Lisa Zhang Wharton: Spies in the Bunker

Can you give some background on your piece? What inspired you to write “Spies in the Bunker”?

They are based on my childhood stories. My friend and I used to go down to the bunkers after school and tried to investigate.

This story encompasses the conflicting emotions of being a child: Jasmine doesn’t have much control in her life when it comes to family, but her friendship with Jade provides freedom and discovery. What message are you trying to share with your readers?

I tried to convey a message that one can overcome a bad family situation by making friends with people who are doing well at school and getting help and encouragement.

I love that in the end of the story, Jasmine moves through her fear while she’s having a nightmare and makes it to safety, unscathed—but she wets the bed. How do you face your fears? 

Growing up in a family where domestic problems were a daily occurrence, I tried very hard to deal with this when I was very young. I found running outside when I was sixteen. Whenever I ran outside, I got runner’s high so it made me feel good. I’m still doing a lot of outdoor exercise now at age 59 like hiking, skiing, biking, swimming, and skating. I have never stopped exercising outside no matter how cold it is. It has helped me to be who I am now. I’m a successful software engineer, a good mother and will be a full time writer in a few years.

Can you tell us about your journey as a writer?

Writing found me by no accident. Before I was 18, I lived a life of misery and tragedy without knowing it. When I went to college, the renowned Peking University and studied physics, I discovered the literature and realized that I lived a typical writer’s life. It is my duty to write it down and tell it to the world. Even today, I still live under such an obligation. In the last three decades, my life has undergone dramatic changes by moving to the United States from Beijing, China. I managed to write at least three book manuscripts, and four of my short stories have been published by literary magazines. My novel “Last Kiss In Tiananmen Square” is published by Myrddin Publishing and sold on Amazon. 

What does your writing process look like? 

I write things down whenever I feel like I have an urge to write.

Do you have any advice for children who want to be writers? Especially children of color? 

Keep writing and don’t give it up, even though it’s hard to make a living from it.

Do you have any book projects we should look out for?

My second book “Chinese Lolita” is coming out soon.

Is there anything else you’d like your readers to know? 

I will spend more time writing.

Lisa enjoying a vacation in Nice, France.