Nicki Chen's Blog, page 18

December 7, 1941, Attack and a Declaration of War

Seventy-seven years ago today the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. A day later the United States declared war on Japan. By then, my future husband and his family in China were already in the middle of a Japanese invasion and occupation. … Continue reading →

Books and Other Kinds of Travel

  That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.  –                 –Jhumpa Lahiri Yes, I thought after reading Lahiri’s quote, that’s true. And … not exactly true. Actual Travel Thinking about the quote and looking back … Continue reading →

Attracted to Change, Novelty, and Excitement

 You’d think I’d get over it. I’m a grandma, for goodness sakes. Shouldn’t I be more interested in comfort and stability? And yes, I do like my comforts and routines. But that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my taste for novelty … Continue reading →

All the Mountains We Can Climb by Evelyne Holingue

I’d like to introduce my long-distance blogging friend and fellow writer, Evelyne Holingue, and congratulate her on the publication of her new novel, All the Mountains We Can Climb. Evelyne’s early life followed a predictable path. Born and raised in … Continue reading →

Fall … Making Us Forget about Summer

Here on the west side of Washington State we love summer. Entering into the warm and sunny season, we have the crazy expectation that this year we’re going to include everything we’ve loved about summers past … all at once. … Continue reading →

A Writer’s Pain–“Kill Your Darlings”

There’s no blood, no knife, no handgun. An assault rifle? Heavens no! Just a red pen or a delete key. It’s still painful though. You spend all that time coming up with a unique phrase or a perfect way of … Continue reading →

Classic Cars–How long can a car last?

When I was a kid, the “big three” auto makers changed the look of their car every year or two. Their intention was to convince people that they should trade their car in for a new one every two or … Continue reading →

Color, Color, Color … at the Farmers Market

Color is everywhere. Every single thing has color … all the way through. As Kastan and Farthing say, “Our lives are saturated by color.” But sometimes the colors around us seem dull and faded. They run into each other, and … Continue reading →

Detention Camps Then & Now

A beautiful day in August. Two of my daughters and one daughter’s family were visiting. We toured the Amazon Spheres and had lunch at a restaurant nearby. Next stop, beautiful Bainbridge Island. Leaving Seattle in our wake, we sailed across … Continue reading →

Miscarriages & the Research Fiction Writers Do

 My first novel, Tiger Tail Soup, required a lot of research. I spent days at University of Washington libraries, reading and taking notes. I bought and read books about the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, about Chinese fortune tellers … Continue reading →