Karen Ma grew up in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seattle. A recipient of the Japanese Cultural Ministry's Monbusho scholarship, she holds a BA from Tokyo's Sophia University in comparative literatures and an MA from University of Washington in Chinese Literature. She is the author of the non-fiction book, Modern Madame Butterfly: Fantasy and Reality in Japanese Cross-cultural Relationships (Charles E. Tuttle). A former journalist, her essays, articles and book reviews have appeared widely in international publications and journals, including the International Herald Tribune, More Magazine, The Japan Times, South China Morning Post and Kyoto Journal. She is currently based in New Delhi, India and busy at work on her first novel. She blogs here. [Read]