Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivien Chien.
Vivien, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My passion of reading and books began at an early age. And though I’d often dream about being an author someday, I didn’t take the notion seriously until I was much older. I did make my first attempt at writing a book in my teens, but I had no idea what I was doing, and frankly, the story didn’t make any sense. Because of my love for Anne Rice and all things supernatural and paranormal, I started that book based on the world of vampires. It saw many different recreations as I grew up and learned things along the way. But it was always sort of a background thing. I worked on it for fun and meanwhile thought I’d be a lawyer or a psychologist–two fields I was very interested in during my youth. For a short time while I pursued different career options, I dabbled in the chick lit genre, but that completely fell flat for me.
Then, in my late twenties, I took a fiction writing class in college, only to find out that it was centered around the mystery genre. I was extremely intimidated by the syllabus and our end result of writing a short story for the class, but I pushed forward convincing myself that it was a great challenge as a writer to broaden your horizons. That class changed everything, and suddenly I knew what I wanted to do. The mystery genre felt like home and that short story I’d written for the class was calling my name to turn it into a full-length book.
However, life always has other plans and sometimes you just end up taking the scenic route. A few years later, I joined the Sisters In Crime, which is a national organization that helps promote women in the mystery writing world–something that was predominantly occupied by men in the past. Through our local chapter, I met some amazing women, worked on our chapter’s newsletter, and learned everything I could about writing mysteries.
About two years after that, a friend–and mentor–in my group connected me with her agent who was scouting for an Asian American mystery writer to work on a series for a specific publisher. Without any specifics other than looking for a mystery that had the viewpoint of an Asian American and it taking place in an Asian restaurant, I set to creating a synopsis for the first three books and the first few chapters of book one.
A few weeks later, I found out that my proposal was accepted, and thus the Noodle Shop mysteries were born! I began this journey in 2017, and the series is now on its ninth book and continuing to go strong.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely was not a smooth road. Growing up, there wasn’t much encouragement to chase the dreams of being something like an author. People felt that was something too far out of reach for someone like me. After a while, I started to believe that a little bit myself. How would I get someone to notice my writing all the way in New York (the land of literary agents), and were my ideas and writings even any good? Self-doubt was the toughest obstacle. But through the Sisters in Crime, I found support like I’d never had before, and the ladies would say things like, “Not IF you get published…WHEN you get published.”
Then after getting my first book deal, my struggles shifted. Because meanwhile, I still had to work a 9-5 job. Trying to chase a dream while being a responsible adult isn’t always the easiest feat. But I was determined to see it through and continued to work on the book series as I held my day job. Thankfully, I had a supportive employer who encouraged me along the way and never tried to deter me from continuing my dream.
I went like that up until book six or seven of the series; I can’t remember to be honest. During that time, I was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer, and my life changed yet again. Still, I wouldn’t let go of the series, but I did have to choose my writing over my day job in the end. For a short time, I tried to keep both going, but during chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the challenge became too great. I continued on with my Noodle Shop series, and with the support of my publisher, St. Martin’s Press, I was able to successfully publish the next books. There were many extensions and pauses while I recuperated from surgery and treatments.
Now, I’m a little over a year being cancer free and still am extremely passionate about my series and writing in general.
What I learned through that whole journey is there will always be something trying to stand in your way–keyword – TRYING. You have to decide what you will allow and what you won’t.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the author of a cozy mystery series, the Noodle Shop Mysteries. Cozy mysteries are sometimes referred to as “mystery lite.” Think of them as a branch off of more traditional mystery authors like Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, and Rex Stout. Cozies are light-hearted, more focused on the puzzle of the story, and do not typically contain any overt violence, sex, or strong language. The murder never takes place on the page but rather behind the scenes and is discovered by an amateur sleuth. In my series, the amateur sleuth is played by Lana Lee, manager of her family’s restaurant, and she is unwillingly thrust into situations where she has to butt in to save the day. But secretly, I think she kinda likes it.
The part that I am most proud of with my series is the representation of a mixed-race Asian as the lead protagonist. I, myself, am mixed-race. Growing up half Taiwanese, half Italian had its own challenges. There weren’t many roles in pop culture that I could identify myself with, and that’s hard as a kid. At that age, you want to fit in, and when you can’t, you feel a little bit lost. I didn’t originally set out to establish this voice in my writing; I’m so glad that I did because I didn’t realize how important it was to me still at this age (I’m 42) to have that representation, and not just for myself, but others as well.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important thing I’ve learned is you have to believe in yourself. 100% you have to. There are going to be naysayers. Always. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. Most people want the best for you, and taking chances isn’t always in people’s comfort zones. So, if you really want something, and you love it…go for it and believe that you can. No matter what it is…if you can dream it, you can make it a reality. AND… if you ever need a motivational kick in the pants, look up Bob Proctor. You won’t be sorry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vivienchien.com
- Instagram: @vivien_chien_author
- Facebook: @vivienchienauthor
- Twitter: @vivien_chien
Image Credits
St. Martin’s Press, Copyright –
Mary Ann Lasher
Bernstein & Andriulli
