Susan Tan: Hi, my name is Susan Tan and I'm gonna tell you a little bit about my name.

My first name, Susan, is actually my grandmother's name, so I was named for her. She and I are very close and we joke there's big Susan and little Susan, and when I was younger I hated that, because I was really short so I would say, "I'm not little," even though I was. So that name is something really special to me, something that she and I share. My last name, Tan, is Chinese and it means farmer. And that's what several generations ago, my ancestors in China did, they were farmers. My middle name is also Chinese, it's Xiao Ming, and it means the light of dawn. And I don't use this name on my books but my middle name is also very, very important to me. So, in Chinese families, you have a generational name so you and all your siblings will have a name that sort of has a similar theme.

My dad is a lighting designer, which means he works in the theater and he is an artist really, but just with lights. So, for example on the stage, if there's a really sad scene, he might light the theater in blues to make you feel that kind of sadness. His specialty in lighting design is sky. He designs the most beautiful and lifelike and moving sunrises and sunsets. So, when I was born, my dad knew that he wanted to give me a generational Chinese name and he went to my Na Na, my grandmother, his mother, and asked her to help him come up with a name. And she came up with the idea of using Ming, which means light.

So I am Xiao Ming, which means early morning light, or the light of dawn, and then my sisters are Mai Ming, which means beautiful light, and Twai Ming, which means serene light. So, that's another really special thing we get to share and all through our names.