Gung Hey Fat Choy, my beloved reading ‘ohana!
The Year of the Wood Dragon is off to an exciting start in every facet of my life. Since many of you know me from the books I write, I’ll begin with this monumental publishing news…
My New Hawai‘i Book Series Home:
I am thrilled beyond measure to join the Thomas & Mercer publishing family with my beloved new book, KULEANA, and my dream editor, Chantelle Aimée Osman, at the helm. Chantelle edited my first three Lily Wong books before moving to Amazon Publishing. I’m so happy we can reunite on this special new series, rich in my own Native Hawaiian culture and so dear to my heart.
Mahalo palena ‘ole (infinite gratitude) for my editor, Chantelle, my agents, Lesley Sabga and Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency, and everyone at Thomas & Mercer and Amazon Publishing who has helped my new book and series find such a wonderful home.
Grand Baby Blessings:
As if a dream publishing deal wasn’t enough, our lives have been blessed with our beautiful grandson, Nahele. Our Hapa-Hawaiian son and Hong Kong-born daughter-in-law chose the Hawaiian word for forest for him after naming their daughter Moana, which means ocean or open sea.
Here we are. Tears of joy flowing from Tūtū’s, eyes.
Since my granddaughter was born during the pandemic lockdown in Shanghai, I wasn’t permitted to care for her and her parents the way I had always planned. China wouldn’t let me in, and they weren’t able to leave. Moana was almost two years old before I was able to smell her hair and hold her in my arms.
I had seen so many photos of grandmothers holding their newborn mo‘opuna. But after waiting so long to hold Moana, holding Nahele this soon felt like a precious gift.
I felt doubly blessed to help his big sister cradle her baby brother for the first time.
Hello, Oregon:
As I wrote in my last post, my husband and I downsized our footprint, stored our belongings, and took off to Oregon to be with our eldest son and his growing ‘ohana.
This is me on the road from a quaint covered bridge in Myrtle Creek. Expect to see more of Oregon’s beauty in my future social media and posts.
It was such a relief to finally be on our way after two very challenging months. You can read about it in my Thoughts on Moving: New Years Lessons in Letting Go. But what a wonderful way to bring in a new year!
Family Celebrations:
Although I’m relatively new to Substack, I’ve shared monthly musings for over twenty years, which have included my customary Chinese New Year’s posts. They frequently came with recipes and/or cooking videos, and always with photos of my humble Lunar New Year feast for my husband and younger son. This year, we celebrated CNY/LNY with our elder son’s family.
I had a blast assisting Joeye prepare several Hong Kong style dishes as well as my own whole steamed perch. Shown here are her seaweed tofu soup. SO good. Shitake mushrooms with boiled lettuce and fat choy—black sea moss is called fat choy like the word for wealth in Gung Hey Fat Choy. Roast duck, soy chicken, and my steamed perch with ginger, scallions, cilantro, and sizzling oil. Not shown are her steamed shrimp and egg tofu and the red bean soup with rice dumplings for dessert. ❤🎋🧧🍡
We enjoyed a family dim sum banquet the week before. And I steamed a few shrimp especially for Ua the cat.
What I’ve Been Writing:
In truth, not very much. The move took a huge toll on me mentally, physically, and emotionally. I’ve needed time and rest to recover and acclimate to our new, albeit temporary, home. And of course, mothering and grandmothering my sweet family.
That said, I have been plotting and researching the second book in my new series. As soon as I’m able, I plan to fly home to Hawai‘i for a book research trip. I’ll share more of my writing process and challenges in my next quazi-monthly post.
Audiobooks I’ve Enjoyed:
Audiobooks were my savior as I sorted, packed, cleaned, moved, and drove up the coast. I’ve enjoyed all of these stories and performances and recommend them all.
FOURTH WING and IRON FLAME by Rebecca Yarros, narrated by Rebecca Soler with Teddy Hamilton. These audiobooks are worth all the hype. I only wish the third book had already been released so I didn’t have to let the characters go.
THE POPPY WAR by R.F. Kuang, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, first book in the Poppy War Trilogy. Books in the fantasy genre swept me away as I toiled. I’m especially fond of Asian fantasy, so Kuang’s book fit the bill. I have the next two downloaded and ready to go.
GOOD MORNING, MONSTER by Catherine Gildner, narrated by Deborah Burgess is a riveting nonfiction subtitled, A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery. Huge thanks to J.T. Ellison for the recommendation. Listen to or read a sample to see if it attracts you.
THE COMEBACK and THE TAKEDOWN by Lily Chu, narrated by Phillipa Soo. My audiobook escapism also took me to these delightful and very popular romantic comedies. Lots of fun.
Books I’ve Been Reading:
CITY ON FIRE by Don Winslow, The Danny Ryan Trilogy book three. I scored an advanced reading copy of the final book after being blown away by the previous audiobooks. Exceptional saga, characters, writing. A crime syndicate series for modern times.
LONE WOLF by Gregg Hurwitz, Orphan X book nine. If you haven’t yet read any of the Orphan X books, I recommend you remedy that today. This latest installment in Hurwitz’s action-packed thrillers is more intimate than the others, drawing in the reader with a supposedly small case that explodes into gratifying excitement.
STILL SEE YOU EVERYWHERE by Lisa Gardner, Frankie Elkin book three. Gardner’s latest protagonist is an unlikely and intriguing heroine. This latest adventure sticks Frankie on a remote private atoll off the Hawaiian Islands, one of the most fascinating book locations I’ve read.
Gratitude:
As the blessings roll in, I want to thank each and every one of you for caring about me and supporting my journey through writing, family, and life.
The Year of the Water Rabbit challenged me as I had not been challenged before, and although I had not shared anything publicly, the strain had taken a great toll. Everything climaxed at the end of the year in the midst of great uncertainty. And yet…
Like a rainbow after a storm, I feel reborn, refreshed, and renewed.
It means more than I can express to know we are connected in a humble yet meaningful way.
Mahalo for reading my posts, my stories, and my books. Mahalo for your messages, calls, and social media love. Mahalo to my family, friends, and special writing buddies who helped me through hard times.
A special person shared powerful affirmations from the late Louise Hay with me when I needed them the most. I would recite them throughout the day to embed positive thoughts and intentions. Much to my surprise, they were especially helpful when the phrases felt impossible to reach.
In the midst of a crisis, I would speak the affirmations and look around me for ways they could be true. The heightened awareness, helped reframe my mind, bolster my courage, and see things I was too stressed to notice.
So as I sign off, I’d like to share one of my favorite ones with you…
Life brings me only good experiences. I am open to new and wonderful changes.”
Happy New Year and blessings to you all!
Aloha,
Tori 🌺
I had to downsize from a 2-BR townhouse, and downsized yet again to a studio in a Senior residence. I, too, have a Dragon, my daughter. They're wonderful people. Congratulations on being a tutu again.
This is very heartwarming ❤️!! Families, writing, love and challenges!! Congratulations to you for being grandma, again!!
Hope you have great time celebrating LNY - love those pictures (especially the food), and may the Dragon bring you and your family health, love and prosperity ❤️! I'm a dragon 🐉!