Family Reunion

Here is the post that I promised everyone. The novel has been leading up to this moment from nearly the first page, and so I give to you the long awaited reunion scene. I hope that everyone enjoys this, because I had a blast writing it. Where will the story go from here? Logan and Ruby have been reunited, true, but this is merely on of the main plots of the novel. You have to keep reading to find out about the rest! Thank you, and enjoy! -Logan

“Logan!” Ruby shouted as she leapt from the ground where she had been attending to Wenbing’s wound, in her excitement forgetting her responsibility. Then the realization that Wenbing’s life could very well depend on her staunching the flow of blood from his wound, she sank back down. “He’ll be fine. He’s been there all this time, he can wait a little longer.”

            “Go. Get him. I’ll sit with baimu here and take care of his brother. Wenbing saved both of us from a nasty execution, so I guess it’s mine turn to return the favor.” Agong said, taking Ruby’s position by the fallen Wenbing. Agong looked back after a moment and noticed that Ruby was reluctant to leave them behind.  “kuiquba.” And with that Ruby turned and sprinted out the door. The rain was still pouring, but she didn’t care. She ran past the still open driver’s side door and back around to the bed of the truck. The tailgate was open and the floor was covered with evidence of the firefight. Blood was smeared across the floor and scattered around were broken crates and shreds of green, cabbage strewn about. Ruby climbed up into the truck bed, and began searching for the hidden compartment that Ashong had mentioned. In the center of the bed, where Wenbing had been found, there was a layer of boxes covering the floor. Ruby moved these boxes out of the way, uncovering a section of the flooring that looked slightly different from the rest; while the large part of the wooden floorboards were flush against each other, these few lengths of wood had gaps in between them and looked as in they were barely held in place. Heart thumping, Ruby lifted the first segment of wood. And discovered the hints of a small form huddled down underneath. Excited by her discovery, Ruby quickly tore away the remaining panels. There, in the hollowed out portion of the truck bed, lay Logan. And by his side a young boy whom she did not know.

            “Ruby!” Logan cried as he noticed her. He looked a little dazed at first, probably from spending so much time in his hiding spot, but he quickly recovered, and tried to raise himself from the depression. But Ruby didn’t give him a chance. Leaping on top of him, straddling him at the waist, she bent down and kissed him furiously. And Logan kissed her back. Time seemed to stand still. For the moment they could both forget about the war that raged around them and the struggle that they had endured. Right then, the only two people in all of existence were them. 

Chinese culture 101

Today I want to introduce a fundamental aspect of Chinese culture. In Chinese culture, family is very important. Not only is this seen in the home, but it rolls over into the national identity as well. Chinese people generally refer to an unknown person on the street using titles such as little brother/sister, big brother/sister, aunt/uncle. This can be seen in the novel, especially when we are looking at the relationship between Logan and Didi. Didi's name, 弟弟 in Chinese (although they are the same character, the first di is pronounced with the fourth tone and the second di is pronounced with the neutral tone) means little brother.  Similarly, Didi often refers to Logan as dage (in Chinese 大哥), the da is pronounced in the fourth tone and means "big", the ge is in the first tone and means "older brother." This is derived from the word 哥哥, which means older brother. So Didi is effectively calling Logan "big brother." Dage can also be used to mean "boss." I hope that this clarifies some of the language that is used in the novel. I'll see you next time!
-Logan

As promised

Here are some of the pictures from my vacation in the beautiful Penghu. I hope that everyone enjoys them and is inspired to make the journey themselves. Stay tuned, as later this week I will be posting a new segment of Taiwan in Time. Thank you for reading and I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer! -Logan

So sorry!

Dear readers, I am deeply sorry for the lack of updates recently, as I know that you are always eager for more information and tidbits about the book. Recently my life has undergone some changes; I, my fiance and our little puppy have moved to a new home. We've been there about a week now and still have not been able to get anyone to come and set-up our internet connection! At the moment, we are in Penghu on vacation (expect to see picures, and don't be surprized by my glorious sun-burned skin) and as soon as we are back we are going to get things squared away. Thank you for your patience and as always, keep reading! -Logan

The medicine man

Today, I want to introduce one of the main characters to you. Geba. Part kungfu master, part wise man, Geba wasn't always involved in the resistance. In fact, he once owned a small shop in Taipei where he practiced traditional Chinese medicine with his family. What change came about to push him towards a life as a fugitive? Also noteworthy is the fact that Geba is the one member of the group that Agong truly respects. Why is this important, and how does his knowledge of herbal remedies and kungfu play a role in the story? Keep reading to find out! -Logan

As promised

Here is the tidbit that I promised...What? Oh, you didn't think I was going to post the whole scene, did you? You'll have to make sure to buy my book when it's published. But for now, keep reading! Good night all. 

-Logan 

“It’s cold,” Ruby thought, stretching her arms out towards their small cooking fire. She flexed her fingers again and again to keep the circulation up. “I hope he’s alright out there. Wenbing and Ashong have been gone all day.”

            “Do you think that they found him?” She asked Geba. Turning to her from where he sat eating his dinner of boiled cabbage and carrots with rice, he calmly replied, “I can’t say for certain. But the fact that they haven’t returned gives me hope. They are still out there, and they’ll be searching if they haven’t already found him.”

            “If they don’t get here soon, then they’ll have nothing to eat. We’re almost out of food.” Agong added grumpily from where he sat.

            “While our lack of food is a concern, Agong, like Ruby, I myself am more concerned with the safe return of our friends. After all, all the fine fare in the world would be wasted on the few. Much better to have many friends and many mouths to feed.”

            “Hmm. I suppose you’re right. Wenbing has always been a steadfast ally, and irritating though his twit of a brother may be, I must admit that his absence is felt.” Agong grudgingly admitted. Geba and the old man seemed to have a special relationship. Agong took the council of this mysterious man much more seriously than he did that of others.  Maybe it had to do with his skill with gongfu, or maybe it was due to his simplistic wisdom and the way in which he viewed the world. Whatever it was, the deference was noted. Though Agong’s show of respect was really not much more than a slight decrease in his overall crabbiness. As she contemplated this, the sputtering sounds of a diesel engine could be heard pulling up to the cabin. Ruby leapt up, and pulling the door back hard, she ran outside. The truck was back. She could see Ashong at the steering wheel, but there was no sign of either Wenbing or Logan.