He studied the Bible extensively and meditated while he was alone. I drove my dad to radiation appointments, stayed with him in the hospital, talked with him while he sat in his recliner. I helped when I could, around classes and marching band. When he was sick, I was in my senior year at a university and lived twenty-five minutes away. I’ve always wanted to write about my dad because he was an amazing person. In the book, Amie’s dad passes away from cancer, and so did mine. I began thinking, what if that happened to a young girl? What if she fulfilled her purpose early in life, then what? That’s when Amie’s voice came to me with the line “Ba-ba always told me I was a miracle.” Amie became a girl who did everything her father asked, and most especially, she became a violinist, with music infusing her life. Simeon was probably an older man, and after meeting Jesus, Simeon declared that his life’s purpose was fulfilled and he could die peacefully.

When I was brainstorming for Miracle, I heard a Bible story about Simeon, who waited on the steps of the temple to meet Jesus. Once she’s able to realize that, her music ability comes back-and that’s the miracle.

It takes patience, help from her friends, and reconciling with her mom to make her realize that life without her father is different, but can still be joyful. When he passes away, Amie is very lost and loses her ability to play the violin. Miracle is about a young Asian-American girl, Amie Cheung, who loves her father so much she does everything he likes: reads his favorite books, listens to his favorite music, and most importantly, plays his favorite instrument. That was the challenge in my middle grade debut, Miracle. The emotion of what the character was feeling needed the accompanying lyrical words. When it came to writing about music, I knew the lyricism had to follow. To capture them, enthrall them, transform them. The goal is to gently bring a reader into a certain emotion through the words on a page. I’ve performed in shopping malls, recital halls, nursing homes, churches, football and baseball fields, gyms, and in a lot of competitions-long enough to have a good grasp of performance and can emote with the necessary lyricism. I started learning the piano at five, flute at ten, piccolo at eighteen–and then, cello, handbells, and harp, each for a couple of years as an adult. I grew up learning, listening to, and loving music. The best musicians make you feel a certain way through their music, expressing emotion through the notes on a page.

Miracle by Karen S. Chow