Rosa Kwon Easton: On Fiction Helping Tell a True Family Story
In this interview, author Rosa Kwon Easton discusses the surprises she faced in tackling fiction for the first time with her new historical novel, White Mulberry.
Rosa Kwon Easton was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up with her extended family in Los Angeles. She is a lawyer, library trustee, and author of the debut novel, White Mulberry (Lake Union), which is an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and a “Best Historical Fiction” book by BookBub. Easton is an Anaphora Writing Residency Fellow and her work has been published in CRAFT Literary, StoryCenter.org, Writer’s Digest, and elsewhere, A graduate of Smith College, Columbia University, and Boston College Law School, she resides with her husband and Maltipoo in sunny Southern California. Her sequel, Red Seal, is due out in 2026. Follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
In this interview, Rosa discusses the surprises she faced in tackling fiction for the first time with her new historical novel, White Mulberry, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Rosa Kwon Easton
Literary agent: Joelle Delbourgo
Book title: White Mulberry
Publisher: Lake Union
Release date: December 1, 2024
Genre/category: Historical Fiction
Elevator pitch: Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family. It’s a story about resilience, love, and finding home.
What prompted you to write this book?
I studied abroad in Kyoto during my junior year in college and met some of my Korean Japanese relatives for the first time. I began asking questions about how they ended up there, what their lives were like, and became more curious about the history of Koreans in Japan.
When I returned to the U.S., I found some old, faded documents on my father’s desk and learned that they were my Korean grandmother’s old Japanese nursing and midwife certificates, dating back to the late 1930s. I started talking to my grandmother about them, as she was living close to my family at the time. After I heard her story, I couldn’t forget it. That’s how White Mulberry was born.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I recorded my grandmother numerous times over the last 20 years. When she passed away in 2012, I assembled my notes and recordings of our conversations and finished a nonfiction account of her life in 2015. But during this process, I realized I couldn’t explore the depths and nuances of her character as much as I wanted. It was then that I decided to share my grandmother’s story through fiction.
Writing a novel allowed me the freedom to tell my grandmother’s tale through Miyoung’s eyes and to fill in gaps in her story. I could more richly imagine how her life might have been, what her goals and conflicts were, and how she changed at the end to become the strong, independent woman she was. I altered a few details—birth order and sequences of events—but the essence of my grandmother’s journey remains the same.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I had some amazing editors throughout my editing process. They helped deepen my story and cared for the characters and historical accuracy of the manuscript as much as I did. I not only had a developmental editor, copy editor, and proofreader, but also a cultural research reader, Korean language reader, and Japanese language reader. I learned so much from all of them and became a better writer as a result.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The biggest surprise was that I LOVE writing fiction! I was a life-long nonfiction writer before this—writing legal documents, then personal essays, and finally my grandmother’s memoir. I took a leap of faith and started taking fiction writing classes, studied fiction craft books, and joined writing critique groups. I learned a lot about the art of storytelling and enjoyed the process. I would love to learn to write poetry next!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Be yourself. After reading the novel, I hope readers will feel empowered to discover, share, and celebrate their true selves. In a world where our gender, race, and identity are still being challenged, it’s more important than ever to read stories about overcoming difficulties and embracing our differences. And I would love it if readers wanted to learn more about this era in Korean history as well.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Be patient. I am 60 this year and finally becoming a published author. It’s never too late! Claim your dreams and pursue your passions—because you never know what’s in store for you if you don’t try.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
