Ask the Author: Lisa See
Answered Questions (259)
Lisa See
Differnt novels have been optioned over the years to be made into a film or TV show. Only one was made: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Right now two books are in development. We'll see what happens...
Lisa See
I'm sorry, but I didn't see your questions until just this morning. Yes, I'm working on a new novel write. I'm very close to completely the first draft, which is why I've been ignoring other responsibilities...like checking Goodreads.
Lisa See
Such as astute question, but I think you've answered it yourself. In conversation the word would be "ta," as you point out. That's what I was thinking when I wrote that scene. However, you're right in the sense that this distinction isn't conveyed in English in the text. While I didn't explain this in this book, I know that I have in a couple of my other novels. Sometimes I don't want to slow the reader down with too much detail. Interestingly, in the novel I'm writing now, just yesterday I had a scene in which I was comparing written characters about men and women. Wife -- woman with a broom, and so on.
Lisa See
Tan Yunxian was a real person. I discovered her when I was reading a book about women's reproduction in the Ming Dynasty. Then I found her book. The more I read about her, the more intrigued I became.
Lisa See
I don't plan to write an entire book about Tyrus. I have a chapter about him in On Gold Mountain. There's now a children's book about him and also a forthcoming biography written by Karen Fang.
Lisa See
I am one-eighth Chinese. I grew up in a very large Chinese American family.
Lisa See
She was an elite woman in the highest, most educated class. If she wanted her daughters to marry into good families, then of course she would have bound her daughters' feet. If she hadn't, then her daughters would have needed to become servants or work in the fields.
Lisa See
The history of Chinese medicine is old and very deep. There are far too many things that are interesting to fit into this little box, that's for sure. I've had a lot of acupuncture in my life, including for sciatica. It was a miraculous cure for that as it was for you too.
Thank you for your kind words about the book. You made my day!
Thank you for your kind words about the book. You made my day!
Lisa See
I haven't written about coining, but I know what it is. I haven't written about Indonesia either. Maybe one of these days.
Lisa See
This makes me so, so, so happy!
Lisa See
I've been going to Chinese medicine doctors since I was nineteen. I've integrated both systems into my life for such a long time that I don't even think about it. Different approaches work for different ailments. I'd never do solely one at the neglect of the other.
Lisa See
Not any time soon. I'm working on the new book, though. I'll for sure do something at Vroman's when it comes out.
Lisa See
First, thank you for your very kind words about my books. I actually live in Los Angeles.
Lisa See
First, thank you for your very kind words about my writing. You've made me very happy today.
The next book will take place in 1870, so, yes, it's another historical novel. I'm basing the three main characters on three real women who lived through the events that take place in the story. There will be a lot of struggle -- as you've pointed out -- but in the end I believe it will be a story of endurance, persistence, and triumph. As of yesterday, I am on page 145.
The next book will take place in 1870, so, yes, it's another historical novel. I'm basing the three main characters on three real women who lived through the events that take place in the story. There will be a lot of struggle -- as you've pointed out -- but in the end I believe it will be a story of endurance, persistence, and triumph. As of yesterday, I am on page 145.
Lisa See
That's like asking if I have a favorite child. And the answer for the books is the same as the answer about them. It depends on the day! But truly, like with my kids, I love them equally but I love them differently. I certainly have a different relationship with each of the books, depending on where I was in my life when I wrote it.
Lisa See
Probably not for a couple of years. I'm only on Chapter 3...
Lisa See
First, thank you for reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan!
The ideas for books come in all different ways. With Snow Flower, I became obsessed with the secret language; with Shanghai Girls, we were driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles and my husband asked me why I'd never written about sisters; with The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, I was crossing the street on my way to see a movie and I had a flash of an idea about a fox spirit. I wish I could say there was something tried and true, but every book has been different.
The ideas for books come in all different ways. With Snow Flower, I became obsessed with the secret language; with Shanghai Girls, we were driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles and my husband asked me why I'd never written about sisters; with The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, I was crossing the street on my way to see a movie and I had a flash of an idea about a fox spirit. I wish I could say there was something tried and true, but every book has been different.
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