the tales and the folk ways of the people living in the rural areas of South China, still followed provincially. The story takes place in current China, but could relate the dilemma of any young woman in rural China through the ages."
Kitty Trescott, National Board of the Midwest Region of US-China Friendship Association. March 2010

"A lot is expected of a young Chinese girl. My Half of the Sky by Jana McBurney-Lin is the story of Li Hui, a young girl who has just achieved marriageable age. She seeks to make the most of herself, but the expectations all around her make it difficult, as her parents seek to use her as pawn to their advantage, she is faced with what she believes to be true love. She must balance career, romance, and family, all to somehow make everyone happy, a tough endeavor indeed. An engaging and entertaining read from beginning to end, "My Half of the Sky" is a poignant tale of the modern Chinese woman, and recommended for community library collections.
--Midwest Book Review November, 2008

“It is a rare women’s novel that sensitively describes the life of a young educated woman in modern-day China in its full complexity, without resorting to unnecessary sentimentalism. Jana’s deep knowledge of the realities of life in China and Singapore makes the reading extra rewarding. In fact, with every new page the novel gets harder to put down and you find yourself gobbling it up before you know it. Finally, the author has given a voice to the Li Hui in all of us, as we struggle for the golden middle between tradition and the modern momentum of our world.”
Isabella Sluzek
Friends of the Museum Book Review 2008
Singapore

You'll be rooting all the way for Li Hui as she struggles, ahead of the curve, to be her own woman in an emerging, modern China. Jana McBurney-Lin's My half of the Sky is a beautiful, witty, touching debut novel.
Thomas B. Sawyer
Head Writer TV Series "Murder, She Wrote,"
Author - The Sixteenth Man

A complex and mesmerizingly original tale of a young Chinese woman caught between the modern world and the pull of her ancient culture. McBurney-Lin’s intimate portrait of China sparks with insights and is peopled with characters so rich and alive, they seem to breathe on the page. Dazzling and unforgettable.
Caroline Leavitt, Author - Girls in Trouble

McBurney-Lin's debut novel is a gift. Li Hui is a memorable heroine, a young woman torn between her heart and her culture.Her daunting journey is a trip into China's complicated soul, and a deeply moving exploration of love, honor, duty, and loss." Frank Baldwin, Author - Balling the Jack

My Half of the Sky is a wonderfully-crafted story that was obviously written with a piece of McBurney-Lin's heart. A masterpiece."
Lee Lofland, Author - Howdunit: Police Procedure and Investigation

My Half of the Sky heralds the arrival of a fantastic new storyteller. With artistry and precision, Jana McBurney-Lin's clear-eyed prose takes the reader on a new journey into a past world that speaks to a modern sensibility, a modern world, a modern woman. This is a book to be treasured.
Emily Rapp, Author - The Poster Child

Through vivid descriptions of sights and smells, Jana McBurney-Lin's My Half of the Sky is a haunting, emotional journey of what it means to be an honorable female in modern China. Jill Ferguson, Author - Sometimes Art Can't Save You

Q & A with Jana

How did you get the idea for My Half of the Sky?

My husband is from southern China. One year, when we went back to his village to visit family, I saw a large poster on the side of a house. The poster portrayed a couple holding a child. Underneath the happy couple were the words, "A girl baby is just as important as a boy baby."

"That's so cool," I said. "That the government is behind the valuing of little girls."

He just shook his head. "The government can say what it wants," he said. "But a house with no male is a problem."

Aha. Now there was a story. What if a little girl was born into a household and managed to survive? How would she continue to thrive? To succeed in a place where the traditions were so against her? That was the beginning of My Half of the Sky.

Are your characters based on real people?

My gut instinct is to say, "Yes, of course." I've lived with these characters so long--twelve years-- they feel like old friends. Family. But the truth is they are all figments of my imagination.

How did you do your research for this book?

My husband and I lived quite a while--eight years--in Singapore. Over the years, he has not only told me a lot about the village. His parents, who lived with us while we were in Singapore, told us a lot about the village. And we visited--and continue to visit--as often as possible. In fact, the cover photo for My Half of the Sky was taken from my brother-in-law's house.

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

No. Not consciously. When I graduated from college, I had dreams of being some hotshot businesswoman. Granted, my major was in Communications, with a minor in Jajpanese. But, still, business was hot then with Japan. I figured if I went off to Japan for a year and honed my language skills, I'd be on everyone's "want to hire" list. Then I got to Japan. I not only realized it takes a great deal longer than a year to hone the language, but that I was more interested in the culture than in business. One time, I was asked to teach English to a group of secretaries from the National Diet (the US version of Congress, only larger). These secretaries mentioned that they worked for the only woman in the Diet. The only woman? I wanted to meet this woman. How had she gotten there? What was it like being surrounded by all that maleness every day?

When I interviewed her, I discovered that the woman had no problem with her colleagues except when she had to go to the bathroom. At the time, the Diet building had only men's bathrooms. So, her male secretaries would have to scout out the bathroom first to ensure the coast was clear. This was in 1986. I was so fascinated by this woman that I wanted everyone to know about her. That was my first magazine article. My first step into the writing world. And I was hooked.

This book is about China? How can Americans--and other cultures-- relate?

We all grow up with stories in our heads. Stories about the way things should be. And it's important to have stories. Important until the stories restrict forward movement.

As an example, when we moved to the US seven years ago, we had very little furniture. We had brought a couple of pieces with us from Singapore. But, in particular, we had no beds. I remembered that my great-great grandfather had built a wooden bed which was in storage in my mother's garage. I asked her if we could use that bed--it was beautifully made and so meaningful.

"No," she said. "That's your brother's bed."

Well, my brother lives in Germany. How could it be his bed? According to family tradition, she explained, the bed was to be passed down through the male lineage Never mind that I was in arm's length of the bed and actually needed a place to rest my head. And that was a story passed on by my not-very-traditional mother. Where we reconcile past traditions with the forward momentum of the globe is a struggle we deal with each day. All of us. So, I think we can all get something from Li Hui and her struggle.

Are you writing a sequel?

Yes. I started in the fall of 2006. I'm about halfway through.

Book Club Questions

Interested in reading My Half of the Sky for your next book club choice?

Here are some questions to get you started:

1. In the first chapter, Li Hui stands in line at the post office to use the phone behind Orange-haired Aunty who wore expensive perfume. Li Hui is thrilled to be behind this woman and to sniff her air. However, after she speaks on the phone with her father, she can't get out of the post office fast enough. The expensive perfume smells like a gas leak.

Why is there a shift in Li Hui's appreciation of the things money can buy? How is this scene a metaphor for what later happens to Li Hui?

2. When Li Hui goes to dinner with Chan Hai she gets all turned around, feels lost. Chan Hai points out where they are and says, "It's amazing how all of us can be so close to something and not see it."

How is this phenomenon reflected in Li Hui's relationship with her father? Chan Hai? Husband? Does Li Hui ever learn to see?

3. Waipo often told Li Hui a story about the dragon who came to the village, and how a smart little girl scared the dragon away with firecrackers.

What are Li Hui's dragons? Does she ever find firecrackers?

4. Is Crazy Lee Sa really crazy? Why is she viewed this way? What characteristics do Crazy Lee Sa and Madame Tsui Ping have in common?

5. Li Hui is claustrophobic--has a fear of riding in elevators ("moving boxes.")

In what way is her life like a moving box? Does she ever get over her claustrophobia? How?

6. What happens to Li Hui in the end? What will become of her?

7. While this story takes place in China/Singapore, what aspects--if any--can you relate to?

My Half of the Sky