Featured Interview With Diana Chan-Salitter
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. I am a 4th-generation Chinese from Fujian, China. In the 1850’s, my great-grandfather came to Manila to trade. He stayed for long periods and decided to marry two Chinese sisters already settled in Manila. (This was an allowed practice at the time.)
Most Chinese immigrants were educated in Anglo-Chinese schools, with English, Chinese, and Filipino subjects in primary and secondary school. After high school, I went to the University of the Philippines. While working at banks in Manila, I also decided to pursue an MBA at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
In the 1990s, I came to Canada with my family and settled there, and I currently live in Toronto, Ontario. I had several pets in my life. Over the years, I had two dogs and a cat. However, there are pet restrictions in the condo where I am at the moment.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always been fascinated with books. I read a lot of classics, mysteries, crime, romance, and literature. However, with a family to raise and a career, I had no time to write. When I decided to do part-time work, I discovered Canadian Authors and joined the Peterborough, Ontario, branch. I discovered the world of writing with the other authors in the group.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
James Michener, Jane Austen, Michael Connelly, Herman Wouk, Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum, Malcolm Gladwell, Niall Ferguson, Kahlil Gibran, Robert Persig, John Steinbeck, Yuval Noah Harari, and many more! Of course, I can’t forget William Shakespeare.
Books are fascinating. I read all the time, and their insights inspire me.
There are also Chinese authors I have read. The most famous I have read is the Chinese poet Li Bai.
I speak and write English, Chinese, and Filipino, and a little bit of Spanish.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Inspired Sally: The Journey Home is the 3rd book of my Sally series.
The first book, THE SEARCH FOR SALLY, is about Elena Palana, Sally’s Aunt, deciding to search for her lost sister. Ten years ago, Maria immigrated to Canada to work as a nanny. Elena was just 8 years old when Maria left. Maria usually calls every few weeks, but had not called for over three months. Maria’s phone was out of service. Their mother worried as to what had happened to Maria and her family. When Mother passed away soon after, Elena, a poor girl from a rural area, had to find a way to travel to Canada to look for Maria and Sally.
The second book, RESOLUTE SALLY: The Polish Trail, is about our heroine. Sally was born in Canada of mixed parentage. Her mother was Filipina, and her father was Polish. She was orphaned young and was sent to the Children’s Aid Society. In this book, Sally wanted to find her father’s relatives in Poland and travels to Warsaw with her Aunt Elena and some friends.
The third book, INSPIRED SALLY: THE JOURNEY HOME, is about Sally visiting the Philippines. Her mother, Maria, was born in Iloilo City, in the Philippines. Aunt Elena will have a Catholic Church wedding. Sally will reunite with her grand-uncle’s family. Sally yearns for love, self-identity, and a place called home. Her love life is falling apart, and she is depressed. Follow her ups and downs. The reader will discover her joys and aspirations and find happiness along her journey.
Each book took me about 8 to 10 months to write and publish. I am getting more and more involved in Sally’s life and her adventure. She needs some toughening as she is such a crybaby. At the same time, she is a genuine human being, full of ambition and the character to stand up after each setback.
These short novels tell the story of overseas Filipino workers. The tale of Maria Palana is a fiction about one family, but it represents many Filipinos who go abroad, work hard, and send money home. The trend of economic migration is also occurring in other developing countries, where people seek employment in richer countries to improve their personal and family lives.
Follow their stories on “The Essential Sally Series.” Read the romance, ambition, and inspiration
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