post by: Ticana Zhu
It was early in 2012 when I heart the song, “Princess of China” by Rihanna and Chris Martin. I liked the song, it wasn’t bad. Then, I watched the music video. My first reaction was to laugh. Okay, it entertained me. But somewhere beneath it all, I felt a little offended.
“Princess of China” on youtube
I read about the rationale behind their video, because I didn’t want to believe they’d set out to be offensive. I think somewhere I saw it was an homage to old kungfu movies. Okay, I’ll buy that. At least Asian actors were cast.
After my amusement and disgruntlement settled down, one phrase remained in my mind: “That’s not how a Princess of China is like in the old Chinese dramas I used to watch.”
It started out as a short story. Just something small to illustrate how I recalled regal woman in the Chinese dramas I’d watched. The “princesses” if I may. A response to the “Princess of China” music video.
Then, the story kept going. There was so much I wanted to honor, not only from my love of period dramas, but from aspects of my culture that I appreciate. (Yes, I am Chinese)
Over four hundred pages later, I finished Dynasty of Summer.
I’d finished 90% of the first draft back in 2012, but things kept popping up. Like, you know, marriage. And other life changes.
And for a few years, I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to publish Dynasty of Summer. It’s such a far cry from the usual sci-fi/spiritual works I’m accustomed to.
Now, nine years later, I’m finally putting out Dynasty of Summer: Part One. It’s the first half of the book, set to release August 14th this year. Part Two will be released in 2022. If you’d like a chance to win a free copy, please sign up for our mailing list: https://space-tigers.com/join-us/
It’s an action-adventure novel, filled with twists and turns. Princess Summer is daughter to the Emperor’s fourth concubine during the Xia Dynasty. After stumbling upon her half-brother’s corpse, she finds herself faced with dangers she couldn’t begin to understand. As if those troubles weren’t enough, she’s ambushed while traveling to her betrothed’s kingdom. Summer was meant to live in luxury and safety with her new husband, but instead finds herself amongst bandits.
With the aid of her brother from a shared mother, Winter, and friend, Hanming, she navigates her way back home to Zhenxun. Yet once she returns, Summer discovers treachery had been living alongside her in the palace her entire life. It’s not long before she finds herself a target.
I hope you liked the synopsis! I set up an author ig account. It’s pretty fresh, so I’d appreciate it if you could give me a follow @ticanazhu
Thank you for reading!
Space Tigers Publishing 