My new agent

I'm happy to report that I have a new agent: Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management.  She's a major mover and shaker in the industry: her clients include Markus Zusak, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Nathan Bransford, to name a few.  She has a stellar reputation, and I know my book is being represented by one of the best.

The path to her was fast and furious.  I sent out query letters to agents I thought would be a good fit; within three days, I received nine requests for the manuscript.  On the fourth day, an agent I really admire and respect offered representation - it meant the world to me.  Per industry etiquette, I asked for a week to consider her offer and to give the other agents (including Catherine) who had my manuscript time to respond.

Over the next six days, six more agents offered representation.  I spent a good deal of time on the phone, and quickly realized that each brought something different to the table.  They were all kind, insightful, and - not to sound hokey - wonderful people.  In many ways, this was going to be a difficult decision.

But Catherine made the decision easier.  I knew of her terrific sales record from Publishers Marketplace, her reputation in the industry, and her impressive client list.  I even spoke to two of her clients, Becca Fitzpatrick and Nathan Bransford: they were wonderful and helpful (I thanked Nathan for his blog - it'd given me invaluable tips in writing my query letter) and both were effusive in their praise for Catherine.

Although I wrestled with the decision and really hated to write the "rejection" emails, once I made the decision, I felt absolutely thrilled to have Catherine as my literary agent.  I couldn't be happier.

I had a chance to meet her today at the Inkwell Management office.  It's an impressive office, the shelves bulging with books represented by Inkwell: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Andre Agassi's Open, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, Hush, Hush, The Book Thief.  The Inkwell folks were engaging, interesting, and (this word kept popping into my head) formidable.  I feel so honored to have my book represented by that agency, and by Catherine in particular.

Catherine is a great agent who somehow already knows me well.  When I was leaving, she placed a gift in my hand she somehow knew would make me happy: an ARC of Nathan Bransford's Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Kapow! Fitting, I thought as I left, not only because Nathan indirectly (with the query letter tips) and directly (with the phone conversation) made this happen, but because that was the word that was beating in me afterwards as I walked the Manhattan streets:

Kapow!

No doubt about it, she's Asian

The cover for Malinda Lo's upcoming novel, Huntress, has just been revealed.  Her publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers did her, and her work, right.  This is no is-she-or-isn't-she-Asian? person on her cover.  This person is unapologetically, 100% bonafide Asian.  After all the recent controversy about POC and book covers, this is a refreshing change.

Booklist Top 10 First Novels

Crossing was selected by Booklist magazine as a Top 10 First Novel for 2010.  I'm truly honored; when I look at the list and see, among others, Amy Greene's Bloodroot and Heidi Durrow's The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, I can barely believe I'm in such esteemed company.  Check out the complete Top 10 here.

Booklist also interviewed me for the October 15, 2010 issue.  It's here.

I'm also particularly happy for Paul Yoon who was selected as a 5 Under 35 Fiction.  His collection of short stories in Once the Shore was one of my favorite reads this year.

Weirdest Craigslist listing

Ever since I put my name on Google Alert, I've been getting some pretty strange alerts.  I don't think anything tops this one though, recently on Craigslist.  Apparently, two people had a James-Blunt-You're-Beautiful moment on the subway...around Crossing. Weirdness.  Here's the Craigslist post in full:

On the Brooklyn-Bound N Train (Monday or Tuesday), you were reading "Crossing" by Andrew Xia Fukuda. You stood by the train doors during the first part of your ride. The seat I was in faced you. We were gently admiring each other. When a seat opened up next to me, you sat there. This pleased me. I was curious about the book you were reading. It seemed you held the book up so that I could read the back of it. Then you opened the book wide enough for me to see and you moved a little closer. I read with you during the remainder of my ride. Thank you. I would like to see you again.

You: Asian. (I cannot guess where you are from. You are beautiful, nonetheless.)
Me: Brown-skinned female with curly hair. (I, regrettably, got off at Canal Street.)

photo recap of the Hong Kong Book Fair

It was a flurry of activity over the few days I was there, filled with books, food, books, food, books...  it was the best of times.  Here's a brief photo recap:

Day/Night view from my hotel room:

Interview with NHK World:

Interview with the South China Morning Post and the Monocle Magazine:

I was featured in Time Out Hong Kong magazine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The venue for my presentation at the Book Fair was classy.

Before the presentation, the moderator (Peter Gordon) and I discussed a game plan; in the VIP room collecting my thoughts.

Book signing afterward.

Two souvenirs from the presentation:

The Book Fair was like nothing I'd been to before: one week, thousands of books, 920,000 visitors:

I squeezed in a radio interview on the Morning Brew at RTHK (listen here):

 

 

 

 

And last, but certainly not least, the food in Hong Kong!  Oh, how I miss the incredible food:

a timeout in hong kong

In Hong Kong.  Jet-lagged.  But had a great time late last night:  checked in to hotel, quick video interview with NHK, strolled around Tsim Sha Tsui, and ate a fab bowl of soup noodles.  Then grabbed a copy of TimeOut Hong Kong magazine from a street vendor and found the piece they did on me  (forgive the poor quality of the photo, a blackberry was all we had).  I was so ecstatic about seeing my mug in the mag that I pointed it out to the vendor.  He didn't get it, not even after I kept pointing at myself.  But he did give me his toothless smile, strangely charming.

Hong Kong Book Fair

Some weeks ago, I was invited to the Hong Kong Book Fair as one of their international authors.  I jumped at the opportunity: nearly a million visitors attend this mega-event, I'd have a chance to rub shoulders with fellow-invitees Frederick Forsyth, Stephen Fry and Andrew Roberts, and it's in Hong Kong, my beloved city I grew up in.

The Hong Kong Book Fair organizers recently interviewed me regarding my upcoming visit.  Here it is.