Hey, look, it's Camy Tang!

Hi! I'm thrilled to be here today!

Rachel asked me to talk a bit about why I wrote my novel, Sushi for One.

I have to admit, God had to wrench it out of me. I'd blithely written four other novels before Sushi for One, and they’d poured out of my brain onto the computer screen almost like magic.

I expected manuscript number five to be like that, too. I knew the cast of characters, the Sakai family cousins. I knew the plot-diabolical Grandma, junior high girls' volleyball team, mandatory date to the next family wedding.

I knew the spiritual conflict of my heroine, Lex, who had used her Ephesians Bible study to come up with a crazy list of qualifications for The Perfect Man.

But God had other plans.

He didn't ask me to change what the book was supposed to be about. But He did ask me to dig deeper-to dig further into my own personal struggles-in order to infuse some of that into Lex's spiritual arc.

I don't know about you, but digging into my personal struggles isn't exactly my idea of a day at Disneyland. I don't like digging.

It's not like picking at your pimples or scratching at a scab-it's like grabbing a scalpel and slashing away. (Oops, was that too graphic? Sorry) But you know God ... He just keeps nudging us until we finally say, "All right, fine!"

And then He laughs because we're so annoyed, but we also know He's right. I put some of my own personal struggles into Lex's character-the determination to charge forward full steam instead of waiting to see what God would want, the determination to get my own way, the determination ... well, just determination.

Yes, I'm a pretty bull-headed person sometimes. I gave Lex some of my own personal fears, which made it a slightly darker book, but I hope it also adds more complexity to her character.

When I finally typed The End, I felt like I'd run a marathon. In high heels. But I also knew it was a better book because God had wanted me to dig deeper.

I hope you enjoy it, too!

Rachel here: Camy is a wonderful friend and writer and I'm thrilled to be a stop on her blog tour!

Camy, when did we meet for the first time? Oh, on email. We were brainstorming a project with Mary Griffith.

Then we met in person at the ACFW conference... seems like I've always known her. She's also been an ecouragement to me and I appreciate her heart!

Great blessings on Sushi for One, Camy!