Snow Phoenix and Me - up close and personal with the author
The first thing I felt when I completed Snow Phoenix and Me was a sense of self-satisfaction. I have always wanted to read a great love story, but I have yet to find that book or it has not been written yet. So I did the next best thing: I wrote one myself.
Admittedly, writing a good romance tale is not easy. I mean, it usually has the same scenario: boy meets girl, there is a sparkle between them, and they go through the ups and downs of their courtship before they finally live happily ever after - same old boring stuff. To me, that's not a real love story.
When I wrote Snow Phoenix and Me, I wanted you, the reader, to connect with the characters of Snow Phoenix and Akecheta (the two lovers) so that you not only read about their love, you would also feel it, want it, and be devastated when things don't turn out right for them in the end.
Snow Phoenix and Akecheta were created out of my fascination with a few film characters. For instance, Snow Phoenix, a sharp-tongued struggling artist, was inspired by the characters of Marion (Raiders of the Lost Ark) who is feisty and independent, and Rose (Titanic) who is smart and brave. On the other hand, when it comes to Akecheta who is a notorious gun-for-hire, think of the coolness of Steve McQueen (Bullitt), the ruthlessness of Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry), and the charms of Paul Newman (Butch Cassidy). Put the two lovers together in old Shanghai when chaos and lawlessness reigned, and you will have one hell of a great love story!
I chose 1913 in Shanghai as the setting for my story as that turbulent era somehow exudes a sense of great adventure and romanticism in me. You see, one winter afternoon many years ago, I was in the Forbidden City in Beijing, the world's biggest palace. Inside one of the many huge courtyards, there was a couple of dilapidated buildings - the centuries had certainly taken their toll - but age and dust only added to its charm. Under fresh snow, when the high chili red walls were tempered by drifts of glittering white, and sunshine fell on dusty shafts on the near deserted square, the palace looked so remote, so timeless. As I moved from one gate to another, passing through the narrow corridor lanes, I could not help feeling spirits of the past tailing after us. Wraiths were moving quietly across the pavement in satin shod feet. And voices murmured in the shadows. Did something of those astral presences stay behind from the ceaseless procession of concubines, eunuchs, and maidservants who, during the imperial days, were always going back and forth in the palace? Just thinking about it made my hair at the back of my neck stood up, yet in the same breath, I was thrilled beyond words! It was this place which gave me the inspiration to write a historical love novel!
I would like to think Snow Phoenix and Me as one of the best romance tales in town because it is unique. You will remember Snow Phoenix and Me for its many defining chapters, just like you will remember the movie, Titanic, for its defining moments (eg. the "You jump, I jump" scene). This alone is what going to make Snow Phoenix and Me stands out from the rest of the heap.
Give it a shot. Read it and tell me what you think. It is available now in Amazon.com and Kindle.
