Honolulu Weekly

In addition to being the author of two books (Beads, Boys and the Buddha and The Bodhisattva Club) and the head of Lotus Moon in Love, Wendy Miyake is an adjunct instructor in fiction and autobiography, a self-described card-carrying Buddhist and a multi-talented young woman who is teaching herself book and web design. In 2001 she won Honolulu Magazine’s fiction competition with her story ‘GetMyMoi.com,’ and her award included a trip to the Maui Writers’ Conference, an annual gathering that is Hawai’i’s splashiest literary event. With her, she took a manuscript about Spain for which she hoped to find a publisher.

So what happened at the conference?

At the time of the conference, I was fairly naive. I thought that I would go and some agent would show some interest and then poof! I would be a published writer. But I think it was my first experience with the business side of publishing and I was very disillusioned by it. Publishers often do not publish good writers. They publish what will sell. So, when I figured that out, I spent the rest of the time there eating in restaurants and getting a massage and meeting new friends. So all was not lost.

And did that experience lead to the creation of Lotus Moon in Love?

I started Lotus Moon in Love originally as a jewelry company. I loved making jewelry, but my first love will always be writing. I was moaning about the rejection letters I kept getting from publishers and agents when a friend of mine suggested self-publishing. I thought she was crazy but in the end, she was right. If I self-published, I could have creative control. That’s something I wouldn’t be able to have with a big publisher. So I went for it.

How did you decide on the name Lotus Moon in Love?

Well, being Buddhist, I have always liked lotuses and the symbolic significance of the flower. It is a flower that grows to perfection from mud, and we can relate this analogy to our mind and heart and soul. That we want it to be pure even in the kind of world we live in. I have also loved the moon. That is something that my father and I share. But you’d be surprised how many Chinese restaurants are named Lotus Moon. And I wanted to get an e-mail address with Lotus Moon and it was taken. So I’m sitting at the computer trying to think of an alternative and came up with ‘in love.’ I think love is truly the only real thing in this world. So in a way the name really fits the company and the kind of books we put out.

How do your parents participate in decision-making at Lotus Moon?

We discuss business decisions collectively. One side of my family has a lot of entrepreneurs, and I really like that aspect. I love the entrepreneurs I’m meeting through my publishing work.

Tell us about the production of your books.

Sheridan Books is my printer, and they are awesome not only in production and customer service but in rectifying problems fairly and quickly. They were wonderful to work with on both books. The artist for my first book was Wendy Hakoda, and she is a graphic designer. The person who drew the artwork is Wendy’s friend Jason Oshiro. On the second book, a friend of mine, Karen Miyashiro, did the work. On both books I have had a hand in the concept–more-so on the second book. I think it is important for authors to collaborate with the designer. There are wonderful designers out there, but a collaboration is necessary to truly get your message across.

I really like small books. I thought Beads, Boys and the Buddha was a little too big, but it was a standard size. After reading Banana Yoshimoto’s books, I fell in love with the size. Small enough to put in your purse.

At the launch, you said that you changed your nephew’s name in the book in order to protect him and that he was unhappy about it because he wanted to see his name. Are there any other fictional elements in the book?

Yes, I created the Reverend because I had to explain the concept of the bodhisattva. But that was the only other fictional thing.

At your launch, you said that it was difficult being a spiritual person. What about being a spiritual writer? How have people responded to your second book?

As a writer, it’s just as difficult. I don’t fit into any of the neat categories. However, there has been a very, very positive response to The Bodhisattva Club. My friends like this second book more–male and female friends.

What about your colleagues? Do you feel they take your writing seriously?

Yes, though if I were more of a literary writer, that might make it better. I don’t fit in neatly, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’m OK with that. I don’t have real writers I talk to, but then I’m quite antisocial. I don’t like to talk to people most of the time–except for my students and senior citizens, like my uncle.

It sounds like you’re close to your parents too.

Yes, I am.

Anything you’d like to say about your future or Lotus Moon’s?

I hope to publish the novel I took to the Maui Writers’ Conference next–I love that one, and the people I talk to about it want to read it now. I am also working on an anthology called The Male Project. I really want to hear true male voices. I think in our culture, we don’t get to hear those voices and there’s a lot of them out there. Women think they know what men are thinking, but I think a lot of them have their own truth. And maybe it’s about time we listen. I will also continue to work with the Virgin Mary on some new projects whatever they may be. I haven’t had a big urge to travel anywhere yet, so we’ll see.

The full interview with Wendy Miyake first appeared online at [wow-womenonwriting.com]. Pat Matsueda is the managing editor at MANOA Journal as part of the University of Hawai’i English department. Find out more about Lotus Moon in Love at [lotusmooninlove.com].