Dragon Fire

As a technologist, I traveled a lot. Asia was high on the list, particularly China. And there I learned what it was like to be illiterate - I couldn't read the signs! I soon learned a great deal about China, its people, culture, history, philosophy and some 300 Chinese characters, particularly the ones for "men's toilet".

China is not the unified, monolithic empire most Westerners think it is. Nor are the Chinese an obedient, subservient people. They are proud and fiercely independent. China exists because of the Emperor. If he is weak, the country splits up into a series of territories each controlled by a local warlord. If he is strong, then China is unified. China's history proves this time and again, as the empire forms and dissolves, only to reform again. Traditionally, it is the Cantonese-speaking south that splits from the Mandarin-speaking north.

The question I asked, is how would the Cantonese do it in the 21st century? The answer I came up with was a biological weapon so terrifying that the north would capitulate.

Thus I began researching biological warfare and found it largely misunderstood. It is far more complex than simply throwing a vile full of the Satan Bug virus out of a car window. To be effective, the virus or other pathogen needs to reproduce fast enough to kill, but slow enough to spread. And once it has done its horrible task, it needs to be neutralized so that the infected area can be occupied.

Dragon Fire is the story of such a weapon, and of two people thrown together in a frantic effort to stop it. It is also the story of their relationship.  

And yes, there is a Jennifer in my past. She is proud, independent, Chinese and the model for Jennifer. I hope she sees this and knows that I still love my Xiao Long.

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