日本最大級の英語学習ポータルサイト「英語タウン」

Ask Caroline is a series of books, available on the iPad, iPhone, and in print, for Japanese women to be entertained and inspired by the experiences of women all over the world. Hopefully Japanese women's questions about how we approach things in our lives (such as our jobs, our friends, our relationships, and our families) will satisfy their curiosity and also give a different (or in some cases, similar!) perspective on those things we modern women care about. After all, isn't that how we all grow?!

Since I came to Japan the Japanese women around me (friends, students, colleagues, and neighbours) have always seemed to ask me questions about my culture, experiences, and opinions. I think I am quite an open person so perhaps I give off the energy that it is OK to ask me anything because I have had some very strange questions asked to me before! For a few years I wrote a column for the Shukan ST, just about my observations and opinions on life, and the column became very popular. I discovered that I really enjoyed writing for Japanese readers and especially for women. So I wanted to write a series of books for the women of my new home country!

I have to say it really is true! You would not BELIEVE some of the questions that were sent to me! There are lots of questions about sex, and lots about intimate body parts or shapes(!). But there are also lots of questions about finding fulfilling careers, handling family responsibilities, having happy relationships, and developing self-confidence. And lots that are more culture-related. They are all really interesting ones, and they actually taught me a lot about Japanese culture as I was answering them!

Every single question is a REAL question, submitted by a REAL Japanese woman. I told some people that I was collecting questions that Japanese women had always wanted to ask a foreign woman and asked them to spread the word. Soon I had about 300 questions! Each book in the series addresses 10 questions, so we have a lot of books coming out! And I am always happy to receive even more questions from readers.

I'm saving those for a different series!

I think one of the ones I really liked was about the shape of foreign women's bums! The question indicated that this woman really liked the shape of our bums so that made me feel good. Lots of foreign women worry about their bums being too big, and I am always telling them not to worry and that we should embrace our curves! So it was kind of nice to receive a question that validated my opinion. I also liked the questions that showed that we are all so similar in our desire to have happy and fulfilling lives both at work and at home. These questions made me feel a bit sad that so many women struggle with this issue, but at the same time made me feel hopeful that I am able to somehow inspire others to achieve fulfillment in their lives.

Without a doubt, I LOVED receiving the questions! It was so exciting to receive all these different questions from Japanese women who weren't shy at all in asking the most intimate things! And I also loved the photoshoot for the cover of the English edition of the book. Getting a group of women together from countries all over the world on a Saturday afternoon to have a photo taken together was so much fun!

No! The whole book is bilingual so you can choose which language you want to read in, or flick back and forth between the two languages. And if you want to try reading in English, or use it as a learning tool, then there are sections on new phrases and how to use them, as well as a list of vocabulary to refresh your memory. With the iPad and iPhone editions, difficult expressions are highlighted and if you tap on it, the Japanese meaning pops up. But honestly, you could just read everything in Japanese and enjoy it just as much!

Well the first few books in the series are quite balanced in terms of their content. They contain a nice mixture of questions about life, love, marriage, motherhood, work, friendship, and culture. And a bit later the series becomes more theme-based … I'm looking forward to the one that is all about weddings!

The series is on a four-month schedule. The first book came out on the iPad in June, will be on the iPhone in July, and in print in August, followed by a big party in September for everyone who has a copy in any format … sorry this party is girls only though! Then we're aiming for the second book to come out on the iPad in October, the iPhone in November, and in print in December, followed by another event in January. We have ideas for a radio show and also a fly-on-the-wall documentary … watch this space!

You can get the iPad and iPhone editions through the Applications Store, and the print editions in a bookstore near you from the middle of August!

In October for the iPad, November for the iPhone, and December in print. Just in time for Christmas!