When Jan made the hasty decision to trade her career as a Tour Guide in an underground sapphire mine in Central Queensland, Australia, for a year of teaching English in Inner Mongolia, China, she had no inkling of what was in store. At her destination were her elder son, his Chinese wife, a first grandson (whom she'd never met), and a host of Chinese in-laws who spoke no English. Her younger son was a reluctant travelling companion.Culture-shocked to her core, she describes the challenges, humorous and tragic, of meeting new family and teaching in a foreign land where characters are as diverse as events are bizarre: readers are led through schoolrooms, market-places, cafes and smoky mah-jong parlours. "Invented" credentials, family tensions, a collapsing ceiling, and her unrequited lust for a younger man make this book a riveting read.

Paul G. Tomlinson, a historian and a historical fiction author, wrote this riveting fictional story set during the Colonial Era of the United States, from the perspective of Black Hawk, the Sauk tribe leader of the Native Americans regarding the events of the Black Hawk War.

Constructed of stone and packed earth, the Great Wall of 10,000 li protects China’s northern borders from the threat of Mongol incursion. The wall is also home to a supernatural beast: the Old Dragon. The Old Dragon’s Head is the most easterly point of the wall, where it finally meets the sea. In every era, a Dragon Master is born. Endowed with the powers of Heaven, only he can summon the Old Dragon so long as he possess the dragon pearl. It’s the year 1400, and neither the Old Dragon, the dragon pearl, nor the Dragon Master, has been seen for twenty years. Bolin, a young man working on the Old Dragon’s Head, suffers visions of ghosts. Folk believe he has yin-yang eyes and other paranormal gifts.When Bolin’s fief lord, the Prince of Yan, rebels against his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, a bitter war of succession ensues in which the Mongols hold the balance of power. While the victor might win the battle on earth, China’s Dragon Throne can only be earned with a Mandate from Heaven – and the support of the Old Dragon. Bolin embarks on a journey of self-discovery, mirroring Old China’s endeavour to come of age. When Bolin accepts his destiny as the Dragon Master, Heaven sends a third coming of age – for humanity itself. But are any of them ready for what is rising in the east?

Ever wondered what happened to those who vanished without a trace? Ahab Valentine was contemplating just that when he became one of them. Given the task of protecting the nation he finds himself in from both itself and its enemies, alongside an unexpected marriage and family Ahab’s curiosity is soon set aside for this more daunting task. The question is can he do it, can he save the Imperium from its own darker self-destructive impulses?

This work explores what lies behind the fantastic barrier in a borderland that C. G. Jung called the unconscious, the avant-garde writer Kafka termed incomprehensive, and Whitlark argues is an entire spectrum of muted awareness.

The dragons have fled the skies. A noble House is clinging to life. The God of gods is rising. As the Envoy of the Four Kingdoms, Wes has had his purpose decided since birth: sacrifice the treasures of the people to the dragon gods, and they will keep Kaveryth safe. For five years, he’s been forced to watch his Kingdom fall into ruin while carrying an unbearable grief of his own. The Elders insist that they must continue to be faithful to the Dracodei, but Wes is beginning to doubt that their protectors are holding up their end of the bargain. Despite his misgivings, he continues to fulfill his duty—until he meets a misunderstood dragon who offers him a choice for the first time in his life. Will he have the courage to make the sacrifice that truly matters? Storm & Spire is a Christian fantasy series for readers who enjoy fast-paced storytelling, fantastical lands, and devious dragons. Perfect for readers who enjoy Patrick W. Carr, Tricia Mingerink, Morgan Busse, and Jaye L. Knight.

What would you do if given the chance to relocate to a far-off country, leaving everything you know behind? Part love story, part travelogue, Call Me Tai Tai explores author Joan Kelleher’s life-changing journey as she follows her husband to 1980’s China. Departing her beloved Hawaii, where she raised her children and carved out a career, it’s Joan’s time to leave the nest. Throwing caution to the wind, she gives up her predictable future to follow her instincts and take the biggest gamble of her life. But it wouldn’t be just a simple move. She’d need to leave her grown son, who had been diagnosed four years previously, with a crippling mental illness. Still, his doctors believed his parents’ relocation could be the change he needed to find more independence. And maybe, Joan hoped, it could also be the chance she needed to salvage her broken marriage. For anyone looking to begin anew or find their footing after their children have left the nest, this memoir can stand as a rallying cry and inspiration. A two-year assignment turned into many more and Call Me Tai Tai recounts Joan’s adventures, from the humbling spiritual visits to Tibet to her discovery of a love for hunting for antiques. Armchair travelers will delight in this breathtaking tour of the scenic beauty and culture of Asia, that is as much a chronicle of change and self-discovery. Throughout her journey, Joan provides an heartfelt recounting of both the beauty and the hardships of the land, while introducing a myriad of unforgettable characters as Joan rediscovers herself. Insightful, poignant, and exciting, Call Me Tai Tai is the story of an inquisitive, adventurous heart in a magnificent and magical world. At its heart, it is the universal story of the power that love and faith can have on a family.

From the highly praised author of The Last Days of Old Beijing, a brilliant portrait of China today and a memoir of coming of age in a country in transition. In 1995, at the age of twenty-three, Michael Meyer joined the Peace Corps and, after rejecting offers to go to seven other countries, was sent to a tiny town in Sichuan. Knowing nothing about China, or even how to use chopsticks, Meyer wrote Chinese words up and down his arms so he could hold conversations, and, per a Communist dean's orders, jumped into teaching his students about the Enlightenment, the stock market, and Beatles lyrics. Soon he realized his Chinese counterparts were just as bewildered by China's changes as he was. Thus began an impassioned immersion into Chinese life. With humor and insight, Meyer puts readers in his novice shoes, introducing a fascinating cast of characters while winding across the length and breadth of his adopted country --from a terrifying bus attack on arrival, to remote Xinjiang and Tibet, into Beijing's backstreets and his future wife's Manchurian family, and headlong into efforts to protect China's vanishing heritage at places like "Sleeping Dragon," the world's largest panda preserve. In the last book of his China trilogy, Meyer tells a story both deeply personal and universal, as he gains greater – if never complete – assurance, capturing what it feels like to learn a language, culture and history from the ground up. Both funny and relatable, The Road to Sleeping Dragon is essential reading for anyone interested in China's history, and how daily life plays out there today.