I grew up in a small town in Southeastern China, separated from my parents and younger siblings, who had moved to Hong Kong. During that time, I was raised by my uncles and my maternal grandmother (Ah Pau). When I was finally reunited with my family at age twelve, my siblings and cousins loved to hear of my adventures in my small town, where I could have the freedom to roam wherever I wanted, something they had never experienced in the huge, bustling colony of Hong Kong. My small-town adventures fascinated my citified siblings. They were even willing to give me their snacks or do my chores if I would tell them of my exploits. I began writing and submitting stories to the Chinese language newspapers, many of which were published. My first story was published right after I arrived in Hong Kong. In college, I majored in Chinese literature, never imagining that I would ever need to use English, much less write stories or books in English.
I enjoy learning about other cultures and people's everyday lives in faraway lands. That's why I love to travel. I also like to walk on the beach, and I love to eat seafood, including conch, squid, and fish with their heads still on. My favorite activity besides traveling is crabbing. Living near Charleston, South Carolina allows me to indulge in these passions often.
After I married an American and emigrated to the United States, I decided to learn how to write in English about my adventures of growing up in China, so that my husband and children could read what I wrote. I was a school teacher in Hong Kong but I could not teach in the United States. But I figured that American children would be fascinated by the escapades of a young girl growing up in a faraway land and in another time. So I decided to use my stories to teach kids values and morals and introduce American kids to my country and our customs in an informative, yet interesting way. (The books are good resources for character education lessons.) I wrote and submitted manuscripts for more than ten years before Boyds Mills Press offered me a contract. All of my novels -- First Apple, Water Ghost, Lichee Tree, and Child Bride -- have been drawn from my childhood in China. The heroine who appears in them, Ying Yeung, is me. I have also written picture books about some of the important Chinese festivals and holidays. Moon Festival is about the popular fall festival that celebrates family reunion. Like most successful writers, I have tried to write aboutwhat I know best. The Chinese translations of my childhood novels, which I did myself, have been published in bilingual English/Chinese editions in Hong Kong. First Apple and Water Ghost were published in the Spring of 2004 and Lichee Tree and Child Bride were published in the Summer of 2005.
I grew up in a small town in Southeastern China, separated from my parents and younger siblings, who had moved to Hong Kong. During that time, I was raised by my uncles and my maternal grandmother (Ah Pau). When I was finally reunited with my family at age twelve, my siblings and cousins loved to hear of my adventures in my small town, where I could have the freedom to roam wherever I wanted, something they had never experienced in the huge, bustling colony of Hong Kong. My small-town adventures fascinated my citified siblings. They were even willing to give me their snacks or do my chores if I would tell them of my exploits. I began writing and submitting stories to the Chinese language newspapers, many of which were published. My first story was published right after I arrived in Hong Kong. In college, I majored in Chinese literature, never imagining that I would ever need to use English, much less write stories or books in English.
