About Keiko the Fairy: The Silk Road
The Silk Road, the second book of the Keiko series, is filled with twists and unexpected turns as Red tries to avoid the mob in Tokyo, and the U.S. Navy sends Nick on special assignment. Red is invited to the Imperial Palace where Empress Meiko extends her hand in friendship and gives Red important information about her mother’s true identity. Nick is sent to China for its 60th Naval Anniversary celebration, and secretly attempts a dangerous mission to retrieve Red’s mother and the Crown of India, with help from a very unexpected ally. Red and Nick learn about the ancient trade routes from China to the Middle East, called the Silk Road, and how powerful philosophical ideas accompanied the precious riches traded. In the face of extraordinary challenges, Keiko continues to share her love and wisdom with the young couple, as they begin to realize they care for one another deeply.
Behind the Scenes
From 1989 to 1993, I lived in Tokyo, Japan as a language consultant. The first thing that became very apparent is that everything, and I do mean everything as the exact opposite of how I was taught to experience the world. It was the most difficult thing that I have had to do in my life. The culture is a treasure trove of history and fascinating discoveries. When the U.S. economy went into free fall in 2009, and all my advertising, marketing clients stopped spending money, I began to write this series to try and share with young people, and old alike, all of the extraordinary things I learned living in Japan. It took an additional three years of research to complete the books. It is extremely difficult to represent that culture to the American audience, I hope that I have both honored the Japanese, and created a work of interest for others. The President of Paramount Pictures, Animation, accepted the project for consideration, sadly it was not accepted, but who knows, it sure would make a cool Cirque du Soliel show, or featured animation…