MR CHEN GOES TO GERMANY!
Exciting news! MR CHEN'S EMPORIUM will be published in a German translation in September, 2013 by the wonderful German publishing house, Ullstein Verlag (List Taschenbuch).
In Germany MR CHEN'S EMPORIUM becomes AMYS GEHEIMNIS or AMY'S SECRET. It will be available both as a print book and an ebook.
Here's the tageline:
Wenn die Sehnsucht nach mehr sich erfüllt ...
Or: When longing becomes reality ...
BIG BOOK CLUB - DECEMBER SELECTION
Humble MR CHEN is one of the three December Book Selections from the Big Book Club, along with Monica McInerney and Barbara Kingsolver's latest books!
As a first-time novelist, I'm pinching myself at this news.
December 1, 2012
A CUPPA WITH MARGARETA OSBORN
Recently best-selling rural fiction author, MARGARETA OSBORN invited me for a cuppa and a chat - not in the real world because we live hundreds of kilometres apart - but in the blogosphere. It was great to visit with Margareta, who is a delightful person. You can read our conversation by linking to Margareta's blog here and scrolling down the page.
Margareta is the author of the acclaimed BELLA'S RUN and the e-book novella, A BUSH CHRISTMAS. Her next book is the eagerly awaited HOPE'S ROAD. All are published by Bantam/Random House Australia.
Thank you, Margareta for inviting me to your place.
WHAT'S NEXT? . . .
WRITING 'THE JADE WIDOW'
Thank you to all those readers who've been asking whether there is going to be a sequel to 'Mr Chen's Emporium'. I'm currently working on a novel called 'The Jade Widow' which is a stand-alone book, but features characters from the historical thread of 'Mr Chen's Emporium', plus a few interesting newcomers.
The title is inspired by a small Chinese jade figurine (in the photo below) which was given to me long ago by my mother-in-law. I've always treasured it. The drawing on the right is based on the figurine, but I've added Victorian-era elements.
'The Jade Widow' is turning out to be a very enjoyable book to write, largely because of the historical period in which it is set.
Wherever possible, I'm using primary sources as inspiration: eye witness accounts in old newspapers (courtesy of Trove, the National Library of Australia's invaluable website where you can literally spend days immersed in the old articles and classified ads) and contemporary diary entries. As an artist who happens to be a writer (or a writer who happens to be an artist!) I'm particularly taken with visual items such as posters, paintings, lithographs, old photographs and museum artefacts.
Publication date is September 2013. More details about 'The Jade Widow' soon.
Click here for my story about The Colour Lilac.
Deborah O'Brien
19 November, 2012
'READ OF THE WEEK'
Nice to see MR CHEN'S EMPORIUM as Sydney radio station, Smooth FM's 'Read of the Week' - October 10, 2012.