
My friends and family in the UK are always complaining about the economy, the weather, the politicians, the bad TV, the expensive restaurants and the poor service everywhere – and then about the economy again.
I do consider myself lucky to live in Hong Kong. The economy is strong and people generally (expats and locals) have a much more positive attitude to life, the universe and everything.
As a writing community we are also lucky. Many famous writers live here, some teach in on the creative writing programmes of the Universities. There are a couple of active writers groups who are both supportive and informative.
Most writers I know here adopt the J.K. Rowling model – writing in starbucks! Living spaces here are very expensive – and very small and cramped, so the coffee shops are full of students (in Hong Kong students are VERY diligent) doing their homework – businessmen having meetings – and the occasional writer.
I guess Hong Kong achieved notoriety for a few short days recently when Edward Snowden stayed here while shopping around for asylum. He stayed at the Mira hotel – a hotel I visit regularly, but I did not see him.
Now that the giant rubber duck (see picture) has gone from Victoria Harbour there is not really much exciting going on here.
Oh well, back to the writing. I have started on the second novel in my ‘Asian Intrigue’ series. Did you know that a lot of gold is smuggled out of the Philippines and ends up in China (via the Hong Kong)? Well, there is – and my story is about that, and the surprising spy agencies involved and the unsavoury characters they use to achieve their questionable objectives.
In the meantime, my relaunched novel Deadly Election now has more than 20 reviews – an amazing total in so short a time. Here are some brief details of the book – click the cover to go to the Amazon page:
The murder of three innocent villagers is the prelude to a tale of intrigue, deceit, greed and more murders as Senator Consuelo, an aging but ambitious politician desperately pursues his bid for the Presidency - at any cost. He reckoned without Paul, a retired military man, who engineers his downfall. After an unsuccessful murder attempt Paul is resolved to bring the evil man to justice. With the help of friends in high places he manages to do so, but only just in time. As the Senator languishes in his jail cell, others have difficult decisions to make. The Senators fate is sealed, but there may be other ways for his family and associates. The Senators plans for escape are brought to an abrupt and final halt. |