Author Spotlight: Jennifer Chow and The 228 Legacy

I’m excited to feature Jennifer Chow  today.  She is a writer and fellow member of Wordsmithstudio.org, and this summer she published her first novel, The 228 Legacy. The novel explores the struggles of three generations of Asian-American women living in California.  

The narrative of The 228 Legacy has four points of view.  Silk, the oldest character and the one who lived through the 228 Massacre in Taiwan, interested me the most.  I wish the book had even more details about Taiwanese culture and history and how they shaped Silk’s view of life.

Jennifer is busy now that her book has been released, but she was kind enough to share some insights into her writing process.

Julia:  What inspired you to start writing?

Jennifer:  I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since I borrowed my dad’s typewriter as a child and started making up stories. The 228 Legacy, though, was inspired by speaking with and witnessing the emotion of my relatives as they relayed a part of their history which was kept secret for decades.

Julia:  Are any of the characters from The 228 Legacy based on people in your own life? If so, which ones?

Jennifer:  I think the characters are all culled from various sources. Silk’s tenacity to life and her ability to adapt is definitely an homage to the Taiwanese people I’ve met who survived 228, and to all immigrants who decide to move to a new country and start over. There’s also a piece of me in every one of the main characters: Silk’s desire to pass on her culture, Lisa’s struggle with finding a solid identity, Abbey’s problems fitting in at school, and Jack’s perception on aging.

Julia:  Where could readers go for more information on Taiwan and the 228 Massacre?

Jennifer:  The best possible solution would be to visit Taiwan. There are multiple monuments and museums dedicated to the history of the massacre. Thankfully, there now also exists online information sources about 228; there’s even a Wikipedia entry on it. For more detailed information, you can check out the major resources I used for my research here: http://jenniferjchow.com/books/

Julia:  What were important things that you learned on your journey to publication? How did you find your publisher?

Jennifer:  I learned to keep trying. Hand-in-hand with persevering is being part of a writers’community. It’s essential to have that support when you’re facing rejection (a normal thing) on your writing journey. It was great to have colleagues, in-person and online, to provide feedback and encouragement.

Personally, it took me a year to find a publisher. During that time I queried multiple literary agents, entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (where The 228 Legacy landed in the second rounds), and eventually got picked up by an independent press, Martin Sisters Publishing.

 Julia:  I love the design of your website and how it ties in to the theme of your book; how did you achieve such a beautiful look?

Jennifer:  I take no credit for that. The design was through the beautiful work of the talented Janet at Izzy Design. We talked back and forth about the themes in my book and my vision for the website. I also showed her the book cover’s artwork, so she was able to tie similar visual elements into the design.

Julia:  What are your future projects?

Jennifer:  I am currently revising a cozy mystery. It’s a light-hearted novel featuring an Asian-American protagonist. He’s called to investigate a potential crime at a local senior home.

Thanks Jennifer!  You can find out more about Jennifer and her work at jenniferjchow.com.

Have you heard of the 228 Massacre or Jennifer’s book?  What have you learned about history from your family? 

Thanks for stopping by!

Julia 

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