I usually look forward to the 4th of July, but I don’t think America deserves to be celebrated right now. And while there is plenty to criticize China about, there is a lot to love about this country too. So here is a list of 100 things I love about China – in no particular Read More
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Christmas With Chinese Characteristics
Last year at this time, we were only focused on bringing our little girl home, and we’ve never been big Christmas people, so we had just a pitiful little tree and bought some gifts for our little girl at the last minute. So this year I decided to put a lot more effort into the holiday to Read More
Who Writes History – Conversations With Jung Chang
I have written and spoken many times about how wonderful her book is, but I am often met with skepticism. Cixi has a reputation, in the East and the West, of being a controlling, manipulative, traditionalist who held China back and is blamed for many of China’s problems during the 19th century. Yet in Empress Read More
Where The Past Begins – A Conversation With Amy Tan
I was so excited for the chance to meet Amy Tan last week at the Hong Kong Literary Festival! It really was a dream come true. She has such an elegant presence. As soon as she walks into a room, you know she is someone worth listening to. The moderator at the gala dinner said, Read More
Behind the Story – Empress Cixi
If you have read any of my books, it’s pretty easy to see that China’s last empress, the Dowager Empress Cixi, is a recurring character. Who was Empress Cixi and why do I write about her? Empress Cixi was born in 1835 to a poor and unimportant Manchu family, but she didn’t remain in obscurity for Read More
Threads of Silk Now Available As An Audiobook!
I’m excited to announce that Threads of Silk is now available as an audiobook! The book was narrated by Leanne Yau. You can download the book from Amazon here. You can open a free 30-day trial account and get a copy of my book for FREE by going to http://www.audible.com/offers/30free?asin=B074F3SDW1 This feels like a big step Read More
3 Defectors – Memoirs from North Korea
Even though my main focus is China, I’m also very interested in what is going on in North Korea. I know that for most Americans, North Korea isn’t really on their radar, but here in China, the “hermit kingdom” can’t be ignored. Even though I mostly review books on this site that specifically deal with Read More
There and Back Again – Going Full Circle
I mentioned in a previous post that big changes were coming (as if bringing our daughter home only six months ago wasn’t a big enough change!). So today I can finally announce that… We are moving to Yangshuo! Our China journey began nearly seven years ago in Yangshuo in Guangxi province. We came to China Read More
A Chat with Cherith Vaughan, Cover Designer for Murder in the Forbidden City
Today I am so excited to share the cover for my new novel Murder in the Forbidden City! Aren’t they just gorgeous! I am so excited for this novel. Check out the blurb: Peking, 1867 When one of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting is killed in the Forbidden City, she orders Inspector Gong to find the killer. Read More
Hiring a Housekeeper in China
Long time readers of this blog might remember one of my more popular posts from a couple of years ago about my Housekeeper from Hell, Annie. Long story short, Annie came across some very personal photos of mine while cleaning and shared them on WeChat, China’s most popular social network, and called me a prostitute. Read More