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Well, it's been a long soul-searching journey, and at last "Johari's Window" my debut novel is born.
I wrote the first draft of my fictional memoir in South Korea, a country I have had the pleasure of living and working in for almost 4 years. My love affair with South Korea began when I took an English Instructor job there in 1995. I returned to Korea again in 2008, and found that my fascination with the people and the culture still remained after many years. When you read my book, you will find descriptions of my life there, and references to a magical time in Korea; "Cherry Blossom Viewing Time" when families venture out into the spring sunshine to take photographs of the magnificent blossoms. The cover design of the book features a romantic moon-lit night, with a starry sky and the famous cherry trees.
Another love of mine is music and popular culture. I hope you will enjoy my references to music and film throughout the book- I have mentioned some of my favourites. I am particularly interested in how music and films may trigger nostalgic memories, and thoughts of our life when we first heard those songs or watched those movies come flooding back.
Because I wanted to make my memoir fresh and contemporary, you will also discover references to other works of art from 20th Century onwards, including postmodernist nods to the great authors Joyce and Woolf.
Maya Angelou, Princess Diana. Prince William and Kate Middleton and Obama get a mention! The sculpture of Henry Moore is mentioned, too, as is the beautiful sculpture park in The Forest of Dean with sculptures by other artists.
The famous psychological theory of personality gave me inspiration for the title of the book. I felt certain the title was right when I researched the name "Johari" and found that it meant "gem". There is a reference to a semi precious stone at the end of the book; one I bought in Cairo for my late mother, which was made into a ring. She never knew I was writing a book, and I lost her before the date of publication. I hope my book is a worthy and fitting tribute to the memory of her, and also my late father to whom the book is dedicated.
The book is a love story, but is also the story of the making of a writer. I hope there will be many more new writers in years to come.
Books allow us to pass things on to our children, our nieces and nephews, and our grandchildren. Books allow us to tell our unique histories and herstories. They are part of our heritage.