The Hawaiian word of the day is
Kika
It is tiger.
On Sunday, a kika will prowl Aloha Stadium
during the Pro Bowl.
 |
| The Cincinnati Bengal at last year's Pro Bowl. |
I received Kylie Chan's WHITE TIGER in my Avon Addict package. I was intrigued by the cover ... and I invited Kylie to join me for a cozy chat. From her bio,
Kylie Chan married a Hong Kong national in a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in Eastern China, lived in Australia for ten years, then moved to Hong Kong for ten years and during that time learnt a great deal about Chinese culture and came to appreciate the customs and way of life.
In 2003 she closed down her successful IT consultancy company in Hong Kong and moved back to Australia. She decided to use her knowledge of Chinese mythology, culture, and martial arts to weave a story that would appeal to a wide audience.
Kim: Aloha, Kylie! Let's start with Brisbane - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?
Kylie: My favourite sight is the intensely blue cloudless summer sky of Brisbane. When you’re on the beach and the sand is an intense yellow, and the sea is blue-green and the sky is that crystalline intense cloudless blue of a really insanely hot summer’s day – that’s my Queensland! My favourite sound is also to do with summer in Brisbane – the cicadas are sometimes so loud they’re deafening. My Chinese husband used to say that the start of the cicadas meant the start of lychee season, and I adore lychees. My favourite smell is the wattle flowers, they’re a springtime symbol of the blue-and-cicada summer to come, and they have a sweet, powdery fragrance that goes right up your nose and makes you sneeze!
Kim: Hong Kong! What do you miss?
Kylie: Really good authentic Chiu Chow (Teochew) food. This is a particular regional cuisine of China that’s common in Asian cities – and almost unheard-of anywhere else. Chiu Chow do a goose braised in soy and spices, then sliced and served with a vinegar, garlic and chilli dipping sauce that is to die for. My favourite dish, however, is a chicken fillet served with a black-and-white-peppercorn sauce and deep-fried basil leaves – that I have been totally unable to replicate at home. Damn, I’m craving Chiu Chow now. Every time we go back to Hong Kong for a visit we make a point of having at least two meals of Chiu Chow.
Kim: "Buddhist and Taoist philosophy and has brought all of these together into her storytelling" - what elements of these philosophies inspire your life ... and your writing?
Kylie: Care for all living things, and compassion for everybody I encounter. The important thing in life isn’t to be a winner, or the best or anything, but to have helped others and to have made the world a slightly better place than when I arrived. I hope I have achieved that.
In my writing, I try to include this philosophy in my books – and most of all, the books give me the opportunity to give my reader a glimpse into – and compassion for – other people. If I have changed anyone’s opinion of women or minorities for the better because of the insight they’ve gained in my books then I’m a success.
Kim: Tell us about your books - what separates them from other fantasy fiction?
Kylie: Most fantasy fiction is western-based, and many authors follow the Anglo-Celtic footsteps of Tolkien. I have to admit that by my mid-twenties, if I read another book with elves, wizards or dragons (or more recently, vampires zombies or werewolves) in it, I would scream. I had the opportunity to live in China, and the mythology is so vast, complicated, and fascinating, it would be a shame not to share it. I think that’s the big separator – I don’t think anybody’s written anything featuring the Buddhist and Taoist pantheon before.
Kim: What's next for Kylie Chan?
Kylie: I’m finishing the final trilogy – the Celestial Battle trilogy. The seventh book in the whole series, ‘Dark Serpent’, is complete and will be released in May and I’m hard at work on book eight, ‘Dark Turtle’. I don’t think of the books as three trilogies, I think of it as a seamless series of nine books! I don’t know for sure what I’ll do when I complete book nine, ‘Black Xuan Wu’, but I’m hoping that I can perhaps take advantage of a Japanese friend’s hospitality and spend some time there learning as much as I can about Japanese culture with a view to a possible future series set there.
Mahalo, Kylie, for joining us at SOS Aloha! I am giving away a print copy of WHITE TIGER, Book 1 in her Dark Heaven series:
When 28-year-old Emma Donahoe becomes a nanny to John Chen’s daughter, Simone, she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic, and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal world.
Emma gradually realises that John Chen is no ordinary businessman and that nearly all the demons in hell would like to see him dead. John and his American bodyguard, Leo, begin to teach Emma their particular brand of martial arts and special defensive techniques … they also begin to realise that there is something that is different about Emma but exactly what it is, nobody can say.
Kylie: My favourite sight is the intensely blue cloudless summer sky of Brisbane. When you’re on the beach and the sand is an intense yellow, and the sea is blue-green and the sky is that crystalline intense cloudless blue of a really insanely hot summer’s day – that’s my Queensland! My favourite sound is also to do with summer in Brisbane – the cicadas are sometimes so loud they’re deafening. My Chinese husband used to say that the start of the cicadas meant the start of lychee season, and I adore lychees. My favourite smell is the wattle flowers, they’re a springtime symbol of the blue-and-cicada summer to come, and they have a sweet, powdery fragrance that goes right up your nose and makes you sneeze!
 |
| Lychee by B.navez via Creative Commons Attribution |
Kim: Hong Kong! What do you miss?
Kylie: Really good authentic Chiu Chow (Teochew) food. This is a particular regional cuisine of China that’s common in Asian cities – and almost unheard-of anywhere else. Chiu Chow do a goose braised in soy and spices, then sliced and served with a vinegar, garlic and chilli dipping sauce that is to die for. My favourite dish, however, is a chicken fillet served with a black-and-white-peppercorn sauce and deep-fried basil leaves – that I have been totally unable to replicate at home. Damn, I’m craving Chiu Chow now. Every time we go back to Hong Kong for a visit we make a point of having at least two meals of Chiu Chow.
 |
| Hong Kong by Diliff via Creative Commons Attribution |
Kim: "Buddhist and Taoist philosophy and has brought all of these together into her storytelling" - what elements of these philosophies inspire your life ... and your writing?
Kylie: Care for all living things, and compassion for everybody I encounter. The important thing in life isn’t to be a winner, or the best or anything, but to have helped others and to have made the world a slightly better place than when I arrived. I hope I have achieved that.
In my writing, I try to include this philosophy in my books – and most of all, the books give me the opportunity to give my reader a glimpse into – and compassion for – other people. If I have changed anyone’s opinion of women or minorities for the better because of the insight they’ve gained in my books then I’m a success.
Kylie: Most fantasy fiction is western-based, and many authors follow the Anglo-Celtic footsteps of Tolkien. I have to admit that by my mid-twenties, if I read another book with elves, wizards or dragons (or more recently, vampires zombies or werewolves) in it, I would scream. I had the opportunity to live in China, and the mythology is so vast, complicated, and fascinating, it would be a shame not to share it. I think that’s the big separator – I don’t think anybody’s written anything featuring the Buddhist and Taoist pantheon before.
Kim: What's next for Kylie Chan?
Kylie: I’m finishing the final trilogy – the Celestial Battle trilogy. The seventh book in the whole series, ‘Dark Serpent’, is complete and will be released in May and I’m hard at work on book eight, ‘Dark Turtle’. I don’t think of the books as three trilogies, I think of it as a seamless series of nine books! I don’t know for sure what I’ll do when I complete book nine, ‘Black Xuan Wu’, but I’m hoping that I can perhaps take advantage of a Japanese friend’s hospitality and spend some time there learning as much as I can about Japanese culture with a view to a possible future series set there.
Mahalo, Kylie, for joining us at SOS Aloha! I am giving away a print copy of WHITE TIGER, Book 1 in her Dark Heaven series:
When 28-year-old Emma Donahoe becomes a nanny to John Chen’s daughter, Simone, she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic, and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal world.
Emma gradually realises that John Chen is no ordinary businessman and that nearly all the demons in hell would like to see him dead. John and his American bodyguard, Leo, begin to teach Emma their particular brand of martial arts and special defensive techniques … they also begin to realise that there is something that is different about Emma but exactly what it is, nobody can say.
To enter the giveaway,
1. Leave a comment about Oriental food - do you have a favorite? Hawaiians love spam musubi!
2. Comments are open through Saturday, January 26, 10 pm in Hawaii.
3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 27.
Mahalo,
Kim in Hawaii
To learn more about Kylie and her books, check out her website at kyliechan.com.
I do love Chinese food - pretty much all of it.
ReplyDeleteI've never developed a taste for lychees.
The cicadas can be very loud here at night. I'm afraid the wattle gives me terrible hayfever.
Eat chinese food each time :)
ReplyDeleteSushi sushi sushi! And steamed dumplings with a rich sweet 'n' sour sauce, of course. But my absolute favourite has to be 'Buddha's delight' which is a vegetarian dish with load of delicious veggies. Good for the body, and soul.
ReplyDeleteI love any kind of Chinese food!!!! Also sushi!
ReplyDeleteI am not fond of Chinese food but will occasionally enjoy ribs and fried rice.
ReplyDeleteChinese food does not agree with me! I like it, but end up paying the price for it later. We are not friends :)
ReplyDeleteFrom Japan, beef tomato over rice.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is sweet and sour chicken, with fried rice and pancake rolls.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite oriental food is chicken fried rice, with a side of eggrolls.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE today's Hawaiian word!
Noodles... for sure... but too much calories...
ReplyDeleteI love Chinese - General Tso's is one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Chinese and like catslady, General Tso's is one of my favorites. I also enjoy trying Thai and Vietnamese food, too - no favorites, though.
ReplyDeleteChow Mein (Chinese Noodles) , Siomai, Siopao (Steamed Buns). They are all good!
ReplyDeleteI love a dish called "yam ring".
ReplyDeleteI love Japanese Food... Hubby lived over there and have to say i love ginger beefbowls with sticky rice.. oh yeah and sushi... There is a little hole in the wall place here in fayetteville ran by a japanese couple who make the best fresh sushi... It is well worth the cost and our boys love it too...thanks now i am hungry lol.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Chinese food is Shrimp fried rice!
ReplyDeletemlawson17 at hotmail dot com
any kind
ReplyDeleteThis books sound amazing!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the rice!
I love all sorts of oriental food. As for favourites, one of which would be fried wonton :)
ReplyDelete