1–What is the title of your latest release? THE FUNERAL CRYER 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The Funeral Cryer tells the story of an unnamed woman in a remote village in China who cries at funerals for a living. Her fellow villagers shun her as they believe she carries a deadly atmosphere. She leads a mundane and isolated life and her jobless husband does not appreciate her hard work. She goes to the barbershop regularly and gradually she is attracted to the barber, who is a newcomer in her village. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Professional mourning is a dying tradition in China – it mainly exists in remote areas now, so a village setting without convenient transport and where everyone knows everyone seemed an ideal place for the story to take place. I interviewed some friends who are from villages in Northeast China, and West Mud River Village, the village in the book, is actually the name of a real village; I based my story village on its details. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes. I’d tell her she doesn’t carry a deadly atmosphere…