Two Tales of the Moon“, published on October 8th, 2015.
What’s the book’s first line?
“It was a cool and crisp autumn night.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
It’s about the increasingly complex relationship between U.S. and China against the background of cross national business competitions with both economic and political ramifications. It’s about ethical and professional dilemmas often associated with high stake business deals in today’s globalized world. It’s about life and choices we have to make. Regardless of our cultural background and upbringing, the choices we make shape our character and control our destiny.
What inspired you to write the book? Particular person? An event?
What inspired me to write the book was my life experience in both countries – the Red China and America, the land of the free and opportunities. In my younger years I lived under the oppressive communist regime and witnessed the atrocities the communist government committed on its own people. A young adult, I came to U.S. with $20 dollar in my pocket and a single small suitcase, yet was able to obtain two degrees in business/finance along with a successful and rewarding professional career. I have also been in a unique position to be able to observe the cultural differences and similarities in both countries; how people deal with success and handle life’s disappointments; and how most of us struggle constantly to make difficult choices and strive to be better human beings.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
A good book should be entertaining, but with true-to-life characters that readers can identify and relate with. It should also be thought-provoking and educational. I believe “Two Tales of the Moon” is first and foremost a literary fiction with elements of suspense and romance. Each and every character in the book is not based on any particular person I know in real life, but I felt somewhere and at different times in my life, I have met all of them collectively – from Will and Lu, both successful in business yet with a personal life burdened by their pasts, to Kevin the back stabber colleague, to Lu’s mother who sold her soul to the communist government in exchange for a privileged life, to Sage the eternal believer in happily-ever-after-life. Whether we choose to hate them or love them, together they present, I would like to quote the IndieReader review,”a compelling story that reveals that the human struggle is the same regardless of one’s past or cultural upbringing.”
In addition the book’s story line evolves around current topics related to America’s economic interest in China and China’s superpower ambition – it makes us wonder, on a political and globalization level, what kind of long-term relationship we are forging with the socialist/communist China. The book also offers glimpses of China’s past, the horrific crime the communist government committed against its own people – historical events many people in the West are not aware of, but may be interested in knowing.