We can probably all agree that 2020 was one of, if not the worst year in recent memory. And so it was with grateful relief that I embraced the few good news that dropped in my mailbox just before year's end, news that I'm excited to share with you now. First of, Best Indie Book Award … [Read more...]
Stories — In Spoken Word
Hurrah!! After an (unexplainable) 3-month holdup at ACX-Amazon, the audiobook for my new collection of short stories, In the Shadow of Green Bamboos, has finally been released to retail on the Amazon and Audible websites. The principal narrator of In the Shadow of Green Bamboos is Leyna Nguyen, … [Read more...]
A Special To-Read List
Just a quick announcement to share some exciting news: I am thrilled and honored that the Washington DC Public Library has recently held a book discussion of my travelogue, Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees, and has recommended it as one of 5 books to read about Vietnam … [Read more...]
The Lost Tribes
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...]
An Early Christmas Present
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...]
My Travelogue of Vietnam
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...]
A Must Write
What in the world is a "must write," you ask. I can best explain what it is by mentioning its counterpart, which you're probably familiar with since it's often found in readers' reviews of their favorite books---a "must read." Let me elaborate. A must write is something that I as a writer feel … [Read more...]
Why I (Continue to) Write
It's said that we've all got a book in us. I was fortunate enough, living in the age of self-publishing, to find that out for myself. In my case, it took me six years of hard labor---labor of love, as it's called---to research, write, and publish my first book, Once upon a Mulberry Field, a … [Read more...]
Sweet Images
Warm greetings! The last few months have been busy for me, but it has been a good kind of busy (except for the tax returns, of course). I was invited to speak about my book at various venues and gladly accepted all those invitations, thus spending a lot of time on the road rather than at the … [Read more...]
Home, Sweet Home
Maya Angelou once said: "You can never go home again, but the truth is you can never leave home, so it's all right." Most people, no matter where we came from or where life has taken us, remain attached to memories of our early years -- the times, places, people, events, as well as the loves and … [Read more...]