Diane Wei Liang -- the Mei Wang Mysteries

DIANE WEI LIANG: THE MEI WANG MYSTERIES

The Eye of Jade (2008)

A tale set in modern Beijing follows a detective's search for a missing artifact, in a case that illuminates less-favorable aspects of Chinese culture and the detective's own family during the Cultural Revolution.

Paper Butterfly (2009)

When Mei receives a call from the chief executive at Guanghua Record Company, she learns that one of Mr. Peng's top starlets--the beautiful pop star and troubled, mysterious Kaili--has been missing for four days. Mei must find the starlet while keeping up the record company's facade that nothing is amiss.

About the Author:

Personal Information:

Born 1966, in Beijing, China; immigrated to the United States, c. 1989; immigrated to England, 1998; married; children: two. Education: Carnegie Mellon University, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Addresses: Home: London, England.

Career Information:

Writer, educator. University of Minnesota, former professor of business management; Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, England, lecturer, 1998-2006.

Writings:

• Lake with No Name (memoir), Headline Review (London, England), 2004.
• The Eye of Jade: A Novel (first book in the " Mei Wang Mystery" series), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008.
• Paper Butterfly: A Mei Wang Mystery, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2009.

Sidelights:

Diane Wei Liang is the author of the "Mei Wang Mystery" series, set in Beijing, China. Liang's fictional protagonist operates an information consultancy firm, as private detective agencies are illegal in China. But make no mistake: Mei Wang is China's first female private detective, and the character earned Liang an international readership with her series debut, The Eye of Jade: A Novel, published in more than twenty countries. In fact, publication of this first novel caused such an international stir that it allowed Liang, formerly an instructor in business management, to leave academia behind and become a full-time writer. For Liang this was only one more piece in the amazing mosaic of her life.

…...

In an interview with Linda L. Richards of January magazine, Liang shared some of her writing craft: "I start each book with a theme. ... Then I work intensely for weeks on the characters, sketching them out as much as I can. They are the cornerstone of my books. After that I work on the plot. ... Inevitably the characters and the plot will take over and dictate how the story will move."

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