The Jade Owl Book KLUB: Read with the Author - Chapters 1 - 8

[Edward C. Patterson]

This Book Klub is continous and you can start it at any time and feel free to ask questions and pose discussion questions. I will be available to Read along with you at whatever stage you are at. Once finished, you are welcome to continue onto the other Book Klubs established for the Jade Owl Leacy. Let me tell you how delighted I am that you are taking this journey with me.

Introduction

I am hoping that this experience will be worthwhile for both you and me as we tread the pages of The Jade Owl and subsequent books in the series. I’ve provided some questions below, but I encourage discussion on any part of the book. It is difficult at this juncture (early chapters) to spoil things as resolution comes later on, so I leave it to your discgression with spoiler. If in doubt, use the spoiler button. I’m open to any questions, claifications and comments. I also encourage feedback of all kinds. It stands to reason that an author loves to discuss their work, and that’s the joy of it for me.

Week 1: Part I – Chapters 1 – 9

Chapter One: Opportunties Lost

1 – The title in the chapter is plural. Besides Rowden Gray’s job loss, how many other opportunties lost can you identify?
2 – Can you identify the real museum that the author based the San Francisco Musseum of Arts and Culture after?
3 – What signficance could lavender have in the sheme of things?

Chapter Two: The Powell Street Line

1 – Please identify the author quoted by Rowden Gray in his drunkeness – “I’ve never cared for this life as a thing worthwhile.”
2 – Can anyone identify the neighborhood that Rowden has his serenity moment on the cable car overlooking San Francisco bay? What significance could it have?
3 – A K’ang-xi vase is discussed in Han Ch’i-wang’s Antiques. What is K’ang-xi in Chinese history?

Chapter Three: Night Life

1 – Why would the author select the menu served to Rowden and Nick — the specific items?
2 – How does Nick raise suspicion for both Rowden and the reader as to his intentions? What's your guess at this point in the book?
3 – What is the significance of Simone DeFluerry’s song choice?
4 – Were you surpirsed at Nick’s Identity? (be careful as this one could be a spoiler)

Chapter Four: Eden’s Valley

1 – What author’s works are conjured up when speaking about Merced and Yosemite?
2 – There’s a reference to Rowden’s ex-wife. What’s her name?
3 – Why would the author give Griffen, the landscape painter, the physical charcteristics that he does?

Chapter Five: The Little Perch on the Hill

1 – What are your impressions of Simon Geldfarb at this point in the story?
2 – What are your impressions of the photographs? Speculate a little with Rowden Gray.
3 – Why does the author have Simone DeFluerry refer to towns in Kansas?

Chapter Six: Hunting

1 – Why would the author set this scene with slapstick comedy?
2 – What is the significance of the name Wewoka?
3 – What is manufactued on Ghirardelli Square?

Chapter Seven: Os-da O-gu-ku

1 – Translate the title of this Chapter.
2 – What do you think has happened to Nick? Speculate. What could this “horn” be?
3 – How much of Nick’s explaination to Rowden came as a surprise to you?
4 – Why does the author continually fill Rowden with heaps of doubt?

Chapter Eight: The Old Grandmother

1 – Why does the author personify old friend cane?
2 – Why are family relationships so vital to this novel from a themal point of view?
3 – How does the author press forward on the Empress Wu’s character to give her additional substance beyond the mythos?

[Ann in Arlington]

I'll get reading Ed. . ..but may get a bit behind next week as I'll be at music camp. . . .I expect I'll get fully caught up by the end of the month. . . . .a Book Klub is the perfect excuse to move it to the top of the 'pile'. 

Do you have a schedule mapped out?  Or just go with as many chapters at a time as seems right?  Above you have listed chapter 1-9 but have no questions for chapter 9.

[Edward C. Patterson]

Ann, my bad. I can write but I I can't count. It's Chapters 1 - 8. Everyone should read at their own speed. I'll juggle the various lists as needed. Musci camp? Instrument? or Voice?

Ed P

[Ann in Arlington]

Musci camp? Instrument? or Voice?

Ed P

yes.  

I think I'm doing piano this year. . . .also play guitar, bass guitar, flute, recorder, and I sing some.  It's a ton of fun every year, but not a lot of time -- or frankly desire -- to go off by my self to read!

[Edward C. Patterson]

That's kool. I studied opera, did a heck of a lot of choral singing in my day and was a member of an opera company (G&S(, which is why you might see some Gilbert & Sullivan references in my books (especially Bobby's Trace). Can't do the piano as I have "the so-called gay hand" which doesn;t span the octave. 

Ed P

[Ann in Arlington]

Can't do the piano as I have "the so-called gay hand" which doesn;t span the octave. 

Ed P

No excuse:  I know a guy who was injured in Iraq.  Used to play guitar marvelously but because of his injury he can't rotate his left arm to play chords and at least 2 fingers on that hand don't work.  He fakes it just fine on the piano though!    Not going to be playing Liszt, of course, but he does a great job with pop stuff and all.

Uh. . .guess I should go start reading your book so I can get back on topic . . .

[Edward C. Patterson]

Well then, it'll be Mozart for me. 

ECP

[EllenR]

Oh cool, good opportunity for me to jump in and start this book!

EllenR

[Edward C. Patterson]

Welcome aboard EllenR

Ed P

[Susan in VA]

Now I'm wishing I hadn't just recently finished this book.  Seems kind of unfair to participate when I know what's going to happen.   

(But I do want to follow the thread, so I'm posting this to get it to bump to my new-posts list.  )

[Edward C. Patterson]

Susan:

You are welcome to follow along and re-read if you want. I hav many readers who read the series more than once, which always makes me feel good (or bad, if they're reading it because they didn' understand it the first time.) 

Ed P

[Betsy the Quilter]

As everyone can see, we're having a Reading With the Author Book Klub with Ed Patterson!  Hurray!  I'm leaving for Finland in a couple of weeks, so I'm not sure I'll be able to take part, but I'll hang out as much as I can!

Betsy

[AppleHeart]

Oh dear! I don't think I'm good at this, I know I'm not good at this but here goes.

Introduction

I am hoping that this experience will be worthwhile for both you and me as we tread the pages of The Jade Owl and subsequent books in the series. I’ve provided some questions below, but I encourage discussion on any part of the book. It is difficult at this juncture (early chapters) to spoil things as resolution comes later on, so I leave it to your discgression with spoiler. If in doubt, use the spoiler button. I’m open to any questions, claifications and comments. I also encourage feedback of all kinds. It stands to reason that an author loves to discuss their work, and that’s the joy of it for me.

Week 1: Part I – Chapters 1 – 9

Chapter One: Opportunties Lost

1 – The title in the chapter is plural. Besides Rowden Gray’s job loss, how many other opportunties lost can you identify?

      a)   An opportunity (actually there were two instances) to deck the smart-mouthed guard at the lobby – did I really say that? I’d have, gladly. That, or given him my perfected ‘hairy eyeball’ glare!
      b)   What was Millie going to say but stopped herself from saying? – I wonder if it has any bearing or will have any importance at all.
      c)   The chance to tell the nasty curator to “take this job and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine” or something like that.
      d)   I’m guessing that he was tempted (wanted, but didn’t pursue) to change the relationship between Connie and him from being friendly colleagues to maybe friends with benefits so this may be  another opportunity lost cuz I think Connie would have welcomed it. - Are Connie and the Professor going to be an item further down or was I just, being a romantic, imagining it?
      e)   He failed to speak up for his late mentor, JB. He should have had faith in the veracity of the Jade Owl, sight unseen. – at least that’s how I’d feel were I in his shoes, maybe.

2 – Can you identify the real museum that the author based the San Francisco Musseum of Arts and Culture after?

      Sorry, I can’t and have no idea. I’d like to know though.

3 – What signficance could lavender have in the sheme of things?

      Showing my ignorance - The only thing I can think of is: lavender almost always sooth or calm me when I’m stressed, so I’m thinking that every time the Professor gets stressed, lavender serves as a sedative, kinda. Or, my friend pointed out to me that it could be the author’s subtle hint of the, umm, sexual preference of Nick? Or, it could be that lavender is my favorite color (no bearing to the story at all) and since it is the color for royalty and this artifact/treasure must belong to some royals in the past, then it is significant. (Help, I’m floundering here….)

Chapter Two: The Powell Street Line

1 – Please identify the author quoted by Rowden Gray in his drunkeness – “I’ve never cared for this life as a thing worthwhile.”

      I’m sorry but I have no clue and I don’t think I have ever come across this quote before. (Didn't I say I was ignorant?!?)

2 – Can anyone identify the neighborhood that Rowden has his serenity moment on the cable car overlooking San Francisco bay? What significance could it have?

      Venturing a guess, Chinatown? The start of the journey to finding the Jade Owl? Can’t be Union Square. (Was at the Fairmont San Francisco for a seminar once and had fun riding the cable cars from the hotel to many points of interests, so reading this chapter brought back many wonderful memories of my time in SF.)

3 – A K’ang-xi vase is discussed in Han Ch’i-wang’s Antiques. What is K’ang-xi in Chinese history?

      I’m 25% Chinese, and all I recall from conversations with my Chinese relatives years ago is that this belongs to the period of the same name, circa 1700s and that it’s mostly porcelain, blue and white. There are some red but more influenced by the Ming Dynasty.  Not very useful but that’s what I remember, aside from my Ang-kong having several vases in his home which we were told were Kangxi’s and very expensive that we were not supposed to play with or near them lest we break them. (Ashamed to say that I did not fully embrace my Chinese heritage because of the ostracism I experienced at the hands of cruel non-Chinese schoolmates when I was growing up many years ago. I can still remember/read/speak a little Chinese – Mandarin and Fukien (Fujian) – but that’s all. Sigh.) So, I really am ashamed to say that I am ignorant as to what Kangxi is in Chinese history. Sorry.


Chapter Three: Night Life

1 – Why would the author select the menu served to Rowden and Nick — the specific items?

      Because they’re delicious? Sorry, my favorites, especially the dumplings and the prawns.
      a)   Egg flower soup – we call this egg drop soup back home. Very easy to make and can go with any viand.
      b)   Ming Shou dumplings – yum! Dumplings with meat/vegetable fillings in spicy sauce. Traditionally, made fresh for the New Year although it can be prepared and eaten any time. Di-koh told me that the new year means new beginnings, brings new promises, new expectations for the whole year so this is why fresh dumplings are made always in our family. Guess it’s unlucky not to serve dumpling – just like when I lived in Texas, I was told to always have/eat black-eyed peas or luck will elude me the whole year…
      c)   Broiled prawns with mung bean noodles – another yum! Made from mung beans, is clear or translucent, very rich in protein and iron and when cooked with meat, prawn, fish or vegetables, soaks up the flavor of the meat or prawn or fish or vegetable. I prefer this to rice (vermicelli) noodles.
      d)   Fire pot – this is like stew, blending beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp and vegetables. Another traditional New Year’s Day food in my family.
      
      ** More guessing here, but since the food above are traditionally served for the New Year, I am thinking that it denotes the start of something, i.e. search for the Jade Owl, thus the beginning of something for not only the professor but for Nick as well..?

2 – How does Nick raise suspicion for both Rowden and the reader as to his intentions? What's your guess at this point in the book?

      Every time he mentions the Jade Owl, a red flag is raised. He needs the professor’s help in finding the lost treasure. He knows something or have something that will point or show the way, only he doesn’t know what or how to use that knowledge. Guessing that Nick not only knows about the Jade Owl, he must have a personal involvement in it.

3 – What is the significance of Simone DeFluerry’s song choice?
      
      I always thought that “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” is a song of hope. So I think that the song means hope. And I didn’t know it is, as you wrote, “the gay national anthem.”

4 – Were you surpirsed at Nick’s Identity? (be careful as this one could be a spoiler)

      No. Well, the synopsis already made me aware that the Prof was going to be working with his deceased mentor’s son and his SO, Simone, so it was not a surprise.


Chapter Four: Eden’s Valley

1 – What author’s works are conjured up when speaking about Merced and Yosemite?

      I don’t know about authors/books, maybe one that was made into a movie by Disney but I can't remember the name -- but Yosemite always make me remember epic western movies starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, James Stewart, Gregory Peck, etc… Sorry, told you I was ignorant!

2 – There’s a reference to Rowden’s ex-wife. What’s her name?

      Rose. (Rosie? Too lazy to go back and look.)

3 – Why would the author give Griffen, the landscape painter, the physical charcteristics that he does?

      Maybe cuz Griffen is part native-American Indian? Like the author? Is this like a Stephen King thing??? He always has a cameo in all the movies of his work. Just a guess.

This is where I stopped. Will read the rest of the chapters tomorrow and post my thoughts. But I feel like I am not really contributing much to the discussion so maybe I should bow out...?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Five: The Little Perch on the Hill

1 – What are your impressions of Simon Geldfarb at this point in the story?
2 – What are your impressions of the photographs? Speculate a little with Rowden Gray.
3 – Why does the author have Simone DeFluerry refer to towns in Kansas?

Chapter Six: Hunting

1 – Why would the author set this scene with slapstick comedy?
2 – What is the significance of the name Wewoka?
3 – What is manufactued on Ghirardelli Square?

Chapter Seven: Os-da O-gu-ku

1 – Translate the title of this Chapter.
2 – What do you think has happened to Nick? Speculate. What could this “horn” be?
3 – How much of Nick’s explaination to Rowden came as a surprise to you?
4 – Why does the author continually fill Rowden with heaps of doubt?

Chapter Eight: The Old Grandmother

1 – Why does the author personify old friend cane?
2 – Why are family relationships so vital to this novel from a themal point of view?
3 – How does the author press forward on the Empress Wu’s character to give her additional substance beyond the mythos?

[Neekeebee]

Question for you, Ed.  I read the description of your book on Amazon, but wasn't sure if there is any supernatural/spooky stuff in it.  I am kind of chicken (OK, really chicken  ) so I have to avoid books/movies, etc. with a broad range of stuff from gore to ghosts to vampires to demons, etc.  Murder and fantasy are OK, though.  Is your book a read or a skip?  Thanks!

N

[Edward C. Patterson]

There is paranormal things in it. No gore. Ghosts, yes.

Ed Patterson

[Neekeebee]

Thanks, Ed!  Nothing like getting answers straight from the author!

N

[KindTrish]

There is paranormal things in it. No gore. Ghosts, yes.

Ed Patterson

Thanks for clarifying.  For some reason on some thread I got the impression this was a gore genre.  I just read the reviews and 1-clicked and ready to read.

[Edward C. Patterson]

But I guarentee, you'll love it, unless Drag Queens and Cherokee Indians scare yer.  

Ed P

[Edward C. Patterson]

Thanks KindTrish. Welcome aboard. Perhaps my blurb "In China they whisper again," makes it all sound myserious, but hey  . . . blurbs like covers need to get people's attention.

Ed P

[F1Wild]

Hi Mr. Patterson!  I just dedcided after all of the "Asian" suggestions (and actually starting The Last Empress, but wasn't "grabbed") to 1-click The Jade Owl and will start later today!  Asian background, drag queens, Cherokee and ghosts??  I'm in!!!

Thank you for doing this - it will be fun.  I was in a book club when living in Ireland, but there reading was minimal and the libations max (over 75% never read anything)!  Haha!

Any suggestions before I start?

[Edward C. Patterson]

Welcome F1Wild. I'll know you'll enjoy this, especially since you love things Asian. Take a tur on the Powell Street Line. 

Ed P

[Ann in Arlington]

Introduction
Chapter One: Opportunties Lost

1 – The title in the chapter is plural. Besides Rowden Gray’s job loss, how many other opportunties lost can you identify?
2 – Can you identify the real museum that the author based the San Francisco Musseum of Arts and Culture after?
3 – What signficance could lavender have in the sheme of things?

1. . .could have had a relationship with the girl . . .probably some time in the past
2. . .probably the Museum of Asian Art  (Google is Good )
3. . .I expect it foreshadows something. . . .

On to chapter 2

[Edward C. Patterson]

Appleheart - Excellent and comprehensive. What do you mean you're not very good at this stuff. Anyway, I'm not going to address all the things as readers are just coming aboard, but I will address a few of the more arcane things that are not spoilers.

One missed opportunity is John Battle's loss of the Jade Owl itself. You are correct also with the lavender as it is the color for the Gay community, but the aroma of lavender is something that lingers and thus it becomes the leitmotif for Nick in all 5 books and even in the ancillary books of Southern Swallow.

The quote is from Thomas Hardy, from one of his poems and I was playing Gerald Finzi's setting of it sung by Bryn Teufel when I was writing this chapter. I incorporate things like that into my writing as I write. I pay homages to authors and mentors. I'll mention those as we go along. I  have also incorporated something in this first book that is special for each of the original beta-readers.

The Museum (and this is for Ann and Google) is also a homage. In Golden Gate Park stood a museum called the De Young. It's still there, but it's not the same De Young of my memory. The original De Young was torn down in the mid90's and replaced with a cheese and cracker affair. The famous Asian collection was moved to city hall where most of it still is. Reason. Earthquake proofing. They wanted the collection to be in an earthquake proof place, and the new De Young is earthquake proof, but is devoted to PanAmerican art now. You would be hard pressed to find pictures of the old De Young. It was breathtaking and yet they destroyed it. How tragic. What an Opportunity LOST. But I rebuilt in your mind, Hallelujah! and renamed it. John Battle Memorial Hall is a complete replica of the De Young's main exhibition hall.

The Powell Street Line becomes the Hyde Street Line when it turns on Jackson Street and climbs to  . . . Russian Hill. It is on Russian Hill that Rowdy gets his serenity moment - my homage (and only the first one of many to Armistad Maupin's great saga "Tales of the City.") If Rowden had turned his head to the right instead of the left, he would have seen the old wooden steps leading to the fictional Barberry Lane.

K'ang-xi is the second reign period of the Ch'ing or Manchu Dynasty and is the designation to the 60 year reign of the K'ang-xi Emperor.

Wow, you describe the food better than I have. The food, of course, is a distraction, but no matter. The important bit is that these are dishes native to Gui-lin in Southwestern China (a place significant to the series). The restaurant itself is a hybrid between the Empress which is on California Street and Grant Avenue, but the interior is the Imperial Restaurant, which was on Ghirardelli Square. (Not sure if its tere anymore)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is the Gay National Anthem as gay folk are the Daughters of Dorothy and the Stonewall Riots that initiaed the Gay Activist Movement occurred on the anniversary of Judy Garland's death.

The author I invoke at Yosemite and Merced is Steinbeck (East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath and Merced itself, which is nearby Salinas, Steinbeck's home town).

Rose is correct.

As for Griffen - yes, I am Cherokee, but I am also blind in one eye. That someone half-blind is cast as a landscape artist is just as ionic that someone who pounds a keyboard all day has no peripheral vision.

This is a great start. I encourage discussion and questions. Watch for the red herrings. I might run a contest at some point to see how many red herrings my readers can spot.

Ed P  

[back2nature]

I can't read much of this thread. I am reading The Jade Owl right now, and am only up to Chap. 3. I'll check back later.

[Edward C. Patterson]

Welcome Back2Nature. Glad you're here.

Ed P

[F1Wild]

I can't read much of this thread. I am reading The Jade Owl right now, and am only up to Chap. 3. I'll check back later.

I know - me too.  Anyway we can do the questions, etc. at a little slower pace or maybe not have quite so many right up front?  That way we could have a bit of discussion instead of feelng like some of us are way behind?

I am new to the book klub thing on this forum and so maybe I am way out of line.  Sorry, if so!

[Edward C. Patterson]

I'm new to i also, so perhaps we'll have a few more discussion questions and smaller chunks in the next thread or here. Suggestions for discussion questions?

Ed P

[F1Wild]

I'm new to i also, so perhaps we'll have a few more discussion questions and smaller chunks in the next thread or here. Suggestions for discussion questions?

Ed P

Thanks so much for the possibility.  I just don't want to read so much about what I haven't read yet...which reminds me...(note to self) get off the computer and into the book!!!

[Betsy the Quilter]

Folks,

the important thing, of course, is to READ the book. 

Also, (pardon me, Ed, feel free to argue, it's your book klub), don't feel you have to answer EVERY question online, although you should certainly consider them.  Look for questions that you don't feel have been fully discussed already or that you have a different take on.   And post new thoughts in earlier sections as they occur to you.

And, because it IS your book klub, Ed and Readers, if you want to take longer than a week to do a section, you can certainly do that!

Finally, based on my experience in other areas, if you get behind in answering the questions but are caught up on the reading, work on the CURRENT set of questions and deal with earlier chapters when you have time or not at all.

Betsy

[Edward C. Patterson]

Good advice. It tried to ask questions that are "asides" to the main story, with the hope that readers will want to discuss the meat and potatoes. I mean, the fact that the Museum is modelled on the DeYoung is something that one can live and long and happy life without knowning.  But I feel, since you are reading with the author, I'd give you all a window into my (demented he he he) mind. 

Ed P

[AppleHeart]

I'm new to i also, so perhaps we'll have a few more discussion questions and smaller chunks in the next thread or here. Suggestions for discussion questions?

Ed P

In Chapter I, I sensed that there were more to the feeling of dislike, perhaps professional envy, between the curator JJG and the late JB, at least, it seems to me it was more on the curator's side (since JB is now dead). Is it because he resented that Rowden is more JB's protege than his?
I also would like to know more about why you are paying homage to Maupin's "Tales of the City" which I think I read a long time ago, maybe I'll need to re-read to figure out your obvious-to-you-but-not-to-me reasons for the homage? I love that I can discuss things like this with you without rancor and since I'm inherently curious, I hope you won't mind my seeking answers to things I'm ignorant of.
Lastly, at the JBMH, when he was looking (admiring? worshipping? trying to figure out as if putting the pieces together?) at the Empress Wu's The Joy of Finches jewelry box, I got the feeling that the indentation at the top of the box have obvious significance. This is one clue I'm holding onto until I know for sure if it is significant or not. Or is this only one of several red herrings you say you'll throw at us? I like challenges like this as it makes me pay attention to what I'm reading cuz I read very fast so in this instance, I may need to slow-read so as not to miss important clues! Also the mirage I believe is one red herring, since he smelled lavender, Nick must have been near or in his peripheral vision, no, not peripheral as I seem to recall it (image) was in his central vision so either Nick moved fast out of his line of vision or maybe it was JB's ghostly presence. I'm guessing since Nick is JB's son that it could be JB's ghostly presence? A sort of precursor, an omen?

In Chapter II, I could 'feel' the desolation, the me-against-the-world desperation, Rowden was experiencing while at the bar. His fleeting thought of suicide, were it possible, I'd say "No, don't do it. There are other things you can do." and what a relief to have Nick come in and say what I so badly wanted to say! And because I've exprienced first hand the cable car's switching gears or direction and heard the musical (at least to me) clang clanging, it made me feel like I was right there with them. Thank you for the visual. (If I haven't said it yet, you are a very good writer/story teller and I'm now your newest fan!)
Another interesting character introduced - the antique shop and restaurant owner - there is more to this character, I think, unless it is another of your herrings, but I think not. He appears nice but there is something that makes me suspicious although I can't say what yet. Maybe it's because he spoke to Nick about something out of the professor's hearing? That makes me wonder...

Yet, another mention of the Jade Owl. I am beginning to think there is more to this. Nick knows something, definitely.

In chapter III, other than the food which you said was a mere distraction (BUT, what a wonderful distraction!), I suspected that there was something going on between the homeless Han and Nick, once again because of the secrecy - why go back to talk to Han when he could have said what he wanted to say in Rowden's hearing? Another red herring? Likely not. Another clue! Yep, that's it.

The Painted Lady and Miss Chatty and Simone - I love your description of them. I have never been to one so this may be the closest I can get to a real gay establishment. No offense meant! (Years ago, I was taken to a Chinese restaurant in NY by friends who wanted to shock me and where all the waiters were dressed in drag and if I recall correctly, close by was a place where people can watch people being chained and whipped on stage and get to participate too. I don't remember where it is or if it's still there but it sure was something I didn't want to experience again! My prudishness is showing, no? Anyway, nothing to do with the book so author and moderators can delete this if it is offensive to some people.)

What you wrote about there being no restaurants in China, that certainly was true in 1967, when I and an older male cousin brought Grandfather home to Peking (now Beijing) because he wanted to die in his homeland. It was scary and fun at the same time, especially when the red soldiers boarded the train for inspection and confiscated Ang-Kong's gold bars which he had carried in a belt around his waist. They took everything but luckily, didn't check my sad-looking made-of-flour-sack bag where I had hidden my late Grandmother's jewelry and it was what we used to rent a hut for him and for the husband and wife we hired to care for him until his death. The family would send money every month for 5 more years. Sorry, I digress.

I don't want to monopolize so I think I'll stop right here and rejoin when the others are ready to discuss. I'll read the rest of the chapters for this week tonight and will wait to post on them...

One thing I'd like to mention - you sound just like my theology professor, the late Rev. Fr. Alfred Ort, SMJ from New Jersey, who asked questions similarly, when I was taking the Pre-Nursing course at Xavier University, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Philippines in 1968. He'd pick one student for the whole hour of class and throw questions after questions at her/him once the original question had been answered... He was tough but his classes were always full, no empty seats. Maybe because he encouraged us to think and think further - in, and outside, the box! We all loved him.    

'Nuff said.

Edith

[Edward C. Patterson]

Edith:

You are on the right track. And thank you for the compliment. I love San Francisco - it's in my blood, although I was born and raised in Brooklyn, like Rowden Gray (and am a Sinologist, like Rowden Gray). The Maupin homage is to a "gay" author and I'm a "gay" author, although neither here nor there. I love cable cars so I thought I'd take up the challenge of writing a scene entirely "on the move," which is a challenge. Glad it works. You ate in Lucky Chang's in NYC - that place is a hoot. As for red herrings - keep tracking them. And you comments on your trip to China - I think you will feel right at home when the story eventually moves there.

Ed P

[Ann in Arlington]

Chapter Two: The Powell Street Line

1 – Please identify the author quoted by Rowden Gray in his drunkeness – “I’ve never cared for this life as a thing worthwhile.”
2 – Can anyone identify the neighborhood that Rowden has his serenity moment on the cable car overlooking San Francisco bay? What significance could it have?
3 – A K’ang-xi vase is discussed in Han Ch’i-wang’s Antiques. What is K’ang-xi in Chinese history?

1.  no idea
2.  no idea
3.  no idea

Geez, Ed, I thought this was supposed to be fun!  I feel like I'm taking a final exam and missed all the classes! 

[Edward C. Patterson]

1.  no idea
2.  no idea
3.  no idea

Geez, Ed, I thought this was supposed to be fun!  I feel like I'm taking a final exam and missed all the classes! 

1 - Thoms Hardy (Remember him from the Literary Triva challenge he he)
2 - Armisted Maupin's Tales of the City - Barbury Lane
3 - K'ang-xi is a 60 year reign period during the Ch'ing (Qing) or Manuchu Dynasty.

Esoteric information for your non-reading enjoyment.  None o this stuff is in the book, but in the author's mind. (A window, and you can throw me out of it)

Ed P

[geoffthomas]

Am posting here as a place marker to note that I have read this thread - fun, Ed.
And am now reading chapter 8.

Just sayin.....

[Edward C. Patterson]

 

Ed P

[Edward C. Patterson]

I posted this on another thread, which asked for a fun fact about author's books, and I think it is appropriate (and fun) to re-post it here and in the Read with the Author Book Klub, also:

Although I have been writing fo fifty years, my first professional book, The Jade Owl, was started by accident. I had just lost my job of 38 years and I considered writing something for publication (which, up until that point, was a private endevor), and while thrashing around for a subject, I came across a call for a submission for serial novels on-line. While pondering ideas in my kitchen, I espied a small little blue (not green) glass owl, which was always in my grandmother's jardiniere on her front porch. It was my table and waiting for storage. It was accidentally in with the Christmas ornaments and was set aside as "being in the wrong place." Actually, as it turned out, it was in the "right place," and thus I began a novel about a professional, "out-of-work" and beginning an unlikely journey involving a small "green" owl figurine . . . and I submitted this to that online house, and they were interested and I continued, and they sent me a contract. By June 2002 it appeared (in a greatly altered form from today's polished novel) on line at anotherchapter.com in serial form, a chapter a week. By September, the on-line company bellied up and I was stuck with . . . a great treasure. A completed manuscript, a terrorist editor, many friends in the business and a hunger to complete my over 20 incomplete works and get them published. Now I have 13 of those works published (14 is in the works), and I have matured as an author and I am learning more every day. I have just gone over the 2,000 sales mark across all titles, and have garnered 121 4- and 5-star reviews. I know a vast number of authors and professionals and I am thankful to God, who is my agent, for every new reader who picks up one of my books. I have also learned that authoring has less to do with money, fame and glory. It has to do with something even more intangible - a love for words, the spark of creation and the mantle of self-worth. How many times can an aging Old queen leave his seed behind to continue the magic when the end of the path is reached. Yes, a little blue glass owl from my grandmother's jardiniere misplaced and coming into sight at a fortuitous time. How's that for a fun fact.

Edward C. Patterson