Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Little Bean Seeds (LBS) is a Certified Public Accountant who lives in Hong Kong. She has known herself to be a bookworm ever since she was a primary school student. While most of the other children were running and jumping in the playground during break time, she would go to the library and stick her face in a book until the bell rang. She loves many different kinds of books—self-help, detective, romance, finance, health—and more.
In her eyes, books are one of the best channels for communicating messages. LBS perceives a writer’s role as like that of a farmer planting seeds. What she wants is for her readers to understand the book’s message and be helped in some way: have their mood changed, be pleased and entertained, or even encouraged to build a better self. The seeding job takes time, and it is better to start the seed earlier than later. That is why she chose to get her writing start with children’s stories, and also where the pen name “Little Bean Seeds” came from.
Writing is also about stepping out of one’s comfort zone. That is actually much easier to say than to do, especially when no one in your social network doing the same thing, saying, “It is just too difficult for me!” But most of the time, the difficulty comes from yourself more than those around you.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of the book is called “One Century Friendship”.
One day while straightening up my bookshelf, I came upon a little story that I wrote during my teenage years. It was the homework for a class for non-native English students, so you can imagine how “easy” it was for me to write.
As I flipped through the pages, grammatical mistakes were everywhere, word use was inaccurate, and the plot was a bit loose. However, reading from paragraph to paragraph, I could still remember the effort I put in to finish the book.
Yes, the teenage time is filled with trial and error. During that period, you may make many mistakes and have what adults call “unrealistic,” “impractical,” “totally unrelated to preparing to make a living” thoughts flashing across your mind every week. Oh! Those ideas may even hit you every second. And I was no exception!
I was not aiming to be a writer, because I did not think I was good at putting my imagination into words. However, flipping through the self-written storybook was like talking to the teenage “me.” So, I decided to rewrite the story and dedicate it to the teenage me and let her know that it’s who she was in the past that has formed the present me.
If you are a dad or mum now, share this book with your children and let them to have the courage to make friends and learn how to maintain friendship.
If you are in your teenage time now, I hope this book gives you a chance to think about your relationships with friends.
If you are an adult, I hope you enjoy reading the book and that it helps you to recapture some of your wild teenage experiences with your friends.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
In this storybook, it does not only having the adventure elements, but it also includes friendship notes and self-reflection questions at the end of each chapter. Those notes and questions are specifically included for young readers to think and reflect. If parents are reading the book with their children, the questions can help parents to initiate topics with their children.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I don’t have any particular authors or books that I like, but I like reading psychologically related articles and books.
What are you working on now?
There are few ideas in my mind but I still not yet finalized it.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I build my own website and I hope my website and my book can be a tool to initiate people to step out of their comfort zone.
Our future is built by lots of little decisions we made in the past and in the present. No matter how small the steps are, the effect may be just like the butterfly effect.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I am a freshman in this book writer path, hence I cannot provide any advice, but during the self-publication process, you need to persist. If you feel tired, then take a rest, and keep going.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Learning is a lifelong process.
What are you reading now?
I am reading a Chinese book which call “未來你是誰”.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am still figuring it out. As being a writer is not what I originally plan to be. I like writing and reading. The publication of “one-century friendship” is a gift for myself and because I hope I can transmit some positive thoughts to the young readers. The readers can get something from the book except for enjoying the story.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
A book teaches how to survive in a desert island
A self-help book for leisure
A book teaches how to build a shelter
A book teaches how to build a boat
Author Websites and Profiles
Beanseeds Little Website
Beanseeds Little Amazon Profile
Beanseeds Little Author Profile on Smashwords
Beanseeds Little’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile