'Tattoo' author's new book hits bookshelves next week
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Chris McKinney is something unexpected.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
A college slacker.
Chris McKinney, whose novel "The Tattoo" was met with great success, said he doesn't want to be a book dispenser. "I need to really care about what I'm writing," he said.
A master's degree holder.
A fanatic for an online role-play game.
A member of 24-Hour Fitness.
A full-time English instructor at Honolulu Community College.
A dog owner.
A regular guy.
But as hard as he tries, he can't get away from something else about himself: The fact that, at 28, he is the author of two published novels, the first of which met with overwhelming praise and made him a household name in many English classes around the Islands.
His debut book, "The Tattoo" (soft cover $10.95, hard $15.95, at Booklines Hawaii, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks), a gritty story whose main characters are incarcerated at Halawa prison, created a buzz in the local literary community, earned him the respect of veteran writers, won two Ka Pala Pala Po'okelo Awards for Excellence in Literature and Excellence in Writing Literature and the Cades Award for Literature, and has now been optioned for a film.
His second novel, "The Queen of Tears" (soft cover $10.95, hard $15.95, at Booklines Hawaii) hits bookshelves next week. The story follows the life of a Korean American matriarch struggling to keep her family afloat.
"I constantly kid him about that," said Muriel Fujii, Language Arts Department chairwoman at the community college, who has known McKinney for about three years. "I ask him, 'Are you sure you're only 28?'"
| Profile of a successful young Hawai'i novelist | |
| • | Age: 28 |
| • | Hometown: Born in Kahalu'i, Maui, lives in Kaimuki |
| • | Family: One stepbrother and six half brothers and sisters |
| • | Accomplishment: His second book, "The Queen of Tears," hits bookshelves next week |
| • | Occupation: Writer, English instructor at Honolulu Community College |
| • | Ethnic background: Korean, Japanese, Scottish |
| • | Quote: "Writing makes me feel smart. When I've created an original sentence or scene or character, it makes me feel like I'm an artist." |
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"Two novels at 28 is pretty good," he admitted, leaning back in the chair in his campus office. "But I don't think I can keep up with that. I need to care about the material."
McKinney doesn't want to be a book dispenser, someone who churns out novels at record speed just to keep a steady income. He has too much invested in each book. He has too much concern for and pride in his writing.
"I need to really care about what I'm writing," he said. "Otherwise, there'd be no way I'd force myself to write."
He likens his commitment to writing to the stick-to-it-iveness it takes to work out regularly. You may not want to go the gym today, but you want to stay in shape. You may not want to write tonight, but you want to finish that novel.
"You just gotta force yourself to do it," he said.
Each book took him about a year and a half to finish. The writing process, he said, was very "binge and purge."
As a graduate student who worked as a parking attendant part time, McKinney wrote "The Tattoo" mostly from home, between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m.
But "The Queen of Tears" marks another chapter in his life. Settled into a stable teaching gig at the community college, he learned to balance his writing time and his academic responsibilities.
"My whole lifestyle changed," he said.
The change in environments didn't affect his writing. Fluid and lyrical, the words in both books capture moods and characters with an aesthetic clarity.
And what sets him apart from other contemporary local writers is his ability to tell a different kind of story about Hawai'i and its people.
"I was surprised that I liked 'The Tattoo,'" admitted local writer and colleague Jerry Saviano, who has known McKinney for more than five years. "A lot of fiction that gets celebrated locally tends to be very safe and full of nostalgia. That wasn't the case. I liked that he talked about the fact that what people have in common is more important than the differences in people. I was very impressed by that."
"The Queen of Tears" has a different feel from McKinney's first book: It moves at a slower pace. It's not a book you can inhale; you need time to digest.
In this book, McKinney is particularly proud of writing about characters far removed from his own demographics.
"I'm an American male in my 20s," he said. "None of my characters are close to that."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The story follows a Korean American family, each member with their own quirks and personalities, issues and histories. The main character is loosely based on his grandmother who, like the character in the book, was a famous Korean actress who married a Korean American G.I. But the drama in the book is pure fiction.
Chris McKinney, author of the book "Queen of Tears," and girlfriend Jaime Nakamura have a good time with friends at Lois' Place.
And as in his first book, "The Queen of Tears" is set in a real-life Hawai'i with its economic problems and racial tensions.
"Why is it set in Hawai'i? Because I grew up here," he said. "Why about Koreans? Because I'm half.
"You write about what you know."
Obvious in his writing, McKinney crafts his stories with mindful precision. Even when he speaks, he's thoughtful in his replies; his answers are careful.
And despite a rebellious period in high school, McKinney says, he has always been that way.
"Growing up, he was always really, really smart," said his 30-year-old stepbrother, Andy Fukuda. The two were raised together when McKinney's mother remarried when he was 3. "In high school, he did his thing, but he managed to maintain very good grades. He was the type who would sneak off campus, drink, then sneak back on and get an A on the test."
Always cerebral but with a streak of normality, McKinney has made that combination work for him.
He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, while balancing a social life. He studied but went clubbing. He wrote poetic prose but sang karaoke.
And that balance, in a way, has made him a student favorite.
"He's an outstanding teacher," Fujii said. "He's gotten very great reviews from students. They can relate to him. He can get to their level without watering down the material."
He's laid back without being a pushover, inspirational without being dominating.
"All of his students like him because he's down to earth," Saviano said. "He's tough but fair, all that."
And with his different angles and shades, one thing remains: McKinney is always true to himself.
"What you see," Fujii said, "is what you get."
