Amy Tan

Tan began writing professionally in 1983 as a freelance business writer for IBM, AT&T and Apple Computers. In 1989 Tan published her first novel, "The Joy Luck Club," a rich, poignant story detailing the lives of Chinese women and their American-born daughters. The novel quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation before the publishers realized they had a potential major bestseller. With a little marketing push, the novel went on to garner near …