Jamie Ford‘s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Since then, he’s written three other novels and is also an award-winning short story writer. At the HNS conference in 2023, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel with Jamie and three other authors on the topic Who Are You: A Historian Writing Fiction or a Historical Fiction Author?
Jamie graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle in 1988 and worked as an award-winning art director and creative director in advertising before becoming a bestselling author.
Let’s hear about Jamie Ford’s writing journey.
MKT How do your more recent novels differ from earlier novels, particularly the first few novels you wrote?
Jamie: I always say that before the Beatles blew our minds with Sgt. Pepper and The White Album, they had to start somewhere — like with She Loves You and all those yeah yeah yeahs. My first novel was a bit like that: simple, with one point of view character.
Now, fast-forward to my latest book, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, and suddenly I’ve got seven points of view, seven different time periods, and enough narrative threads to knit a sweater. I guess I kept trying to challenge myself — or maybe I just have commitment issues with linear storytelling. Book of the Month even called it highbrow literature, which is fancy code for: “Congrats, you’ve officially made your readers work for it.”
MKT How has your writing process evolved since your first years as an author?
Jamie: I think I’ve definitely grown as a writer—at least to the point where I can take a terrible idea and make it sound oddly beautiful. Which is a bit of a curse, honestly. Because now I can write myself into a narrative corner, look at the mess I’ve made, and think, “But it’s such a lovely mess.”
And instead of cutting those paragraphs like I should, I start treating them like lost puppies—surely there’s somewhere in the story I can tuck them in? But really, I just need to learn to let go. Kill my darlings, grieve a little, and move on. Easier said than done.
Has your readership changed over time? Do you have any insights on why your readership has or has not changed?
It’s wild to think my first book came out 15 years ago, because now I meet people in their mid-30s who say, “I read your book in high school!” And that’s the exact moment my back starts to hurt, and I wonder if it’s time to start pricing out retirement homes. I’ve also met a couple of authors who told me, “I saw you speak at my school, and you inspired me to become a writer.” Which is sweet, sure… but also horrifying because it means I’m basically one inspirational speech away from handing out Werther’s Originals at book festivals.
[Did I mention that Jamie has a great sense of humour?]
How have changes in the publishing landscape affected your writing or your success?
When I first got into this business, I had this romantic idea that I’d have one editor for the entire arc of my career — like some literary marriage where we’d grow old together, finishing each other’s metaphors. But I’ve now had three editors over four books thanks to mergers, promotions, and people chasing other opportunities — which I get. But I once met an editor who worked with Saul Bellow, and the publisher actually paid for her to live next door to him. Every morning, she’d pop over and go through his pages with him while his wife made coffee.
And in the back of my mind, I still secretly long for that kind of cozy, old-school relationship…but I’m pretty sure that’s fiction these days. Or at least the budget for that went out with three-martini lunches.
Has there been a fork in the road that changed your writing? Some event, person, book or whatever that has changed what you write?
Ironically, the big fork in the road for me was my first novel. I wrote it not long after my father passed away, really just trying to process my grief and piece together the parts of him I never fully understood. So my main character ended up being the same age my father was during the 1940s, in the middle of World War II. And thanks to the success of that book, I was suddenly branded as a historical fiction author — which is funny, because I never set out to be one.
Honestly, I’ve always had more of a crush on speculative fiction. But success has a way of handing you a label and saying, “Here, wear this for a while.” So I wrote two more historical novels before finally breaking out with my fourth — a mashup of all kinds of genres.
Have you tried a different genre? If so, which genre and to what effect?
I love writing short fiction because that’s where I get to experiment — it’s like my literary sandbox. I’ve tried my hand at Speculative Fiction, Dystopian, Asian-themed Steampunk, Middle Grade Horror, and Crime Noir…
I even wrote erotica once. There’s this collection called Anonymous Sex where a bunch of fairly notable authors wrote steamy stories — but with no attributions, so no one knows who wrote what. And now whenever people read that book, I get to watch them wonder if I wrote the one about the handcuffs.
Have you tried different eras? If so, to what effect?
Oh boy, this is totally my thing. My first novel’s set in the ’40s, my second in the ’20s, my third goes even further back to the turn of the last century. And my most recent? That one bounces from 1836 all the way to 2084 — because apparently, I can’t just pick a decade and stick with it.
So yeah, I like to jump around in time a bit, which requires a lot of research. You could say I’m in a long-term relationship with my time machine.
What kind of historical fiction appeals to you as a reader?
More and more, I’m finding that I like historical fiction best when it’s blended with other genres — books that break the mold a bit, like Lincoln in the Bardo or Cloud Cuckoo Land. Straight historical novels that zero in on one event or one sliver of time feel a little limited to me these days. I guess I just want a bigger world to explore.
Many thanks, Jamie, for presenting your writing journey is such a thoughtful and humorous way! I’m sure readers will be inspired.
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford
The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across generations.
Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.
As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.
Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.
As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel THAT WAS THEN is a contemporary thriller. Mary’s other novels, THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook or on her website www.mktod.com.
