Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an immigrant from Vietnam and an electronic engineer by training, with eleven patents to my name. I write about the Vietnam War and the long-lasting impact it had on people, both Vietnamese and American.
I’ve written three books: “Once upon a Mulberry Field,” an award-winning story of love, loss, and redemption, from the Vietnam War; “Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees,” an illustrated travelogue of my 2016 trip to Vietnam and a former Amazon #1 New Release in Vietnam travel guides; and “In the Shadow of Green Bamboos,” a collection of short stories about survivors of the war.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest publication is a collection of remarkable tales of love and hope, resilience and survival, from the Vietnam War, titled “In the Shadow of Green Bamboos.”
It is a series of snapshots in the lives of a cross-section of people, Vietnamese and American, whose worlds were torn asunder by the Vietnam War. These captured moments, ordinary though they may seem, reveal the blessings of love and hope in the course of everyday life. The stories they tell also stand as testaments to the resilience and courage of survivors struggling to rebuild from the ashes of war.
The book will be out on Friday October 23, 2020, and will be available on all online bookstores, in paperback, eBook (mobi and epub), and audiobook.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I’m writing a new book, my mind is completely absorbed in the task at hand. Sometimes a thought would occur to me in the middle of the night, and I would get up to jot it down lest I forget it by the time the morning comes. That’s the reason I always keep a notebook and a pen by my bedside.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are so many great writers out there, both from past and current years. But I’ve always been a great fan of such Old Masters as Ernest Hemingway, Somerset W. Maugham, John Cheever, James A. Michener.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently 100% focused on launching my new book “In the Shadow of Green Bamboos,” which will be released on Friday October 23, 2020.
Also, this is the first time I’ve been involved with the production of an audiobook, so it’s been great fun and really exciting. Always something new to learn.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I try to get the word out to potential readers through websites such as Awesome Gang, which by the way renders invaluable service to relatively new authors like myself. You all provide a wonderful platform where readers and authors can discover each other.
I also do a blog about writing/publishing as well as history and travel on my website http://mulberryfieldsforever.com. Goodreads and social media also serve as great venues to reach my readers and keep them abreast about new development with my books (new releases, discount sales, contests etc.).
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Find joy and purpose in your writing, and keep your nose to the grindstone!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write what you want to read.
What are you reading now?
An old cozy mystery by Martha Grimes, called “The Old Contemptibles.” This is after I’ve just finished “Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy and “Midwives” by Chris Bohjalian.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ve done a novel, a travelogue, and short stories, so I think I’d like to explore another format. Perhaps a memoir of my early days as a newly arrived immigrant in America?
But first thing first. I just need to get “In the Shadow of Green Bamboos” into the hands of readers first. That effort alone will keep me fully occupied for the next several months.
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?
“Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell;
“All Creatures Great and Small” by James Herriot;
“The Eight Wilderness-Discovery Books” By John Muir.
Author Websites and Profiles
C. L. Hoang Website
C. L. Hoang Amazon Profile
C. L. Hoang Author Profile on Smashwords
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