Wendy Tokunaga

About me:

After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysteries, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. This overwhelming place where nothing is quite as it seems changes Celeste in ways she never expected, leading her to ask: What is the true meaning of family? And what does it mean to discover your own voice?

Advance praise for Love in Translation:

“A delightful novel about love, identity, and what it means to be adrift in a strange land. This story of a search has an Alice in Wonderland vibe; when Celeste climbs down the rabbit hole, one can't help but follow along.” –Michelle Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog

“An amusing story of one woman's quest for her father and the improbable path of love.”   —Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters

My debut novel, Midori By Moonlight, published by St. Martin's Griffin is available now. Exploring the theme of why some people feel the need to trade in their native culture for a new one, it's a comic novel of East meets West fusion that introduces readers to fresh-from-Japan Midori Saito escaping a straitjacket society, who longs to be a pastry chef, and finds herself lost in translation in San Francisco as she searches for her American Dream and the perfect dessert.

Praise for MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT:

“Tokunaga depicts Midori's determination to create her own version of the American dream with exuberance [in this] delectably frothy debut.” – Publisher’s Weekly

“Tokunaga suffuses the book with warmth and lightness. . .Just as the right dessert hits the spot, reading this delicious slice of escapism makes for a perfect afternoon. But instead of suffering a sugar crash afterward, you'll muse for days about the characters you've left behind and why they matter so much to you.”—San Francisco Chronicle

"A great little romp on both sides of the Pacific." —Asian Review of Books

"A delightful debut novel." —Tokyo Metropolis

“[Midori by Moonlight] draws upon vivid imagery when defining traits of Japanese culture and really hits the nail on the head when depicting some American attitudes toward others.... witty and charming."—Charleston Gazette

“A surprisingly pleasurable read.”—Daily Yomiuri

“A delightful fusion of East meeting West, as if Banana Yoshimoto and Meg Cabot got together to create a romantic comedy.” - Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Vertigo

I am also a singer (bossa nova, jazz, retro pop, Japanese music, etc.) and have a duo with my husband, Osaka-born Manabu "Stokemaster" Tokunaga called Star Jazzmin. I have been to Japan many times and enjoy visiting Harajuku, Shibuya, Daikanyama, Shimokitazawa, Jiyugaoka, and hot spots in Osaka. I speak okay Japanese, but it gets rusty because I don't get to use it too much! My husband and I speak mostly in English, but with a good Japanese phrase or word thrown in for that extra-something you just can't express in English! Join my Author Page on Facebook! Love in Translation coming from St. Martin's on Nov. 24, 2009!