I was inspired to write my 7
th novel
THE WITCHβS MARKET based on
two incidents. About three years ago I read an article by my favorite Chinese
author Echo about her trip to the Witchesβ Market in Bolivia. Though the article
was short, somehow the title capered my imagination and I decided to write a
whole novel about the witchesβ market β when I had no idea what this novel would
be about.
However, instead of setting my novel in Bolivia, I decided to make it happen
on the Canary Islands. These seven islands are guarded by goddesses who are also
safe keepers for the hidden golden apples of Aphrodite. Sailors seeking the
legendary golden apples were lured to their doom by beautiful goddesses.
THE WITCHβS MARKET,
besides Echoβs article, was also inspired by an incident I experienced many
years ago. Once at a concert I was so annoyed by the performerβs pretentious
style that I stared at her instrumentβs strings and willed them to break.
Surprisingly, a few seconds later one of the strings broke, forcing her to stop
in the middle of her performance. Rather than being happy, I was frightened that
I might possess some strange power. I never tried it again; the possibility that
it might work was too scary, maybe even unethical. Instead I put this experience
into THE WITCHβS MARKET.
I follow Confuciusβ famous advice to respect the spirits but keep them at a
distance.
Mingmei Yip believes that one should, besides being entertained, also
get something out of reading a novel. Her other novels include:
Skeleton Women Femmes Fatales); The Nine
Fold Heaven, story of an ex spy and night-club singer undertaking
a dangerous journey to look for her long lost lover and son; Peach
Blossom Pavilion, story of the last Chinese Geisha;
Petals from the Sky -- a poignant Buddhist love story
about wisdom, compassion, when to persist and when to let go; Song
of the Silk Road , an adventure, love story between an older woman
and a younger man with a three million award on Chinaβs famous, dangerous route.
Besides writing, Mingmei is accomplished in many other fields. A professional
player of the Guqin, Chinese zither, she was recently invited by
Carnegie Hall to perform in βA Festival celebrating Chinese
Cultureβ program. She had her solo Goddess exhibition at the New York Open
Center Gallery to great acclaim and held calligraphy workshops at the City
University of New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She
has lectured extensively on Chinese art and culture at Oxford University,
Columbia University, Beijing University, University of Paris, Vassar College,
Williams College.
Mingmei is also a childrenβs book writer and illustrator. Her two childrenβs
books are Chinese Childrenβs Favorite Stories and
Grandma Pandaβs China Storybook, both by Tuttle
Publishing.
It's treasures are without limit
From the author of
Secret of a Thousand Beauties
and Peach Blossom Pavilion comes a beautifully
written novel of self-discovery and intrigue.
Chinese-American assistant professor Eileen Chen
specializes in folk religion at her San Francisco college.
Though her grandmother made her living as a shamaness,
Eileen publicly dismisses witchcraft as mere superstition.
Yet privately, the subject intrigues her.
When a research project takes her to the Canary Islandsβlong
rumored to be home to real witchesβEileen is struck by the
lush beauty of Tenerife and its blend of Spanish and
Moroccan culture. A stranger invites her to a local market
where women sell amulets, charms, and love spells. Gradually
Eileen immerses herself in her exotic surroundings, finding
romance with a handsome young furniture maker. But as she
learns more about the lives of these self-proclaimed
witches, Eileen must choose how much trust to place in this
new and seductive world, where love, greed, and vengeance
can be as powerful, or as destructive, as any magic.
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