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“How come I’m the one who got a psychopath for an author, Robert? Didn’t you ever read Jane Austen’s stuff? Women have a great time in her stories.”
Chinese women have always been feminists, from the misunderstood Dowager Empress Cixi Yehonala to the fabulous Soong sisters, to the incredible Chinese women today conquering the sporting, musical, literary and entrepreneurial arenas, even space exploration.
“We live in a world where the distractions of technology for technology’s sake dominate and diminish our lives,” said the Beechworth author. “But stories do the opposite; they enrich the world.”
A Victorian author has given a voice to powerful Asian women, telling stories that need to be told, using exquisite writing that brings alive every sense for the reader.
Who is the young village girl, Chavy, trafficked for sex, why are Cambodia’s political corruption and human trafficking trade so dangerous to foreign nationals and what are the father complexes she and her daughter both share?
These are stories with universal importance: “strong, vulnerable women fighting personal and society’s battles, child trafficking, the rise of China, women’s ascendancy, environmental destruction, misplaced values.
The Butterfly Dynasty of my novels has its roots in the past and originated in places as far apart in distance and time as it is possible to go. The Dominican Republic and Imperial China.
This second novel promises to be one of the best murder mystery novels for 2022. The book continues the story of two amazing, quirky women that will change their lives, and yours.
UNICEF tells us that 30 children die every day from being trafficked into the sex industry. They die from neglect, drug overdoses, disease, HIV, violence and torture.
Telling stories matters – though I don’t think that should really be such a surprise. We live in a world where the distractions of technology dominate and diminish our lives. Storytelling does the opposite; it enriches the world and our humanity.
Next time you pick up one of those romance novels, or any book, ask yourself, why do I want to read it? The biggest hits of all time have almost always been “wonder” literature
Cixi ruled more than a quarter of the world’s population for fifty years, through tumultuous times. She lived a life surrounded by myths, intrigue, betrayal, murder, love, and survival.
Two women ruled over half the world’s people for more than fifty years. At the end of their lives, their two empires were soon gone, brought down by their own hands.
Why? About ninety-five per cent of romance novels that get published are written by established white authors about white heterosexual people.
When you feel overwhelmed, take a moment. Calm down, take a breath, and let your mind be quiet. Then go and buy a book. A murder mystery. Mine preferably.