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GUEST PROFILE An Interview with Jana McBurney-Lin
Jana McBurney-Lin, mom of four school-aged children, spent 12 years writing her debut novel, My Half of the Sky. Set in China, it’s the story of a young woman named Li Hui who’s trying to navigate the modern world while still remaining a dutiful and respectful daughter. Jana lived in Asia for 15 years, where she met her husband, Hui Hui, a native of southern China. After freelance writing and editing in Japan and Singapore, Jana and her family returned to the United States and settled in California. Her book was chosen as the August 2006 American Bookseller’s Association Book Sense Pick of the Month. It was also a Forbes Book Club Pick, a “notable” title in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and remains a favorite of book club members across the country. The book will be out in paperback in July; autographed copies of both hardback and paperback are available through Jana’s blog, www.myhalfofthesky.blogspot.com. In her free time, Jana likes to read, take pictures, swim and travel (though she claims not to get much further than Safeway these days).
MWLM: The title of your novel came from a Chinese saying, didn’t it? Tell us about that. JM-L: The late leader of China, Chairman Mao ZeDong said that, "Women hold up half the sky." My Half of the Sky is the story of a young woman who is trying to do that –trying to be a modern woman and hold up half the sky – but the traditions of her village keep pulling her back. MWLM: My Half of the Sky is more than 500 pages, which seems like a daunting length for a first novel. Did you start your foray into fiction writing with short stories first? What was your process? How many pages did you throw away by the time you were done? JM-L: I never planned on being a writer. I went off after college – where I majored in Rhetoric with a minor in Japanese – to Japan to study business. Japan was becoming number one in the world at the time, and I figured if I knew Japanese better, I'd be a shoo-in for any job. Once there, however, I discovered I was just fascinated with the culture. Not only that, I wanted everyone to be fascinated by it. So I started writing articles for newspapers and magazines about cherry blossom viewing and initiation rites to school clubs and sumo wrestling and the Tsukiji fish market. I continued freelancing when we moved to Singapore, then focusing on The Merlion (a statue that’s half lion and half fish), and places to eat and shop. But one year, when my husband and I were back in his village visiting, I spotted a poster painted on someone's house – a huge ad depicting a couple with an infant. Underneath the smiling couple were the words, "A girl baby is as precious as a boy baby." I turned to my husband and said, "That is so cool that the government is behind the valuing of little girls." He just shook his head and said, "The government can say what they wish, but a house with no male is a real problem." I thought, Aha, now there's a story. A story that goes beyond a short article. That's when I started working on My Half of the Sky. And while the story takes place in China/Singapore, I think the struggle of the heroine is valid anywhere in the world: how do we reconcile past traditions with the modern momentum of this world? As to the size, my "final" draft was only 300 pages (and I thought that was too big). My editor was the one who kept saying, "Give me more. Tell me more." And that's how it grew. That is not to say that I never threw pages away. I threw away tons of pages. But I never counted. That would be too depressing. MWLM: Your novel is told from the point of view of a young, single Chinese woman in her early 20s. How hard was it to capture your heroine’s voice and her view of the world, seeing as you’re a married American mom of four originally hailing from Illinois? JM-L: Although I grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, I spent 15 years in Asia, and I met many women like Li Hui. Additionally, as my husband is from Southern China, we visited, and continue to visit, Li Hui's village. So I could hear her very well. MWLM: You wrote the book over a period of 12 years. It is remarkable to me that you were able to write it at all with four kids to birth, feed, transport, cheer on in their activities and practice math facts with. What’s your secret to persevering? Were there times you wanted to give up? JM-L: Yes, definitely, there were times when I thought, "Oh, come on. This is taking forever. Get a life, Jana." The worst part was family gatherings when people would say, "So what are you up to?" and their eyes would glaze when I talked yet again of my writing project, as if to say, "You're still doing that?" Several times I stopped working on the story. What happened was fascinating. I got frustrated with my children and husband. I turned into an evil grump. I hated the "life" I'd chosen. On top of all that, I kept hearing my character talking to me, giving me ideas for the next chapter and event. (No, they haven't carted me away in a white jacket...yet.) MWLM: Are you able to write with the family around or do you need to wait until everyone’s in bed to be creative? How do you squeeze writing into your day? JM-L: When I first started writing this story, I had toddlers at home. But I was so inspired that I'd wake up at 4 a.m. and write until the babies got up. These days, life is relatively simple. All four of my children go to school until at least 2:30. So I have a nice chunk of time for writing. MWLM: Over the years, you’ve been really involved in writers’ groups, attending monthly meetings, speaking and critiquing at writers’ conferences. How important do you think that connection with other writers has been in your development as a writer? MWLM: Your writing background is in journalism. That seems to me a completely different kind of writing than creating a whole village full of made-up characters and putting them in made-up situations and seeing what they’ll do. Do you find the two kinds of writing to be vastly different (almost a right-brain vs. left-brain thing)? How has that journalism background informed your fiction writing? JM-L: You're right about the writing. They are very different. It took me 12 years to make the crossover. However, the journalism was helpful in that I knew how to get facts and dig for information. MWLM: Writing is such a quiet, introspective endeavor. But in promoting My Half of the Sky, you’ve given many talks and readings at libraries, bookstores, and other author events. Is that public part of being an author comfortable for you? JM-L: I have fun with the quiet writing part and fun with the public part. I love talking to people about My Half of the Sky and hearing their insights and reactions. The book often jumpstarts some very deep conversations. My biggest "problem" is that MWLM: Aspiring authors often have this vision that if only they could get their book published, what a perfect world it would be! What has been the biggest surprise to you about the reality of having a book published? JM-L: For 12 years, I sat in front of the computer, hoping my white computer pages would be read by more than sympathetic family and friends. I wanted it in the hands of everyone. I assumed that once I was done and had passed my manuscript to the publisher, that dream would come true. What I realized upon publication is that yes, I was done –with Step One of writing. That just because a book is published doesn't mean it will suddenly land on everyone's bedside table. That getting people interested in the book is not just the publisher's job. That, unlike most projects, this author stuff is never "done." MWLM: Anything else you’d like to say to other mom writers? JM-L: The house will remain standing. There are always some clean dishes somewhere. It doesn't hurt to wear a T-shirt two or three or four times in a row. Follow your passion, the nagging voices inside. Writing is an important part of who you are – to neglect that is to ignore your gift, to ignore your life. To understand the importance of your writing will make you a happier person, a healthier person, a better mom. Lynn Bowen Walker writes from California, where she and her husband are parents of two sons. She has contributed to several humor books, has written essays for a number of magazines including American Baby and Today’s Christian Woman, and is the author of Queen of the Castle: 52 Weeks of Encouragement for the Uninspired, Domestically Challenged or Just Plain Tired Homemaker (Thomas Nelson, 2006). Visit www.christianbook.com to read the first chapter of her book.
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I don't have time for everything. I can't focus on writing and be doing talks all over the place. So it's finding a workable balance that is the struggle (at least until I can get a clone)! 
