Today we are celebrating the back-to-school season with Maria Wen Adcock, the author of IT’S CHINESE NEW YEAR, CURIOUS GEORGE! and MY NAME IS AI LIN.
It’s hard to believe that the back-to-school season is upon us; it seems like just yesterday that summer began! Today, we will be discussing the perfect back-to-school book.
Welcome Maria, and thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your writing journey. I’m fortunate to know you from a critique group, so I know what an incredibly talented writer you are. MY NAME IS AI LIN is one of my favorite books, and as a retired ESL teacher, I believe this book belongs in every classroom.
Me: Do you have any special plans for the rest of the summer? Do you have a favorite season? Is it Summer?
Maria: My favorite season is the summer. I enjoy warmer weather, and the kids are out of school, so it’s a slower pace than during the school year. Every year, my family spends a few days on the east end of Long Island in Montauk. We also fly to Michigan to visit my side of the family for an extended time. We’ll be doing the same this summer, and I’m looking forward to it!
Me: How long have you been writing?
Maria: I have had an interest in writing since I was a kid. However, I didn’t know how to pursue this as a grown-up and ended up working in marketing for many years. Eventually, I did a career change about 15 years ago and started freelance writing. This led to me founding a bicultural parenting blog, and that’s why I started to revisit my childhood dream of writing a book.
Me: What or who inspired you to write this book?
Maria: My Chinese culture and my children inspired me to write MY NAME IS AI LIN. The book is based on the true-life Chinese names of my children and their meanings. In many cultures, coming up with the name of your child has ties to traditions. I wanted to honor this aspect of Chinese culture in my book.
Me: Tell me a little bit about this book’s journey to publication, were there any bumps and bruises along the way, obstacles you had to overcome, aha-moments? You can share the good, bad, ugly lol, or not.
Maria: When my agent submitted my manuscripts to editors, there was early interest. One publisher asked me to revise and resubmit. I did, and then they asked for another revise and resubmit. In the meantime, another publisher loved the book just the way it was and extended an offer. I accepted, and it was a sound choice. I was very happy that Sleeping Bear Press acquired the book. About a month before my book launch, I found out my PR contact at the publisher had left the company due to a family emergency. The editor stepped in to help with the book’s PR in its final weeks. She did a great job on short notice.
Me: What is one piece of advice you can give to writers who are just starting out, or who are still in the query trenches?
Maria: I recommend joining your local chapter of SCBWI (Society of Book Writers and Illustrators), which offers workshops to help writers learn about the industry and fine-tune their writing skills. It will also be important to join a critique group to receive feedback on your manuscript. Sometimes we’re too close to our stories to notice if something isn’t working quite right. That’s where your critique group members come in. Even published authors continue to be in critique groups because they’re that essential.
Me: What are your plans for the future? Writing or otherwise, traveling, hobbies, etc.
Maria: I recently found out that one of my manuscripts, which was in the acquisitions stage at the publishing house, was acquired! I’m not allowed to provide more details yet, but I’m very excited that I will have a 3rd children’s book coming out in the future. In the meantime, I’m continuing to write, and my agent is currently subbing out several of my manuscripts. I’m hopeful for the future!
Me: I’d love for you to share a recipe with me; I have a collection of recipes from friends and family that goes back many years. I would love to include yours, as well as share it with my readers.
Maria: Here’s one of my favorite recipes – it’s so easy to make and tastes delicious!
Thanks so much for your time; it’s always fun getting to chat with writing friends, and congratulations on your upcoming book! I can’t wait to find out more about it.
You can connect with Maria here:
Pat Brown Books 