A talented Indonesian author???

Huahaha, sorry if I start this post with a laugh. What will you feel if someone puts a link to your blog with a positive comment? I just found this girl, she puts this blog as one of her fav sites, with something like "a talented Indonesian author"...

Oh well, with great talents, comes great responsibilities to God. I am aware of that :) I am nothing without God's grace. My talents come from God. It is not from my own self.

If you ask me what I have been doing, yes, besides clinching deals for 5 more books (3 books for the teenlit series called Schoolaholic Trilogy, one mellow chick lit: Sydney, Pelabuhan Darling, one light mood chicklit: Heart, Actually), I am pushing myself to finish more manuscripts so I will have things to sell to the pubishers next year! I really have nothing to offer now.

Still, there will be moral values in the stories I write. This is my commitment to God, you -- readers, and to myself.

The 5 books (hopefully will be out some time next year, and hopefully I can approve the cover design without asking the publishers to redesign) -- have passed my sisters' reviews. The Schoolaholic Princess teenlit series, hopefully will push all teenagers who read this to achieve more success in their study (like me, hahahah) -- and for people who have stopped schooling to have a sweet nostalgic of schooling days (most of the school scenes written are based on true stories).

For the chicklit, when it comes about dating and marriage, one must give all to God, no matter what will happen next. Because God's timing serves its purpose, which is the best outcome for each of us. That is my personal approach in life. And I feel I am so blessed that I have seen some of the purposes which I did not see clearly in the past and I am grateful that God has spared me from any harm.

May the Force from Lord alone be with us throughout our life!

Banyak juga ternyata :)

Kemarin malem iseng-iseng search di friendster, ternyata banyak juga yang nulis Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama sebagai buku favorit. Ada yang dari Jakarta, Sidoarjo, Yogyakarta (of course), Tuban, Palembang, Klaten... Ya walau <10 orang, I still feel WOW, it is quite something, sampai ditulis di situs publik kalau mereka suka :D

There are <10 persons openly write Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama as their fav book in friendster. The key to search is: book: Sakura Bersemi, Country: Indonesia

Ki Ageng (Dr BS) likes this novel!

Horeeee Ki Ageng suka novelku :)

Dearest Yunisa,
Apa kabar ? Lama tak kontak. Moga moga semuanya baik. Bagaimana novel yang ke dua ? Yang pertama saya baca bagus sekali. Sangat intens

The first one I read is very good. Very intense.

Ini dari friendsterku hehehhee. So I still owe a reply to Ki Ageng, updating my news.

Uhui, ada di Balikpapan

Novel ini ada di Kharisma Balikpapan. (Thanks to Shanti, sesama KoKier, nulis ini di Friendster).
PS: I may not be updating this blog regularly due to time constraints.

:)

Forget to write this. I am so happy that finally, one person likes my ending for Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama! Thank you, Venny! Hehehehe =D Tidak sia2 dibawain novelnya terbang sampai L.A. Habis dilahap dalam sehari baca. (Rekor).

"Bahasa Indo elu berarti bagus banget ya, 'tergopoh-gopoh'... itu kan gak dipakai sehari-hari..."

Hahahaha, Ven, itu kan ada di buku cerita anak-anak zaman kita kecil.

"Kalau Yuki jadi sama XXX (sensor - Red, biar yang belum baca gak tau), gw malah gak rela... Emang bagus dijadiin sama YYY, tapi kalau dia jadi sama T (bocoran), lebih puas."

LOL. Ternyata yang suka T bukan cuma my sis (Riana), tapi juga Venny. Waktu kutanya, "Why? Simpati ya karena dia tokoh jahat yang bertobat?"

"Kalau XXX gak elu bunuh, mungkin elu gak diprotes pembaca... Kan tragis tuh."

Yunisa: "Kalau XXX gak dibunuh, Yuki gak hidup dengan tenang."

HAHHAHA, pengarang emang egois, suka-suka bikin ceritanya.

Greetings from New York City, kayaknya mau masuk angin nih...

Sakura @ LA

This one is not "real" sakura. An upscale Japanese restaurant around Beverly Hills, California

Just taken this morning hahaha =D

Greetings from Los Angeles, the city of angel, Saturday, 1 September 2007 (US time, not SGT)

Reprint?

During my meeting with my MIA publisher in Bandung on Saturday, 8 Aug 2007, he told me that this novel sold well, gonna be 2nd reprint, hard cover, but the background will be blue instead of pink.

Cetakan kedua warnanya biru, bukan merah muda lagi.

I need to e-mail him the typo etc. ASAP... I hope I have a clone to do that for me since I am overloaded with office work before I fly to the US by end of Aug for > 2 weeks, and before my parents come to Singapore as well.

Exhausted traveler,

Yunisa

Strange?

Sorry for not updating due to travels. Really, really exhausted...
A day after I landed from Bangkok, surprisingly someone from Theriza Books contacted me. Strange, isn't it? MIA for months... Anyway, I plan to meet him when I come to Bandung next week. He gave me the whole lot of new email, new phone/fax.

And I met someone from KoKi (Kompas Cyber Community Kolom Kita) -- Lizzie, NJ (New Jersey and Nan Jing). She just informed me last night that she got my novel in Gunung Agung Sunter Mall.

With bubbles in my ears...

When I feel touched...

Oh well, maybe it's quite normal. But I am so used to people saying to me, "Oh you are a novelist!" or "Can I learn writing from you?" It happens all the time and I am sort of immuned and uninterested with such "standard praise / opening line". Even in the office, I am so used to the teasings that I write romance. Jerry once joked, "Everyone in Gallup writes about engagement: customers' engagement, employees' engagement, but you write about romantic engagement!"

But today is different. When I google "novel Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama", there is one link that wonders me: in Friendster, there is this girl who puts "Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama" as one of her favorite books. Mind you, she has never left me any message at all! Oh well, I do reply some of the messages I receive over multiply and friendster, subject to my availability (and whether it is a decent message).

For me, hers is the most touching appreciation for a writer. Similar to my father, who always asks his employee to rush to the two Gramedia book stores in Jogja to find my novel (to give to any guest / friend of his as stocks given to him are finished). He never expressed openly to me that he does that, but I have plenty extended ears at home hahaha...

With warmest gratitude,
Yunisa

MAN long list is delayed

[The Man Asian Literary Prize] About the Long List

The Man Asian Literary Prize has posted a new item, 'About the Long List'

The Administrative Committee of the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize wishes to thank all the authors who made submissions to the inaugural Prize.

The long list will be announced publicly in mid-July. Long-listed candidates will be contacted individually in mid-June for verification of entry details and (in the case of partial submissions) final submission of completed [...]

You may view the latest post at
http://www.manasianliteraryprize.org/blog/?p=9

You received this e-mail because you asked to be notified when new updates are posted.
Best regards,
admin
info@manasianliteraryprize.org

No Stock in Gramedia Taman Anggrek

Just back from my travels...
Here are my pictures with real Sakura in Korea (HAHAHA)... Then, I went to Kuching, Serawak for a weekend break. Funnily, last week, less than 12 hours from my arrival at Changi, my office asked me to go to Jakarta. So on Tues-Sun 27 May, I was in Indonesia. 3 days are for business trip and less than 40 hours for my family at Yogyakarta. It's very tiring...

Author with Sakura at Nami Island, South Korea

Author posed with fallen sakura at the oldest temple in Korea

In Jakarta, my friend drove me to nearest Gramedia she knew, unfortunately Gramedia in Gadjah Mada was closed (we reached there around 9pm). So she brought me to Taman Anggrek, and again, NO STOCK.

No STOCK again! Can't pose with my own novel @ bookstores!

I haven't had time to visit 2 Gramedia stores in Jogja as I am still very exhausted. What I did at home was eating, talking, playing with my lil sis and of course ZZZZZ sleeping =P

Spam Blog? An Update of Man Asian Literary & My Reasons

Sigh, someone made this blog be reported as spam blog, so now I needed to clarify with the blogger administrator before I can post this entry.

For Anonymous (previously someone from Pantene Shine Award and now, someone from Man Asian Literary -- are you Mary Lee?), whoever you are, thank you for leaving your comments in Sakura in English. Hehehe, I know you must be from the committee because I haven't given any access to the translated version to anyone but your committee.

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GOLDEN RULE
Regarding this first novel of mine, yes, I did want to write something that can be commercialized (i.e. to be filmed) and not just merely a literary work. So I have to follow the golden rule of successful drama series / movies: love at the first sight. Please note that the romantic love stories I write never reflect my own personal experience / views on love itself.

Personal Confession

I have to admit that I am not a romantic person at all despite having so many romantic people around me (it's a blessing to have them in my life) and it is A HARD IMAGINATION I have to do everytime I need to create a romantic scene. (My youngest sis teaches me a lot on how to be romantic haha, shame on me!). Yes, I do receive quite handful romantic gestures from the guys *winked* but as a mathematician, I am trained to think -- not to feel. Therefore, in real life, I have been behaving very manly: independent, decisive, problem solver, very strong character -- somehow dominant. Personally I do crack my brain to day/nightdream and study all the romantic movies / drama series seriously -- and analyzed all aspects of how to describe best the emotional sides of the couples when they meet.

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Application in Novel

• Yukata (actually means something like kimono -- I chose the name as the syllable is close to Takuya, her brother) -- she liked Heiji from the first sight -- but he turned to be the wrong man to fall in love with. Girls do fall for the wrong guys. At least that is my observation from reading all love consultations in the papers hahaha =D
• On the other hand, Rin was impressed by Heiji's good service on their first meeting. Here, I want to present the fact that first impression does matter.
• Yuki in this novel, she did not straight away fall for Shinichi but because of his persistent effort to court her... *you read it yourself, OK, many people hate spoilers* but men, in general, do get attracted to girls from the first sight. At least, that is what I read in the magazines. Whether it is lust at the first sight or it is true love? -- I decide to keep it open -- case by case basis, as I do believe anything is possible if God allows it to happen.

Disappointing ending?
For the ending, actually the ending in this novel IS NOT THE ORIGINAL ENDING. (Readers, you are allowed to cheer and scream at me at the same time). The original was proper and longer (oh yeah, it's going to be very thick, actually) and definitely predictable. I like unpredictable endings to remind the readers that I am still the author, I have the absolute discretion of any fate of the characters I make (this is the personal satisfaction of crafting the characters)-- please do forgive me! (You will find that my next books will sometimes have happy endings, and sometimes "subjective" happy endings -- it depends on the way you look at it).

Anyway, I decided to scrap that ending (although I can always rewrite it) because I know for a first timer like me, publishers in Indonesia would think thousand times before accepting this novel if my manuscript is too thick.

I promise that I would rewrite the ending if Sakura Blossoms in Yokohama is filmed! Many novels do that! Different ending to please the audience *_*

Off to Korea for spring holiday,
Yunisa the Game Theory lover

Sastra Asing (Foreign Literature)

Surprise, surprise. Mr Harry has just e-mailed me about my novel in Indonesia: Gramedia Matraman Jakarta and Gunung Agung Kwitang Jakarta. While for Gramedia Bogor, no pictures taken, maybe next time hehehe.

FYI, Sakura is really catalogued into Foreign Literature! (They must be wrong! It is a pure writing of a young Indonesian global writer!)
Ini kutipannya:

SBdY dipajang di Rack no 4002 untuk kategori Sastra.
Ditempatkan di jejeran karya sastra lain, spt:

1. Memoirs of Geisha by Arthur Golden
2. Mushashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
3. Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
4. Sam Kok - Roman Sejarah
5. Pendekar-Pendekar Negeri Tayli
6. Beng Ciang Hong in Lok karya Liang Ie Shen
Sedangkan di toko buku Gunung Agung di Kwitang Jakarta, stocknya lagi habis.
Aku udah check di data base-nya dan juga nanya ke penjaganya.

(Thank you for Mr Harry Suhartanto!)

To be updated with 3 more winners

OK, OK, so sorry that I have not been more informed than Pak Harry or Mbak Illydea. The novels for RSI quiz have been snapped out all, but they haven't updated me with names or details. Will be uploaded soon after I receive their details.

Sorry juga buat pendengar RSI di Sumatra yang masih pingin dapet novelnya. Rest assured Pak Harry will try his best to find apa novel Sakura Bersemi ini masih ada di Gramedia / Gunung Agung di kota Anda -- as I don't have anymore spared novels...

Lulu's Screenshots

Storefront

Description

Testing: Available @ Lulu.com

I'm testing Lulu.com for publishing Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama in the US. If it works, I will buy a new ISBN to publish it worldwide so that semua orang yang ngerti Bahasa Indo bisa menikmati karya saya *hahaha*

This international version has 228 pages, 6" x 9", perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink , 100# white exterior paper, full-color exterior ink. Different font types inside - I hope my choices of fonts would facilitate readers' imagination...

Content wise, all typos (hopefully I don't miss anything) have been amended. And there is one page of selected reviews (Pantene, Pak Harry's review in Riau Pos, Mbak Nunik's in Batam Pos, Mbak Illydea's in RSI Malay) and Dr Dede's congratulatory comment. My author's profile is on the final page (coz there is no flap cover this time around).

PS: The blank space on the bottom right of the back cover is for the new ISBN later on (hopefully).

Receipt of 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize

-----Original Message-----
From: Info [mailto:info@manasianliteraryprize.org]
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:15 AM
To: Yunisa
Subject: 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize - Ref: 20070123_002

I am writing to confirm receipt of your submission to the 2007 Man Asian Literary Prize, which has been assigned a reference number: 20070123_002.
Sincerely,
Mary Lee
Prize Administrator
2007 Man Asian Literary Prize

Submitted to Man Asian Literary Prize Competition

Finally... Today I have submitted the translation of Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama (Sakura Blossoms in Yokohama) to the Man Asian Literary Prize Competition. Yes, one of my personal (or is it professional?) targets is to get Sakura published in English, so it can touch wider international readers... Hopefully, I can be a future Tolkien or a future Lewis!

Well, I don't know whether this "light" novel can be considered as a piece of literary work - yeah, if you see it in Indonesian, memang mirip karya sastra (haha, PD amat)... But I just go with Dr Dede's advice to me that I do have some literary talents... At least if I can make into "long list" or even "Top 5" again, surely Indonesia (as my nationality) and Singapore (as my country of residence) will be proud of me *_*

PS: I'm also considering whether I want to take up one "bad" offer from other publisher for my next novels or shall I wait for a better offer... Please pray for me so I can be wise and enlightened in my decision. Thank you.

Translation is being checked

My first update in 2007. Sigh. What a hard work for a month plus! And it's still in progress... Too many "small" mistakes on every single page I typed. Typo, the Indonesian version hasn't been deleted, grammatical errors, formatting errors...

The problem is that I could not find someone whom I could rely on checking -- ensuring the same flavour of the Indonesian's Sakura Bersemi di Yokohama is properly put into English version -- the proverbs, the jokes... while at the same time checking the grammar part. Well, I just don't trust my friends enough, frankly speaking, knowing that their "level of accuracy" is not better than me =D

Probably I would ask a colleague to check it for me after I've done my correction.

For every single Indonesian proverb I use in SBdY-- I have tried to find an equivalent in English. And the Bible verses I quote has been checked as well. (Surely I could not ask any translator for this kind of touch).

That's all the update on my part. I would bring my laptop when I'm travelling so I can continue my work on Sakura before submitting it to the competition (the deadline is end of March). Yes, my resolution for Sakura in 2007 is for her to go international!