Recently, without setting out to look for them, I stumbled upon a handful of movies about writers which I found totally fascinating as well as relatable on many levels. You've probably seen one or more of the movies already, but just in case, I'm sharing my short list below. The first movie is an … [Read more...]
In July, a friend and I went to Yosemite for a few days, my first time back there in over a decade. The above picture is of Half Dome and, at the bottom right, Nevada Falls, as viewed from Glacier Point. A day after we returned from our visit, the Ferguson Fire broke out just a few miles … [Read more...]
Recently, some six months after the publication of my Vietnam travelogue Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees, I went online and did a quick search on the title to see if there had been any news about it. To my delight, a book discussion notice popped up, the one whose image is shown above. It … [Read more...]
With the Korean Peninsula figuring prominently in the news in recent months---from the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games to the nuclear threat and diplomatic negotiations---I've been reminded of a long-standing historical link between Korea and Vietnam. It all began in 1958 during the state … [Read more...]
For people of Vietnamese heritage, no traditional holiday is bigger than Têt, the lunar calendar New Year's, which is also celebrated in other Far East countries (Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan). The exact date varies from year to year, usually between mid-January and mid-February. In 2018, Têt … [Read more...]
In today's highly competitive publishing world, I've long since learned to appreciate and rejoice in each and every little progress along the way, to keep myself motivated and moving forward, one small step at a time. It also gives me great pleasure to share the good news as they happen with my … [Read more...]
This afternoon (Tue Dec 12) Amazon has named my new book Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees the #1 New Release in Vietnam Travel Guides (paperback edition). This came on the heel of the book last Sunday (Dec 10) hitting #1 on amazon.fr (France) among Books in English and Foreign Languages on … [Read more...]
This is a happy addendum to my recent post on Friday Dec 8. A day after I published the post and three weeks removed from the release date, Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees hit #1 on amazon.fr (France) among Books in English and Foreign Languages on Southeast Asia History, and #4 in Travel … [Read more...]
In a post back in April, I shared with you some of the surprising paths that my earlier book, Once upon a Mulberry Field, had found itself on since its release in 2014 (click HERE to read again). As the author watching its progress, I felt like an … [Read more...]
As mentioned in an earlier post, in late 2016 I had a chance to go back and visit Việt-Nam, my ancestral homeland. It was my first trip back in over four decades, and it touched me deeply. And so, upon my return to America, I immediately set aside all other projects to start recapturing the memories … [Read more...]