After a couple of years living lots of life online, I’ve found myself shying away from most virtual offerings. But yesterday, I was all in.

Thanks to the power of Zoom, I met Amy Chavez of the Books on Asia blog and podcast. She was basking in balmy Bali, while I was in chilling in snowy Minnesota. We talked about our books and writing projects, our experiences as women living in rural Japan and the benefits of immersing oneself in a different life halfway around the world.

What prompted this meeting? Amy was interviewing me for an upcoming podcast about my memoir, The Same Moon (Camphor Press, 2020). But this was much less an interview than a living room chat. And since we knew quite a bit about each other, having read each other’s books, it felt like catching up with a friend.

By the way, Amy’s recently released book The Widow, The Priest and The Octopus Hunter (Tuttle Publishing, 2022) is a collection of 31 stories based on interviews with her fascinating fellow residents on Shiraishi, a tiny island in Japan’s Inland Sea. She has lived there since 1997 — what a life! Do check it out.

As I’ve shared before, I love to think of people around the world looking up and connecting as they gaze at the same moon. Today it warms my heart to think that The Same Moon connected me with Amy!

Amy plans to release this podcast conversation next week — you’ll find it at the Books on Asia blog or your favorite podcast distributor.