Nov 3

Nov 3 Talking Taiwan: Ed Lin: Ghost Month In Taiwan

We thought it would be a good time to re-share this past episode about the Ghost Month in Taiwan- since November first, the day after Halloween, October 31st is actually short for all Saints’ Eve, and November first is All Saints’ Day, a Christian feast dedicated to celebrating departed saints. When you really get into it there are many festivals around the world that center around celebrating or commemorating dead spirits, souls, and ghosts.

In Taiwan the Ghost Month happens during the seventh month of the Lunar calendar, which was not that long ago. Actually, this year it was in August. This week’s episode features an interview that I did in 2014 with author Ed Lin about his novel, Ghost Month.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

What the Ghost Month is and how it relates to Ed’s book by the same title
The superstitions related to the Ghost Month
Ed’s novel the Ghost Month
The research that Ed did for his novel
Ed’s source in organized crime
Ed’s interest in the murder mystery genre
How Ed has been inspired by mystery book author Chester Himes
Ed’s character Robert Chow, a Chinese American detective who is featured in a number of his mystery novels
Ed’s writing process
How Ed immersed himself in the time period when he was writing about Chinatown in 1976
Why Ed chose to write about Chinatown in 1976
Ed’s advice for aspiring authors
Ed’s book tour for Ghost Month