Blog Tour for Only Uni by Camy Tang!

I'm thrilled to be participating in the blog tour for one of Christian fiction's newest and most entertaining chick lit voices--Camy Tang. If you haven't yet picked up her first release, Sushi for One? I highly recommend it. Camy's blog is great, too, if you're like me and addicted to blogs. :) Her second novel, Only Uni is out now and SO much fun! I interviewed Camy over email--here's what she has to say about her new book....

Alison: So...what's uni?

Camy: Okay, I have to warn people, this is kind of gross:
Uni (oo-nee) is the Japanese name for the edible part of the Sea
Urchin. While colloquially referred to as the roe (eggs), uni is
actually the animal's gonads.

It's an actual sushi, and I think it tastes disgusting. But my dad
loves it. It's considered a delicacy, and you just have to develop a
taste for it, I guess.

However, when we named the book, it was a double entendre--uni as in
sushi, and uni as in "one." Most people don't know about what uni
sushi really is, so the marketing team thought it would be okay to
have it in the title.

Alison: I love the dynamic between the cousins, and their unique personalities.
Do you have a cousin network like that of your own?

Camy: Actually, no. But I have friends who are VERY close to their cousins,
and I'm close to several of my friends, so I just kind of
extrapolated. :) I also created characters who are a bit excessive in
their personalities--I don't know if I'd actually LIKE cousins as
intense as they are in real life!--and none of my friends have cousins
who are strong personalities like Lex, Trish, and Venus.



Alison: Without getting specific so as not to spoil anything, I have to say that
the twist at the end was awesome. Did you know all along that would happen,
or did it surprise you too?

Camy: It did surprise me, but the surprise was before I wrote the book. I
had finished Sushi for One, and I had a skeleton plot for Only Uni. As
I was plotting Only Uni out in more detail, a few things about Trish
changed, and it occurred to me that if A happens, then B might happen,
too. And so the twist at the end was born.


Alison: I really love Trish's character--probably because I see a lot of myself
in the poor girl. :) I know that there's always a few pieces of my own life
and personality in my main characters--is that usually true for you, too? In
what ways do you identify with Trish?

Camy: I identify with Trish in many ways. I had a hard time with my
singleness as a Christian woman, especially because no one seemed to
address the fact that women are sensual creatures as well as men.
Trish's boy-craziness was a lot like myself, and I knew a lot of other
Christian women would relate to that, as well. Trish's desire to
change is also part of my own growth--it's only been in the past few
years that I've come to understand my identity in Christ and be happy
in it.


Alison: PLEASE tell me we're going to hear more about Trish's story--I'm dying to know how her future is going to pan out! You carried the thread of "Sushi For One" main character Lex into this story, too, as part of the background of "Only Uni," so I assume we'll know the outcome of Trish's current situation through your next book. But do you see yourself writing any full-on sequels to any of the women's stories?

Camy: I'm not contracted for any other books beyond Venus's story in SINGLE
SASHIMI, which is out in August. HOWEVER, I'm dying to write Jenn's story, and I'm going to release it as a free ebook that my newsletter YahooGroup members can download (people can join my YahooGroup here.). People can read a short blurb about Jenn's story on my website.


As for sequels for any of the other cousins--who knows? I guess it
depends on how much interest there is in it.

Alison: Speaking of your next book, which of the cousins will have her story told next? Any sneak peeks you can give us into that story?

Camy: Venus's story is the next and (mostly) final novel in the series.
Here's the blurb:

Drake Yu. Why would Drake call her after … what, five years? Six?

Venus heard in his voice that resonance that was almost a growl, that
titanium-hard determination to get what he wanted. And he usually got
what he wanted. The voice said: "I want you to work for me."

Not this time… If it was a choice between Drake and McDonald's—she'd
choose french fries. She'd never work for him again. It would take an
act of God.

Venus Chau is determined to start her own game development company and
launch the next Super Mario-sized phenomenon. However, she needs an
investor to back her idea. When Drake Yu, an old nemesis, approaches
Venus with a contracting opportunity at his sister's startup, the
offer to become Chief Operating Officer tempts Venus to think the
unthinkable.

Venus would rather throw away her PS3 than work for Drake again …
except Grandma bribes Venus to do this favor for Drake's wealthy
family with a coveted introduction to the most respected investor in
the game industry. It's also a short job—only a few months—so Venus
won't have to stand Drake's presence for very long.

But one wild youth group, a two-faced assistant, and Grandma's
determined match-making threaten to make them both fail—or go insane.
With the encouragement of her three cousins, Lex, Trish, and Jennifer,
Venus discovers that even a wounded heart can undergo a beautiful
transformation …

Thanks for having me here, Alison! I also want to tell people about a
huge website contest I've got going on--I'm giving away FIVE BOXES of
Christian fiction books! Only my newsletter YahooGroup members can
enter, so join today! Contest info is here.

There you have it, kids. Check out Camy's website, blog, contests, and, most importantly, BOOKS! I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Thanks for stopping by, Camy! Best of luck with your novels!