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Writer mom

By on June 1, 2008

Completing and publishing a book is no mean feat in any circumstances. American author Suzanne Kamata wrote her first novel Losing Kei while raising twins in provincial Tokushima in Shikoku.

“Motherhood in Japan is potentially all-consuming. I was determined to keep a little bit of time for myself,” she says. “At times, I wrote in 20-minute increments, whenever I had the chance—while waiting for a pot to boil or late at night.”

Published by Leapfrog Press earlier this year, Losing Kei is the story of an American woman fighting to gain custody of her son from her Japanese husband. The original premise came from a short story that Suzanne wrote for ANA’s in-flight magazine, but the novel is quite different in tone. “In the short story, the mother leaves Japan without her child. But after giving birth to my twins a year after I wrote it, I realized that a mother wouldn’t have gotten on that plane so quietly.” Suzanne decided to further explore the multi-faceted topic of international marriage and divorce, and Losing Kei was the result.

Suzanne’s children provided inspiration for her next work, a picture book called Playing for Papa and due out this November from Topka Press. “This book was written for my son, who requested a story about him playing baseball with his dad. There aren’t a lot of stories for kids like mine–kids with parents of two cultures living in Japan. I also try to include children with special needs doing ordinary things. My daughter is featured in this story, playing baseball with her brother and father while sitting in her wheelchair.”

2008 is turning out to be a stellar year for the multi talented Suzanne, who also edited an anthology called Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs (Beacon Press, 2008).

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