Daruma (Personal Writing) Update: Well, the Aurora Awards were last Saturday night. My story, Breathe, which is published in the anthology Prairie Gothic, didn’t win. But the slate of short stories was strong this year and I am just honoured to be nominated with such a strong slate. This is the third time I have been nominated, twice for my own work, and I know I will be nominated again. Until then, congrats to all the nominated authors and creatives and a big congrats to all the winners. You can find the list of the winners at the Prix Aurora Web Page.
The work on my ghost story continues, but I had to back up a bit and do a bit of retooling before continuing with the draft. But I am on track to completing the first “discovery” draft by early next year (Q1). This will be early enough for me to do a round of edits before sending this out to some beta readers. Cross your fingers. My Daruma doll wishes are coming true.
Hey all, welcome back. Has it been a week already?
Speaking of a week, the Aurora Awards voting closes on September 4, 2021 (in just over a week at the time this has been posted). For those of you who may not be aware, I have had the honour of once again being nominated for an Aurora Award this time for my short story “Breathe” which was published in Prairie Soul Press’ anthology entitled “Prairie Gothic” (which has also been nominated for an Aurora Award for Best Related Work). There are so many great nominees this year including “Grass Gods,” another short story in Prairie Gothic.
The other times I have been nominated for an Aurora Award was in 2013 for my editing skills as co-editor for that labour of love, Shanghai Steam and in 2018 my short story entitled “Rose’s Arm” published in Laksa Media’s “Where the Stars Rise.”
I am humbled and grateful that my stories are touching people and that my writing peers feel my work is good enough to be nominated and to make the short list as best speculative short fiction in Canada. There are so many other speculative fiction writers writing their hearts out who never get nominated. Even once. The feeling of validation can be overwhelming at times.
Writing is a solitary and sometimes lonely avocation. So when we see an author’s name on the cover of a book, it is easy to make the assumption that the novel was written and came out whole cloth from the writer’s mind and dumped onto the page. A quick perusal through the front pages quickly dispels that idea. Usually there is a dedication page wherein the author thanks all the people who have assisted in the writing of that project.
However, for short stories, there is little or no dedication page in anthologies except for the editors. So short story authors never get to thank anyone unless they win and give an acceptance speech.
So I thought I’d rectify that. I haven’t won the Aurora Award yet and even if I don’t win, the people who helped and supported me should not remain anonymous.
So here are the people I want to thank.
First, I want to thank Jennifer Cheung, my partner in life, for all her love and support all these years. Without her, I could not have the long stretches of time to let my mind wander through imaginary worlds.
I also want to thank my sons, Kiyoshi and Toshiro who keep me grounded and let me know what is really important in life and family.
Thank you to my parents who are my most outspoken critics but my biggest cheerleaders. Thanks for raising me, keeping me on the straight and narrow, and picking me up when I was down.
Thank you to the editors at Prairie Soul and Laksa Media. You have made this author’s ordinary words look fantastic.
Thank you to IFWA, the best writing group on the planet. You have all helped me grow as a writer whether through a critique, skills session, or generally sharing your knowledge. You all deserve recognition.
Thank you to the WWC which has made it possible to allow me to give something back to the writing community.
Thank you to all the editors and publishers who have accepted my work. You are the unsung heroes of the publishing world. You fight for our stories and mold our words from lumps of clay to works of art.
Thank you to the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association. Your hard work and dedication allows the Aurora Awards to exist.
Thank you to all those who nominated me for this or for previous works. Your validation is so important to an old curmudgeon like me.
And finally, thank you to everyone who has read my whimsical little tales. I am glad I have given some joy and wonder to you all. Without you, there would be no stories. There are so many people to thank for all the time, wisdom, and support I have received over the years. There are too many to count. But this is a good beginning.
So at this point in the blog post, there would normally be a call to action. I could ask that you go to the Prix-Aurora Award page, buy a membership (if you haven’t already), and vote for my story or the anthology it has been published in. You have until September 4, 2021.
Instead, I just want to thank you for reading this far into this post. It means a lot to me. It means that you have already discovered my writing and may be waiting for more.
So, time to get back to the writing so it may be possible that one day I might give this acceptance speech aloud or write that dedication page in that novel.
My Japanese Daruma Doll. Don’t know what it is? Read on and find out.
The 2021 When Words Collide Writers’ and Readers’ Festival is over for another year, and what a festival it was. It was, because of some pandemic which shall remain nameless, online again this year. The scramble to get Zoom Hosts lined up at the last minute was frantic, but somehow, Randy made it work. And indeed it turned out fantastic. Big shout out to everyone who volunteered as a Zoom Host or otherwise. It was a huge job. Without the volunteers, this festival would never get off the ground.
So, during the WWC, I got to be part of a panel entitled “Moments of Joy.” It was to launch Laksa Media’s newest anthology entitled Seasons Between Us where my story (written under the pseudonym C.J. Cheung) entitled “Clear Water” appeared. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Anyway, as typical for a Laksa Media launch, it was not a typical book launch. Each author who was present gave us their moment of joy. Here’s mine:
“I thought about this a lot, but I couldn’t come up with just one thing, one moment that I could point to and say “that is the moment of Joy” I wish to talk about. I could talk about my wedding day, a truly joyous day tinged with the sadness of my father’s passing less than a month earlier. I could talk about the birth of my sons, now both teenagers, and the feelings I had on that day. But for me, moments are ephemeral. They don’t last. They are fleeting.
Instead I chose to look at the journey: my journey as a writer, as an artist.
Of course, I didn’t start out as an artist.
When I was young, I was told I couldn’t become one. At that time, I wanted to pursue a career in acting, but everyone told me that was not the route I could go. I couldn’t earn a living as an actor. I was good, but there weren’t any roles for Chinese actors. So I chose to take my art underground: I did some theatre at University. I played role playing games. I LARPed. I went to law school (not only to please my parents, but because the thought of becoming a litigator and getting up in Court enthralled me. Of course, reality was much different than the fantasy and I soon realized the passion wasn’t there. I needed to live the life I wanted.
My father’s passing became my opportunity. It meant I had to relocate to Alberta. It meant I had to restart my life. And this time, I was determined to live as an artist. By this time, I had started writing. It wasn’t good, but I thought this was where I could go with my art and to my surprise, I found that people liked what they read.
It is often a truth in life that moments of sadness can lead to moments of joy. And my moment of Joy isn’t really a moment. It’s a life. Make no mistake, writing is hard and there are days it is difficult and I feel unmotivated. But this is where I want to be – what I want to be doing. The journey continues and I’m grateful to share this journey with all of you.”
So, to commemorate my future journey, I presented my Daruma Doll (pictured above) to the audience.
Anyone who knows what a Daruma Doll is, knows why the eye on it has been dotted. You see, in Japanese lore, each Daruma doll has the spirit of a Kami inside it. By dotting one eye, I have asked to make a request. If, over the next year I struggle and endeavour to make that wish come true, the Daruma Doll will grant that request. Well, I publicly announced what that request is at one of the panels entitled “Moments of Joy” (this was the Laksa Media launch of Seasons Between Us wherein my story, Clear Waters appears).
So my request? To finish drafting and revising my third novel (at the very least – there might be more – including a novel with certain Jiangshi in them) by the time the next WWC rolls around. A tall order I know, but if I get it completed, I will complete the Daruma Doll’s ritual and dot the other eye thereby granting the Kami of the Daruma Doll full sight. I can then set the Kami free (how you ask? Well that is a story for another time).
Hello World! I’m back after a long hiatus. Things on this site are about to change radically. More soon.
As the novel coronavirus spreads across the world, I was reminded about the city at the centre of this pandemic crisis: Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
I saw a video on YouTube of people all across Wuhan shouting out their windows “Wuhan Jiayou!”. Literally translated, it meant “Wuhan, add fuel.” When I saw that, I didn’t know what it meant to “add fuel?” So I looked it up.
According to Wikipedia (I know, I know. I take this with a grain of salt), the term “add fuel” originated during the Macau Grand Prix in the 1960’s. Spectators would shout “Ga Yau” (Cantonese for “add fuel”) at their favourite car. The phrase implied that the driver should step harder on the gas pedal and accelerate. It was also a metaphor for injecting fuel into a tank. Over time, the phrase morphed in meaning to “don’t give up!”, “do your best!”, or “persist!”. It is now meant as a form of encouragement and often heard at sporting events.
So Wuhan Jiayou! roughly means “Stay strong, Wuhan.” Don’t give up. Without being able to leave their homes and gather, the people of Wuhan have found a way to support each other despite adversity and to show the world the true spirit of their city.
What does this have to do with writing, you ask? The literal translation of Wuhan Jiayou is a colourful metaphor only those who know the culture and language would immediately understand. Plus, it gives me a perspective on the culture I would not get from the rough translation which, although uplifting and heartwarming, does not give me an intimate understanding that the former does.
And although my Chinese and Japanese ancestry gives me some perspective on the culture seen from afar, the lack of language means I miss out on these colourful nuances to the point that when it is pointed out to me, I feel sheepish, as if I should have known better.
And when I am writing stories with characters from those cultures, their voice will get lost within my own, very western voice. The colourful phrases and idioms that are so common to that language would become non-existent. It means I have to be careful.
As Lian Hearn says in her excellent essay Writing About Other Cultures, “all languages construct and describe the world in a slightly different way: you need to know the idioms and every day speech of your characters, what common symbols mean to them, what their belief system is, and use words that are appropriate.” And when you do write in their voice, “better to try to give the flavour of (the language) through the subtle use of sentence construction and idioms.
My own experience is so different from those who live and breathe in Asia. My cultural understanding is filtered through a Canadian lens and what I understand as Asian custom and culture, is in fact, just family quirks passed down as such. “You should never have an empty rice bowl when eating.” Said one aunt. I can’t find anyone who says this is a Chinese custom. “Spring roll parties are a thing,” said no one outside of my wife’s family. Where do they get these ideas? Is that real Asian culture or just something passed down the family tree? I don’t know and any research I do I come up blank.
So for those in Wuhan, I say “Jiayou.” Stay strong. The world is with you and watching as the novel coronavirus wends its way around the globe. In the meantime, I’ll continue to write my stories and continue to watch and learn the idioms of languages of a people who may look like me, but speak very differently.
The Japanese Emperor Akihito is abdicating the throne at the end of this month and the Heisei era will come to an end and a new era, the Reiwa era, will begin under the new Emperor, the Crown Prince Naruhito. Translated, the kanji for Reiwa can be read to mean ‘beautiful harmony’ (according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry) which in my mind, is a great followup to the Heisei era (translated as the ‘achieving peace’ era).
And ever since the announcement was made, the name of the era has sparked conversation about the choice of name.
For instance, it is the first era name to be taken from a Japanese poem, and not a Chinese work of literature. Just in case you were curious, its taken from a poem about plum blossoms that appear in Man’yoshu, the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry.
Second, although the translation sounds harmonious enough, the first character also means ‘order’ or ‘command.’ Sounds way more ominous and brings back memories of Japan in its more militaristic and authoritarian time (which is probably why the Japanese Foreign Ministry released the official translation above).
And finally, there’s Reiwa, the real estate company in Australia which not only shares its name with the new era, but has received a lot of undue attention and site visits. Might they receive an uptick in business as well?
It’s an interesting choice of name. But beyond that, how is this change of era going to affect my life and yours? Will there be earthquakes and tsunamis? Immense celebration? Maybe in Japan, but in the rest of the world, time will continue its inexorable march forward and only note the passing of the Heisei era with a shrug.
So why should anyone not living near Tokyo care about the passing of an era? It’s a naming convention that fewer and fewer people in Japan even use (aside from official documents, most people just use the Gregorian calendar now. Anyone who uses a Japanrail pass will know what I’m talking about).
Well, I can’t speak for you, but in the short term, it interested me. Maybe its because my ancestors hail from just outside Kyoto. Maybe its my curiosity as a writer that draws me into finding out more about Japan’s era naming conventions. Maybe I could use era names in my stories?
Whatever the case, it made me curious enough to go searching for details about how Japan names its eras. Here is a bit of what I found and how I might use this information as a writer.
This type of era naming convention is known as the Nengo (or Gengo) system. It is yet another foreign artifact brought into Japan from China after migrating its way from other south-east Asian countries. In pre-modern times, how the Japanese named their eras depended a lot on the whims of the Emperor at the time. Sometimes an Emperor would just declare a new era to give his reign a ‘fresh start.’ Sometimes, a new era would be named in the wake of a natural disaster like a tsunami. In modern times, a new era name is chosen only when a new Emperor rises to the throne: “one reign, one era name.” And the names are decided by the government, not by the Emperor.
And how would I use this knowledge as a writer? The answer is probably obvious: it is another setting detail that can give authenticity to your story or novel.
If you write historical fiction set in Japan, especially before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1873, it behooves you to find out what era your story is set. Even if you never mention it in the story, you should know (someone, somewhere is likely to ask).
But what if you don’t write historical fiction? What if you write high fantasy set in a Japanese-like setting? Or a future Japan (You can ask yourself if the population even uses it anymore and establish how many of their traditions they keep)? This is another way to give your world an air of authenticity. It’s also one more detail you can use to immerse your reader into your world. Just be aware of the many reasons Emperors in the past have used to name their eras.
And if you don’t write either of the above? Or even stories set in Asia? Well, I would be remiss in not telling you that the Nengo system of era naming is unique to Japan or even China. Other cultures in south-east Asia and the Middle East have utilized similar calendars in very similar manners. And we haven’t even touched upon the lunar calendar yet. Let your imagination run wild.
Now this is not the only piece of detail you need to give your story an air of authenticity, but it certainly is a detail you can use. It’s only the beginning. Time. It’s a small detail, but a good one to establish your world by.
So, yeah. The world won’t come to an end on May 1 when the Reiwa era begins, but in the worlds of my imagination, it is likely to set them on fire.
What do you think? Is this style of keeping time useful to you as a writer? Does it spark any ideas that you can use in future stories. Drop me a line and let me know. I’d really like to hear from you.
Personal Appearance Update
Normally, this would be in my monthly update Breathe In, Breathe Out, but this is coming up before then and I wanted to announce where I’m going to be during the month of April:
U of C Student Cafe – April 13 at 2:00 pm at Shelf Life Books. I will be reading from one of my short stories and celebrating the accomplishments of the students in the University of Calgary’s Continuing Education Creative Writing Certificate program. I would love to see you all there.
Calgary Comic Expo – April 25 – 28 at Calgary Stampede Park – I will be at the IFWA Table located in Artists Alley (in the Big Four Building). Come by and say hi. I will also be appearing on as a panelist in the Author’s Journey Panel which will take place on Saturday, April 27 at 3:45 p.m. in the Palomino Room. Join me and four other authors in discussing what the author’s journey is all about.
Happy New Year to you all. Welcome to the Year of the Pig (I know, I know. It was a few days ago. But I thought I should give you good wishes and fortune anyway).
And welcome to my Blog. The Blog will be published once a month on the 8th day of every month. If I get ambitious enough, I’ll try and do it twice a month, but for now, the blog will be once a month. With each entry, I plan on talking about culture – specifically Chinese and Japanese culture and folklore told from my perspective – that is of a Canadian author of Chinese and Japanese heritage. So join me on the 8th day of each and every month for more content.
So, on to the first one:
According to legend, once a year in the third month of spring, carp swim from the sea and gather at the foot of a falls. Many carp swim upstream against the river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave enough to make it to the pool. Even fewer are able to make the final leap over the waterfall. If a carp makes the jump, it is transformed into a powerful dragon, an auspicious symbol of great and benevolent, magical power. The symbol of the carp jumping over the Dragon’s Gate. “More generally, the expression is used to communicate that if a person works hard and diligently, success will one day be achieved.” [1]
For a visual representation of this tale, just look at my banner art created by the incomparable Stephanie Pui-Mun Law. I chose this piece because its a representation of who I am. Period.
First, the most obvious. I was born under the sign of Pisces and during the Year of the Dragon. But more importantly, as a writer and author, it’s the story of my life. Writing is a struggle for me. Time, especially time to write, is a scarcity, and the speed at which I write is slow. So anything I finish, is like magic for me. As I mature as a writer, it has become a bit easier, but not by much. But I eke out writing time where I can get it (as I write this, it is early in the morning while I’m on vacation while my family sleeps. Best time for me).
So when do I become a dragon? When will I say that I have leapt the dragon’s gate and become a being of auspicious power? I don’t know if I’ll ever get there. I’d like to say when I can support myself and my family with my writing, but with my circumstances, I’m not even close to this goal. I’ve published short stories and have been nominated for an Aurora Award, so I like to think I’m well on my way. Follow me and we’ll take that journey together.
And I think I’m capable and brave enough to eventually make that leap.
I have had the honour to be interviewed by Jayne Barnard, the author of the incredible Maddie Hatter young adult novels, as part of her series interviewing Prix-Aurora Award nominees. The interview can be found on her website, Clockworks and Crime. Jayne Barnard’s latest novel, Maddie Hatter and the Timely Taffeta, along with the other novels in the series, can be found where all great books are sold.
The Prix-Aurora Award voting ends in a week, folks. Saturday, September 8, 2018 is the deadline. Still time to vote for your favorite stories in a variety of categories, including Best Short Fiction where my own story, Rose’s Arm (published by Laksa Media in the anthology entitled Where the Stars Rise), is nominated under.
For all those who nominated my story for an Aurora Award, I want to say a humble and grateful thank-you. You have no idea what this nomination means to me as an author and creator, even if it doesn’t win.
So visit the Prix Aurora Award website (linked) and vote. If you haven’t already gotten your membership to the CSFFA, do it now. It only costs $10.00 and gets you the author package which includes a multitude of nominated stories and novels. Pretty great deal for $10.00.
I had the honour and privilege of being interviewed by Just Joshin podcaster Josh Pantellaresco in his Prix-Aurora Award nominated podcast. It is Episode 184 and it was part of his series of Aurora-nominated writers. You can hear it here on iTunes or on Podomatic.
I have had the honour to be interviewed by Jayne Barnard, the author of the incredible Maddie Hatter young adult novels, as part of her series interviewing Prix-Aurora Award nominees. The interview can be found on her website, 
The Prix-Aurora Award voting ends in a week, folks. Saturday, September 8, 2018 is the deadline. Still time to vote for your favorite stories in a variety of categories, including Best Short Fiction where my own story, Rose’s Arm (published by Laksa Media in the anthology entitled Where the Stars Rise), is nominated under.
So visit the 
I had the honour and privilege of being interviewed by Just Joshin podcaster Josh Pantellaresco in his Prix-Aurora Award nominated podcast. It is Episode 184 and it was part of his series of Aurora-nominated writers. You can hear it here on