Thursday, April 4, 2019

On Finding Inspiration by Vivien Chien

JENN McKINLAY: You know when one of your besties says, "You have to read this book - it's sooo good"?  You pay attention because you trust your friend to have similar taste in books and other important items like wine and handbags. Well, my pal Kate Carlisle was the one who told me that I simply had to read Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien because it was fabulous. Well, of course she was right -- she's always right -- and we've both been huge fans of this fabulous series ever since book one. And now here's Vivien to tell all about her latest release in the Noodle Shop Mystery series. Yay, Vivien!


Available NOW!

Vivien: Murder Lo Mein is the third book in my Noodle Shop series, and surprisingly, the question that I’m being asked most is What inspired the book? Now, that doesn’t seem like an odd question at all. Matter of fact, it’s a pretty straightforward, typical question. But, since becoming a published author, I don’t think anyone has asked me about the other two previous books and what inspired me to write those particular plots. So I really had to sit and think about it. Because what exactly did inspire me to write the stories that I chose?

In this third installment, Lana Lee and gang are partaking in an annual noodle competition for Cleveland’s Best Noodles, and of course, Ho-Lee Noodle House hopes to take home the trophy and prizes that come along with the title of number one. But is that why I wrote the story? And because it’s a murder mystery, standard protocol dictates…well, murder. So before they can get too far into the contest, one of the judges is eliminated in the “getting murdered” sort of way. Did I then write it simply for the sake of murder and mystery?  I realized that the answers to those questions are “no.” Then I thought…well why did I write books one and two? What exactly am I doing? Who am I? And why do I even have to think about that answer? As the author, shouldn’t I already know the answer to those questions? Again, who am I?
So, I hunkered down with a jumbo coffee and a copy of the book, sipping and staring. That’s when I realized that I was trying too hard to find some elaborate meaning that would make a literary aficionado nod with unwavering approval. I pushed that away and delved into the question of what inspires me to write in general. And the answer I came up with is: humanity. 

For me, writing has always largely been about the character. Here we have this fictional person we can do anything with, so what do we do? And what will they do? Will they succeed, fail, end up in a padded room with a long-sleeved jacket and shiny buckles? We don’t know.

While each story of the Noodle Shop mysteries focuses on Lana Lee, they also involve a community of people who are either directly or indirectly impacted by what is taking place. I not only enjoy observing how Lana responds to what’s happening, but how the others will respond as well. How will they end up treating one another? What does it change? Will existing relationships be altered because of outer circumstances? Or will everyone just continue on as if nothing happened? This line of question is what inspires me to write any story.  The curiosity of human condition.
There is no greater question then “What now?” and each
answer to that question varies considerably depending on who you’re talking to, their preconceived notions/assumptions and what light is shining in their current lives. And I think one of the greatest joys of being a writer is being able to push those “buttons” without real life consequences and ask, “Hey, what does this do?
How about it, Reds and Readers, do you have who am I? moments? And how do you deal with it?

Vivien Chien first started writing simple stories about adventures with her classmates when she was in elementary school. As she grew up, her love of books and the written word increased, leading to the attempt of her first novel at age 16. After many struggled beginnings and several different genres, she found her passion in the mystery world.

When she's not writing, she can be found frolicking in the bookstore or searching for her next bowl of noodles. She has a soft spot for doughnuts, a healthy love for coffee, and an extreme need to participate in random acts of crafting.

She currently lives in Cleveland where she is hard at work on the third book in her Noodle Shop series and writes side-by-side with her toy fox terrier.

Visit her at www.vivienchien.com


41 comments:

  1. Congrats on book 3! I enjoyed the first one, but haven't quite made it to book 2 yet.

    As to questioning who I am, I do that at least once a month. :) I think that makes us human.

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  2. Congratulations, Vivien, on your newest book . . . like Jenn, I really enjoy your Noodle Shop stories.

    I suspect we all have a few Who Am I? moments in our lives; hopefully, the answers aren’t hard to find. For myself, dealing with it is simple: keep on keeping on until I figure it out . . . .

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    1. Thank you! And glad to hear that you enjoy it!!

      ha! keep on keeping on...I say that all the time as well. Be sure to check out my dedication in Wonton Terror when it comes out in August. :)

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    2. Oh, yay!!! Another Noodle Shop Mystery! You just made my day, Vivien!

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  3. Wow, Mark beat Joan in commenting...LOL.

    I'm not sure if I have those "Who am I?" moments.

    I've always just been myself and that's been quite good enough. I don't feel the need to pretend to be some other version of me. Or to question it all that much either.

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    1. I think it's great to always feel comfortable in your own skin! But, I don't necessarily agree with the notion that inner reflection means that you deem yourself unworthy or that you're pretending. I think it's just a way to get in touch with your inner truths and pay a little gratitude and attention them. :)

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    2. My inner voice is a yeller, so I most definitely pay attention when it questions who I am, what am I doing with my life, and did I just eat that. (sigh)

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    3. Vivien, perhaps I've misunderstood the question then.

      Jenn, I guess that I would only ask "Did I just eat that?" if it made me sick.

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  4. I love this, Vivian. Pressing the What If button without real-world consequence. I haven't read your series yet but now I must!

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  5. This series sounds like so much fun! But can we talk for a moment about the noodles. I'm a huge fan -- noodles, dumplings, YUM. Vivian, do you make your own?? Curious minds...

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    1. I can answer that Hallie--Vivian doesn't cook:). She was a delightful participant on my Bouchercon panel last fall. (It was a culinary mystery panel, and she wasn't the only one who doesn't cook...)

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    2. Ha! Lucy is absolutely right! Well, almost. I do cook, but I don't cook Chinese food. I can make you a killer lasagna, but don't ask me to make you kung pao chicken! ;)

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  6. Welcome Vivian! this is such a good question to remind us about. I'm always thinking about readers too--what might they want to learn about, and how can I best entertain them?

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    1. Lucy dear, we always find you and your writing entertaining. Keep up the good work!

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    2. I agree with Lyda, I love your writing and I am always thoroughly entertained when I read your books!

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  7. Congratulations on your new release! I agree with you about character and complications.
    Waving hello from Cincinnati.

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    1. Thank you, Margaret! Waving hello back from Cleveland!

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  8. Love the idea of a Noodle shop! As to the "Who Am I?" moment...I'll be more concerned if I stop having them. For me, a lack of those moments of evaluation signify I'm living in a rut which, at my age, is terrifyingly similar to a grave.

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    1. I love your outlook on that! Such a great insight! :)

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  9. Vivien! So wonderful to see you here! And I am trying to remember where we met… at Bouchercon?or Malice? Where was that? And let me say, I have never had a noodle. How about that! Dumplings yes, and is there a dumpling soup? That I am very fond of!
    A who am I? Moment. Every day. Every every every day. And I think that’s a good thing.

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    1. Hi Hank! Yes, we met briefly at Malice last year. I was a little shy so I mostly hid behind the person introducing us at the time. LoL. First Malice and I'm meeting Hank Philippi Ryan?! I could barely stand myself.
      I can't believe you've never a noodle! We may have to correct this. Yes, there are dumpling soups AND a dumpling that IS soup. You can suck the soup out of the dumpling with a straw. :)

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  10. Congratulations, Vivian. Any time I can learn something new in a novel it makes me happy, and a noodle shop is beyond my ken of personal experience.

    On a personal note, I LOVE your hair. The cut and the color, both. Sassy.

    NOTE: Could someone fix the typo in the first paragraph of the blog? The title of Vivian's book is Death by Dumpling, not Deathy.

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    1. I wondered about that! Also love your hair, Vivien - I put turquoise in my silver hair regularly.

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    2. Oh Karen, you beat me to the punch. I absolutely LOVE Viven's hair, too! And in addition to just plain liking it, I think it makes hers one of the most engaging author photos I've ever encountered.

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    3. Thank you, thank you!...on all counts! :)

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  11. All...the...time. I think that's what makes us grow as people.

    Congrats on book 3!

    (side note - what happened to my profile picture Google?)

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  12. Congratulations on your series, Vivien! I'm happy to meet you here on Jungle Red! The point you raise here is interesting. As a character asks herself, Who Am I?...in conjunction with some challenge coming into her life...she goes on a little journey and the reader goes along with her, very curious to see what she will learn because the reader asks herself the same question about herself.

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    1. Thank you so much, Keziah! I love your take away from this! :)

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  13. Vivien, just the cover of MURDER LO MEIN is making me hungry.

    Your thoughts about why you write remind me of what I tell my writing students. The old saw is "Write what you know," but if we all did that, we'd have very foreshortened books. So you need to write what you know about human beings. Your fiction can travel through time and space that way, because you'll always be writing about humanity.

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    1. Yes! That is such an awesome way to put it. When I look back at books I've read that were written decades ago, the most important factor was always the humanity of it. It's what makes them relatable all these years later. Even though we change and develop so much as a society, some core principles will always stay the same.

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  14. As you know, Kate Carlisle and I love, love, love your series, Vivien. So fun and clever - I just adore your writing. So, do you have any other series you're working on? Any other plans for any other series? Do tell - unless you can't. Also, I love your author picture even though it gives me total hair envy.

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    1. Aww thank you, Jenn! I am big fans of both you and Kate, so it's such a compliment for me!! #fangirl
      I do have other series that I'm working on, but I haven't turned them over to my agent yet. One of them will be a P.I. mystery and the other series is a paranormal mystery that I have been working on for an eternity! One day I hope both of them see the light of day!

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  15. Jenn McKinlay/Kate Carlisle recommended your series and now I’m going to amazon and buying the first two and preordering the third. You can’t get much higher praise than those two as they are two of my favorite authors!

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    1. Aw, thank you so much!! I hope you enjoy them! Happy reading! :)

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  16. Wow! You have a great cheerleader squad! And I am amazed if you can get much writing done if there's a fox terrier in the house. Does the city of Cleveland and its diverse neighborhoods figure prominently in your plots or is it just a background?

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    1. Haha, it's not always easy with a fox terrier, I can tell you that. But she likes to sit next to me while I'm writing, so I pull up a chair with a blanket and we just hang out while I write or until she gets bored.
      Mostly Cleveland is just a backdrop in the stories. I'll take the characters to familiar or notable areas around the city.

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