Helen Huang's Blog: nuclear power nuclear game, page 9

Why I told my editor: no anti-CCP words

Five years ago, I was afraid that the West was being swallowed by Communist China’s “One Belt, One Road”. Seeing the Chinese Communist Propaganda teams daring to perform at Times Square, I feared the CCP might send its assassin to my door in Australia. Nervously I handed my debut to the editor with a message: No anti-CCP words in the book.

My father and the dragon

Father was very creative. Once on a wall at home, he sketched a dragon next to his parent's portrait and wrote a poem in beautiful Chinese calligraphy, describing the dragon and how it would fly high once it awoke. When the workers' rebellion team came to search our home and saw the dragon, although it was under Chairman Mao's portrait, they still accused him of having the ambition to fly above Chairman Mao like the dragon. To survive, he concluded that creative writing could cost one’s life. And since then, he suppressed the whole family’s creativity,

Why a political thriller plus romance?

My political environment growing up was very brainwashed by the Communist class struggle theory that enemies and foreign spies were constantly trying to overthrow the CCP; Plus, with my adventurous personality, I was very drawn into the genre of a thriller. However, I’m also a romantic person deep inside. So, writing a political thriller plus romance became a natural outcome.

Have I made a right decision?

When China was marching into the world market, The free world thought the Chinese Communist Party was reforming itself into a more civilised party, and the West should copy the China model of development. I grew a deep worry that the CCP was achieving its plan of deceiving the West and turning the free world’s media and intellectuals as its propaganda tools. My sixth sense urged me to do something about it. But how?

There have been so many novels written about China, particularly the Cultural Revolution, but only stayed on the level of exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s brutality to Chinese in China. So, I decided to write a book uncovering the CCP’s true agenda on a worldwide scale, And I hope NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME has achieved this goal to a certain degree.

Why didn’t I write my debut novel in Chinese?

Mum and I were in the kitchen making dumplings. After she heard I wanted to write a novel, she stared at me and asked, “What’s it about?”
“Spy. Anti-Chinese Communist Party.”
“What language?”
“English,” I replied. I knew she was worrying about if she could finally rest next to Dad’s tomb in China, so I added, “I won’t publish it for at least ten years. I only write whenever I have time.”
She thought for a few seconds, nodded and continued making the dumpling in her hand. Mum was never a talker, but her nod and smile were encouragement for me.
Hope Mum has found peace next to Dad now.

Thank you Ciaran.

Your genuine review is very encouraging. Thank you.
In return, I would like to share a famous poem with you. I learnt this poem when I was little sitting next to my father who was operating a machine. After being branded as a black element, he was sent to the factory’s front line to get his thought reformed through hard labour. (At that time my mother was digging an air-shelter for a possible Russian nuclear attack, for virtually no pay)
I live at the head of the Yangtze River, and you live at the end of the Yangtze River;
Day after day, thinking about you but not seeing you, drinking the water of the Yangtze River together.
When is this water ended? When is this hatred stopped?
I only hope that your heart is like my heart, and it will be worthy of love.
----By Li Zhiyi, Song dynasty (960-1279).
Best Wishes
Helen Huang, author-NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME

Hemingway taught me how to write

Thank you, Naomi. I’m glad you enjoyed reading this book.

Yes, you’re right. Nuclear Power Nuclear game is a book of love, war and politics. And it was also inspired by Hemingway’s novel A Farewell to Arms.

When I was in China, there were no foreign language novels published or sold there. Even translated foreign novels were very selective, only those exposing the cruelty of capitalism (eg: Andersen’s The Little Match Girl) or praising socialist figures (eg: Nikolai Osrovsky’s How the Steel Was Tempered). During the first year after I arrived in Australia, one day I happened to watch the movie A Farewell to Arms (1957) on TV, starring Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones. It was very beautiful and sentimental but also well portrayed the power of love that can conquer fear and war.

To this day A Farewell to Arms still makes me cry, even though I have watched it so many times.

Thank you once again
Helen Huang, author-NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME

A big thank to my editor Ginny

Being a first time author with a Chinglish background, writing this book was like driving a car, sometimes wandering in the wildness and losing direction. I'm eternally grateful to my editor Ginny Ruths of Touchstone Publications for pulling me back onto the track. And thanks to her patience and skillful editing.

Helen Huang, author-NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME

Massive flood in China

I pray for the thousands of Chinese died in the flood stroke Henan Province during the last couple of days.
It is one of the most serious flood happened in Chinese modern history which inevitably would cause some death. However, such a huge life loss was mainly due to the CCP disrespect people's life. When the forecast reported severe bad weather to come one week beforehand, no government officials took any preventative actions to reduce the loss and warn people. And in order to continue generating electricity to its full capacity, so to make more money, the dams didn't discharge water earlier to give the space for flood. It was too later when they started discharging the water....
What's more, Non of the Chinese Central Party leaders have visited the disaster areas. Guess what, Chairman Xi went to Tibet instead.
So far the Chinese CCTV has understated the flood saying no more than twenty people died because of the CCP's great policy; By comparison, the CCTV has relentlessly mocked the Europe lost 162 lives in the flood.
Chinese people are still living in the Nazi era. And I pray for them.

Helen Huang, author-NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME

Why I started my blog now

Being a four daughters' mother, self-employed businessman and part-time writer made my life too busy to chat on social media. And psychologically I'm afraid of using new apps. The first time I touched computer keyboard was after I arrived in Australia and enrolled a Master degree course. Learning how to use computer to write a thesis was a hard journey when you're already thirty years old. So to this day I still have a natural resistance to use social medias.

However, I have now realized that the social medias have provided another kind of popular plater forms for people communicating. After all we are in twenty first century, an IT era, so I have to catch up.

Hope this blog will become another useful channel for me and my readers discussing about my debut NUCLEAR POWER NUCLAR GAME and other interesting things

Have a nice day
Helen Huang, author-NUCLEAR POWER NUCLEAR GAME