From ‘White Mulberry’ to ‘Red Seal’: Rosa Kwon Easton Expands Her Family’s Story By Writer and Contributor Emily McGinn
When Rosa Kwon Easton immigrated to the South Bay from South Korea when she was 7, she found her own wondrous world in books. Growing up, she spent time in libraries reading Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume and her favorite book at the time — “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith. For her, books helped her learn English and allowed her to connect with American culture and characters experiencing similar transitions to hers.
Her early experiences with books fostered a lifelong love of reading. Though Easton went on to become a lawyer, she always dreamed of exploring her own writing one day.
Easton was especially drawn to her own family history as a launchpad for inspiration. Decades ago, Easton discovered her grandmother’s nursing and midwife certificates from 1938 and 1939, issued by the Japanese government during the time of their occupation of Korea.
“When I discovered those documents, I just became more curious and interested about my family history,” Easton says.
She was somewhat familiar with her father’s story, as well. He lived in Japan and then returned to Korea toward the end of World War II. Eventually, he ended up in America. Her curiosity about her heritage and how her family made its way to the U.S. spurred her to study international affairs and East Asian Studies in college.
However, seeking out the full story of her heritage landed on the backburner when Easton became busy with her path into law.
“It seemed at the time that I needed to make money and find a career, so I did that,” Easton says. “But that story remained with me and I started interviewing my paternal grandmother before she passed away. I tried to write her story as a memoir or a family biography, but there were gaps in the story. I wanted to enrich it to share it with a wider audience, so I took a leap of faith and started trying to turn it into a novel.”
After a decade of working toward a finished product, Easton published her debut novel, “White Mulberry” last year. The historical fiction piece pays homage to her grandmother’s story, following a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan on a quest to find her true self.
“I think its message is that its never too late to pursue your dreams,” Easton says. “When there's a story that stays with you for a long time and you're the only one who could really tell it, I think that's a sign that that this is something that is important to pursue, and if you don't try, you never know what you're capable of.”
While she had to unlearn some of the summary writing styles associated with law and tap into a more creative element, she did draw on complementary skills. Easton emphasized research in her writing process, honing in on historical aspects.
However, writing her debut novel was a learning process for Easton. In addition to familarizing herself with the publishing process, she discovered the importance of discipline and patience in creative endeavors, dodging pitfalls such as waiting for bursts of inspiration to fuel a creative venture like a novel. Instead, Easton found that making writing a daily habit was the key to her success.
“I think that process of writing a long-form piece takes a lot of patience, so I learned that as a writer, [you have to] sit down in a chair and and face something that might look a little scary and will take a long time,” Easton says. “But just being persistent and showing up for my work — that was a skill that I learned from being a lawyer and doing this stuff that's not something that gives you an immediate return.”
In addition to writing, Easton has served as an elected library trustee at the Palos Verdes Library District since 2019. She views it as her way to bring others the same experience that made libraries such a valuable aspect of her own life throughout the years.
“I wanted that sense of wonder and and connection to be available for other people,” Easton says. “I think libraries provide that that space for learning and growth.”
As Easton approaches the one-year anniversary of “White Mulberry,” she is on the cusp of sending out a new project for publication. Easton inked a two-book deal with her publisher prior to her debut novel. Now, she is completing revisions on the sequel, “Red Seal,” with plans for an October 2026 publication.
This second novel will shift perspectives somewhat, focusing on the parent-child relationship between a mother and her son amid tumultuous events such as war and immigration. Kwon will explore the relationship from both perspectives.
“Hopefully reading about it will open our eyes to to a wider world and also give us perspective on on our own lives,” she says.
In the meantime, Easton is still experiencing the success of her first novel, which has now been translated into four languages. She has especially enjoyed interacting with the community on the Peninsula and sharing her work with them.
“Interacting with readers and hearing what they got out of the story what what touched them is what motivates me to continue writing, and to be able to do that within my own community has been a blessing for me,” Easton says. “I hope that the readers of my first book will read my second book, and I hope new readers will read my future books, and I hope the legacy of these stories live on through our libraries.”
Easton might not be finished telling her story yet. She is playing around with the idea of a third novel, continuing to share the story of the same family but angled toward present day. She hopes her commitment to sharing her own heritage and story inspires others to do the same.
“It's been a really gratifying journey. I wanted to elevate stories of women whose voices have not yet been heard, and I really felt like my grandmother's story needed to be seen and shared with a wider audience,” Easton says. “I wanted to see books like this on the shelves, and I hope that my contribution inspires someone to learn about this aspect of history and also to be encouraged to explore their own family stories. I think we all have a story.”
Follow Easton on Instagram and Facebook. Her book is available on Amazon.
Emily McGinn is a journalist based in the Los Angeles area. She enjoys reporting on and writing about a variety of topics from lifestyle to news, especially in her areas of specialty, environmental science and political science.