​AUDREY CHIN 

Yeo Wei Wei has just reviewed my short story collection Heart Nine Cuts in The Straits Times Book Page.

I’m stepping out of the box. The last three nights I’ve had nightmares. They were all related to one of my two WIPS’s – the one about a detective solving a series of ritual cannibal murders. I needed saving from my own imagination! Youngest was the rescuing hero. Digging around the store-room under the staircase yesterday he discovered my old leather art-portfolio. Stuffed in it were some illustrations I did for the two older children. They were meant to accompany a series of

Thank you for the review Mirel Abeles. Mirel writes at Stories Worth Sharing and her stories are definitely worth reading. Find out more about Mirel’s stories here: http://storiesworthsharing.net/category/my-writing/ And yes, her review for Heart Bones is here: http://storiesworthsharing.net/as-the-heart-bones-break-by-audrey-chin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+storiesworthsharing%2FTEjm+%28Stories+Worth+Sharing%29 #MirelAbeles #AstheHeartBonesBr

Photo Credit: Amazon H.S. Kim is the author of Waxing Moon http://www.amazon.com/Waxing-Moon-H-S-Kim/dp/1937178382/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1/185-6130206-7266437, a novel about feudal Korea recently released on September 2013 by WiDo Publishing. Waxing Moon – the Novel Waxing Moon tells the story of a group of strong women living under the protection of the O household in 19th century Korea. A good story is about characters and how they interact to achieve their goals. The women char

Nguyen Trong Hien is the author of Village Teacher, a novel which offers a refreshing look at a Vietnam rarely featured in English language fiction. Why I chose to interview Hien Village Teacher struck me immediately as a different and exquisite piece of Old Vietnam. Set in the early years of French colonisation, it is on its surface a love story about a virtuous village scholar, Tam, and Giang, a spirited half-French daughter of the Hue elite. But, the book has many layers.

“I’m a writer.” Not a corporate steward who writes in her spare time, not a dilettante dabbling with words, not an empty-nester who needs to express in an amateur way … No, it’s time to put away those phrases that belittle my craft, indeed my mastery of that craft. Yes, I am a writer. Plainly… Simply… Boldly… Paralyzingly… A writer! I have no idea why the idea – no the reality – of this affirmation should frighten me so.  Or perhaps I do… There’s all that stuff lurking in the

Our writing-dieting selves like to think we’re all frontal lobe, all about visioning, reasoning, planning and problem solving. But hidden deep in the centre of the head are our reptilian brains – the amygdala associated with memory, emotion and fear, and the  hypothalamus which controls thirst, hunger, sleep and sex. These are the hunting gathering parts of the brain that refuse to let us starve to death or to think too much before acting.  They’re why, despite dieting, we ca

If you critique other writers work, your own writing improves. Everyone knows that. But can critiquing make you a better person? In my experience, it can. See my guest post at Joe Bunting, The Write Practice. This is a great community for anyone who’s serious about practicing their craft in a safe community. I’m proud to be part of it. Do hop over there to see what we’re up to. #Critique #ChatsandForums #writing #UnitedStates #Writer #Organizations #KarenConnelly #WritersReso

My friend Kathleen Caron, who blogs at {full of life} soul food, interviewed me this week. The secret of giving a good interview is the questions. Kathleen is great at reaching out and getting to the heart of the matter. What I discovered in the interview is how strongly I feel that despite our differences, we’re all human under the skin.  That common humanity is what allows us to bond, to be friends, and to carry on conversations across hemispheres …. Do go over to Kathleen’

We’ve moved on to Stage 2 of the Singapore Conversation. We’re talking about specific issues regarding Singapore identity and culture now. Here’s my 2 bits’ worth: A Singapore identity must evolve organically. It’s not about flags and the national anthem. It’s about the lives we live, who we are. It’s about Singaporeans creating a body of art and literature that is resonant with our voices and our shared experiences. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stephanie Ye My constructive cont

In Myanmar, they’ve been switched off for 50 years. It makes for a slower pace of life and a more crafty approach to manufacturing. Don’t let’s talk about productivity though… A business center A call center A taxi in the suburbs A water taxi Milling your own face powder Pressing cooking oil Drawing lotus fibres Hand-spinning silk Setting up a hand loom Hand-rolling sugar Wood-fired stills #Yangon #Myanmar #Meiktila #travel #Asia #Muslim #Buddhism #Burma #Arts

It’s February already and I haven’t thanked you all enough for your support of Oddznns –  for dropping by and commenting, for your ‘likes’ and your ‘rants’. Your involvement helped me to grow in my writer’s journey and to discover that words do help. Writing has allowed me to reach out to you with my thoughts and musings. I’ve been enriched by your sharing both on the blog and off the blog. We’ve connected. In celebration of the magical ability of words to help build bridges

8th day of the 8th moon of the year of the Dragon. We start with the verses of the most unaccomplished – mine. Photo Credit: www.roschdeshnewmoon.com New Moon The new moon enters Tentative Before her time A slim curve of silver Hiding Behind yesterday’s flowers Hesitant Unconscious of her charms —– Do you have a favourite moon-poem. In the spirit of awaiting Mid-Autumn share it. Leave a comment! #Poetry #MidAutumnFestival #crescentmoon #Mooncake #Moon #zen #Asia #Arts

We all need mirrors to see ourselves. Without reflection, we are just unconsidered action and reaction.  It’s only when we sit and stare, that we see what we’re made of, how we’ve made ourselves. Writing is a great mirror for reflection. Words staring us in the face bring us face to face with what we’ve done, what we are thinking, what we hope will happen. Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com When we write four things can happen: –        We recover our origins.  Writing about our fa

Credit: Photo by Forest and Kim http://www.desert-tropicals.com Including me! One of my readers, Joe Bunting asked me to do a guest post on writing poetry. I could only respond in the same way my Peranakan auntie did when I asked her how she concocted her heavenly sambal udang belimbing –  she made me watch while she cooked; I watched myself as I began to string the words together. You can read about the process today at www.thewritepractice.com.  It’s titled “Anyone can be p