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About the Book
Bronze Winner for Best Regional Fiction: West-Pacific in the 2012 Independent Press Awards.
It’s three months until the wedding, and Daisy’s Taiwanese parents are still shunning her sister’s hopelessly white fiancé. To escape the prenuptial drama, Daisy goes on the hunt for a mysterious take-out truck whose dishes are to die for. Literally.
But when her family gets caught in a feud between a ghostly gothic chef and a fearsome Nordic wedding planner, Daisy must face her destiny and save more than just a wedding day.
The winner of the 33rd Annual International 3-Day Novel Contest is a funny, spicy and creepy-sweet ode to food, family, love, Seattle, and the best—if slightly cursed—dish of chicken teriyaki to be found in this realm of existence. Look for this playful and appetizing first novel in finer bookstores, or order it today using the link above.
About the Author
(photo by Gavin Jensen)
Jennifer K. Chung is a Taiwanese-American software
engineer, writer, pianist and older sister. She grew up in Southern California and studied computer science at MIT.
In her spare time, Jennifer writes, plays keyboards in a goth metal band called Red Queen Theory and studies the Japanese martial art of Naginata.
She lives near Seattle.
Reviews
“Terroryaki! is a playfully appetizing first bite… The writing is gritty and fast paced, exactly what you’d expect from a novel crafted in 3 days, but it’s also quite accomplished… 100% worth a read.”
—SoMisguided book blog
“An engaging tale about a Taiwanese-American girl who works part-time at a teriyaki restaurant and blogs about her favourite Seattle teriyaki joints. This dismays her strict parents, who’d rather she follow in her lawyer sisters footsteps—only without getting engaged to a white guy. [Daisy] faces an even bigger problem when she stumbles across a cursed teriyaki truck. Terroryaki! is as creepy as it is playful, and an easy read about family and food.”
—Erika Hobart, Seattle Weekly
“… I’ve been in Daisy’s position myself, which is one of the reasons I enjoyed Terroryaki! so much. Chung captures the Wang’s family dynamics very well, using humor as well as pain to highlight common issues, such as dealing with cross-cultural differences, living up to your family’s expectations, living with a ‘perfect’ older sibling, and trying to find your way without disappointing others. The Wangs are not perfect, but no family is and that’s what made the story relatable.”
—Northwest Asian Weekly
“…for a vegetarian, Chung’s description of teriyaki chicken is convincing and highly sensory. You’ll wish a mysterious teriyaki food truck circled your neighbourhood, too.”
—Broken Pencil magazine
“Creepy mystery? Bizarre romance? Hilarious family dysfunction? Terroryaki! has it all in perfect portions, all against the backdrop of the Seattle food scene. At only 122 pages, this is a quick, fun read that will definitely stir up some cravings for your favorite comfort food by the time you’ve finished.”
—45th Parallel book blog
“Its smart design is compact enough to fit into your back pocket, and shameless good fun. And perhaps its just the suggestion of its cover, but I came away feeling as though I’d just read a comic book without the pictures (right down to the demon showdown at the end)… The other thing about Terroryaki! was that it was all about food, and so evocatively so that the book left me starving.”
—Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This book blog
“In just 72 hours, Jennifer Chung has written a short book that many aspiring and established authors would be proud to claim. Chung’s writing is lively and displays keen wit, a great sense of humour and a flair for the dramatic. I hope that this debut novel signals that there is much more to come from her.”
—James Onusko book blog
“Terroryaki! was the winner of the 33rd Annual contest and it’s quite easy to see why: the novel is very funny and I could see Chung writing comedies of all forms and genres. It’s also quite humbling to note that this piece was written in just three days… Chung reminds us how far we might be able to push ourselves creatively and professionally… The mysterious teriyaki truck is from whence the “terror” of the title comes from and you’ll have to read this funky 3 day novel to find out how Samantha’s wedding turns out, whether or not Patrick is eating too much teriyaki sauce, or if Daisy will manage to get a stable job.”
—Asian American Lit Fans book blog