Gene Ayres, author of A Billion to One: An American Insider in the New China (April 6-17)

Please welcome Gene Ayres, author of A Billion to One: An American Insider in the New China. Gene will be chatting on LibraryThing until April 17th.

Hello, Everyone,

Full disclosure: it has been ten years since I 'stood' before a group of readers and book lovers, critics, or simply the idle curious to take part in, let alone initiate a conversation about my chosen craft. It was, as has often been quoted of my generation's beloved Grateful Dead, "a long, strange journey." I have been a career writer and freelance journalist my entire adult life, and collegiate life as well. It was what I set out to do, and for better or worse (as with other institutions) it's what I have done.

Only occasionally do I feel the need or necessity to apologize. And usually that would be to those who have grown to be personally dependent on me.

My career has encompassed such passing odd bedfellows as documentary filmmaking in NY, PBS writing and production across the country, Hollywood TV and animation writer, studio staff writer, freelance magazine writer, and novelist.

My novels (with one exception) have all been of the mystery genre (The Tony Lowell Mysteries, originally writing as E. C. Ayres), although mine were/are on the far edge of that realm, in a number of ways which we can get to later.

My headline title for this discussion is my new China memoir, A Billion to One: An American Insider in the New China.

For those of you who have visited my website or read any of my scarcely seen blogs, this book is an account of an American author (yours truly) who is hired to come to and become a university professor in China teaching the one subject I know something about, albeit armed with only my book list and a B.A.: the English language. (For the record I am an enormous admirer of Bill Bryson, on this subject).

There in China, I assumed a role very similar to that of Jack Black in the film 'School of Rock,' except not as an over-the-hill rock musician but as an almost-as-exotic over-the-hill foreigner and author. I witnessed, experienced and participated in events that were at different times (all equally amazing) trying, challenging, enlightening, exhasperating, and fun. One result of all these trials, tribulations and rewards was a new family.

It's all in the book. And so I throw it open to you, dear readers, for queries, suggestions, comments, or commisseration.

Gene, Your China memoir sounds interesting and I'll look for it.

I enjoyed your earlier mystery series that was set in Florida. Do you have any plans to return to that genre, perhaps set in China?

Thanks, Ed Hagelstein

Hello, Ed,

I've just published a new Tony Lowell Mystery, Cry of the Heron, reviving the Florida-based series you mention, and thanks for asking. And yes, I have another book in the works set in China. This one will be another Tony Lowell road trip (the Santa Fe episode, Lair of the Lizard was his first such). The title will be "Black Dragon River," which plays an important role in the story. It's set in the far north of China, in the same province where I was teaching, Heilongjiang (which, as it happens, means 'Black Dragon River.' which I consider a very cool name indeed for a province). It's based on a true crime, the kind of story that had it happened here would have been in the tabloids and their television equivalent for months. And the true crime that happened-- the internet-inspired murder of a college co-ed, happened on my campus, while I was there. In fact, it happened to someone who would have been one of my students, my first week on campus. It was subsequently covered up for various reasons I (fictionally) address in the book, and I didn't learn the full story until the day before my departure from China.

It should be out by fall. Meanwhile I have the original four epsiodes to finish revising and getting back in print. I just finished re-polishing Night of the Panther, for example, which is about the rise of right wing militias and the murder of a female game warden trying to protect an endangered species, both of which are hot topics today. What goes around, and all that.

Best,
Gene

Thanks for the reply, Gene. I'll keep an eye out for them.

Doesn't being back in the US seem rather tame after your experiences in China? Especially when you were so far away from the more westernised bits that the tourists get to visit.

My brother was also TEFL in china - Shanghai, and married a local. So we all went across for the wedding and got to meet her family and see life in villages very very different to the lights of the big cities.

It sounds like these won't be just re-prints, but new edited editions? Will they be released in the UK? I don't think I've come across your writing before, but it sounds like it might be the sort of thing I'd enjoy.

Hello Reading Fox,

Yes and no, to your question. Much of America remains yet to be tamed, which, incidentally, is the subject matter of most of my books. Most of China, by contrast, is very tame indeed. Too tame, in some ways. I often think we need more controls over here (such as executive compensation and derivitive investments and automatic weapons: again fodder for an American novel and issues more relevant than ever).

As to the re-editions of the four Tony Lowell classics (as I like to call them :-)) yes, they have all been revised and edited (by me). Some of the language in the early books needed polish, and various small edits that can be found in almost any published book. None of them needed updating, thematically. Corrupt politicians, judges, guns, greed, environmental degradation and exploitation all seem to be right up to date. I added a cell phone to Cry of the Heron, which brings Tony Lowell into the 21rst Century, more or less.

I do hope they will be released in the UK. I'll pass that on to my publisher. I'm sure they can at least be ordered online from Amazon's overseas affiliates (in fact, I am certain of this). The cover artist Chris Taylor, (for all my new and revised books) is in the UK, incidentally.

Cheers,
Gene

Hi Gene,

I'm not particularly interested in mysteries, but I'll be looking for your book about teaching English in China. It looks great.

Have you read Mark Salzman's book Iron and Silk? If so, in what ways were your experiences teaching English or simply being an American in China similar or different from his? If not, what were a few of the highlights of your experience in China (in a few words, without revealing too much of your book's content)?

Madeline

Hi Gene... I am an old Asia guy myself... spent time - almost three years in Sapporo Japan 75 to 77... and Time in the south pacific - Fiji - Western Samoa and some time in Taiwan then San Jose -85-90 - had a huge southeast asian population and Hawaii 90 to 99 ( big island) anyway your place based Tony Lowell stories kept me busy during alot of that time period - and I always regretted that they were getting harder and harder to get...(Pre Amazon dot com) so rerelease is great... I am a bookseller at Barnes and Noble and beleive me I will hand sell them when I know they are out...I look forward to purusing your China stuff too...

Hi Madeline,

Several things. It was really heartwarming how my constant refrain was received: that a mind opened can never be closed again. It was daunting to be considered an "expert." It was puzzling how you could go anywhere in China, but not necessarily get back (RT tickets were still a work-in-progress). It was heartbreaking how lonely the children often were (particularly the One Child children, so burdened with expectations). It was wonderful to see how well the girls were doing, despite being a cultural minority now (70% of my university students were girls--and they preferred being called 'girls' to 'women'--that expectations thing again). The cities were dazzling. The villages much cleaner and more habitable than I expected. Traffic was horrible.

To ckNikka,

I am very pleased to hear from you. The new Tony Lowell Cry of the Heron is available online both from Amazon and B&N, and I am still working on BN to get them into the stores. People like you will certainly be a huge help. Since my new publisher is small, we have to convince the NY Small Press division to allow them to be stocked, apparently because they are still basically POD.

As for China and Asia, Tony had some adventures there too, and they will be in the forthcoming Black Dragon River, as I mentioned.

I have some good friends in Bali, but have yet to get there, or anywhere else in Asia besides China, other than Seoul, briefly. There's time, though.

Madeline,

I forgot to answer your question. I have not read Mark Salzman's book, but have put it on my list, and thanks for the suggestion.

I loved Salzman's book. There's a great part of the book that tells about the impossibility of traveling to a destination in China. I thought that part of the book was hilarious, although my copy was published back in 1987 so things have changed a lot in China since then, I'm sure (well, maybe not the ease with which a foreigner travels).

I'd also read another book by an American who taught English in China. This one I read it back in 2000. It was called Daughter of China and was written by Larry Engelman and Meihong Xu (whom he ended up marrying). That book dwelt more on his wife recalling her experiences during the Cultural Revolution and the difficulties the author had when he decided to marry Meihong. It was such an interesting read that I ended up writing to the author.

Thanks for telling me about China in a nutshell, Gene. It should be great fun to read your book now. I look forward reading more details about your time in China. Living and working in another culture is such a life-changing experience. Do you have any plans to return to China?

Perhaps I'll even cave afterward and give your mysteries a try. Black Dragon River sounds interesting now that I've learned how you came up with the idea for the story. It sounds sad but intriguing. Another LT author (J.F. Englert) talked me into trying one of his mysteries, and I actually enjoyed it and got a copy of another of his books. One never knows. :)

Black Dragon River is still a few months away from publication. But if you try any of the others that would be great. They all deal with very contemporary issues, more than with the nuts and bolts of crime investigation and police procedure. Frankly, I am much more interested in subjects like social justice, environmental crime, domestic and race relations, gun issues and so on than serial killers and stereotyped thugs: all the rage these days. That's why my hero doesn't carry a gun. His position is that the bad guys will always have more guns, bigger and better ones, and more practice using them. That's why hate groups turn to the military first for recruitment. Any small weasely man with a gun can kill any great hero (case in point Lincoln, Ghandi and the Kennedy brothers). One small weasely dictator (Hitler) with a million guns can kill off a whole nation or culture. So my detective relies on social skills, a strong sence of justice, and intelligence instead of brawn. The other thousand mystery writers have a lock on the concept of retribution and revenge anyway. I don't feel the need to go there, but do believe I can provide entertainment along with food for thought, instead of just catharsis.

Okay. You win (as my husband would say). You have me convinced, as I'm very big on social issues. I'll look for your mysteries and review the first one I read. From how you describe them, I probably would like them. :)

POD jacks up the price quite a bit... but I will do what I can. I look forward to rereading all your works and I will review them here and of course recommend them... as always my warmest possible Aloha! Cliff

Thank you, Cliff. My apologies for the cost of PODs. I am working on my publisher to lower those costs. A lot has to do with the necessity for booksellers and distributors' discounts in order to compete. Perhaps you can convince your library to order them (sadly, libraries are having to cut back now too, however). Here in the Seattle area the King County libraries, noting that the original Tony Lowells are still very popular here, have ordered the new versions along with the new books. Maybe your libary will do the same.

Thank you Madeline as well, and the rest of you for joining in. I'll continue checking in thru the weekend.

Libraries! that is a great idea... we can request books and I have been advocating having people donate money for requests... my library has been unwilling so far to do that...

Sometimes just the request is enough. They can research the book's history, or at least give it a closer look.