Sushi for One by Camy Tang

September is an exciting month for up-and-coming author Camy Tang!  Not only has her first book~ Sushi for One~ been officially released this month~ but she is also on her very first blog tour!  I was lucky enough to be able to host Camy here at Reviews by Heidi.

Before I share my interview with Camy, I'd just like to say that I have had the opportunity of reading Sushi for One, and I really enjoyed it.  This book was SO different from most Christian fiction books that are on the market these days.  First of all, I was thrilled to see a book with an Asian character on the cover~ you don't see many of those!  And, this book was just plain fun!  There were some deeper, more thought-provoking aspects of the book;  but, for the most part, I found it humorous and fun.  I'm really looking forward to reading more of Camy's books in the future.

Here's a bit about Camy: 

Camy Tang is a member of CFBA and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.



Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One is her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) comes out in February 2008!

To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, she's got a huge contest going on. Camy is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today (please tell her that Heidi sent you!)

For more information about the contest, visit her website. Contest ends October 31, 2007!

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Finally, the much-anticipated author interview has arrived! 





Hi, Camy!  Welcome to Reviews by Heidi.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by and answer a few questions for my readers and me!  It's a pleasure having you here!

I just finished your book, Sushi for One, the first book in your Asian Chick Lit "Sushi Series".  What fun!  In all my years of reading Christian fiction (and I've read A LOT of books), this is the first time I've come upon a book with an Asian as the main character(s).  I was thrilled!  As you and my readers know, I have 2 Asian-adopted children.  My 7-year-old daughter is an avid reader;  and I'm excited to know that, when she gets a bit older, there will be Christian books available to her with Asian characters.  Hey, they have Asian Barbies now ~ why not Asian books?! 

Anyway, thanks for "stepping out" of the Christian fiction mold and writing something different.

Tell me, what inspired you to write Sushi for One (and the rest of the series)?

I was kind of like your daughter--I wanted an Asian Barbie doll to play with! LOL Seriously, I wanted to read about Asian characters in romances and light-hearted stories. While I like Amy Tan and Maxine Hong Kingston, their stories tend to be heavy and emotional. I wanted to read a fun romance with a heroine like one of my girlfriends.



Asian girls are all about family, and so the idea for the Sushi Series came about when a bunch of us were commiserating about when a girl became the oldest single female cousin in her family and everyone nagged her about getting married. My grandma isn't like Grandma Sakai, but her character is a conglomeration of aunties, moms, and grandmas we've all known.



I love the character of Lex.  Sadly, she reminds me alot of myself~ a bit of a clutz, and always getting herself into sticky situations.  Did you  base the character on yourself or anyone you know?

I didn't base Lex off of myself or anyone I knew, but she has traits and qualities similar to me and my friends/family. I put so much planning and thought into her character that she's almost like a complete, unique person in my head.



The one thing I share with Lex is a love of playing coed volleyball, although I'm nowhere near as good as she is. However, I tore my ACL twice and retired, although my husband still plays coed volleyball once a week.

 

This book had me doubled over with laughter at times.  I would assume, as the author, that you had alot of laughs while writing it as well.  Tell us about your favorite "scene" in the book.

I loooooooove to eat. There really is a Crustaceans restaurant in San Francisco that I adore (I transplanted it to Santana Row for the book). The dinner date Lex has with George in Crustaceans features our favorite garlic roasted crab and garlic noodles, which are really served at Crustaceans in SF.



Of course, any date Lex went on HAD to be a disaster, so I couldn't just leave her be with good food. I tempered her mouth watering with the epitome of the worst date. I got input from friends and incorporated their dating nightmares into George's character. That was tons of fun.

Where do you do your writing?

Usually in my office, at my desk. I actually stand when I type, using risers to raise my monitor and keyboard, because standing is better for my back than sitting for long hours. Occasionally I'll take my laptop and go to the living room, but that's only to break up the monotony if I'm stuck on a scene.

When you're not writing, what do you enjoy doing?

I've recently gotten into knitting and I love it! I've made socks and an afghan for my dad. I just completed a top and a skirt for me, and I'm about to start on some lace knitting.

I'm looking forward to reading Only Uni (in February)!  Can you give us a sneak peek of this book?

Sure! Here's the back cover blurb:



Will Trish Sakai be able to follow her three simple rules and hold out against two gorgeous guys?



Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior. And her three cousins are anxious for her to change, too. Trish is always knocking something over, knocking herself out, and taking hard knocks in her perpetual confusion about men.



When Trish's ex-boyfriend, Kazuo the artist, keeps popping up at all the wrong moments, Trish decides to be firm with herself. She creates three simple rules from First and Second Corinthians and plans to follow them to the letter. No more looking at men! No more dating non-Christians! She will persevere in hardship by relying on God.



Except now Kazuo is claiming Trish is his muse, and he can't complete his major work of art without her. And a gorgeous coworker is reassigned, bringing him in daily contact with Trish. But her cousins are determined to hold her accountable to her plan. She thought three rules would be a cinch, but suddenly Trish's simple rules don't seem so simple after all. 

 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Thanks so much for having me here on your blog! I'm holding a huge website contest this fall. I'm giving away baskets of books and an iPod Nano!



The contest is exclusively for my newsletter YahooGroup members, so join today:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Camys_Loft/join

(*When you sign up for Camy's Loft Yahoo Group, please tell her that Heidi sent you!  Thanks!)

Again, thanks for stopping by!  Good luck on your blog tour!

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The winner of my contest is

melissal89!

Congratulations, Melissa!

I hope you enjoy your copy of

Sushi for One!