By Cynthia Cheng

 

In the book Sushi for One? protagonist Lex Sakai finds herself the oldest single female in her traditional Japanese American family. Lex utilizes her Bible study class to reflect on the qualities of the perfect man and is frustrated when her expectations aren’t met. When Lex finally leaves her love life to God, the romance finally falls into place.

 

Sometimes when authors write, they aim for one particular genre. When writer Camy Tang wrote Sushi for One? her work covered all its bases by encompassing the Asian American experience, Christian living and the romance typical of chick lit. A bubbly and cheerful woman, Tang happily shares the basis for her writing.

 

“There are a lot of things I grew up with that I didn’t think twice about putting into my story- it was part of my Japanese American culture,” Tang says of incorporating her culture into her writing. “And so when I started writing books, I put in all these little things that might seem strange to people who didn’t grow up in it. People can learn a bit about the Asian American culture and see that even though we’re different, we’re not that different. Irish Americans and Italian Americans can relate to us.”

 

A former Santa Clara resident, Tang is also active in the youth group of the Santa Clara Valley Japanese Christian Church. Her Christian faith has also helped steer the course of her writing.

 

“Christian publishing is actually open to a lot of issues. I try not to be preachy. I just want to write about a character who is Christian and help others who aren’t Christian understand the Christian culture,” Tang says. On her web site, Tang writes, “His Spirit guides me and molds me in ways that are too weird and mysterious to describe, but very cool to experience.” 

 

“I have all these girls tell me that my auntie or my mom wants me to get married and they just won’t leave me alone! And that’s how this story came out. I like to write beach read,” Tang says. She keeps a light, upbeat tone in her writing, a style typical of chick lit.

 

Tang grew up in Wahiawa, Hawaii in Oahu where her family still resides.  At Stanford University, Tang majored in Psychology and completed coursework pre-med Biology and Chemistry classes. After deciding not to go to medical school, Tang worked as a biologist researcher for nine years. When she left her job, Tang decided to pursue fiction writing, a passion she had nurtured since junior high. A huge Jane Austen fan, Tang is keen on emulating the wittiness of Austen’s heroines in her own female protagonists.

 

Tang wrote five manuscripts before she sold her first story, Sushi for One- it is published under Christian publisher Zondervan, an affiliate of Harper Collins. She has published two novels to date, with her third novel coming out in August.

 

Visit www.camytang.com to learn more about Camy Tang and contests with free book giveaways.