Q&A with Mingmei Yip and Book Giveaway: SONG OF THE SILK ROAD

GIVEAWAY CLOSED.

I previously posted my review of Mingmei Yip's latest novel, SONG OF THE SILK ROAD. Click here to read my review.
Today I am pleased to share with my readers this Q&A with Ms. Yip (which was provided to me by her publicist) as well as offering you a chance to win a copy of this fascinating novel.

Which part of SONG OF THE SILK ROAD was the most enjoyable to write?  
There are a few. First, the love-making scene in the desert, imagining golden singing sand dunes, the unrelieved heat, the passion…all aphrodiasical.    

Another sequence I particularly enjoyed is the protagonist Lily Lin’s platonic love with one of her admirers – an Ughur healer who loves and protects her without asking anything back from her. Later, upon learning his tragic story she discovers she can open her yin eye to see beings from the realm of the dead.  

Who is your favorite heroine?
Sacrlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, one of the all time great survivors.

Are you working on anything else at the moment?       
Yes, my fourth novel set in the 20ies Shanghai about a woman spy working for a gangster. I am also writing and illustrating my second children’s book. 

Can you tell us something about yourself that not a lot of your readers don’t  know?       
Besides my hectic writing schedule, that I still manage to take time to perform the Chinese zither (guqin) professionally – last year I was invited by Carnegie Hall to play at its Chinese Music Festival -- and teach calligraphy workshops.
 
What is your favorite part of the writing process?       
After I labor through getting down the first draft, as I polish up my writing, I begin to enjoy my characters and their trials and struggles as they work towards a happy ending.  In my writing, I meet people like the Chinese herbalist and blind fortune teller in Song of the Silk Road, whom I might never meet in real life.

(This Q&A was provided to me by the author's publicist.)

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win AND whether you have read any of Mingmei Yip's previous novels (if so, which one(s)). Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. The publisher is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, the publisher will only send one copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

• Winner will have 24 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from the winner, I will draw another name.

• Winner will be determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Mingmei Yip and her publicists from making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.