Lisa Zhang Wharton

Today I welcome Lisa Zhang Wharton to my blog. A native of China, and the product of what she terms a very disfunctional family, She has used her angst and experiences to produce some intriguing and profound works. Lisa was my guest on The Book Junkies Interview Livecast on BTR, showdate 2/21/2012. Listen to that amazing pppppppppppppp interview here:

                                     

Lisa

When did you decide to get serious about writing?

1990 during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. I wanted to be a writer in Peking University from 1979 to 1983 due the awareness of early life that is very strange and tragic. But I was majoring in Physics and was not allowed to change my major in China and didn't think I would switch to Creative Writing if I was given a chance. I kept writing after coming to the US in 1985. But I didn't have time until in 1990.

Which writers have inspired and influenced you?

Charlotte Bronte, I'm a fan of "Jane Eyre". Emily Bronte and I love "Wuthering Heights". Leo Tolstoy, my mother has identified with Anna in "Anna Karenina". Love Anton Chekhev and all his plays. Kazuo Ishiguro and all his books, especially "The Remains of the Day". Love Haruki Murakami and most of his books. Henry James and "A Portrait of Woman". "White Orleanda".

Last Kiss in Tiananmen Square

Share some information about your books with us:

I have written two complete books and one incomplete book. My novel "Last Kiss In Tiananmen Square" has been published by Fantasy Island Book Publishing last October. An editor at Simon and Schuster is reading and evaluating it. My second book "China Lolita", a book of linked stories about three generations women in my family, will come out soon.

I wrote the first draft of "Last Kiss In Tiananmen Square" 22 years ago soon after the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. I didn't totally complete this book until last August. It is a long journey but I'm so glad that it is out.

Blurb:

"Last Kiss in Tiananmen Square" is a novel based on the 1989 Tiananmen Square Pro-democracy movement. The novel follows a young woman, Baiyun, a junior in college, trying to reconcile her upbringing while in the midst of the rising political movement in Beijing, China.

Baiyun grew up in a strange and cold household. In order to cope with her dysfunctional family, Baiyun worked as hard as she could, eventually getting herself in the prestigious Beijing University.

Baiyun joined the Pro-democracy movement to vent her frustrations. While protesting, she met the man of her dreams, Dagong, a handsome and charismatic factory technician who was orphaned at birth and lost his only relative during the Cultural Revolution. But even Dagong couldn't fully take Baiyun away: his face reminded her of one of her mother's lovers, both attracting her and drawing her back.

"Last Kiss in Tiananmen Square" is a coming-of age story set against the historic and devastating era in Chinese history. With the cultural significance and family bonds of "The Kite Runner", this book explores the way in which one's past is never forgotten.

What started you on the journey to write these books?

Writing found me by no accident. Before I was 18, I lived a life of misery and tragedy without knowing it. When I went to college, the renowned Peking University and studied physics, I discovered the literature and realized that I lived a typical writer's life. It is my duty to write it down and tell it to the world. Even today, I still live under such obligation.

How would you describe your literary voice and what do you think makes it unique?

I have a unique voice because I write about my very strange and unique up-bringing in China. I write about dysfunctional families in China which hasn't been touched very much yet.

What is your process for creating characters? What do you do to get them to feel genuine to your readers?

I based most of my characters on people I know in real life. I may give them different names and put them in different circumstances. But they are real people in the end. That's why they feel real.

What genre does you most love to read? Are your (books) (stories) exclusive to that genre?

I love literary novels like Kazuo Ishiguro, Haruki Murakami and Jonathan Frazen, and romantic comedies like Sophie Kinsella, Janet Evanovich and Carl Hiaasen.

What does writing do for you, personally? How does it make you feel?

Writing has been my therapy since my childhood. I wouldn't have survived my very dysfunctional family if I didn't discover writing.

Are there other genres of fiction that you would like to explore in the future?

I would love to write a romance. I have written many love short stories but haven't written a romance novel yet.

What new projects are you currently working on?

I would like to complete the screen play I have started last year called "Great Grandmother's Brothel". It is based on my mother's extraordinary life in China.

What is the story you remember best from childhood, and does it still influence your writing today?

The story I wrote called "my Uncle". It is about a young woman's awareness of her love for one of her mother's lovers. It won a second prize in Paris Writer's Workshop.

Where do you see yourself as a writer five years from now?

I'm hoping that if you google me, you will find there are three novels and 20 short stories under my name.

Is there anyone you'd like to give a mention to?

We have many great writers at Fantasy Island Book Publishing like J.Darroll Hall, Alison DeLuca, Connie Johnson Jasperson, Gary Hoover, Steve Swartz, Daniel Stanton, Danielle Raver, Lili Tufel, Johanna Garth, Dean Lappi, Lynette Ferreria and Nicole Carson.

Any last words for our readers?

Thank you for reading. I love you.

You Can Find More About Lisa here:

Lisa's Blog:  http://lisazhangwharton.blogspot.com

& Website:  http://www.lisazhangwharton.com

When I first came to this country, I felt like I had landed on a different planet. In San Francisco, my first stop in the US, I saw two giant ladies in hot pink and blue walking down the hill and could not believe how big they were. I was an alien in its true sense. I have so many stories to tell. I want to tell what is like in planet China and how different and similar we are.

Writing found me by no accident. Before I was 18, I lived a life of misery and tragedy without knowing it. When I went to college, the renowned Peking University and studied physics, I discovered the literature and realized that I lived a typical writer's life. It is my duty to write it down and tell it to the world. Even today, I still live under such an obligation. In the last two decades, my life has undergone dramatic changes by moving to the United States from Beijing, China, getting married and having a beautiful son. I also managed to write at least two book manuscripts, and four of my short stories have been published by:

"Paris Transcontinental"

"Salmon Magazine"

"The Great River Review"

"Do You Know Me Now"

Fantasy Island Book Publishing has published my novel "Last Kiss in Tiananmen Square." My linked short story collection "Chinese Lolita" is forthcoming. My short story "My 'Uncle'" has won the second prize in the WICE short story competition organized by the Paris Writer's Workshop.

I live in St. Paul Minnesota with my husband and son.