Yup, it looks like there’s another new book to add to your wish-list – or your Santa-list, if you’re a believer. Wendy Tokunaga’s latest novel Love in Translation has just hit the shelves and just like her wonderful debut Midori by Moonlight the new book explores Japan and Japanese culture and being a stranger in a strange land. What’s particularly fabulous about Love in Translation is that it comes with a theme song – sung by Wendy herself. Check it out here.
Now for the full lowdown on the book:
For anyone who’s ever dreamt of finding love and family in an unexpected place…
After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. Once there she stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems—a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars..
With little knowledge of Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for all variety of translation, travel and investigatory needs. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste’s relatives, she discovers she’s developing “more-than-sisterly” feelings for him, although his mother seems to have other plans for her son. But it is when Celeste learns a Japanese song called “The Wishing Star” that things begin to change for her in ways she never expected, leading her to ask, what is the true meaning of family? And what does it mean to discover your own voice?
As well as her two novels, Wendy has written two non-fiction books for children. She holds an MFA in Writing and has had short stories published in various literary journals. In her spare time Wendy sings bossa nova, cool pop, jazz standards and Japanese songs accompanied by her surfer dude husband Manabu on electronic keyboards. They live with their cat Meow in the San Francisco Bay Area, a short walk from the Pacific Ocean
Wendy put down her microphone for a few minutes to answer some of my questions …
Tell me a little about what inspired Love in Translation
Many things inspired the writing of the book. Love in Translation is my cockeyed valentine to Japan, which is a place I’ve both loved and loathed, a place that has fueled both fascination and frustration. And it is also a place that has had a huge impact on my life and writing. I also wanted to explore what it means to be a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan and the benefits and downsides of that status and what happens when a gaijin sings in Japanese. I also am fascinated by the concept of the homestay, (something I never experienced), and how that would impact someone as an adult who grew up in foster homes and who never experienced a real family.
How long did it take you to write Love in Translation
That’s kind of difficult to say. Parts of Love in Translation came from an unpublished manuscript that told the story of two characters who “trade lives”—a young, Japanese idol singer who comes to the U.S. after her career goes down the tubes, and an American woman who has been drifting and at a crossroads in her life who ends up finding herself by going to Japan. Eventually each character ended up getting her own book. I also was writing it while in the throes of finishing my MFA in Writing, and was working on the Japanese idol singer novel as my thesis. That was kind of a juggling act! But I guess the short answer is: approximately two years.
When do you write (mornings, evening, lunchbreaks)?
I generally try to write new material in the morning and do revision in the afternoon. I’ll print out what I’ve written and go off to a coffeehouse or somewhere and make notes. Then I’ll come home and input any changes.
Where do you write? Describe your writing space – is it a cluttered mess or minimalist heaven?!
I have a home office that is a real cluttered mess. I do clean it up occasionally but it gets messy again really fast. Like everyone, I have a lot going on in my life besides writing so all of that piles up and more. When I worked in an office at a company my desk was always pretty neat, but now that I work at home, it’s a disaster. I guess it’s because I don’t have to care what co-workers think!
Writers are usually big readers too. How do you make time for reading and what are you reading at the moment?
Lately I don’t spend enough time reading and I have to do something about that. With writing and promotion and marketing, I find I don’t always feel like reading. To take a break I’ll veg out and watch some old film on Turner Classic Movies. Perhaps reading more books should be my New Year’s resolution! But at the moment I’m attempting to read Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby.
What’s next for you? Is there a new book in the pipeline?
I’m working hard on a new novel that is a bit of a departure for me and has very little to do with Japan.
Find out more about Wendy and her new novel at www.wendytokunaga.com. And look for her on Facebook and Twitter.
