Dorland Mountain Arts Colony

Last week, I packed my bags (filled mostly with provisions and books) and headed for a land I have not visited in a very long while … the Land of No Responsibility. I was accepted for a residency at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony in Temecula, California, where for one whole week, I would do nothing more than write. As it turned out, I wrote, read, wrote, researched, wrote, hiked, wrote, attempted to bake bread (failure!), wrote, stared at sunsets, wrote and basked in the luxury of giving over my entire mind to my new novel.

My cabin at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony

Dorland dates back to the 1930s and sits on a beautiful, sprawling nature preserve. Due to a massive wildfire in 2004, Dorland today consists of just two brand new cabins (with more in the works) – with one artist per cabin. I attended with a close friend who is a writer and musician. Our idea was that we would work during the days and discuss what we were working on over dinner each night. In fact, I was so absorbed in my writing that we met only three of the seven nights that we were there, hiked a couple times in order to clear our heads, but otherwise kept to ourselves. After all, how often in an adult’s life can she retreat in full from the world?

Every sunset view from my front porch was captivating

No internet. No TV. Just the necessities: electricity for my laptop, a well-designed mini-kitchen, expansive views over the valley, a large writing desk, more tables for writing wherever I felt like situating myself at any given time, and a wood stove, with wood provided by the caretakers (also artists-in-residence), Robert and Janice. The couple greeted us upon arrival, to let us know they were there if we needed them, but otherwise, our privacy would be respected and our solitude ensured. True to their word, they revealed themselves only once … halfway through the week Robert came down to check on my stock of firewood and at the same time deliver a slice of homemade apple pie—tart and flavorful and perfect.

Rain & writing midway through the week

The first morning of the residency, I felt a bit disoriented. I did not have to check my emails. I did not have to check a clock to figure out how much time I had to write before I needed to start work or take care of countless other daily commitments. As I got started, I could feel myself writing as if with a harness on. I eased in on my beloved Smith-Corona Coronet, because the sound of the keys always gives me a boost. Then I transitioned to my computer, and as the chapter I was working on began to head in a new, exciting direction, I could feel the restraints falling away. I could also feel myself being watched.

Room with a view ... of my daily muse!

I looked up, and there outside my window, just a few feet from my desk, was a deer, checking up on me before leaning down to nuzzle a patch of grass. Two more joined in the feast, and in a moment that can only be described as spiritual, a weight lifted off me. I love my life, but it’s a busy life, and throughout my week at Dorland I learned how to untangle myself from the restrictions on my writing that I’d become too accustomed to and slip into a rhythm in which I could write at any time, at any hour, for as long or as short a stretch as I wanted. And when I was not writing, I learned that I did not have to give my mind over to anything else.

Another day, another gorgeous sunset

Upon arrival at Dorland, I felt a kind of euphoria. The morning I had to leave, I sat down in my rocking chair in front of my beautiful view and sobbed. Not because I was sad to go, but because writing with such freedom for a whole week had been cathartic. I hadn’t realized how much I’d needed it. Allowing myself that kind of unfettered liberty had been a way of believing in myself as a “real writer.” Funny how someone who has had a novel published by a major publisher doesn’t come to that belief naturally. I realized that attending a colony such as this one was about more than setting aside time to work.  It was about creating a balance of external and internal space. It was about giving myself permission to take myself seriously. It was about returning to the reason I started writing in the first place: it gives me so much pleasure.

 Dorland, thank you. I hope to return soon.

Declaration of Independents

The holidays are approaching, there's no better gift than a book, and there's no better place to buy a book than an independent bookstore. In tribute to the many wonderful indie bookshops I have worked at and frequented over the years, I offer the following ...

As my debut novel, The Map of Lost Memories, entered the production phase at Random House, I was assigned the task of helping to find writers to blurb it. Blurbs are those lovely, self-contained snippets on the backs of novels, in which known authors assure readers that a book is “evocative” or a “tour de force.” Desperately wanting my own novel to be declared “compelling” and “unputdownable,” I contacted everyone I knew who knew someone who had published a novel.

I also made some big leaps, writing to überfamous authors such as Michael Ondaatje and Ann Patchett. The latter was easy since I could send my request to her newly opened Parnassus Books in Nashville. Of course, I didn’t expect blurbs from such heavy hitters. But if you’re going to dream, dream big, kid! Right?

I also didn’t expect to open my mailbox one day and find a postcard depicting a vintage Penguin paperback cover of D.H. Lawrence’s The Lost Girl. On the back of it was something I hadn’t seen come out of my mailbox in years, other than briefly in thank you cards—handwriting! The postcard contained a thoughtful note declining to read my novel for a blurb and ending with, “I will look forward to selling your book when it comes out this summer. Good luck and all good wishes. Ann Patchett.”

Perhaps it seems that this rejection would have disappointed me. But I can only imagine how busy Ms. Patchett must be, writing exceptional novels, tending her bookshop and deflecting pleas from people like me. And to say that I was touched is an understatement. I was moved, not just emotionally, but in my thoughts back to another place and time: the five years that I worked as an independent bookseller at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle.

At this store (before the arrival of the Internet), I discovered how a brick-and-mortar shop can serve as an anchor for a community. It can be a gathering place as well as a place where ideas are discussed and explored. I spent many an evening with customers, sharing my passion for Graham Greene or being introduced to the gustatory pleasures of MFK Fisher … exchanges that dipped and soared with the revelations and educations those books contained. My fellow booksellers and I loved authors, those magical creatures who took words—simple words—and molded them into conversations that could be passed around the world. What an honor it was to be able to play such a crucial role in keeping those conversations alive.

Later, after four years in Vietnam, I moved to L.A. I was making my living as a writer by this point, but I missed being in a bookshop, so I took a Saturday job at Traveler’s Bookcase, a wonderful little travel bookshop that is still a home away from home for me. Next door was a companion store called Cook’s Library, and one morning I wandered over there to research a Vietnamese food book I was working on. While I was sitting on the floor with books spread out in front of me, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I looked up to see a young Vietnamese woman studying my selections. It turned out that she had just finished writing a cookbook based on recipes from her childhood in Little Saigon, an hour south of Los Angeles, and when I told her what I was doing, she offered advice on which books I should buy for my research. Two hours later, we were still in Cook’s Library, talking away. Two weeks later, my sister took the photographs for her cookbook. This summer she came to my wedding, and last month I attended hers.

In the years since she and I met, Cook’s Library has gone out of business. I often wonder how many potential best friendships went away with it. Perhaps this is why Ms. Patchett’s note meant so much to me, for it embodies something that is alive and well for any reader who takes the time to look for it: the personal experience to be had in an independent bookshop. It is an experience that cannot be found anywhere else, an experience that is essential to the future of the planet if we are to remain sane, humane beings.

Blessed Be the Bloggers

I enjoy blogs. It's such a pleasure to read the insights of my friends around the world. I regularly follow Tone Deaf in Thailand, Garlic Never Sleeps and Andy's Cambodia. And I think blogs can be fun especially if you have a special interest. I remember when blogs started gaining legitimacy and I came across Chocolate & Zucchini and Orangette. Charming stories of life, love and kitchens paired with recipes—what more could a fan of MFK Fisher and Laurie Colwin want?

That said, I would by no means call myself a blog aficionado. This is why I’ve had such a wonderful time since the publication of my debut novel last month. I’ve discovered a whole blog genre: the book blog. In this world, people read books, they write about books and they share their love of books. And they do so not just as individuals. They are a connected community. And they are gracious. Oh so gracious!

So here at my own little blog, I want to give my thanks to the many bloggers who have offered such wonderful support for The Map of Lost Memories in so many varied ways, from reviews to interviews to invitations to write guest posts. Following are descriptions and excerpts, as well as links (just click the title) if you'd like to read more.

GUEST POSTS:

Fodors
I had a fun time writing this article about Shanghai locales featured in my novel that still exist today.

Seattle Public Library's Shelf Talk
Asked to share some of my favorite books, I was inspired to write about my education in literature while working at the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle.

Meg Waite Clayton

Meg graciously invited me to write a post for her First Books column, about how my book came to be published.

Shelf Awareness: Inklings
This piece describes my experience with the editing process once my book was accepted for publication.

Historical Tapestry

For this guest post I was asked to write a Books of a Lifetime column. The result: a tribute to Gone with the Wind.

Historical Tapestry
In this post I had a great time why I enjoy using setting as a character in my fiction.

The Page 69 Test

For this fun blog, I was asked to look at page 69 of my novel and write about whether or not it represents the book and would entice readers.

My Book, The Movie

Another fun idea – casting my book. Although I was stumped when I realized my original casting choices had aged while my characters had not during the fourteen years it took me to write the novel!

RomCon
This blogging trip down memory lane took me back to my teen years as a romance reader and reflections on how those books shaped me as a novelist.

INTERVIEWS: 

Reading the Past

Along with a lovely review, Reading the Past’s Sarah Johnson gave me the opportunity to answer some terrific interview questions.

Jaffa Reads Too

Jo Barton was equally generous in reviewing my book and inviting me to answer these thoughtful interview questions.

Historical Novel Society

I spent almost two hours on the phone with Krisen Hannum for this interview, and it was such a good time! I’m flattered by the thoroughness of her article.

REVIEWS:

Once a Bookseller

From the review: The plot twists alone would make this an intriguing novel but Kim Fay has skillfully added well-researched history, intertwining the story of a vanished empire with the lives of her characters without making one false or stilted move.

Reading the Past

From the review: Kim Fay’s extraordinary first novel has everything great historical adventure fiction should—a strikingly original setting, exhilarating plot twists, and a near-impossible quest. It stands out even more with its one-of-a-kind characters and sensitivity to colonialism’s harsh effects on the local populace, although its gutsy protagonist doesn’t initially share this concern.

Susan B. Kason

From the review: Kim Fay is not only an engaging storyteller, but a beautiful writer who made me feel like I was in 1925 Shanghai (minus the cocaine), Saigon, and Cambodia. The smells, the clothes, the food–she covers it all. She also makes the reader think about ethical issues of art acquisitions, especially when it comes to art from occupied countries.

Crab & Nectar
From the review: Throughout the gilded brocade of her tale, [Fay] has embroidered an astonishing filigree of detail and dialogue. And her gift for getting inside each moment to reveal the complexities of its components yields a rare gestalt of storytelling at its best. Kim Fay's The Map of Lost Memories is a challenge for the intellect, a feast for the senses, and a literary valentine for the heart and soul of Cambodia. 

Garlic Never Sleeps
From the review: From the back alleys of Shanghai and Saigon, to humid jungles and magnificent temple ruins in Cambodia, Fay's vivid, atmospheric prose enables the reader to see and smell and feel the surroundings.

Book Babe

From the review: This is a story that is a blend of historical fiction, greed, determination, women making waves, anger, finger-pointing, and tied with an ending that just left me sitting there with my mouth hanging open.

The Mystery Gazette

From the review: This is an exciting historical thriller that brings to life China and Cambodia at a time when the West was still raiding national treasures. 

Nancy Famolari’s Author Spotlight

From the review: This is a marvelous book. The author describes Indochina so well you actually breathe in the heavily scented air and feel the slippery sweat on your skin … I highly recommend this book. The tension will keep you reading. The plot is fascinating and not unraveled until the very end, although the clues are provided throughout. I didn't want it to end. In fact, the ending made me wonder whether there will be a sequel.

The Gilmore Guide to Books

From the review: The book is marvelous, escapist reading, layered with relationships, mysteries, and danger. The only thing that is certain is that there is no certainty- either of the success of their quest or of anyone’s motives. 

Joyce’s Choices

From the review: Set in 1925, this is a sophisticated adventure that takes place in Shanghai and Cambodia. The author draws the reader into an exotic universe as the search for lost treasure in Cambodia becomes an exciting tale of a female curator venturing into a man's world. 

For Winter Nights
From the review: The Map of Lost Memories is not your typical adventure story. It may feature the search for lost copper scrolls deep in the jungle of Cambodia and it may be steeped in the mysteries of a lost history but all of this serves as the grand and evocative backdrop for the tale of two young women back in the 1920s who are searching for the clues to an even greater puzzle - their own heritage and their purpose in this difficult and masculine environment ... The pace is leisurely and the novel is very much about the journey rather than the destination ... This is a fine novel, a literary adventure, that lingers in the mind, thanks to the wonderful portraits of Irene and Simone, and the atmosphere that seeps through the novel, evoking so strongly another place and time. If you can't appreciate the passion and courage of Irene or feel the heat and damp of the jungle, so beautifully described by Kim Fay, I'll be very surprised.

Just Book Reading

From the review: While the big draw for me was the setting, Shanghai and the Cambodian jungle in 1925, it was the characters that surprised me. Everyone has secrets so deeply ingrained it drug them all down and each and every character fought out of desperation; each not wanting to admit being wrong or to give in. The setting amplified every single flaw these characters carried.

Sia McKye Over Coffee

From the review: Imagine if F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby) had written Indiana Jones, with a female protagonist. There would be adventure, but there would also be lush, rich prose. There would be a treasure hunt (with snakes!), but there would also be seething emotional undercurrents, an exploration of twisted personalities and questionable motives. This is that book, the Map of Lost Memories, a debut historical fiction from Kim Fay. 

Book Magnet

From the review: Part adventure (think Indiana Jones, but with a female lead), part quest, part mystery, The Map of Lost Memories is passionate, fast-paced, absorbing, and full of plot twists.  The lush, green vegetation of Cambodia and the rhythms, habits, and culture of the country come to life. 

Cookies, Books & Bikes

From the review: This book was interesting, at times enthralling and had such depth of character that I had a hard time putting it down occasionally. It isn’t a blow everything up and edge of my seat adventure as the back may make it sound but instead a fascinating character novel with a touch of adventure and mystery. 

The Okester

From the review: More than being about the adventure, I felt that this novel is about people, relationships and culture. This book is a realistic and methodical story outlining the difficulties in traveling halfway around the world to try and uncover a long-hidden secret while trying to stay beneath the radar and red tape of governments, museums and other treasure hunters. 

Bailey’s & Books

From the review: Have you ever wished for a female heroine that was a mash-up of Indiana Jones and a female Fitzgerald character? Have you ever been to Southeast Asia and wished some writer could bring you back there with vivid writing of places that you remember fondly? Have you ever wanted with a flip of a page to be transported back in time to a world between the wars? If you answered yes to any of these questions, immediately pick up Kim Fay’s terrific new book The Map of Lost Memories.

Christy’s Books

From the review: One of the things I was fearful of when I started reading – because I knew the story was mostly set in Shanghai and Cambodia – was the glorification or romanticism of colonialism. As I read, I was satisfied that wasn't going to happen. It showed a pretty honest view of how western cultures were forced on people on the east, and how this changed the natives of these countries, both for good and for worse.

Cayocosta72 – Book Reviews

From the review: Amazingly evocative of a time long past; the descriptions of the people and places Irene travels are mouth watering. Highly recommended.

Book Loons

From the review: Kim Fay's The Map of Lost Memories combines the 1925 exploits of a female Indiana Jones (her heroine Irene Blum who has always had a 'passion for Khmer studies') with a thought provoking subtext on the ethics of taking historical artefacts from the lands in which they are rooted for display in Western museums … The Map of Lost Memories is a wonderful read, thought provoking, rich in history, and filled with adventure and hints of romance - highly recommended.

Jaffa Reads Too

From the review: An abundance of rich and varied characters combine to make this a really satisfying read. I read it over the space of several evenings, and found myself drawn into the story so much I didn’t notice the passage of time. I am sure that reading groups will enjoy discussing this book, as there’s enough factual history combined with an intrepid adventure story to occupy the most erudite of book clubbers!

The Reading Cafe
From the review: Kim Fay knocked it out of the park with this one ... The characters are so well written that you can't wait to see what happens next ... You can tell this [this] was definitely a labor of love for Fay. I can only hope that she doesn't stop here. I look forward to her next adventure. And hope that she doesn't make me wait too long. Very well done Ms. Fay, very well done.

Curled Up with a Good Book
From the review: Fay's novel is a fascinating study of humans at odds, a quest bringing four strangers together in an adventure of a lifetime.

I will continue adding to this list as more posts appear. Again, my boundless thanks to every one of these bloggers for taking the time to read The Map of Lost Memories and offering such gracious reviews.