Interview with Justine Laismith, author of our BOTM Jan 22

[Jemima]

As promised, I invited Justine to answer a few questions about her work and future plans.

Don't forget to read the BOTM post to get your copy and then make comments. Justine will be monitoring this thread if you have any burning questions for her!


So, Justine...
Q How long did it take to write Secrets of the Great Fire Tree?
I started it after Chinese New Year in 2011, for a writing competition with a 5000-word limit. But I could not tell the story within the word count, and three years later in 2014, I finished the book.

Q What was your initial inspiration for the book?

During a social gathering in Singapore, I learnt that local delicacy Buah Keluak comes from the poisonous fruit of a tropical tree. While I have read books set in tropical forests, they tended to be about survival in the wilderness rather than about a particular tree. As this buah keluak tree has a fascinating and elaborate process of removing its poison. I wanted to write a story that embellished its unique properties.

The main story came to me over the dinner table during Chinese New Year. I was told an account where, in China, a group of charity workers had found a little boy living on his own. He lived in a mountainous area, and his house was the only one in the area. He had a pig. His parents had gone away to work and his sole responsibility was to look after the pig until their return the following year, for the traditional reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve. They reckoned he was about six years old.

It wasn’t told first-hand, and I never verified the story’s details. But it moved me. To let a six-year-old fend for himself for an entire year, the conditions at home had to be desperate. When I delved deeper, I learnt about rural poverty in China resulting in ‘left-behind children’. I wanted to share this knowledge with the world. So I weaved a plot around these children and the buah keluak tree.

Q What research did you do, and how?

I read reference books and carried out a lot of research online. Being able to understand Chinese also allowed me to watch heart-breaking interviews with the left-behind children.

At the time, I was living in Singapore, so I also carried out research in person. I visited the Singapore UNESCO Botanical Gardens to study the tree and then tasted the Buah-Keluak dish in Peranakan restaurants. As China wasn’t too far from Singapore, I took a trip there. In the rural places of south-west China, I got a feel for how the locals lived.

To clear my thoughts, I compiled my research into a series of articles. I made them available on my website when the book was published.

Q Who is your favorite character in your books?

It’s a close call between Uncle Liang and Xinying. Uncle Liang does not let life beat him down. He is caring but sensitive, as can be seen from how he makes Xinying, the twins and Kai feel valued. Xinying has picked up Uncle Liang’s qualities, but as a left-behind child, she tugs at my heart-strings, especially in the last chapters.

Q You're a published author, how did you get selected by your publisher (or did you select them?)

My first book, The Magic Mixer, was published as the winning prize in a writing competition. Secrets of the Great Fire Tree was entered in the Twitter competition #DVPit. My publisher liked my pitch, which gave me the invitation to submit the initial chapters to her. She then asked for the full manuscript. I was over the moon when she accepted it.

Q What has been the most successful method of promoting your books?

I keep an online presence but I believe that because we are writing children’s books, the best way is to do school visits and speak to the children in person. Except in the current climate, this has become a lot harder.

Q Any tips of things to do or avoid?

Music in the background is great for writing. Have a collection of music for different scenes eg energetic music for fast-paced scenes, melancholic music for sad scenes.

Q Have you any new books coming out in the next few months you’d like to tell us about?

I have plans for a couple of books:
The first one, awaiting illustration, is a young MG about a father building a tall ship and his children wanting to help.

I am also working on a teen fiction set in the 17th century, about three girls from three countries and the mystery of their interconnected lives.

Thanks a lot for this - hope all goes well for you!

[Carol]

I am looking forward to reading your book, Justine. I have a strong interest in China as my grandchildren are half Chinese (from a Chinese minority in Cambodia). I know of the heart-breaking stories of children left behind when their parents go to work in the cities. I gather that sometimes it is the older children who look after the younger ones, although it is often the grandparents. Hopefully the community also takes an interest. Very, very sad, but hopefully it will change, and perhaps already has.

[Justine]

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to share my book. Yes, Carol, most of the left-behind children are looked after by relatives. Some of them have elderly grandparents who often need caring themselves. So these left-behind children end up being young carers as well. Since I started the book, I have been following the news and China is aware of this issue and thankfully has taken steps to address it. Here's a news article from the BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56213271

[Carol]

Justine wrote: "Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to share my book. Yes, Carol, most of the left-behind children are looked after by relatives. Some of them have elderly grandparents who often need cari..."

An interesting article, Justine.
I don't know if it has been changed, but I believe one of the problems with children accompanying parents to cities, has been that they are not allowed to go to school there.

[Carol]

'The Scots in China' with Neil Oliver has recently been on our TV screens, talking about the combination of capitalism and communism in China. I have so far only seen the first part which was excellent.

[Justine]

Thanks for that, Carol. I must check out the program. Yes, they have identified Hu Kou (House Registration) problem and it is being addressed. But it’s taking time. Here’s a recent article https://www.sixthtone.com/news/100670...

[Justine]

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about Secrets of the Great Fire Tree. In case anyone’s lost track of time (how is it the end of Jan already?), my publisher’s $0.99 offer closes on 1 Feb, which incidentally happens to be Lunar New Year. Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.