I knew when I wrote Dragon Bones that it wouldn’t be loved by everyone. My collection of people’s perspectives was meant to be holistic, not good or bad, but some people were bound to object. It was likely that I would never be able to return to Bhutan – that they would never issue me… Continue reading Free Speech
Category: Asia
All countries I’ve visited in Asia
Earthquake Gets Personal
I only experienced one significant earthquake when I lived in Japan. Five years after the famous Kobe earthquake, I was sitting at my desk on the 17th floor of a 30-story office building on a reclaimed island just off the Kobe coast. The building I was in had been evacuated after the Great Hanshin Earthquake,… Continue reading Earthquake Gets Personal
Arrested For Smoking
When I arrived in Bhutan at the beginning of 2005, Bhutan had just ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the nation-wide ban on tobacco had just been introduced. It seemed a rather odd law at the time, but I was supportive. As a non-smoker, I find cigarette smoke more intrusive and irritating… Continue reading Arrested For Smoking
Gone To Print
Dragon Bones has gone to print. Thank you to everyone who pushed and supported me along the way. A special thanks to the people who kindly offered their photos for the cover. The designer chose to use other photos, but that doesn’t reflect on the photos you shared. They were all fantastic.
Reviewing the Edits
My publisher sent me the edited version of my manuscript last week. It came as a pdf locked with a password and the formatting all as it will appear in the final version. It looks beautiful. I’m also glad that the endless knot image I chose as a section break has stayed in the print… Continue reading Reviewing the Edits
The Tall Man and Dragon Bones
Over the mid-semester break, we were asked to read The Tall Man in preparation for discussion on the treatment of Aborigines in the Australian judicial system. This book chronicles the investigation into the death of Cameron Doomadgee in the Palm Island police station and the subsequent trial of Senior Seargent Chris Hurley for physical violence… Continue reading The Tall Man and Dragon Bones
A Bhutanese Diary
I’ve recently discovered the PaSsu, the blog diary of a young Bhutanese man. In some ways he seems typical of the people I shared so much with while I lived there, but in others I see differences. Like all Bhutanese, he’s passionate about his king. The respect the king enjoys is well-earned from everything I… Continue reading A Bhutanese Diary
Controversy over Dragon Bones
The book isn’t due out for months, but the controversy has already begun. I’ve heard that members of the Bhutanese community are unhappy about the book as described on Amazon. As the first book to portray Bhutan as more than a simple Shangri-La, I expect some backlash from officials, but I don’t wish to upset… Continue reading Controversy over Dragon Bones
Seeking Bhutan Photos
Calling all amateur photographers. Do you have high quality photos of Bhutan? My publisher is an independent and, while the production quality of the book is great, he doesn’t have the funds to pay a professional photographer for the cover. I’ve got some great shots in my collection, but most of them were taken by… Continue reading Seeking Bhutan Photos
In Search of Title
It’s time to decide on a title for my book and I’m looking for input. The publisher likes the title : subtitle format like ‘River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze’ so suggested ‘Dragon Bones: Two Years Beneath the Skin of a Himalayan Kingdom’. It sounds a little clunky, but it could work. Dragon Bones… Continue reading In Search of Title