Meet Susan Blumberg-Kason | Author & Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Susan Blumberg-Kason and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
I’ve published a number of books and along the way have received dozens and dozens of rejections. It’s difficult to believe in one’s work in the midst of all these rejections, but when I feel passionate about a book project and cannot stop thinking or talking about it and only want to write it, I know I need to continue until I find a home for these book projects. Writing is a long process with lots of drafts and edits, and when I read a manuscript hundreds of times and still feel as passionate about it as when I first started, I also know it’s not a project to put aside!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m mainly a non-fiction author, but I have also edited an anthology of short stories. I went to Goucher College, a small liberal arts school outside Baltimore and never bought into the idea that college is a time to train for a profession. I think it’s a time to train for a life of curiosity. And that curiosity has served me well. I’ve worked in academic libraries and communications departments and from those jobs I developed writing and editing skills that I’ve used to publish a number of books, most of which have been traditionally published. It certainly is not easy to become traditionally published, which usually requires the expertise of a literary agent. I have kept email files full of rejections and even made a scarf printed with rejections from my last book, which gave me the inspiration to keep trying. That book, Bernardine’s Shanghai Salon, was finally published this past November. Perseverance is really the name of the game in publishing. I have mainly written about Hong Kong and China in memoir, biography, and book reviews, a lot of which crosses over into Jewish topics.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

I was born and raised outside Chicago and after a thirteen year stint on both US coasts and in Hong Kong, I’ve been back for the last 24 years. So I know and love Chicago dearly and enjoy being a tourist in my own town.

We’d start on North Michigan Avenue at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, which is super touristy, but one of my favorite spots. There’s a great rooftop deck with views of Michigan Avenue and the food is good and not super expensive. We’d then walk south down Michigan Avenue to take an architectural boat tour along the Chicago River and then spend the rest of the day walking south along Lake Michigan to Millennium Park, a great place to take photos!

Other days I’d drive north, south, and west of downtown Chicago, each of which could occupy a day. North to Wilmette and the Bahai’i Temple, one of only seven or eight in the world. There are cute lunch spots in that area. We’d also go south to the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago to see the University of Chicago campus, which has a number of museums that are doable in an hour each. Hyde Park has become a restaurant destination, so we would have plenty to choose from for lunch and dinner. We would also go to Oak Park, a western suburb with a large number of Frank Lloyd Wright homes, including the architect’s studio.

I’d also suggest spending a day in Chinatown, accessed via water taxi from Union Station in downtown Chicago. There are kayaks for rent in Ping Tom Park along the Chicago River and plenty of great restaurants and places for tea in that area. We’d also go to the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, which is small but always has world class exhibits. A drive or two up and down Lake Shore Drive during the day and at night is also a must-do!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Writing may seem like a solitary endeavor, but it really involves many people! I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the first person who took a chance on me and hired me in the early 2000s to be a contributing author of a renowned Chicago guidebook, A Native’s Guide to Chicago, 4th edition. Sharon Woodhouse not only was the first person to hire me as a paid writer, but has been a wonderful mentor all these years. And I’ll add the two women who have most recently taken a chance on me. My fabulous literary agent, Alicia Brooks, of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency and my editor, Debra Englander, of Post Hill Press, are the people who have made possible the publication of my most recent book, Bernardine’s Shanghai Salon: The Story of the Doyenne of Old China. It is such an honor to work with all of these women!

Website: www.susanbkason.com

Instagram: susanbkason

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-blumberg-kason-9326713/

Twitter: @Susan_BK

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.blumbergkason/

Youtube: @susanblumberg-kason9346

Image Credits
Austin Johnson, Sharon Woodhouse