The Year of the Fire Horse!
Riding into a happy, exciting, and productive year!
Happening every 60 years, the Fire Horse Year (or Red Horse Year, 2026-02-17 ~ 2027-02-05) brings double intense energy by the horse and the fire. I wish you, my friend, a year filled with freedom, movement, creativity, and productivity!
On my end, since you last heard from me in November 2025, there have been several exciting developments to start the Fire Horse Year on a very positive note.
#1. A Sunny Retirement
You didn’t hear from me during the entire December and January, because two significant events happened.
First, I retired as of 12/31/2025 from the university where I worked for more than 30 years. With that, I closed the door to a total of 36+ years as a scholar and professor in higher education. I am excited to have more energy to continue walking in the creative writing hallway that I created several years ago.
Second, along with the retirement, I moved to a new city that has plenty of sunshine and is surrounded by mountains (I love mountains, in case you haven’t noticed from my books). The new home has taken a ton of attention, during which I have learned so much. I am gradually getting settled into the new home and the community.
Above is a picture from my first hiking trip three days ago. You might see the skyline of a famous city in the background.
#2. 37 More Voices Receives Positive Reviews and Ratings
Published in October 2025, 37 More Voices, the 2nd and final volume of the Voices Heard Anthology Series, received much more attention than the number shows.
Here is one review at Amazon.com. Following that is a private email from a famous author. I am not revealing the person’s name since it is a private email, but I wanted the contributors of the book to see the message - we should all be so proud!
#3. Daughter of Blue City Received Another Recognition
The book was published in August 2025 and was Amazon’s #1 New Release in Historical Chinese Fiction. In January 2026, I was notified that it is the Distinguished Favorite for Cultural Heritage for the 2026 Independent Press Award. That brings three recognitions to the book.
#4. Another Anthology
With 20+ authors, I contributed to this book with an extended story from Daughter of Blue City on the two sisters, Lianlian and Shanshan, growing up fast in a suburb in Beijing in 1973 when their father was dying from TB, and their mother had all the attention on him. The story belongs to Feisty Deeds II because it is about the two sisters trying to buy rice balls for the Lantern Festival without the correct government-issued tickets.
#5. Continued Coverage in Podcast
I was interviewed last year by the Reader’s House Magazine in London. I just discovered that the interview was “summarized” by two reporters in a 13-min podcast. The most amazing thing is that they added their interpretations and annotations, making the interview summary quite entertaining to listen to. Check it out yourself! (scroll down to the Podcast section).
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I wish you all a happy, exciting, and productive Year of the Fire Horse. May you and your loved ones be happy, healthy, and well in every way!
Congratulations on your retirement and on the many accolades for your work! It’s an honor for my story to share Feisty Deeds II with yours. I loved the insight into Chinese culture at about the same time as my story took place in California.
Loved the good news and positive energy of this newsletter. I am very happy to hear the recognition you are getting for your latest book . Wishing you all good things in this year of the fire horse.