I’m in the midst of writing my latest contemporary romantic suspense novel, The Jade Hunters. At the center of the story is the theft of a pair of white jade tiger earrings that originally belonged to the last emperor of China. As a result, I’ve been reading a lot about jade. Some initial facts: It’s one of two types of minerals, nephrite and jadeite, and comes in many colors, not just green. It’s also extremely durable and hard to break, which made it an obvious choice for weapons, ... VIEW POST
Musings on the Depth of Beauty V-W-X-Y-Z
Today I'm wrapping up my "alphabet soup" of interesting tidbits related to my novel The Depth of Beauty: V is for violence …and vitality Imagine up to thirty thousand people, living in a ramshackle neighborhood no larger than fifteen city blocks. Population estimates vary, but generally, that was the case in San Francisco’s Chinatown around 1900. Why was it so crowded? Because of anti-Chinese laws and attitudes, many immigrants faced hatred and violence if they tried to live in other parts ... VIEW POST
Musings on the Depth of Beauty P-Q-R
P is for Paper Son No matter the time in history or place of origin, immigrants in search of a better life will go to almost any lengths to secure it—even if it means circumventing the law. To protect American jobs during a slumping economy, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which meant that only certain groups of Chinese immigrants and their family members could be allowed in or granted U.S. citizenship. Chinese merchants were acceptable because they didn’t replace American ... VIEW POST
Musings on The Depth of Beauty G-H-I
G is for Guandong In the Depth of Beauty, most of the Chinese immigrants hail from Guandong province, and the novel touches upon the stirrings of revolution in China. Guandong province lies on the coast of the South China Sea in the People’s Republic of China. Its capital, Guanzhou, (known to westerners at one point as “Canton”) was an important trading port for rice, opium and silk, among other goods, which meant that the Chinese people who lived there were more accustomed to westerners than ... VIEW POST
