Welcome back, Alice . Why do you write
the kind of books you do?
It is important for me to write books that entertain my
readers. I hope my characters are realistic as they go through struggles and
hardships, love, forgiveness, and hope. I suppose I write the books I do
because I like to read books like I write, if that makes sense.
It makes perfect
sense to me. That’s why I started writing novels. Besides when you came to know
the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
I’ve had many happy days and really can’t name just one. I
think I’m happiest when I’m writing!
How has being
published changed your life?
Well, I get to sign books and answer questions in author
interviews—like this one!
What are you reading
right now?
I’m reading The Art of
Mending by one of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Berg.
What is your current
work in progress?
I’m working on a memoir. Tough stuff as I strive to be
authentic.
What would be your
dream vacation?
My first five novels all take place in North Carolina . Under the Silk Hibiscus
is the first novel I have written not set in my home state. I chose Wyoming for this one
because that is where an internment camp during WWII was located.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
I’d admire Denzel Washington for his acting talent and would
love to be on a movie set with him.
What are your
hobbies, besides writing and reading?
I love to bake bread! Most of my recipes that I have created
have turned out well, but I have had some disasters.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
I think it would have to be getting stuck on one word and
overusing it. I don’t realize that I do this until the novel is completed and
then I do a “search and find” and am appalled at my redundancy of certain words.
I have to get rid of words and replace them. A Thesaurus comes in handy.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author?
The usual motivational speech all writers give to beginners—never
give up! Keep striving. Practice your craft. There is always room for
improvement.
Tell us about the
featured book.
Under the Silk Hibiscus
takes place in an internment camp in Wyoming where
many Japanese-Americans were sent after the bombing of Pearl
Harbor . There's upheaval, frustration, pain, and sorrow. Families are
separated. Some members are accused of being spies, like Nathan Mori's father.
To balance the discrimination that evolved during this time
period, I had to rely on humor and
romance.
One of the most fun relationships I enjoyed crafting was
between the main character, Nathan, and his aunt Kazuko. Even though she's
single and has no children of her own, Aunt Kazuko knows how to keep Nathan and
his brothers in line. But even she knows a body can't live on hard work alone. Cookies
are her friends! She keeps morsels in her sweater sleeves, taking them out when
she needs “a pep.”
And of course, there's young romance. Nathan dreams of the
lovely singer, Lucy, and wants her to notice him, but she seems more interested
in his older brother, Ken.
There are two characters which are not people—one is Heart Mountain ,
the mountain viewed every day from those in the barracks at the camp. Then
there is the Mori family's coveted gold watch, a family heirloom from Japan .
So the questions form: Will Nathan get the girl? What
happens to the family heirloom during the war and after the war ends? Does
Nathan's father return? How does war and discrimination change hearts? How does
God's love prevail?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
As an afternoon wind blew over the camp’s sagebrush terrain,
I wiped dust from my face with a handkerchief that once belonged to Papa.
Frustration, like the surrounding barbed wire fences, taunted me. At breakfast,
something vile overcame me; I’d demanded to know if anyone knew about Papa’s
whereabouts. I targeted my aunt because she was the easiest to bully. As I continued
insisting that she tell me what she knew, the families at the nearby tables
lifted their faces from bowls of dry rice. Shut up, I could read from the older
men’s and women’s expressions. We’re at war; this is no time for you to become
hostile. Besides, you are only a child.
Since there had been no communication from Papa after that
fateful day in February when two FBI agents entered our home in San Jose , I was certain
he was dead. They had taken him away in handcuffs. “Spy,” the tall one with a
crew cut had called him. “We know you are working with Japan ’s
military.”
As the memory of that day burned in my mind, I trudged
toward the camp’s latrines, bucket in hand. Yesterday afternoon Lucy had smiled
at me; I’d nearly danced across the hard dirt road. Today, I felt almost as despairing
as the day Mama, my aunt, my brothers, and I were told we had forty-eight hours
to pack up for relocation.
“Relocation,” Mama had cried, the word obviously foreign to
her. “We don’t need to go anywhere. We are happy here.” But happiness had not
been the point. Fear seemed to be. Was it
the picture of Emperor Hirohito on our living room wall that
made Caucasian men tremble? Did they think that Mama was sitting under her
knitted grey shawl at the kitchen table, sending messages across the Pacific to
the enemy?
My thoughts sprang, one bouncing off another. An army truck
sped past toward the mess hall, creating a blanket of dust around the row of bleak
barracks. The roar of its engine brought me back to reality, and I increased my
pace. If I weren’t careful, I’d wind up like my ten-year-old brother, Tom, who
seemed to live in his own world of poetry books and fantasies.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Alice-J.-Wisler/e/B001J6GVNE/
Website: http://www.alicewisler.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alice-J-Wisler/333751835453
Thank you, Alice, for sharing this book with us. Many Americans aren't aware that these things happened.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Under the Silk Hibiscus
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
26 comments:
This sounds like such an interesting book to read!!!!! Thank you for the interview.
I am a transplanted Michigander in Lubbock, Texas.
I am intrigued by this one, Lena. Thank you for your great interview!
Melanie Backus, TX
Hello Lena, I enjoyed the interview with Alice. I'm looking forward to reading "Under the Silk Hibiscus". Thanks for the chance to win. :)
Caryl in TEXAS
Historical fiction. Although this one sounds all too true... Would love to win a copy :)
dee S from NE
Such a fascinating story line & period in history.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Love WW2 fiction based on fact.
Lisa Cowell in Ohio
thanks for the chance to read alice's latest novel :)
karenk....from PA
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
I have been seeing this book posted about on several blogs. It certainly is a unique and intriguing subject. Thank you, Lena for offering it in a contest! And yes, I would love to win!
Marianne
Arizona
I'm entering to try and get this book for my sister who LOVES anything WWII. I know shed enjoy this.
J.C. -Indiana-
I'm interested to learn more about the interment camps, so I think I'd love your book!
-Melissa M. from TN
This novel intrigues me as I love history that is not widely known. I enjoy Alice's novels. I am from WA state. I would love to win this book!
We visited Manzanar in CA this past summer and it was a fabulous site. It is a National Historic Site and was very moving. I would love to win and read your book on the Japanese Internment! sm California
wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks so much for having me as your guest, Lena! Am enjoying all the reader comments!
Alice is one of my favorite authors, and I would love to win her new novel. Please enter me in the contest. I am from Georgia.
Enter me!!
Conway, SC.
Wow! Under the Silk Hibiscus sounds absolutely beautiful! Thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Kristen in OK
kam110476 at gmail dot com
I did a high school term paper on the Japanese internment program. (That was a long time ago.)
I've lived in four states, and am back in Wisconsin where I was born.
So much fun to see all the posts here!
I have always been fascinated by the interment of the Japanese in the U.S. during WWII, but it has not often been chosen as a novel setting. I would love to win a copy of UNDER THE SILK HIBISCUS. It sounds like my kind of book.
Hi, Alice!!
I don't know much about the camps mentioned in "Under the Silk Hibiscus" and would love to read your book!! Thanks for your informative interview - the interview along with the book excerpt have whet my appetite!!
bonnieroof60(at)yahoo(dot)com
Kentucky
Thanks for all he enthusiasm here!
I don't normally see a lot of Asian American characters in Christian fiction, so I'm definitely interested in "Under the Silk Hibiscus."
I don't know if my grandparents were interned or not ... It's not something we ever discussed, though I know they worked on a plantation in their early life.
Thanks for the chance to win!
jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu
(P.S. I'm from Hawaii). =)
Love reading about times like this that most people know so very little about.
Kathy from Wendell, NC
I love all of Alice's books! She makes her characters come to life and you get to see the sights and feel the culture of the place where the stories take place. My husband remembers visitng an internment camp with his father to teach the men working there about growing crops. His dad was a County Farm Agent in Hoke County.
Ann in NC
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