JANNA WONG HEALY
Writer ~ Editor ~ Educator ~ Social Media Manager
In Mariana Wong's Summer of Love, it's the late '60s. The Vietnam War is raging. It's time for sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and for the youth of America to stretch the bounds of personal discovery and adventure. But, all Mariana Wong wants is a chance to grow up outside the confines of her family's old-fashioned Chinese ways. Mari's opportunity arrives in the form of a solo trip away from home to celebrate her graduation from high school. Timid and shy at first, and way too aware of her Chinese traditions, Mari's life radically changes after a chance encounter on the southbound train with her high school crush Davey Whitaker. With Davey at her side, Mari's trip turns into a once-in-a-lifetime adventure as she learns the value of independence, the importance of tradition and the ups and downs of falling in love.
Mariana Wong's Summer of Love was a quarter-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award Competition!
To buy this Kindle book, please go to:
Artwork for both titles by Peggy Okeya Yamamoto
What do an outdoor adventurer and a jazz musician have in common? As it turns out, only one thing: a woman named Libby.
In Let's Get Lost, successful business executive Libby is told that her outdoor adventurer fiance may be having an affair so she follows him to the mountains to spy on him. Meanwhile, jazz musician Kit falls into a deep funk after his closest friend and band mate moves to Europe so his sister sends him to the mountains to get away from it all. When Libby gets lost and is rescued by Kit, bickering and comical misadventures ensue. Will Libby and Kit ever realize how much they need each other?
To buy this Kindle book, go to:
The late '60s and the youth countercultural rages. In L.A., all 17-year-old China wants is freedom from her sisters, her familial responsibilities and the restricting Chinese traditions. Her ally is her dad who suggests a life-changing train trip. When China crosses paths with Frank, her high school crush, they travel together and exciting adventures ensue. China's journey is extraordinary. Some memories are wonderful;
others will sting forever.
Proudly, she remains unbreakable through them all.
To read these stories on Kindle-Vella, go to:
It's the '70s and "perfect little, dutiful, respect-their-elders Chinese girls" are supposed to marry perfect, respect-their-elders Chinese boys. But, what happens when that girl isn't really in love with the man she's to marry...and her best friend is in love with her?
http://writeoutpublishing.com/collections/short-stories/products/black-tie-blues
The Hypothesis of Love is a one-act play that was performed as part of the O'Shadowfest (Offending Shadows Theater) in North Hollywood, California.
After the tragic and untimely death of her fiancé Henry, scientist Dr. Phillipa Nash attempts to re-create him in her lab, to the consternation of her friend Auggie Bartholomew who harbors a secret crush on her.
She wakes to a bright and beautiful LA morning. And then she remembers...it's the day her husband is leaving her.
My collection of connected short stories, A Life in Yellow-Gold, was performed in the inaugural "Emerging Voices" program presented by The New Short Fiction Series. My play, The Girl and the Goon, received a staged reading through Playwrights Kitchen Ensemble; another full-length play, Sweet and Sour, was a Top Ten Finalist in the Theater Mu New Playwrights Competition. A one-act play, Couplings, received a staged reading through the David Henry Hwang Writers Workshop through East West Players.
I continue to add short stories and plays (one-act and full-length) to my collection. In other words, I keep writing...it's something I can't stop doing!