I first started writing this in 2001. I wrote two pages, became discouraged, and threw it away.  I started acting like a real writer in 2011 and finished two other novels before I finally got around to writing the story I had been wanting to write for a long time.

Mark W Sasse – 7 August 2014

The Back Flap

Chip Carson intends to marry a young Vietnamese woman named Thuy until a tragic accident lands him in prison, forever altering the outlook of their relationship. As he struggles to cope with their strained love, a mysterious stranger appears, bearing a journal about Chip’s grandfather who parachuted into French Indochina at the end of World War II. As the words of the journal reveal a life that Chip never knew, he begins to understand the depth of love and sacrifice needed in order to have a second chance with Thuy. Part historical fiction, part contemporary love story, The Reach of the Banyan Tree explores the effects of war, love, culture, and family obligation in twentieth century Vietnam through the eyes of three generations of American men, who each lost their soul in the tangled reach of the banyan tree.

About the book

What is the book about?

Three generations of one American family who experienced Vietnam and all the beauty and heartache that goes along with it. One-third of the book is set in French Indochina 1945 in the waning moments of World War II. The rest of the book is set in modern day Vietnam. It is, in essence, a love story between two young adults, Chip Carson and Thuy, who find themselves caught between family, fate, obligation, and love.

When did you start writing the book?

Actually, I first started writing this in 2001. I wrote two pages, became discouraged, and threw it away.  I started acting like a real writer in 2011 and finished two other novels before I finally got around to writing the story I had been wanting to write for a long time. I started re-writing this book in the spring 2013.

 How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote the first draft in about 5-6 weeks. From there started the tedious re-writes and edits which took much longer than that.

 Where did you get the idea from?

When I was living in Vietnam, I became fascinated with the history surrounding the American OSS troops parachuting into what we know as northern Vietnam to help train the Viet Minh resistance fighters. I thought it would be interesting to have a contemporary story which is tied to this historical event through a left-behind journal. That was the little seed I needed.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I was quite amazed that every time I needed to make a crucial decision about the direction of the novel, ideas came to me that made perfect sense. The flow of the book was quite easy. I always knew what I wanted, so I just had to get there.

What came easily?

As I mentioned above, most everything came easy. But I really enjoyed how Chip’s estranged father, who shows up to Vietnam to help Chip after a tragic accident, came together. His bigger than life character just seemed to jump off the pages.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Most of my characters are completely fictitious except for C.R., Chip’s father, who I loosely used a caricature of someone I used to know.  However, I do have real-life historical characters such as Ho Chi Minh actually make cameo appearances in the novel to help lend authenticity to the scenes. But other than that, completely fictitious.

Do you have a target reader for this book?

I must say that women readers have been the majority of my readers thus far, and I would say that they will enjoy the love story blended with the historical setting. However, some of the adult male readers have already mentioned to me how they loved the intertwined history of the story. Anything Vietnam definitely has a draw for certain types of readers. However, I wrote this book to be enjoyable to just about anyone who likes a good human drama.

How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?

Actually, the experience was incredibly similar except for one point: it was longer! I knew early on that I had a lot to say in this book and that it would be longer than my other ones. It’s about 19,000 words more than my previously longest book.

What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?

For this my third novel, I learned how better to prepare a book for pre-release. I had the editing done earlier than my other books. I also learned to be more pro-active in asking for pre-release reviews. That’s gone quite well.  For myself, I just realized how much I love to craft stories. I just hope I have more time in the future to do so.

End of Interview:

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Get your copy of The Reach of the Banyan Tree from Amazon US (paper or ebook) or Amazon UK (paper or ebook).