All Things Asian Interview: Cleo

Today stopping by we have Cleo from the awesome blog, Booklopedia!

What were your favorite books as a kid?

I was a big fan of Sharon Creech as a kid and read most of her books like Walk Two Moons and Ruby Holler. I also read some of the Little House on the Prairie books and the American Girl books.

If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be?

I would LOVE to fly! I think it would be amazing to be able to get from place to place by just flying and not having to learn how to drive a car (which I’m learning right now… And let’s just say that it’s a struggle to try and park straight). The feeling of freedom must also be amazing and the view would be extraordinary!

What is your opinion of spicy food?

Me + spicy food = 不好 (not good in Chinese). I probably took after my dad because my mom and all of my other siblings are generally pretty good with spicy foods. They’ll eat kimchi, spicy tofu stuff, and they love it. I, on the other hand, can’t really handle the spiciness. If you catch me eating a spicy dish, you’ll probably also catch me chugging a glass of milk.

Do you think Asian characters and/or authors are prominent enough in young adult fiction?

 
Personally, I don’t think that Asian characters and authors are very prominent in young adult fiction. Looking at my books right now, I can only think of about 4 or 5 books out of over 100 books that I own that have Asian characters, or somewhat Asian characters. Out of all the authors, I only have about 2 books written by an Asian author. So, I think that this is an area that could probably be improved on because I think it would be cool to spread the Asian awesomeness in young adult fiction!

How close would you say you are to Asian culture?

I’m pretty close with my Asian culture. I’m actually half Chinese and half Korean so I get the best of both worlds. I celebrate most of the traditional Chinese holidays, like Chinese New Year and the Moon Festival, and some of the Korean traditions. My mom also makes Chinese or Korean home cooked meals every once in a while, too :)

This or that:
Egg rolls or sushi? Sushi all the way!
Ramen or dumplings? Dumplings :)
K-pop, J-pop, or Mandopop? K-pop? It’s the only one I really know and occasionally listen, too, although I can’t say that I’m a fan of it.
Chopsticks or fork? Fork! Apparently when I use chopsticks, it makes my dad nervous since I don’t know how to use them the “right” way.

Thanks for stopping by, Cleo!

To follow the rest of the event, go to our All Things Asian event page for all the posts and giveaways! Click HERE to see more awesomeness. (And no, you don't have to be Asian to participate!)

All Things Asian Interview: The Golden Eagle

Today we have the Golden Eagle here for a great interview!

What do you look for in a book?

I look for strong protagonists, believable antagonists, a well-built and detailed world, and, perhaps above all, a plot delivers plenty of twists and turns.

You're stuck on a desert island, and you have your choice of one type of food, one music album, and one book. What do you choose for each?

Fruit, Bach’s Greatest Hits, and the dictionary. The last because then I can better create my own stories in my head. ;)

What got you into blogging?

Reading other blogs. I didn’t know much about the blogging community (other than it existed) before I visited a few, lurked, and started commenting occasionally. After a few months of that I decided to start my own blog.

What is a completely random fact about yourself?

I’ve been dancing for seven years. There was a break of a couple years, but I got back into it in 2010 and am currently en pointe.

What advice would you give to another blogger?

Blog about what you want to blog about, whether that’s books, writing, games, personal projects, whatever. We’re all unique, and that’s reflected in each person’s blogging style.

If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be?

Flight. :) I chose The Golden Eagle as my pseudonym partly because eagles are such amazing fliers.

Do you think Asian characters and/or authors are prominent enough in young adult fiction?

Not quite. Though Asian characters and authors are growing in numbers, they’re still few and far between compared to white characters/authors.

Do you think there needs to be more diversity in young adult fiction?

Yes. The more varied YA is, the more perspectives and opinions, the better, I think.

What is your favorite Asian dish?

Sesame chicken.

What is your favorite Asian book character and why?

My favorite character is Ai Ling from Silver Phoenix and Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon. She has weaknesses and faults, but like any good character, those are counterbalanced with positive traits; in her case, a determination to see things through.

Would you say you appreciate Asian inspired literature more, less, or the same as other literature?

I treat Asian inspired literature the same as other literature. If it’s written well, I’ll enjoy it, but if not then I’ll dislike it as much as any other fiction.

Thanks for stopping by!

All Things Asian Interview and Giveaway: E. C. Myers

Today here we have E. C. Myers, the author of the fantastic novel Fair Coin! At the bottom of this interview is a great giveaway, so keep an eye out for that!

What made you choose to write the genre you do?
 
I go wherever the story demands, and it was clear early on that Fair Coin had to be a young adult book. I always had a teenage male protagonist in mind, and I don’t think the story would have the same meaning if an older person acquired a wishing coin; an adult book with the same premise would probably be more about looking backwards and fixing mistakes, instead of looking ahead in life and embracing possibilities. I was more interested in a character that was learning the consequences of his actions in the moment instead of dealing with them years later after living a life of regret.

But I hadn’t read young adult fiction since I was a teenager, so before I started writing Fair Coin, I read all the YA I could get my hands on. I rediscovered my love for the genre and the broad range of experiences, themes, characters, and backgrounds it offers. Though I’m well past my teenage years, questions of choice, identity, and finding your place still resonate with me as a reader and writer; exploring these big questions in the books I read as a kid had a huge impact on the person I am today, and I’m still examining them in the books I’m writing now.

What do you look for in a book? 
I look for big ideas and quiet moments, high personal stakes, honesty, and experiences that are very different from my own. I love a story that grabs hold of readers and lets them imagine another world, another life, another perspective. Most of all, I look for characters I can relate to or care about, who respond in interesting and illuminating ways to extraordinary events, whether it’s a science fiction story about saving the universe or a teenager discovering something new and important about herself or the world around her. I look for genuine connections and relationships between characters and heartfelt emotion. I want to be entertained or moved or pushed into thinking about something in a surprising way.

What is your opinion on spicy food?

Spicy food is the best food, and any food that isn’t spicy can be fixed. I recently discovered Sriracha, and I’m getting a lot of use out of it. For a while I even considered carrying around capcaicin spray like a character does in Cory Doctorow’s excellent YA book, Little Brother, but I haven’t quite reached that extreme. Yet.

Do you think there needs to be more diversity in young adult fiction? 
Definitely. Always. I understand that marketing concerns make some publishers hesitant to take chances on books that represent different races, genders, and sexual orientations in fiction, at least in their main characters, but I think YA is one of the most honest forms of literature out there, and ignoring the rich diversity of readers is disingenuous. Teenage readers can handle non-white protagonists, different cultures, and “non-traditional” family structures, I promise you. We should all trust our readers. All they want is a good story, well told and with interesting, relatable characters — and I think one of the best ways to deliver the latter is through a broad selection of perspectives.

Sometimes we read to recognize ourselves in fiction, and sometimes we read to become someone else entirely. By limiting books to a narrow perspective, we may be shaping a limited, artificial worldview in the kids reading them. I think the only Asian character I remember in books when I was young was Claudia Kishi in The Babysitter’s Club. I always thought she was my favorite because of her quirky, artistic personality, but now I wonder if I was identifying with more than that.

I’ve realized that after a lifetime of reading and watching television and movies, my own “default” for fiction characters, as a reader and a writer, is white male. I’m certain that’s fairly common and that has to change. Worse still, I didn’t think the lack of Asian characters bothered me much until I saw the Pixar film Up, which features Russell, a young Japanese boy; I was surprised by his appearance and by how happy it made me to see an Asian lead onscreen, in a role that wasn’t about him being Asian.

So yes, we do need more diversity in YA: in book covers, in content, and even in the authors writing it. It’s always good to offer more perspectives and experiences to young readers. Truth is, we still need wider representation everywhere.

How close would you say you are to Asian culture? 
Not as close as I want to be, and feel I probably should be. My mother is Korean, and because she raised me I was exposed to the food and some traditions, which are fine things but are still fairly superficial aspects of the culture; I don’t know much about Korean history or the people’s deeper beliefs and customs. Despite studying the language in college for a couple of years, I still don’t really speak or understand it, though I can at least read Hangul. Mostly.

A couple of years ago, I researched modern life in South Korea when I decided to write a fantasy story set in contemporary Seoul. I was surprised by all the differences in the Korean mindset and how foreign their customs seemed to me. Even though I claim Korean heritage, I had the uncomfortable impression that I was “appropriating” my own culture for fiction. A lot of this is from growing up in America without much contact with other Koreans. I didn’t have any Korean friends until I went to college. I self-identify as an American, but I’d like to learn more about what it means to be Korean. I’m working on that.

What is your favorite Asian dish?

Whatever’s on the plate in front of me, but I’m partial to kalbi (Korean barbecue), chapchae, and kimbap. I also love fried dumplings!

Do you enjoy anime or manga? If so which ones?

Oh yes, but I have fallen really far behind anything remotely current. I tend to favor anime over manga, and some of my all-time favorites — again, mostly older stuff — include Kimagure Orange Road; Irresponsible Captain Tylor; Future Boy Conan; Now and Then, Here and There; Haibane Renmei; Cowboy Bebop; and Full Metal Alchemist. Of course, I love almost everything Studio Ghibli produces, especially Whisper of the Heart, Laputa, and Mononoke Hime. Some of my recent favorite anime films are The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars. Almost all of these are also very good YA stories.

Do you feel like your Asian heritage influenced your writing at all?

Of course it does. Whether or not I’m conscious of it, the experiences I’ve had because of it are part of me, and they influences the choices I make in my life and in my writing, and particularly how I shape my characters and portray their interactions with each other.

The most obvious influence on Fair Coin is in Jena Kim, who is half-Korean, just like me. I didn’t go out of my way to show lots of Korean things in her house or have her talk about it in casual conversation, because that doesn’t reflect the way I grew up. You can identify with a culture without letting it define you. But her background is a little more prominent in the next book, where it felt more appropriate to address it in how people respond to her appearance and her family.

Ephraim is also of mixed heritage: He’s half-Puerto Rican and half-Irish. I find that I’m interested in writing about characters that straddle two worlds, without quite fitting in either. There’s a sense of alienation that comes from other people categorizing you in a certain group that you don’t feel you really belong in. So I like to engage with questions of identity and perception and the difficulty of choosing your own place in the world, regardless of how you look or how others treat you.


Thanks for stopping by!


E. C. Myers is also giving away a great package to one lucky winner, open to the US and Canada. Enter to win a signed copy of Fair Coin, bookmarks, post cards, AND a package of chocolate coins!

All Things Asian Interview and Giveaway: Vivian

Stopping by today is Vivian from Confessions of a Vi3t Babe! At the bottom of the interview is a GIVEAWAY!

What do you look for in a book?

I definitely like a book with romance, although that doesn’t have to be the center theme. It has to be a good romance though, with a swoon-worthy guy, the kind of guy you can only get from books. I also like books with a strong female lead. I’m so tired of those “damsels in distress” characters that are so clueless and powerless. I generally lean towards paranormal, but contemporary is great too.

If you could have any supernatural power, what would it be?

I would love to have telekinesis. The ability to move objects would come in handy on those lazy days or when I have to lug around heavy objects, plus it’d help me since I have a baby who likes to cling to me 24/7.

If you were a flavor of ice cream, what would you be?

I’ve been on this Vanilla Fudge Swirl kick for the longest time, tastes so good with just the right mix of vanilla and chocolate, which is how I usually am, a mix of things.

What are some of your favorite books with Asian characters?

Well, since I just started getting into YA, and reading in general, within the last year or two, I haven’t really read too many books (due to time constraints), but I did manage to read a couple books with Asian characters in it. Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Legend by Marie Lu are standout books that I think everyone should read. Regardless of the Asian characters, I loved the story and the writing, the Asian theme was just an awesome bonus.

Do you think there needs to be more diversity in YA fiction?

Yes! I keep saying how I wish there were more Asian-specific books, also, more Asian writers. I’ve been following more Asian writers on Twitter and checking out their books, and I’m happy that the numbers are growing, but there could always be more!

What is your favorite Asian dish?

I love a nice, warm bowl of Pho (a Vietnamese Rice Noodle dish). Beef or chicken is fine, but I just can’t get enough of it. I could eat it everyday! It’s so good, perfect for cold weather, or to cure a hangover, LOL.

Do you enjoy anime or manga? If so, which ones?

I do. My favorite would have to be Sailor Moon, a childhood classic, but I also love Chobits, Fushigi Yugi, Love Hina, Fruits Basket, etc. A lot of oldies, I know, but I haven’t had time to see any new ones.

This or that:

Egg rolls or sushi? Egg rolls, not a sushi fan at all.
Ramen or dumplings? Ramen, but it’d have to be the spicy kind!
K-pop, J-pop, or Mandopop? K-pop, love me some Taeyang!
Chopsticks or fork? Chopsticks! I even use them to grab chips, crackers, or
anything to avoid getting my hands dirty, LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Enter for a chance to win an awesome swag pack provided by Vi! It includes an Everneath bookmark and tattoo, Pretty Crooked bookmark and stickers, a Team Adam pin from If I Stay by Gayle Foreman, and a signed bookplate by Amy Plum, author of Die for Me. All these are pictured at the left!

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