Emily Out of Focus
Page 15
I was a big sister and I would be for the rest of my life. Our family was different now, but
sometimes you don’t know what you’ve been missing until it actually happens to you.
I shut my journal, thinking about my photo project. I wouldn’t have an entry in the photojournalist contest, and I wasn’t going to win a scholarship to the photojournalist camp. It had nearly crushed me when Mom and Dad first took Nana’s camera away. I had thought I needed a magical transfer of special skills from my grandmother, an award-winning, world-famous photographer who’d used that same camera to take pictures for National Geographic.
Nana had been trying to tell me all along, but maybe I hadn’t been listening. I had to find the magic within myself. I could take good pictures, with or without ’her camera. And I could follow my dream to be a photojournalist someday even if I’d missed out on a very important contest.
I couldn’t use my China pictures to win a scholarship, but I could use them for something better. Something my grandmother would have loved. I closed my eyes, thinking about the video I was going to put together when we got home. I could feel the excitement building inside of me as I imagined my gift for the whole family. It would use all the photos taken in China, strung together with exactly the right music. I already had the perfect name.
Finding Mei Lin.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
In 2006, we traveled to China to adopt our daughter. At the time, orphanages were full of baby girls waiting for homes because of strict laws to control the overpopulation in the country. In the last decade, however, there have been a lot of changes.
In 2016, the law was changed from a one-child policy to a two-child policy. China has also tried to balance its male-majority population, finding homes for baby girls within their own country. Chinese orphanages now have many boys as well as girls available for adoption, and most are older children and/or children with special needs who are hoping to find families and a home of their own.
Because of recent events, I decided to add the dates to the journal entries to more accurately reflect the changes in the adoption process. While some places mentioned in the book are directly related to our travel experience, the names of many places have been fictionalized.
During our amazing two-week journey to Changsha and Guangzhou, we experienced as much as we could of our daughter’s culture. Our tour guide from the adoption agency planned interesting outings for us, many of which are described in this novel. We visited beautiful tree-lined parks full of old statues where people gathered in large groups to perform Tai Chi and ballroom dances. We saw the contrast in this country, from the workers at rice paddies that we passed over before touching down at the airport to cities larger than the ones we have in the United States. People were friendly even though most did not speak English, and yes, our shy blonde-haired biological daughter had many photo requests from strangers!
When we first adopted our daughter, the agency told us we would not receive any information about her birth family. It was against the law to put a child up for adoption, so moms had to leave their babies at places where they knew they would be picked up and taken to the orphanage.
In writing about Katherine’s journey to find her birth family, I ’read some fascinating and heartwarming stories about reunions between adopted children and their biological families. One story that stuck out in my mind was about a girl who (with her family’s help) posted a letter on a message board at her finding spot in a park, and within days she was reunited with her birth family. In this book, I fictionalized the name of the park where Katherine posted her letter, though the description of the park was based on many that we visited while we were in the country.
After adopting my daughter from China, I was inspired to write this book to show how families can be different, but regardless of how they are formed, we all have common bonds of love that connect us: adopted moms and dads with their children; adopted siblings with each other; and adopted children with their biological families . . . even if they’ve been unable to find each other.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’ll start with a huge thank you to my fantastic agent, Brent Taylor, for sharing feedback and believing in Emily from the start!
To Alison Weiss, for falling in love with my story and sharing your enthusiasm and excitement about the project. Also a big thanks for finding the perfect title and illustrator. Sending hugs!
To Jennifer Bricking, for the beautiful cover!
To Nicole Frail, for taking on the project and sharing your editorial wisdom. Emily Out of Focus is a stronger book because of your feedback.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, to the many writers and SCBWI members who have read different versions of Emily Out of Focus over the years and encouraged me to stick with the story. To Stefanie Gorin for your insight and enthusiastic comments on my very first draft. To Yolanda Ridge, for not only being a great critique partner through multiple drafts, but for being a supportive friend! To my sensitivity readers, Henry Lien and Karen Bao. I greatly value your feedback.
To Kathy of Wasatch Adoption Agency, for making our journey possible and for sharing updated information about Chinese adoptions.
To Liz, for celebrating with me during the happy times and being there (just a text away!) during the struggles. You’re the best friend anyone could have!
To Naomi, for reading and supporting my writing- this means the world to me.
To Scott, for being by my side on this journey that started in China. I love you!
To Eliana, for being the best big sister ever.
And especially to Carissa (Lyric), Emily and Mei Lin would not be here without you. A red thread has always connected us!