Jana McBurney-Lin's Blog
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Oct.20.2012
Just a note to share the exciting news...Blossoms and Bayonets is here, available (in a twist of publishing) as an e-book first:
Impossible to put down—or to forget—authors’ grippingly suspenseful and deeply affecting historical novel limns the lives of a Korean family under Japanese rule...
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Aug.16.2012
While rinsing off with cold well water relieved the heat of the day, it wasn't as exciting as, say, the beach. My brother-in-law suggested a trip. He'd never been, but would be happy to take us. We set out in two cars, dressed in our swimsuits, with towels, even a picnic. We...
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Aug.11.2012
In Fuzhou, China, it was hot and humid and hot. We spent a great deal of time splashing around at the family well. One morning I went for a splash and spotted movement near the outdoor sink. Pigeons, two of them, were tied up beneath the sink. My father-in-law caught them...
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Aug.11.2012
In Fuzhou, China, it was hot and humid and hot. We spent a great deal of time splashing around at the family well. One morning I went for a splash and spotted movement near the outdoor sink. Pigeons, two of them, were tied up beneath the sink. My father-in-law caught them...
Continue Reading »
Jan.24.2012
I needed to get to a family service in Ottawa, Canada last Saturday. I flew out Friday morning with connections in LA and Chicago, planning to meet my sister on the last flight.I figured my ticketer knew what he was doing when he suggested various flights. However, after the pilot left late from LA...
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Dec.16.2011
This past month, I had the good fortune to visit England and Denmark. Our eldest was doing a semester at Warwick and, as the Brits don't do Thanksgiving, we took it to her....and to a smattering of relatives who have lived overseas so long they've forgotten about that particular tradition.
There...
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Nov.14.2011
A few years ago my husband went out and bought a mega-drive (as in I don't know how big it really was. Just big.) I backed up writings and kids' work and pictures--tons and tons of pictures. In fact, I spent an entire summer scanning old photos which I then gave over to this hunk of a drive.This...
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Oct.28.2011
The Biggest Ghost in Our Family's Past
With Halloween coming up--and kids digging through the crafts box to figure out what to dress up as--I was reminded of the biggest ghostly incident in our family. We were living in Singapore and had traveled to Bintan Island, Indonesia for a holiday...
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Oct.19.2011
We first came to CA twelve years ago from small, safe, clean Singapore. I’d read in the Singapore Times how the big American cities were crime-ridden with drive-by shootings, school shootings, kidnappings, etc. So, I figured the best way to keep our family safe was to live in the...
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Oct.17.2011
1882 Projectwww.1882Project.orgThe Chinese Exclusion Laws involved legislation Congress passed between 1879 and 1904 that explicitly discriminated against persons of Chinese descent based on race. The laws imposed increasingly severe restrictions on immigration and naturalization. Congress...
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Oct.14.2011
I used to have a swear-meter, counting cuss words in movies, and making the kids stop watching if the count went higher than six. "Who cares about plot? If they can't get the story across without cussing a blue streak, then I don't want to hear it." That was my motto. But I...
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Oct.10.2011
This afternoon I had to have a crown redone. It sounds like such a lovely event, complete with swishy red velvet dresses and diamonds and dancing til dawn. But we all know better. The only thing red is--well I won't go there. Not at all looking forward to this, I thought of...
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Oct.06.2011
A couple weeks back I went to Kansas City, Missouri for the US-China People's Friendship Association's National Convention. I kept thinking, "Kansas City? Only Oz is further."As it turned out, Kansas City is very close to China--Edward Snow was born here and his legacy continues,Kansas...
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Sep.11.2011
As I mentioned, this month I'm lucky to be able to mentor Afghan women writers, as they work to express their thoughts. Today, one of my writers--Yalba --is featured on the blog as she recalls what 9/11 meant to her family. It's an amazing story. Please visit Islamabad and 9/11 and leave...
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The artist is nothing without gift. But the gift is nothing without work.”
—Emile Zola
About Jana
Jana lived over half her adult life in Asia, and has written and edited fictional stories and non-fictional articles about America, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. She has worked with more than 40 different publications in seven...
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