Justina Chen

Justina Chen
Born1968 (age 56–57)
Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationNovelist, Executive Communications Strategist
NationalityTaiwanese-American
Alma materStanford University
GenreYoung Adult Fiction
Notable worksNorth of Beautiful, Return to Me, A Blind Spot for Boys
Website
www.justinachen.com

Justina Chen (born 1968 in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania) is a Taiwanese-American[1] fiction writer and executive communications consultant. She is best known for her young-adult fiction, especially North of Beautiful (2009), A Blind Spot for Boys (2014), Girl Overboard (2008), and Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (2006).

Background

Chen was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania in 1968 to Taiwanese-American parents. She later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford in Economics in only three years, where she also won the Dean's Award for Service.[2][3] After graduating from Stanford, she worked as a marketing executive at Microsoft in Seattle[3][4] before becoming a novelist and story consultant.[4]

Writing career

After leaving Microsoft to pursue her writing career, Chen first wrote her first book, The Patch (2006).[3] Her first Young Adult novel, Nothing But the Truth (and a few white lies), won one of the 2007 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.[5] From 2007 to 2008, Justina toured across the United States with Olympic Gold medalist Hannah Teter to promote her upcoming book, Girl Overboard, and the "Go Overboard" challenge grants co-sponsored by Youth Venture and Burton Snowboards.[6] North of Beautiful, her next book, won a Kirkus Book of the Year and a Barnes & Noble Book of the Year award and is widely considered her most famous work.[7] Return to Me is said to be based loosely on events that happened to her and her family, and has received positive responses from critics. Her latest young adult book, A Blind Spot For Boys, has received generally positive reviews from critics.[8] Chen also founded Readergirlz, a literary project targeted at girls, which won a National Book Award for innovations in reading.[5]

In 2008, Chen returned to Microsoft as a speechwriter and communications executive for Robert J. Bach, President of Microsoft Entertainment.[3] Four years later, she left Microsoft and returned to novel writing, executive communications and storytelling consulting.[9] She self-published her first business book, The Art of Inspiration: Lead Your Best Story, based on her marketing and storytelling experience.[10] She currently tours the country on a speaking tour with Robert J. Bach, and has been invited to speak at companies including Microsoft, NASDAQ, Mayo Clinic, and Disney.[3]

Published books

  • The Patch (2006), illustrations by Mitch Vane. Charlesbridge ISBN 1-58089-170-5
  • Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) (2006), Little-Brown ISBN 0-316-01131-2
  • Girl Overboard (2008), Little-Brown ISBN 0-316-01129-0
  • North of Beautiful (2009), Little-Brown ISBN 0-316-02506-2
  • Return to Me (2013), Little-Brown ISBN 0-316-10255-5
  • A Blind Spot for Boys (2014), Little-Brown ISBN 9780316102537
  • The Art of Inspiration: Lead Your Best Story (2016), Sparkline Creative ISBN 0988717417
  • Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2018), Arthur A. Levine Books ISBN 133813406X

References

  1. ^ A Book Talk with Justina Chen Headley and Alvina Ling (2006), retrieved August 14, 2006. Archived July 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Chen, Justina. "Justina Chen's Biography". Justina Chen.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Microsoft Alumni Network - Justina Chen". www.microsoftalumni.com. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  4. ^ a b "Taiwanese Women in Publishing". natwa.com. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  5. ^ a b Xu, Wenying (2012-04-12). Historical Dictionary of Asian American Literature and Theater. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810873940.
  6. ^ "Go Overboard & Challenge Yourself (and your kids)". MomsRising's Blog. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  7. ^ "NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL by Justina Chen Headley | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  8. ^ "A Blind Spot for Boys - Hachette Book Group". www.hachettebookgroup.com. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  9. ^ "Justina Chen's Biography | Scholastic.com". Scholastic Teachers. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
  10. ^ "Justina Chen: Master Storyteller". Get Started.