When you hear the term “fortune teller,” do you picture a mysterious gypsy woman seated in a tent draped with veils and staring into a misty crystal ball? Well, imagine instead, an ordinary Canadian mom, a condo dining room and a deck of cards.

Before I began work on my latest novel (before I even knew what I was going to work on next), a friend persuaded me to let his mom “read my cards.” We visited her apartment, and I sat across the dining room table from her. She laid the cards out on the table between us and explained the meaning of significant cards and their placement. According to the cards, I would either come into some money soon or go on a trip. Either prediction seemed good to me.

To help my fortune come true, my friend invited me to visit him in Japan, where he’s lived for about eighteen years. I knew that if I went to Japan, I’d want to write something about it. I just wasn’t sure what. When I imagined Japan, I pictured kimono dressed women, samurai warriors, ancient temples and lots of history. I also pictured the bombing of Hiroshima, paper cranes, modern sky scrapers, bullet trains, manga and anime. How could I choose one thing to write about, and how could I gain enough knowledge in a short two-week trip to justify writing about it?

Simple answer: make the character someone who goes on a similar trip, and have her experience the things that I experience in Japan. I wanted to make her a different kind of person than I am, though. She’s more abrasive and in-your-face, and she doesn’t care what other people think about her (or at least, she tells herself that she doesn’t). In fact, she starts off her trip by getting off on the wrong foot with everyone around her. One thing I like about her, though, is she’s not afraid to try things that are unfamiliar — whether it’s a Japanese toilet, an unidentifiable food, or some newly learned Japanese words.

Here I am looking very large next to some Japanese friends who helped to show me around the historic town of Seki-cho, a place my character also visits (along with the other students who are on the exchange trip with her and who she tries to avoid).

This coming Saturday I’ll be launching the book, Manga Touch, sharing some Japanese candy and snacks, and talking about some of the experiences my character and I shared on our trip to Japan.

Posted under Guest Author Blog