# FREE Today & Tomorrow Dec 27th & 28th : The Academician at Amazon



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow Dec 27th & 28th at Amazon


The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I

by Edward C. Patterson
Kindleboard Book Profile for The Academician
"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician  is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.



Contents

Preface

Part I: Fishing With Birds

Chapter One: The Corpse of Pao Chin
Chapter Two: A Letter from K'ang Yu-wei
Chapter Three: To Yang-chou
Chapter Four: Processional
Chapter Five: No Passage
Chapter Six: The Other
Chapter Seven: The Walls of Su-chou
Chapter Eight: The Willow Pavilion
Chapter Nine: Stealing Honor
Chapter Ten: Busy Days
Chapter Eleven: The Ya-men Spider
Chapter Twelve: Trouble at the Gate
Chapter Thirteen: K'ang Yu-wei
Chapter Fourteen: Up From the Waters
Chapter Fifteen: The House of Pain
Chapter Sixteen: The Pearl Pavilion
Chapter Seventeen: Laughing at the Dog
Chapter Eighteen: The Good Wife

Part II: The Ninth Son

Chapter One: The Emperor Hui
Chapter Two: Exam and Envoy
Chapter Three: The Water Road
Chapter Four: The City of Minions
Chapter Five: The Wisteria Hall
Chapter Six: Yang Yu-yuan
Chapter Seven: Lakeside Tales
Chapter Eight: Crickets in the Mating Season
Chapter Nine: The Household Emissary
Chapter Ten: The Keepers
Chapter Eleven: Departure
Chapter Twelve: In Li Ch'eng's Country
Chapter Thirteen: Lord Nien-ho

Part III: The Prince of Ch'i

Chapter One: Something Amiss
Chapter Two: Ch'ang Lu-fei's Legacy
Chapter Three: The Emperor Ch'ing
Chapter Four: Han Tan
Chapter Five: At Nan-chang
Chapter Six: The Water Wheel
Chapter Seven: The Light Goes 
Chapter Eight: In the Jade Emperor's Shadow

Afterword​
Here's a few pull-quotes from reviewers of The Academician

"The Acadamician, Southern Swallow, by Edward C.Patterson is an absorbing tale written by a true China Hand." - Barbara Majoney

"Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go." - Alan Chin - Examiner.com

"An excellent read from an amazing author." - ellen george, Top 1000 Amazon reviewers

"In The Academician, Edward C. Patterson takes the reader into the heart of 12th century China and the historical events that unfold. Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - Todd Fonseca, TMBOA.com

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does! This book is highly recommended to all readers who love adventures into history!" - Lila Pinord
Edward C. Patterson. M.A.*


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

Edward,

Does this and the Jade Owl series also have an (underlying or dominant) gay theme? No problem if it does, just wanted to know.

Karen
http://booksontheknob.blogspot.com/


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Koland:

Thanks for asking. There is no gay theme in either series, however, some of the principle characters are gay and the difference and degree is striking between the series. Where The Jade Owl is set in the 21st Century, the gay characters are easily set in contemporary attitudes and motivations. In the Southern Swallow series, the protagonist is homosexual, and the reader will get a glimpse at how homosexuals dealt with it in 12th Century China, which is radically different than in the China of let's say of 15th Century (Ming) or the Manchu period (1633-1912). But I could not classify wither The Jade Owl legacy series or the Southern Swallow series as gay-themed. 

Thank you
Edward C. Patterson, M.A.


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## EsmeLuv (Apr 24, 2009)

Thanks Ed!  Another great book to add to my growing 'reading in the hammock' pile.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

It sounds interesting.  How many books are there in the series?


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Gertie Kindle:

There will be four books in hhe series. The draft of the other three are in various states of completion and takes the story to 1180 (1127 - 1180), so it spans quite an exciting time period. The other books will hopefully emerge this year. The next one definitely will. Here are the other titles.

Book II - The Nan-tu
Book III - Swan Cloud
Book IV - The House of Green Waters

The first book is relatively short at 400 pages, which the others will most likely be 600-700 page tomes. The fantasy elements match to the history elements all adjunct to The Jade Owl series, but both series are distinct from each other. Of course, my main character and many of the principles are fictional, and like all of my books, they are character driven.

Hope that helps,

Edward C. Patterson


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

edwpat said:


> Gertie Kindle:
> 
> There will be four books in he series. The draft of the other three are in various states of completion and takes the story to 1180 (1127 - 1280), so it spans quite an exciting time period. The other books will hopefully emerge this year. The next one definitely will. Here are the other titles.
> 
> ...


Yes, thanks. I'll go ahead and sample. I try to read samples pretty quickly so I don't have a bunch cluttering up my home page.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thank you Gertie:

I shall not fail you.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The special price on The Academician will end on May 8th.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Gthater (Mar 27, 2009)

Sounds like a great read!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thanks Glenn:

Hope you ejoy it.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I just recieved a four star review that will not be posted on Amazon, as it is from Rainboaw Reviews. Let me share it with you:

"Edward Patterson takes the reader deep into ancient China, during the Sung dynasty, when the Emperor was considered the "Son of Heaven" and vast armies trembled at his every whim. Out of this rich history comes the riveting journey of one man, Li K'ai-men, which begins at his graduation from an academy where he studied under a venerable master, to his rein over a province ruined by the previous corrupt administrators, to his appointment as Grand Tutor to the ninth son of the Emperor in the capital city of K'ai-feng. When warring hoards from the north threaten the safety of the realm, Li K'ai-men must use his sharp intelligence and a bit of magic to take extraordinary measures to save his life, his family, and liege lord. Li K'ai-men's journey, which includes a rather touching relationship with his male lover, Fu Lin-t'o, is told through the eyes of K'u Ko-ling, Li K'ai-men's rather clownish manservant who was the son of a cowcumber farmer.

Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go. In the midst of this fanciful tale, Patterson creates a heartwarming gay love story. The love interest is not the main plot, however, but rather a tantalizing spice spread over the plot.

The author uses a technique that I have seen only once before. The narrator starts and finishes each chapter with his 1st person point of view, but the bulk of the story is told in 3rd person. I found these POV switches to be seamless, and greatly added to developing the depths of the main characters. This is a character driven story, and Patterson skillfully allows us see these characters to their core.

I had only two problems with this story. The first problem was that because there were a host of minor characters, and the Chinese names were somewhat confusing, I had some trouble telling them apart. The second issue was that this is the first novel in a series, which means that it sets the stage for much more story to come. I was left with a feeling of incompleteness, and somewhat miffed that I must wait for another installment or two to finish the story.

The plot is complex, which combines with his consummate skill at crafting prose and his well-researched details to keep the reader fully engaged until the last page. I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys multifaceted characters, humor, and a well-crafted story."

- Alan Chin of Rainbow Reviews http://rainbow-reviews.com/?p=1283


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Price returns to $3.19 tomorrow - May 8th at the end of the day)

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

_*A footnote to The Academician*_

*Southern Swallow and His Cut-Sleeve Affair*

I received an inquiry from a reader of The Academician about the use of the term "cut-sleeve affair" when referring to homosexuality during the Sung (Song) Dynasty (12th Century) China, the setting for the novel. Perhaps I should have added a footnote in the book. However, the work is a "novel," not a textbook. Although the term, and another one, "sharing a peach," are clear in their application, I owe the non-sinological world an explanation.

Homosexuality in China has been regarded variously during its long and eventful history. Unlike in the West, none of China's traditional religions and philosophy regards homosexuality as a sin. However, in an agrarian Confucian society, there are certain obligations with relationships that homosexuality precludes - procreation being one. Homosexuality is not the only area that has been evaluated in light of fulfilling one's obligations to produce children. Buddhism has been subject to a similar and, actually greater hostility, until it modulated into its particularly Chinese brand of the religion. During Ancient times (Warring States and Han), homosexuality wasn't necessarily accepted, but it was broad based enough on the Imperial level that it was hard to ignore. The term "sharing a peach" came into vogue after a young man, Mi Tzi-xia, offered Duke Ling of the State of Wei a partially eaten, but juicy peach as an entrée to a same-sex relationship. More famous, and as such a more widely applied term, came with the young Emperor Ai, the last Western Han Emperor (9 CE), whose male concubine, Tung Xien, was prominent at court. As the Han Histories state it, Tung Xien fell asleep in Ai-tsung's arms and, rather than disturb his sleep, the Emperor had his robe sleeves cut away n order to depart. This term for homosexual relationships - a "cut sleeve affair" entered into common parlance since.

During the Sung (Song) Dynasty, the period of The Academician, there was ambivalence about "cut-sleeve affairs." In the novel (as it would be in life), Li K'ai-men does his Confucian duty, marries and cohabitates with his wife and produces two sons, as it should be. His male lover, Fu Lin-t'o, finds himself in a strange limbo between Li's love and his place in the Confucian order of things. He is not discriminated against and becomes part of the household, but still finds prejudices at every turn, even in the feng-shui notions of keeping heaven balanced. The Southern Swallow series is built around the long life of this cut-sleeve affair and its resilience against all odds. Homosexuality, as open and common, reached its zenith during the Ming Dynasty, when the court was as gay as King Frederick of Prussia's. There was also a brand of same-sex marriage in Fu-ch'ien Province referred to as "Fu-ch'ien Marriages." With the Manchu conquest in 1640 under the Ch'ing (Qing) Dynasty, homosexuality was dealt a blow. Anything suggesting Ming hedony was suppressed by the more conservative conquerors. While the Ch'ing were importing Western cannon and clocks, they also were importing Jesuit views on homosexuality. In 1740, the K'ang-xi Emperor proscribed homosexuality and it was criminalized (not by death, but with strokes with the bamboo rod). There has been much debate as to whether the new laws were enforced. Still, homosexuality was criminalized in China until 1997 and in Hong Kong until the repatriation in 2000.

So from earliest times to the present, China has had a different view of homosexuality than the rest of the world. It was never a wholesale endorsement, but like many other social institutions, it was required to conform to strict societal relationships, which it did better than some other peculiar Chinese dishes like Buddhism (an Indian import). The euphemisms "a cut-sleeve affair" and "sharing a peach" were used in polite reference, not like Western euphemisms (light in the sneakers etc.). One of my aims, amongst others, in authoring The Academician was to develop a tung-xing-lien (companionable relationship - the Chinese word for homosexuality) during a more enlightened age. The novels span between 1124 - 1172 CE, a time when Western civilization was searching through the mud for its sandals and homosexuality was punishable by lighting the fires and burning the sinners.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The next book in the series, *The Nan Tu*, centers on the wild historic events ith saving half of the Sung state, a mighty and definiting event in Chinese history that few in the West have realized.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

For horror lover, the Academician includes an execution by slicing, which should satify the Stephen King in all of us.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

For those who read The Jade Owl Legacy Series, there are many clues tht connect to the mysterious relics in that work in The Academician.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I just received a humdigger of a 5-star review from one of Amazon.com's more prominent reviewers, Ellen George. Come up and take a peek.

The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I

a quote, and I'm blushing: "An excellent read from an amazing author."

I can hardly look at myself in the mirror.  Someone, put me down quick.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

edwpat said:


> I can hardly look at myself in the mirror.  Someone, put me down quick.
> 
> Edward C. Patterson


If you insist ...

Look, Ed, the mirror just broke. Seven years bad luck.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The mirror really broke, but I got good luck. Ellen George's review got picked up by The Deepening: The World of Fiction. So they plastered The Academician cover and review on their front page and made it sticky for 2 days. I'm all goose pimply (short for horripilated), because this book has been in the works for 37 years, and has been slow to take off. I haven't pushed it (except one sales a month ago), but some of the readers have been contacting me and making my 3.5 decade struggle with this one (and the next three parts - The Nan-tu, Swan Cloud and The House of Green Waters) worth it. I've always said, God is my agent and the reader is my publicist.

http://www.thedeepening.com/world-of-fiction/

Comments are Welcomed

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's a snippet from The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I

*"In my day, I have seen much under heaven that most men should never see. I am jaded now and scarcely wince at the thoughts of severed limbs and rotting heads. The smell of death has been as common as the aroma of jasmine. Little marks their difference except the flower that yields the scent. However, when first seeing Li-t'ien and the many towns along this road, I was appalled. I kept my head at times tucked in my sleeves. However, I knew I needed to be strong. My master was strong and, although I knew it was his first encounter with such sights, he was not going to better me in this. Some help I would be if I crumbled before he did. So I soon stared at the fallen, the bloated, the torn and the crushed. I heard the wails in the nights and watched the starving tuck under their bones and enter the spirit world. Do not misunderstand me. I was as fearful of ghosts as the next man . . . then, but when one cavorts between the worlds, ghosts are but riders on the wind - more to be pitied than to be feared."*



Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The second book, the *Nan Tu * is due out in the fall.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The 3rd Book of the series will be called *Swan Cloud*.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Just revieved a 4-star review on The Academician from Todd Fonseca of the TMBOA.com. This review is not on Amazon.com to date.

*"12th Century China - Graduating with the highest honor at the academy, Li K'ai-men is charged by his great teacher and master Han Lin with carrying out a number of warrants both public and secret. Designated as the new superintendent of Su-chou, Li K'ai-men restores order and beauty to this chronically neglected area and proves he is more than an academic. However, Li is not perfect and his errors in judgment only serve to build his character; soon his talents are recognized by the Emperor and K'ai-men finds himself tutor to a royal prince. But political unrest and war soon come and China quickly finds itself in turmoil. Not only must Li K'ai-men protect his prince, but also the secret warrants associated with the Jade Owl relics.

In The Academician, Edward C. Patterson takes the reader into the heart of 12th century China and the historical events that unfold. Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family. Fans of Patterson will once again find a story strong in character development and steeped in ancient Chinese culture and events of the day with hints of the fantastical elements that are sure to build in later installments.

Told from the perspective of K'u Ko-ling - Li K'ai-men's faithful though occasionally acerbic servant - each chapter begins with a 1st person account of events detailed in the remainder of the chapter. In this way, Patterson is able to avoid too much exposition while still conveying the richness of the history woven into the story. Reminiscent of James Clavell's work but injected with even stronger character development with the addition of the fantastical elements, Patterson creates an engaging and enlightening read.

Fans of the Jade Owl Legacy will find the beginnings of this relic and its associates. Much like the back-story extras on a good collector's addition of a DVD, the Academician provides that detailed background into what would later drive Rowden Grey and Nick Battle into the quest of a lifetime. I'm looking forward to the next offering in the Southern Swallow series.

Todd Fonseca, MN"*

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The final book in the series will be called *The House of Green Waters*.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Academician is now $ .99, quite a bargain for a long read (400 pages).

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thanks all, this one's been selling like hot cakes - with or without syrup. Alas, I humbly thank you all like the old Chnese servant, K'u Ko-ling - "Who am I but a poor son of a cowcumber farmer who drifts behinds the ox and sniffs."

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Received a wonderful new 5-star review for The Academician from Lila Pinord. Come take a look:

http://tinyurl.com/m3cxug

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

If you've finished all three of the five books of The Jade Owl and are wanting to read more of it, The Academician contains a diferent view of the green avian demon. Of course, The Academician stands on its own.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Academician is the first of four books based on my doctoral dissertation written in 1974.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Many readers of The Academician have been taken by my description of the fall of the city of K'ai-feng .

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Some of you may know tht I hold an MA in Chinese History and Culture - so The Academician is as authentically Sung China as you can get.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

he Academician in the title is Li K'ai-men, aka Nan Ya, the Southern Swallow.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Hey, hey, hey. The second Book in this series should be out at Christmas.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's a snippter from _*The Academician*_, where the servant narrator, K'u Ko-ling, speaks aboutrain or the lack of it:

"The seasons passed as season will, the ebb and flow of all that the gods deemed good and proper. However, heaven had its way. The seasons do not always comply with people's wishes.

Rain. How we take it for granted. We complain about it when it mars a sunny day. We curse it when it makes us wet. But when it does not come and we need it, oh what we will do for the sake of rain.

The rain was late. The people cast their eyes toward to the sky in a daily watch. No offhanded glance to heaven this, but a fervent, deliberate stare at the sky, wondering where the clouds were with a life-affirming shower. The soil dried, the new sprouts dying beyond saving. The ground was dug for roots and grass and finally, the earth itself was boiled in wastewater for the little good it could do. The city walls shaded the weak and ill. Each day the suffering grew, until Su-chou and its environs prepared for the worst.

In times as these, and I have seen many, a superintendent needs all his wits about him. After all, heaven could be controlled as efficiently as a cormorant; at least my master thought so. When the ghosts of starvation walk the land, we cannot sit by and leave such things as rain to chance. The priests are to be consulted and families must gather together with a plan. That god of gods - the Dragon-king must be courted like a fine lady in the best brothel. We all must bear witness. The dragon pools were tapped. The city-gods were prepared for inquisition. The people laughed at dogs.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's another snippet from _*The Academician*_. In order to prevoke Heaven to bring rain, Li Kai-men (the young protagonist superintendent at Su-chou) punishes the city god:

Xin Ch'u stood on the threshold and watched Mao Fei supervise the placing of the city god at the center of the Hall of Glorious Peace. It was troubling to see this weather worn idol, the effigy of Tuan Ch'i-wan, an administrator from one of the older houses, who thrived during the Liang Dynasty and who was known for his virtue. The House of Tuan was extinct now, swallowed by the Han-xi and Kuang families. Still, Tuan was regarded by the citizens of Su-chou as a good intercessor to the Jade Emperor's court on Mount T'ai.

"Xin Ch'u," Mao Fei said. "That damn thing gets heavier every time we need to move it."

"Respect, Mao Fei."

Xin Ch'u approached Tuan Ch'i-wan.

"Perhaps we should have given it some fresh lacquer," Mao Fei said. "Maybe the city god is angry that his color fades."

"I do not believe this god cares much for such things, Mao Fei. You best be about your research."

"Yes. How many names do you want? I already have two."

Xin Ch'u raised his right hand, Pao Chin's ring revealed. It was too rich a jewel to flash before the god, but Xin Ch'u felt he had earned it . . . now. Mao Fei produced a scroll, and then laid it in Xin Ch'u's hand. The chief clerk perused the scroll.

"These may be sufficient. We shall see. Engage the mason. Chose from the debtor's list."

Mao Fei bowed, and departed, the clerks shuffling behind him. Xin Ch'u continued to peruse the scroll. He didn't notice Li K'ai-men's arrival until K'u Ko-ling dropped the bamboo rod.

"Your Excellency."

"So this is he," Li K'ai-men said. "I have never seen him this close. Needs some lacquer, I would think."

Ko-ling fumbled with the rod again.

"Ko-ling, be careful."

"Sorry, my master."

Xin Ch'u gazed at the boy. _What was wrong with him? _ He appear drawn, his eyes lidded, his lips chapped.

"Give me the rod," Li K'ai-men said.

Ko-ling dropped it again. Xin Ch'u retrieved it.

"Sorry, my master."

Li K'ai-men gazed into his servant's eyes. "Are you ill?"

"No, just . . . no, I am not ill."

"He looks exhausted, your Excellency. Perhaps too much sun today."

"Perhaps," Li said. He frowned. "Go to your mistress. See if Wu Chu-k'o has some honey cake. Stay in the shade until I need you again."

Ko-ling bowed. "Yes, my master." He staggered over the threshold, Li gazing after him.

"It is just too much sun," Xin Ch'u said. "He will revive with some shade and a nap. He serves you well, if I can presume to say it."

Li did not answer, but Xin Ch'u could hear a thought echo - one like _that he does_. Suddenly, Li rounded on the city-god. He struck Tuan Ch'i-wan with the bamboo rod.

"You are demoted, Tuan Ch'i-wan," he shouted. "What good are you? I would toss you in the canal so you tell how water feels, so you could ask the Jade Emperor for rain, but the canal is near dry and you would just stick in the mud." He beat the statue again, this time angrily. Li's eyes flashed, his teeth gnashed and he pounded the remaining lacquer from Tuan Ch'i-wan's effigy. "You are now the god of nothing. You are demoted to become a sh** remover never to represent Su-chou beyond its sewers."

As Li K'ai-men continued to beat the statue, Xin Ch'u unfurled the scroll.

"If it pleases, your Excellency."

Li gave the city god, now night soil demon, one last powerful stroke, and then threw the rod to the floor.

"I have two candidates for your consideration," the clerk said.

"Any one of them will better suit than this old


Spoiler



fart


 from the Liang."

"There is Po Xi, a gentleman of great honor and gentility, who lived in the high street and during the Wu Kingdom. He was known as an advocate for the people, as noble and famous as Sung Jiang."

"Too recent," Li said.

"Very well, your Excellency. Perhaps the second would suit better - an elder from the Southern Ward during the reign of T'ang Kao-tsung. He was a man of letters who sponsored the repair of the Fo-shan canal, much to the benefit of His Majesty at Ch'ang-an."

"The Fo-shan canal, you say." Li appear distant, distressed. The energy he used to beat the god left him winded and sweaty, stains ringing the armpits of his jerkin. "His name?"

"Han-xi."

"Han-xi? That's would please the people and perhaps heaven too. Make it so." He pointed to Tuan Ch'i-wan. "And have this thing hacked to pieces in the . . ."

"You cannot, sir. I mean, pardon the liberty, but you cannot destroy a . . ."

"You are correct, Xin Ch'u. But I don't think I can survive another trial."

There was silence. Xin Ch'u knew this was the core of the matter - another trial and execution. Tuan Ch'i-wan would make ugly rubble, but the connection to Ch'ien Mu was clear.

"We shall shove this shameful god in a place where no one but the night soil collectors shall see him."

Enjoy
Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Happy Thanksgiving to my *The Academician * readers.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The protagonist, Li K'ai-men, in *The Academician * figures prominently in The Jade Owl Leagcy Series, especially in *The Third Peregrination*.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Sung Dynasty differs from most other dynasties in Chinese history, because modern China emerges during the 12th Century. Later Dynasties follower a stiffer development. When Maoist dogma sought to condemn the Imperial period, they skipped the Sung, because it confounded the party line.  While William the Conqueror was slogging through the mud after Childe Harold at Hastings, the Sung Dynasty flourished, Chinese culture's palmiest days, brilliant although war torn. Drop in for a visit, will ya - _*The Academician.*_

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Get ready, set and go - the second book in this series _*The Nan Tu * _ will be released in the next few weeks.

Here's a sneak preview of the cover:








Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*shèng-dàn kuài lè* (Merry Christmas) from Li K'ai-men and K'u Ko-ling.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Your adventure starts here with The Academician . . .

and then continues here . . .

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,17401.0.html with the Nan Tu

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*The Academician * is the firt of four books in the Southern Swallow series. The second book, *The Nan Tu * was just released http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,17401.0.html Book III is called *Swan Cloud*, while Book IV is The *House of green Waters*. This group of works have their genesis in my Doctoral dissetation that I started 37 years ago at Columbia University - and although such papers are scholastic, add a little Jade Owl and focus on interesting characters and I can put you on ground level in 12th Century China . . . I can. I truly can. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*The Southern Swallow * series combines western novel techniques with traditional Chinese novel techniques. The oldest Chinese novels were written during the Yuan Dynasty (1275-1363) and are quite modern in style, tone and language. (This was three hundred years before the first Western novels emerged in the 17th century). The techniques used in these novels help ground the reader in everyday Chinese life and vernacular in a time when the written language was not used to express popular stories. The four great Chinese novels of the Yuan and Ming masters (_Journey to the West_, *The Outlaws of the Marsh*, *The Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, and *The Romance of the Red Chamber * or Stone Chamber are master epics for the Chinese. In fact, in the Southern Swallow's second Book - *The Nan Tu*, I introduce characters from *The Outlaws of the Marsh * into the story). Of course, this series reveals a diferent lens for the Jade Owl legend and I stick to my last in maintaining a Western novel developmental style - but the smashing together of the two cultures hopefully will provide you with a different experience.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A snippet from *The Academician*:

"The Superintendent drifted to the shadows. He meant to seek Mei Lin. He needed her sweet aroma to clear his nostrils of the fetid decay of the Willow Pavilion. He trembled. He did not want to treat Fu Lin-t'o so curtly, but in his heart, duty was rising above the course of love. He loved this man no less, but he had to know. He had to find the truth in his wife's eyes.

As he neared his _ke-ting_, he spied a form on the threshold - a familiar ball, but asleep and limp.

"Ko-ling?"

No answer. Li K'ai-men hunkered down to the boy, and then shook him. Ko-ling awoke, but was so pale he could hardly speak.

"Yes, my . . . my master. I am . . ."

"Can you stand?"

"Yes, my . . ."

Ko-ling attempted to stand, but collapse on the threshold. Li felt his forehead. The boy's breathing was labored.

"Ko-ling. You are ill. You should have told me that you were ill."

Li K'ai-men gazed into the ke-ting. No one was inside. Sometimes Ch'u Wu-ko would bring a tray. Perhaps some tepid wine could help revive the lad. However, no tray stood near the table. Li cradled Ko-ling's head, and then lifted him into his arms.

"Master. No, my . . ."

"Hush, dear boy. You shall be well again."

"Master. I fear that I . . ."

"Say nothing within heaven's earshot that you will regret."

Li placed the boy on his own k'ang bed. He wiped the fever sweat from his forehead, and then studied the lad. Here was a growing boy. He would soon be as tall as his master, but not so if the thirst laid him low today. It shall not happen.

"Forgive me, Han Lin. Forgive me."

Li rushed to his larder, pushing baskets and demijohns aside, finding his prayer satchel. He touched it with as much love as he would touch Fu Lin-t'o while making love.

"Forgive me, Han Lin."

He pushed the bag aside and went for the vials - the hidden waters he used for his sacred painting. He found a bowl on the table and filled it with the golden water. It fizzed upon release. His hands trembled as he lifted it. He gazed at Ko-ling, who was awake and watching.

"Master, you said that we could not . . ."

"No matter, Ko-ling. Heaven may not smile on me, but today the goddess will smile on you. Drink."

He cradled Ko-ling's head, and lifted the bowl to his lips. The liquid dribbled a bit, but the lad sucked at the brew with increasing interest. It flooded to his chin, until he choked. Li lowered the bowl and watched. Ko-ling's lips had been blackened and charred from chap. They began to soften, the pinkness returning. Ko-ling's forehead cooled. His breathing steadied. He pushed himself up, sitting tenuously on the bed's edge.

"Master, it is a miraculous drink."

He slipped to his knees, and then latched onto Li K'ai-men's legs.

"No, Ko-ling. It is _ch'i." _ Li raised the bowl over his head. "The tears of Guan-yin. Would that there could be such a drink for me."

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I am very enheartened by the number of readers picking up this book as a start to this series, not that Book 2 is available.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Southern Swallow series (all 4 books) are structured on the novels of the Yuan and Ming Dynasty, although the language and writing style is squarely 21st Century Patterson.  

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

One the most difficult sequences I had to writ for this novel was the fall of the Chinese capitl at K'ai-feng. I just jumped into my character's shoes and thought _Gone With the Wind_. 

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Jade Owl backstory begins in this book.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

In this book we also consider how the Chinese traditionally remedy draught. One way was laughing at dogs. Come see.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Li K'ai-men achieved first place on the examinations and was assigned to the superentendancy of an important city - Su-chou, as the ripe old age of 18. What happens when an eighteen year old prodigy assumes the seat of a corrupt old city's Ya-men (city-hall). Come find out in The Acedemician.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's a few pull-quotes from reviewers of The Academician

"The Acadamician, Southern Swallow, by Edward C.Patterson is an absorbing tale written by a true China Hand." - Barbara Majoney

"Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go." - Alan Chin - Examiner.com

"An excellent read from an amazing author." - ellen george, Top 1000 Amazon reviewers

"In The Academician, Edward C. Patterson takes the reader into the heart of 12th century China and the historical events that unfold. Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K’ai-men during the sweeping changes in China’s dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - Todd Fonseca, TMBOA.com

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does! This book is highly recommended to all readers who love adventures into history!" - Lila Pinord


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Part of this work is devoted to Chinese folk rituals, especially to those incurred to invoke rain during a draught.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Having you ever wondered about the execution called "Death by a Thousand Slices." Well, wonder no more. Come give it a read.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

This week I'm adding the Table of Contents for _The Academician_, and also updating the OP:

*Contents

Preface

Part I: Fishing With Birds

Chapter One: The Corpse of Pao Chin
Chapter Two: A Letter from K'ang Yu-wei
Chapter Three: To Yang-chou
Chapter Four: Processional
Chapter Five: No Passage
Chapter Six: The Other
Chapter Seven: The Walls of Su-chou
Chapter Eight: The Willow Pavilion
Chapter Nine: Stealing Honor
Chapter Ten: Busy Days
Chapter Eleven: The Ya-men Spider
Chapter Twelve: Trouble at the Gate
Chapter Thirteen: K'ang Yu-wei
Chapter Fourteen: Up From the Waters
Chapter Fifteen: The House of Pain
Chapter Sixteen: The Pearl Pavilion
Chapter Seventeen: Laughing at the Dog
Chapter Eighteen: The Good Wife

Part II: The Ninth Son

Chapter One: The Emperor Hui
Chapter Two: Exam and Envoy
Chapter Three: The Water Road
Chapter Four: The City of Minions
Chapter Five: The Wisteria Hall
Chapter Six: Yang Yu-yuan
Chapter Seven: Lakeside Tales
Chapter Eight: Crickets in the Mating Season
Chapter Nine: The Household Emissary
Chapter Ten: The Keepers
Chapter Eleven: Departure
Chapter Twelve: In Li Ch'eng's Country
Chapter Thirteen: Lord Nien-ho

Part III: The Prince of Ch'i

Chapter One: Something Amiss
Chapter Two: Ch'ang Lu-fei's Legacy
Chapter Three: The Emperor Ch'ing
Chapter Four: Han Tan
Chapter Five: At Nan-chang
Chapter Six: The Water Wheel
Chapter Seven: The Light Goes 
Chapter Eight: In the Jade Emperor's Shadow

Afterword*​
Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The responsibility of rulership in China fell to the bureaucracy, and consisted of a sea of Academicians. Come read about a Prince and his Tutor. Between them - China's destiny.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Imagine being a twenty year old ruler of a major city and having to witness an execution by slicing. Imagine being the one to have given the command. Let the heads fly over the wall.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Hey, hey, hey. March saw a spike in readers of this series. Warms my heart, because more effort has gone into the detail of the Southern Swallow series than any other work from my pen.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

_The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I_

An adventure of sixty years begins with this seminal work about Li K'ai-men, the first prize winner in the Sung Dynasty's national examinations, a disitinction that starts him on a career of significance. This first book covers his life as a young man and superintendant of the city of Su-chou, followwed by his subsequent promotion to a post at the capital. As the Grand Tutor to the Emperor's Ninth Son, Li K'ai-men is cast into a precipitous role as the Dynasty begins to crumble. _The Academician _ is the first book of a five book series (Southern Swallow) which also details the back story of _The Jade Owl_. Also available, the second book in the series - _The Nan Tu - Southern Swallow Book II_.

Edward C. Patterson

This is a contribution to RedAdepts ongoing series on Settings:

As an historian, in particular a Sinologist, my academic life has been centered around China and, specifically, 12th Century Sung Dynasty China. My fantasy series The Jade Owl is set in contemporary San Francisco and various Chinese settings, but is grounded in 12th Century China. However, in The Southern Swallow Series (2 books of five published so far), the setting is squarely in that time period.

"History can be battleship gray, burdened with facts, dates and theoretical posturing, which put many (if not most) to sleep. At the other end of the spectrum, for Chinese history, there's the kung-fu action films and books, which loosely drape Kill Bill attitudes over an assortment of misaligned facts and events, making them as cliche as old Fu Manchu movies. Sung history - the people, culture and the daily living has been so much a part of my life for the last forty years that when I set a novel in that time and place I want the reader to be there by my side. I want them to feel the world, to see it, breathe it and become immersed in a place lost beneath a patina of stereotypes. Therefore, when I am in the writing zone authoring one of my Chinese novels, I actually travel there. All the detail that I know - all the cultural patterns, the daily life, the rituals, the meals, the aromas and the civic structure is there as a matter of fact. The work becomes what a novel should become - a journey on the page into a world as real as the one buzzing beyond the book cover or the Kindle. Other novels that I have penned have been inspired by different events and experiences, but when it comes to my China novels, nothing short of being there will satisfy.

Edward C. Patterson - author of The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE7D96"


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I by Edward C. Patterson

402 pages

An adventure of sixty years begins with this seminal work about Li K'ai-men, the first prize winner in the Sung Dynasty's national examinations, a disitinction that starts him on a career of significance. This first book covers his life as a young man and superintendant of the city of Su-chou, followwed by his subsequent promotion to a post at the capital. As the Grand Tutor to the Emperor's Ninth Son, Li K'ai-men is cast into a precipitous role as the Dynasty begins to crumble. The Academician is the first book of a five book series (Southern Swallow) which also details the back story of The Jade Owl. Also available, the second book in the series - The Nan Tu - Southern Swallow Book II.

Here's what reviewers say about The Academician:

"The Acadamician, Southern Swallow, by Edward C.Patterson is an absorbing tale written by a true China Hand." - Barbara Majoney

"Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go." - Alan Chin - Examiner.com

"An excellent read from an amazing author." - ellen george, Top 1000 Amazon reviewers

"In The Academician, Edward C. Patterson takes the reader into the heart of 12th century China and the historical events that unfold. Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - Todd Fonseca, TMBOA.com

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does! This book is highly recommended to all readers who love adventures into history!" - Lila Pinord

Available at:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/144149975X (Paperback)
& http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE7D96 (Kindle) $ .99
and at Smashwords, B&N for the Nook, Mobipocket, Kobobook.com and the Apple iPad

Website: http://www.dancaster.com/aca.htm

Edward C. Patterson

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BMI6X8


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The character K'u Koling is perhaps my favorite character after Simone DeFleurry (in The jade Owl).

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The first book of five telling the story of Li K'ai-men aka Nan Ya (Southern Swallow) is getting positive feedback from readers. I'm glad, because this series has been in the works for 37 years.

Edward C. Patterson
Novels the old fashio way - with an eye on reader enjoyment.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Li 'ai-men's tale is in part based on the life of the Sung Dynasty poet-official Su Tung-po aka Su Shr, whose most famous work is the poem _The Red Cliff._

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A wanderers life in China is rare, unless you are an Academician.

Edward C. atterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Wow, what a few good review will do for a book. This one and Book II, The Nan Tu is gathering a following and I hope some buzz. They are both big books, but I intend to keep them at $ .99, even after Amazon's "run for the gold" royalty dash for the authors to raise prices.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

It warms my heart to see so many fans of Chinese culture and history, if I'm to judge by the rocketing of sales for The Academian.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Both this first book and Book II of the Southern Swallow Series have taken off - _flying_ off the shelf, so to speak. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Reader's are flocking to this series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Flying off the shelf, The Academician is the beginning of an adventure you won;t soon forget.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A journey of seventy years start with this novel. (It took 37 years for me to write).

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Just sold my 300th copy. Woohoo. 37 years of development has paid off.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

When a young scholar of 12th Century China wins first place in the national examinations, he is destined for greatness. This is the first book of his story.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

When a young scholar of 12th Century China wins first place in the national examinations, he is destined for greatness. This is the first book of his story.

The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I
402 pages - $ .89 on the Kindle
An adventure of sixty years begins with this seminal work about Li K'ai-men, the first prize winner in the Sung Dynasty's national examinations, a disitinction that starts him on a career of significance. This first book covers his life as a young man and superintendant of the city of Su-chou, followwed by his subsequent promotion to a post at the capital. As the Grand Tutor to the Emperor's Ninth Son, Li K'ai-men is cast into a precipitous role as the Dynasty begins to crumble. The Academician is the first book of a five book series (Southern Swallow) which also details the back story of _*The Jade Owl*_. Also available, the second book in the series - The _*Nan Tu - Southern Swallow Book II*_.

Thus begins a tale that I have been spinning for 37 years, and in the first of five books shall complete it course in due time. I am a Sinologist and mean to give you a good read, but also bring you to ground level with daily life in 12th Century China under the Sung Dynasts.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Do you like a sweeping tale of historical significance sparkling with fantasy? This is the one for you.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Take a trip up the Grand Canal to the great city of K'ai-feng, 12th Century China's great metropolis.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here is the Amazon review grid:

7 Reviews 
5 star:    (2) 
4 star:    (4) 
3 star:    (1) 
2 star:    (0) 
1 star:    (0)


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2010)

Which one starts the Jade Owl books    This is maddening ED!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*The Jade Owl series are*

_*The Jade Owl*_ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001J54AWO <---- start here
_*The Third Peregrination * _ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001Q3M9QI
_*The Dragon's Pool*_ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0028RY7BQ
_*The People's Treasure * _ (available in September)
_*The Shadow of Her Hem*_ (available in late 2011)

_*The Southern Swallow Series * _ is am Historic Fantasy (and parallel to The Jade Owl) set in 12th Cetury China

_*The Academician * _ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE7D96
_*The Nan Tu*_ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00322P1N4
_*Swan Cloud * _ (available in Summer 2011)
_*The House of Green Waters*_ (available in 2012)
_*Vagrants Hollow*_ (available 2013)

Hope that sets it straight.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Did you ever want to run a Chinese city? Now, how would you do it if you were only 21?

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's an excerpt from the later part of the book:

Li K’ai-men ducked under the moon gate that led back into the courtyard. When he regained his balance, he noticed a change — the courtyard was no longer vacant. Twenty or perhaps twenty-five retainers knelt stalwart before the Wisteria Hall, their banners furled tightly against their jerkins. A catafalque set in their midst. The Princess Chia and the household ladies knelt before the catafalque. The house servants were arrayed in various positions of homage. Li espied a golden scull cap festooned with pearls among them.

Prince Kang grunted. He cantered the horse toward this gathering. Li scanned the catafalque. In it was a dazzling lady — a woman of perhaps sixty decked with stiff brocade, great winged epaulets on her robe, and a golden headdress aflame with peacock feathers. She stood upon seeing the Prince. She cut a stern appearance — her robe stiff as if made of ice. She wore an assortment of jewels and cameos across her chest making her more brittle in sunlight. Li’s attention was caught by one beautiful piece — a golden dragon pendant with two natural pearls dangling from the serpent’s claws. These were rough-hewn pearls — egg shaped and cratered. Still, they shone from her breast as if they were her badges of rank.

“Nan Ya,” Prince Kang whispered as he halted the horse. “Now would be the time to grovel.”

He dismounted, and then gave Li K’ai-men a hand. Li was embarrassed. He wore naught but a shirt shell and his loin wrap. If this was an Imperial woman — the Empress herself, he might even be charged with dereliction. Prince Kang approached the catafalque. He nodded instead of bowing.

“Auntie,” he said.

She returned his nod. 

“Nephew,” she said.

The woman strode toward the Prince, however, her eyes never leaving Li K’ai-men. He felt her stare burn into his shoulders. As she walked, her considerable plumage shifted — her baubles jingled and her girdles jangled. This was one mighty mistress, indeed. She halted before Li K’ai-men, inspecting him in his near nakedness.
“This is your new Grand Tutor, nephew?”

“This is he, Auntie,” the Prince replied. “You must excuse his attire. He came ill-prepared to ride and I insisted.”

“Ride?” she said, surprise in her voice. “I would think that a Grand Tutor should have the seniority not to sit on a horse and enjoy himself. He is supposed to be drilling you in the classics.” She poked Li K’ai-men with her fan. “On your feet, new Grand Tutor.”

Li shuffled to his feet. He wanted to call to K’u Ko-ling to fetch the vermilion robe so he could improve his chances with this unknown royal. However, the woman continued to circle him, inspecting him muscle-by-muscle, hair by hair. He expected her to look at his teeth like a horse trader. 

“His name is . . .”

“I know his name, nephew. He was appointed without my consent or review — an unpardonable liberty. He is too young — not vintage.” She turned to the Prince. “What can he provide you that a more deserving official could not have? I do not see that I should allow this appointment to stand.”

Li bowed at this, but the Prince remained unmoved. 

“Could you provide me with another Kuang Shr-fei, Auntie?”

“Kuang was a rare bird.”

“Then what would you have for me? Some senior politician removed to my service for the greater good so that some cause could be forwarded?”

She snapped her fan, her frown making her appear more brutal. However, she eradicated this with a sigh.

“I mean no disrespect,” Prince Kang said. “I am grateful for all your good advice and the many opportunities you have afforded me to grow into my manhood, but I am a man now. A father even — of a man-child — a Prince. There should be some things left to my choice.”

“This Grand Tutor was not your choice, nephew. This was the manipulation of Chang Pang-chang and K’ang Yu-wei. They mean to have you in their camp.”

“And what camp may that be, Auntie? Am I allowed the freedom to exercise my opinions in the Hall of Harmonious Peace? Am I now a pawn in the hands of a crowd of phantoms that I do not know and cannot see? This Grand Tutor pleases me. He is the pupil of a great Academician.”

“Truly?” She swept her golden robe sleeves toward Li K’ai-men. “I have not been told this . . .” She gasped. Her hand grasped Li’s hand. Her eyes bulged, starring at the ring. “Han Lin’s stone.”

“Yes, your . . .” Li did not know how to address her, since he didn’t know who she was. “. . . your grace.”

“Did you obtain this from Han Lin?”

“Yes, your grace.”

Suddenly, the ring shimmered, glowing as it had on occasion, but only in the presence of the Jade Owl. A halo spread about Li’s hand, engulfing the woman’s also. She pulled away. The halo grew and soon became a beam that latched onto her robe. It pulled at the dragon pendant, the two pearls spinning wildly. Li pulled away. The crowd murmured. Even Prince Kang was unnerved by the display. 
========================================================
Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's the Jade Owl back story and the first book of my little 37 year labor of love.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I'm finding that readers are getting both Book I and Book II together. Good deal.  $ 1.98 for 900 pages of reading.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A Chinese Official dies swatting a gadfly - and thus _*The Academician * _ begins.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Southern Swallow - BOOK II 
_*THE NAN TU*_ (480 pages)
"This is a story about loyalty, duty and honor. Loyalty (and love) from scholar to his emperor, from servant to master, from lovers to each other, and from all to country and ancestors. A vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history." - Alan Chin, Rainbow Reviews

"We all lived in the shadow of K'ai-feng's ashes now. No denying it. However safe we felt, the world hung by a silken thread." So begins the second book of the Southern Swallow series - The Nan Tu (The Southern Migration) and, like the first book, The Academician, it is told by K'u Ko-ling, servant to the Grand Tutor, Li K'ai-men. The Emperor Kao has proclaimed that his court and government will migrate to the south, a progress filled with adventure, intrigue, war and tragedy, thus setting a series of events in play that shaped the Middle Kingdom.

Set on the broad canvas of Sung Dynasty China, The Nan Tu is a tale of love, separation and sacrifice. Yet heroes emerge from the ashes and restoration is within their grasp. From the mountain lairs of bandits to the sweep of the fleet at sea, The Nan Tu will transport you to a world that should have never been forgotten. Still, there are more important things than empires and history. There's love and destiny - the destiny of Li K'ai-men's relics and the enlistment of his helpmates to guard over the membrane of time.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Have you ever dreamed of travelling across an exotic landscape? Take the journey today.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*Kindleboard Book Profile for The Academician*


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The protagonish of the series, Li K'ai-men came to life in 1973, when I was working on my Master's thesis on the founding of the Southern Sung Dynasty.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thought I'd let all know, I'm still around and will be back at my normal level by Wedensday.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Waiting for Book V of The Jade Owl? Why not start on the back-story - The Southern Swallow series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Academician is a different trip down history's byways.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's an excerpt from *The Academician * - K'u Ko-ling and the Moon Cakes:

K'u Ko-ling had made his rounds. He had delivered several orders beyond the wharf. He hustled through the vegetable market, laying claim to crops that had not been harvested. He would weigh a melon in his hand and say fifteen just like this when the day has come. Deliver it to Su Bei-ch'in at the Ya-men kitchens. Ducks and rabbits, chickens and pig-snouts, bushels of eels and silvery carp - all were requisitioned that day, with a careful hand, an assessment of weight and quality and then, with a flick of a paper, ordered up for the great festival day. Two mistresses of the poultry tried to chase him away with their brooms, but they missed and the order was laid in their coop. And he came away with no more than a soaking from a waste pot thrown over the wall when requisitioning a week's worth of the best vermilion colored noodles from the noodle master.

There was one moment when K'u Ko-ling did find himself forsaken. As he scurried between hawkers and carry-chairs in and out of the alleyways of the North Ward, he decided to spend two of his precious large coins on a moon cake. It would be sweet on his tongue, especially if washed down with some rose water. He knew just the place for the best cakes - The Howling Lion Pastry Shop. However, when he gained the Howling Lion's doorway, it was barred. He peered inside and saw other patrons drinking rose water and enjoying moon cakes; however, the door was bolted to him. He tried to hoist himself through the window, but suddenly, the shutters crashed closed, throwing him to the ground.

"I want some moon cake," he shouted.

The shutters opened, the proprietress leaning out. She scowled.

"They told us that the spider of the Ya-men was crawling about the market today. They said he would be near The Howling Lion. They were correct."

"I am not a spider," Ko-ling protested. "I am just a boy. A hungry boy, who wants a moon cake." He reached inside his robe, and then held his cash string high. "See. I have cash."

"Tricks and games," the mistress said. "You just want to get inside and give me one of your foul papers. Then I would be steaming cakes for many days so the Superintendent's belly could swell like a whore's belly."

Ko-ling stood. "It is not so."

"You are not on the prowl, then?"

"I do the Ya-men's business, but not here . . . today."

"I do not let spiders in my shop." She slammed the shutters closed. Ko-ling heard roars of laughter from inside - Lions howling.

"Keep your moon cakes," he shouted. "They are dirt cakes. I will tell the world that you steam dirt and call them cakes." He kicked the dirt, and then ran down the alley. He might have been crying, had his anger not been so real. It wasn't the loss of a moon cake and rose water that fired his heart. She had called his master, a whore's belly. She had called his servant, a spider. Suddenly, the city was too big for K'u Ko-ling. He longed for the countryside, perhaps even the paddies and the buffalo and those big cowcumbers that his father prized.

They can keep their robes and leather boots. When he couldn't get a moon cake with his own large coins, the world had turned rotten on this boy who would be a man.

As it turned out, Ko-ling was resilient. These bursts of self-pity were rare and, when they raised their head, were easily shaken. He found that pushing his way through the market or throwing a few stones off the canal bridge restored his grit. He was, after all, the right hand of Li K'ai-men, Superintendent of the entire place. They closed their doors on the servant because they feared the lord - a lord who howled louder than a lion. Now that was something . . . wasn't it?


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

During the 12th Century, Chinese scholars held the local rulership and many were young men of 20.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

When I wrote the Academician I had to pay particular attention to the course of the Huang Ho (Yellow River) during the 12th Century. It's current course is not the same. This is especially important since a section of the work takes the reader up the Grand Canal and through the Huang Ho locks just South of the capital K'ai-feng. It was important to me as an author to provide a real experience for my readers — the view of the river (which runs above the plain, like a range of hills) and the precarious cross of the river by the canal. Such is the def intion of the word verisimilitude.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Happy Holiday from K'u Ko-ling, the Su-chou Yamen, Fu Lin-t'o, Li K'ai-men and the Emperor Hui.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Just a little technical side note. The Southern Swallow Series, of which The Academician is Book I, leverages novel writing structures used during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, although the time perod covered is earlier, during the Sung. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Although this series reflected my educational background (Silogy), with a specialty in Sung Dynasty History, it is still a fantasy novel and adjust to The Jade Owl Leacy.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's the opening paragraph to _*The Academician*_:

A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed by a scholar and saddled with the baggage of literary aspirations. Still, what I know, I know. What I have seen, I have seen; so what I scrawl is no more than a witness and a guess on how things grew along my path, which was his path after all. Now that he raises his spectral cup in the Dragon's Pool with the Other, I can do little but sit on the riverbank, boiling the fish soft for my toothless repast and serve destiny with these recollections. Better men have managed it, so I am doomed to failure. So we begin with a flourish of the brush - with a big Nan and a giant Ya, my master's pen name - Southern Swallow. Then, we commence with . . . an ending. In fact, without an ending, this story could not begin; and it began at Su-chou inside the Superintendent's official residence.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I started writing _*The Academican * _ in 1976 as _*Vagrants Hollow*_, based on my disertation _*The Restoration of the Southern Sun Dynasty - The Reign of the Emperor Kao-tsung 927 - 963*_ - which was offered as my Master's thesis and put me on a PH. D, tract at Columbia University. The work has been in the works for 35 years as a fiction piece, and finally manifested itself as a series of 5 plays in 1998, which I then converted into a novel called _*Nan Ya * _ in 2000. It was not until I decided to incorporate materials from my _*Jade Owl Legacy * _ and publish it in five parts (5 separate novels of about 450 pages each) did _*The Academician * _ finally reach a satsifactory public offering. The series is called _*Southern Swallow * _ (the English trasnlation of the protagonist's pen name _*Nan Ya*_) and the second book in the series was releases (_*The Nan Tu*_) early last year. The next book in the seires, _*Swan Cloud * _ is currently in the works.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Gung-xi Fa-tsai - the Year of the Rabbit.  

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

This work gives you a ground level view of outlaws in 12rh Century China, as well as a host of other cultural and political events.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's an excerpt from _*The Academician*_:

Mei Lin rested beneath the eaves of the cottage. It was coolest there and she, heavy with child, felt the heat relentlessly. She had not stirred, not even to laugh at the dog. She didn't think that laughing at the dog would help or appease. She thought that laughing at herself might be more effective.

Ch'u Wu-ko rushed in. She held a broad fan, her cheeks puffed up. She sprayed some liquid over Mei Lin's face, and then began to fan her.

"My lady," she said, "you should have laughed at the dog today."

"Ch'u, do not tell my lord, but I find it difficult to laugh at anything."

Mei Lin's life had not been harsh. Li K'ai-men treated her with respect - even with love, although she saw him infrequently in her quarters and less so in her bed.

"Today's dog was a ridiculous mutt, although he wore the red veil better than my sister did when she was bought by the Xiao." She giggled. "I know it is mean to say so, but the Xiao always thought their status in Gui-lin was above reproach, sitting behind their bamboo wall in that old black fortress. I think my sister may be sorry now that she didn't marry a horse trader or a turnip digger."

"Your sister must be content now. She is the Xiao mistress' maid."

"As I am yours," Wu-ko said. "But I do not have an old man to pester me."

"Be good, Wu-ko, or I will find you a husband."

"I am too old, my lady." She laughed rather than tremble. "Men want sons. I cannot blossom like a summer melon." She touched Mei Lin's belly. "You should have laughed at the dog. It might have changed your mood. Cheered you."

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A life of Imperial service is a long one, fraught with danger.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The main character in this first book of the epic, Li K'ai-men, is based on the real life of the famous Sung Synasty poet/painter/statesman Su T'ung-po (Sung Shr).

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

He was a mere lad of 20 when he assumed control of one of China's largest and wealthiest cities.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I am currently working on Book three of The Southern Swallow series - Swan Cloud.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The rain ceremonies in this book are still practiced in areas of China today.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

What readers say about The Academician:

"The Acadamician, Southern Swallow, by Edward C.Patterson is an absorbing tale written by a true China Hand." - Barbara Majoney

"Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go." - Alan Chin - Examiner.com

"An excellent read from an amazing author." - ellen george, Top 1000 Amazon reviewers

"In The Academician, Edward C. Patterson takes the reader into the heart of 12th century China and the historical events that unfold. Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K’ai-men during the sweeping changes in China’s dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - Todd Fonseca, TMBOA.com

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does! This book is highly recommended to all readers who love adventures into history!" - Lila Pinord


Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The protagonist of The Academician Nan Ya (Southern Swallow) is introduced in the Jade Owl Legacy Book II - The Third Peregrination.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

There's 5 books in this series - the Nan Tu is already available and Book III - Swan Cloud is scheduled for release early in the Fall 2011.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The story of Li K'ai-men (Nan Ya - Southern Swallow) begins here — a sumptious journey that will end 5 books later 69 years later.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Today's offering is:
from the author of No Irish Need Apply, Look Away Silence and The Jade Owl
THE ACADEMICIAN - Southern Swallow Book I by Edward C. Patterson
402 pages

"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of four books in the Southern Swallow series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.

An adventure of sixty years begins with this seminal work about Li K'ai-men, the first prize winner in the Sung Dynasty's national examinations, a disitinction that starts him on a career of significance. This first book covers his life as a young man and superintendant of the city of Su-chou, followwed by his subsequent promotion to a post at the capital. As the Grand Tutor to the Emperor's Ninth Son, Li K'ai-men is cast into a precipitous role as the Dynasty begins to crumble. The Academician is the first book of a five book series (Southern Swallow) which also details the back story of [[ASIN:B001J54AWO The Jade Owl]]. Also available, the second book in the series - [[ASIN:1449994202 The Nan Tu - Southern Swallow Book II]].

"Edward Patterson stretches his considerable talents in this daring novel that mixes history with fantasy. This story is a vivid, imaginative, and often humorous romp through a pivotal point in Chinese history. It has surprising power, with images that grab hold of you and don't let go." - Alan Chin, Rainbow Reviews

Here's an excerpt from The Academician:

Mei Lin rested beneath the eaves of the cottage. It was coolest there and she, heavy with child, felt the heat relentlessly. She had not stirred, not even to laugh at the dog. She didn't think that laughing at the dog would help or appease. She thought that laughing at herself might be more effective.

Ch'u Wu-ko rushed in. She held a broad fan, her cheeks puffed up. She sprayed some liquid over Mei Lin's face, and then began to fan her.

"My lady," she said, "you should have laughed at the dog today."

"Ch'u, do not tell my lord, but I find it difficult to laugh at anything."

Mei Lin's life had not been harsh. Li K'ai-men treated her with respect - even with love, although she saw him infrequently in her quarters and less so in her bed.

"Today's dog was a ridiculous mutt, although he wore the red veil better than my sister did when she was bought by the Xiao." She giggled. "I know it is mean to say so, but the Xiao always thought their status in Gui-lin was above reproach, sitting behind their bamboo wall in that old black fortress. I think my sister may be sorry now that she didn't marry a horse trader or a turnip digger."

"Your sister must be content now. She is the Xiao mistress' maid."

"As I am yours," Wu-ko said. "But I do not have an old man to pester me."

"Be good, Wu-ko, or I will find you a husband."

"I am too old, my lady." She laughed rather than tremble. "Men want sons. I cannot blossom like a summer melon." She touched Mei Lin's belly. "You should have laughed at the dog. It might have changed your mood. Cheered you."

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Life in 12th Century China teemed with a consmopolitan energy that disappeared from the scene after the Mongol invasions. My five book historical-fantasy series set in Sung China seeks to drop you into this world, a fast paced and turbulant time when peasants could rise to become statesmen and Emperors could fall to grovel in the dust. The first book, _*The Academician*_, follows the early career of Li K'ai-men (aka Nan Ya - the Southern Swallow) from his fine showing at the national examinations to his first important post as Superintendant at Su-chou and finally to his attachment to the Imperial household as Grand Tutor. Into this is blended Li's personal mandate - a warrant to protect a small jade owl relic, which promises to have consequences in a later age. Why escape into the usual fare when a grand new frontier awaits you and your summer reading list.

Edward C. Patterson
author


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Life in 12th Century China teemed with a consmopolitan energy that disappeared from the scene after the Mongol invasions. My five book historical-fantasy series set in Sung China seeks to drop you into this world, a fast paced and turbulant time when peasants could rise to become statesmen and Emperors could fall to grovel in the dust. The first book, The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I, follows the early career of Li K'ai-men (aka Nan Ya - the Southern Swallow) from his fine showing at the national examinations to his first important post as Superintendant at Su-chou and finally to his attachment to the Imperial household as Grand Tutor. Into this is blended Li's personal mandate - a warrant to protect a small jade owl relic, which promises to have consequences in a later age. Why escape into the usual fare when a grand new frontier awaits you and your summer reading list.

Edward C. Patterson


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I'm workin' hard to get the third book (Swan Cloud) out, so start on the road today with Book I.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A biography like no other.

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

China at its most modern burst a thousand years ago. China, like you've never seen it before.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Travel to a China that you never knew existed.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Could you imagine if our political leaders were also poets, scholars and thinkers. Hard to imagine, but in 12th Century China, the world was better tempered.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Snippet time.
Here's a little dialog between Li K'ai-men (Nan Ya) and his man-servant K'u Koling (at this point the master in 20 years old, while the servant is twelve). They are traveling with a small porter caravan in a famine and bandit struck region in south central China.
----------------------------------
Suddenly, Li K’ai-men had an idea. He rummaged through a small square basket for an object wrapped in silk.
“Ko-ling,” he called.
K’u Ko-ling was instantly before him. “Yes, my master.”
“How is your hunger?”
“I am more thirsty than hungry.”
Li K’ai-men smiled. “Sit.”
Ko-ling shrugged, and then sat. His discomfiture at being address as an equal was clear. Li held the silk-wrapped object up as if performing a tavern trick. He let the silk slide away revealing a ruby red ball — not a ball, but some kind of fruit.
“Do you know this?” Li asked.
“Is it a shr-liu fruit, master?”
“It is.” 
He tossed it to Ko-ling, who fumbled it across the ink block. Once retrieved, he examined it. It had a stubby stem, which he sniffed.
“I have never seen one in the market place,” Ko-ling said, “but my mother once had one for New Year.”
“Did she allow you a taste?”
Ko-ling giggled. “No. We were too poor to eat it. It was a gift from Master Li Xien. We gave it to the ancestors.”
“Pious, but wasteful. Break it open.”
Ko-ling pressed the hard skin with his fingers. Failing this, he retrieved a knife from his sash. He pressed down and the fruit broke open. A ruby juice sprayed across the brushes. “It bleeds, master. Have I killed it?”
Li K’ai-men laughed. “No, Ko-ling. Give me half and I will show you how it is done.”
Li took the shr-liu in both hands, the blood-red seeds glistening in the lantern light. He brought it to his lips and sucked, the juice running its course down his chin and over his chest. Ko-ling laughed and followed his example.
“Hunger and thirst resolved in one bite,” Li said, and then laughed again. 
Ko-ling’s mouth ran red, as if he had been eating raw dog. He appeared mad, to his master’s delight. The sweet red fruit christened Ko-ling’s lips, while Li K’ai-men let slip the seeds about him in a messy cascade.
Suddenly, Ko-ling’s eyes opened in alarm.
“What is it, Ko-ling? You appear upset. You no longer care for the fruit?”
“It is delicious, master. Truly food for the ancestors. But you have stained your robe and I am wondering how I will clean it.”
Li K’ai-men peered down at his sleeves. They were the color of suicide. He grinned, and then laughed. Then Ko-ling laughed. They quite forgot that this fruit was their last bite, besides an odd turnip and a misshapen bitter melon. Still, some roads are traveled in the dark of night without a palanquin.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

This and its comapnion in the series are f\groing great guns on the Smashwords 100% OFF Discount sale - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1094


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Take the plunge at the sale at Smashwords.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Week 4 of the Smashword summer FREE sale begins.

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/EdwardCPatterson for list of books. For this one use code SSWSF for FREE copy.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Summer sale ends tomorrow.

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/EdwardCPatterson for list of books. For this one use code SSWSF for FREE copy.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Here's a sample from the book:

Suddenly, Li K’ai-men had an idea. He rummaged through a small square basket for an object wrapped in silk.

“Ko-ling,” he called.

K’u Ko-ling was instantly before him. “Yes, my master.”

“How is your hunger?”

“I am more thirsty than hungry.”

Li K’ai-men smiled. “Sit.”

Ko-ling shrugged, and then sat. His discomfiture at being address as an equal was clear. Li held the silk-wrapped object up as if performing a tavern trick. He let the silk slide away revealing a ruby red ball — not a ball, but some kind of fruit.

“Do you know this?” Li asked.

“Is it a shr-liu fruit, master?”

“It is.” 

He tossed it to Ko-ling, who fumbled it across the ink block. Once retrieved, he examined it. It had a stubby stem, which he sniffed.

“I have never seen one in the market place,” Ko-ling said, “but my mother once had one for New Year.”

“Did she allow you a taste?”

Ko-ling giggled. “No. We were too poor to eat it. It was a gift from Master Li Xien. We gave it to the ancestors.”

“Pious, but wasteful. Break it open.”

Ko-ling pressed the hard skin with his fingers. Failing this, he retrieved a knife from his sash. He pressed down and the fruit broke open. A ruby juice sprayed across the brushes. “It bleeds, master. Have I killed it?”

Li K’ai-men laughed. “No, Ko-ling. Give me half and I will show you how it is done.”

Li took the shr-liu in both hands, the blood-red seeds glistening in the lantern light. He brought it to his lips and sucked, the juice running its course down his chin and over his chest. Ko-ling laughed and followed his example.

“Hunger and thirst resolved in one bite,” Li said, and then laughed again. 

Ko-ling’s mouth ran red, as if he had been eating raw dog. He appeared mad, to his master’s delight. The sweet red fruit christened Ko-ling’s lips, while Li K’ai-men let slip the seeds about him in a messy cascade.

Suddenly, Ko-ling’s eyes opened in alarm.

“What is it, Ko-ling? You appear upset. You no longer care for the fruit?”

“It is delicious, master. Truly food for the ancestors. But you have stained your robe and I am wondering how I will clean it.”

Li K’ai-men peered down at his sleeves. They were the color of suicide. He grinned, and then laughed. Then Ko-ling laughed. They quite forgot that this fruit was their last bite, besides an odd turnip and a misshapen bitter melon. Still, some roads are traveled in the dark of night without a palanquin.

Edward C. Patterson
Author of The Academician


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Epic Biographical Tale of Li K'ai-men aka Nan Ya (The Southern Swallow) starts here. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Did you know that the Huang-ho (the Yellow River) flows above the surrounding plain and appears like a low range of hills. In the Academician, you shall cross this great river in a canal barge.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Have you ever wondered how people lived in a different time and place. Fabstasy, you might say. How about - China.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Veronica Li (Mar 15, 2011)

It's great to see books on China on Kindleboards.  I'll have to check it out.
I have a book about my mother who embodies all of Chinese culture to me.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Veronica,

Thanks for your interest. Your book looks fascinating. I have added it to my reading list and have just downloaded it.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Koland:
> 
> Thanks for asking. There is no gay theme in either series, however, some of the principle characters are gay and the difference and degree is striking between the series. Where The Jade Owl is set in the 21st Century, the gay characters are easily set in contemporary attitudes and motivations. In the Southern Swallow series, the protagonist is homosexual, and the reader will get a glimpse at how homosexuals dealt with it in 12th Century China, which is radically different than in the China of let's say of 15th Century (Ming) or the Manchu period (1633-1912). But I could not classify wither The Jade Owl legacy series or the Southern Swallow series as gay-themed.
> 
> ...


That sounds fascinating. I imagine it was much different than contemporary gay culture.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Yes, Tara. In fact, it couldn;t be called a gay culture. Chinese traditional family values prevailed, which means a man's obligation is to secure a posterity. So homosexual Chinese were usually dutiful about having children, which may or may not equate to bi-sexuality. The attitude otoward homosexuality has varied in China throughout history.During the Sung is was accepted but not embraced as an anomoly. During the next dynasty, the Yuan (Mongol) it was less tolerated. During the Ming a relaxation of any proscription allowed homosexuality to becoe more evident (that is, Chinese men, especially of higher and Imperial ranks came out of the closet more often, and were most public about it). The second Ch'ing (Qing - Manchu) Emperor outlawed it as a Ming practice. By the time of the evolution, homosexuality was not only outlawed but punishable by death. It had nothing to do with Christian philophy which had taken the same course. It was more a matter of maintaining traditional family and proscribing "Ming" cultural liberties by the conquering Manchu.

The Chinese terms for a homosexual union or affair are "Sut-sleeve" affair; and "sharing the peach." Both have roots in historical tales of interest.

Hope that helps.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Veronica Li (Mar 15, 2011)

I downloaded your book too.  Look forward to reading it.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thank you, Veronica:

I hope you enjoy The Academician. 

Ed Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Jade Owl's Back Story series is The Southern swallow, beginning with this first book - The Aacdemician.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The third book - _*Swan Cloud * _ - is scheduled for publication late-October 2011.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Yes, the third book is coming in a few weeks, so start your journey today.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Veronica Li (Mar 15, 2011)

I just finished your book.  Fabulous story.  Posted a 5 star review on Amazon.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thank you, Veronica

You made my day. I hope you continue on to Book II (The Nan Tu) and Book III (Swan Cloud) will be out shortly.

Again,
Thanks

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Come start this tale of a son of a fisherman who becomes as powerul force of state.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Swan Cloud - Southern Swallow Book III released for the Kindle -

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062CGHU2

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Book III - Swan Cloud is available now.

Three of five in 12th Century China.

  ​
Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Book I of this Chinese Epic.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Even though the work is set in 12th Century China, that era was particularly modern and you'll be surprised by it.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Sung Dynasty lasted 319 years.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Wow. Received a review from Good Book Alert:

*An idealistic man in a time of institutional corruption*

By Good Book Alert 
The Academician successfully transports the modern reader back in both mindset and experience to a exquisitely, but not overwhelmingly, rendered 12th-century China.

*complete review (extensive)*

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Now that *Swan Cloud * has joined it's two sister books *The Academician * and *The Nan Tu * at the $ .99 price. So you can have a 1,200 page read across three books for only $2.97. What a bargain.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The early life of a scholar-official who rises to be the state's most valuable player and the owner of the Jade Owl.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The beginning of the first ch'i-t'ang - the protectors of an age-old secret.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

An epic novel of China.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Modern China began in the year 927. Come feel the experience.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The five books of The Southern Swallow Series cover (from AD 927 - 972:

The Academician - The Rise of Li K'ai-men, kniown as Nan Ya and his early career and loves
The Nan Tu - The Invasion of North China and the Migration to the South
Swan Cloud - The Trial and Fall of General Yueh Fei 
The House of Green Waters - The Exile to Hai-nan Island
Vagrants Hollow - Old age and a reall to duty, and in service to the Jade Owl

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

12th Century China is probably the most cosmopolitan period of Chinese history util the modern day.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

FREE March 4-10 at Smashwords.

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/EdwardCPatterson

Edward C. Patterson


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## jaychi (Feb 27, 2012)

Hi Edward,

Nice books you have there. You seem to be into culture and history stories.

I am just curious on how you get your reviews. Do you intentionally contact them or does it come naturally?

Thanks!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

jaychi said:


> Hi Edward,
> 
> Nice books you have there. You seem to be into culture and history stories.
> 
> ...


I author in several different, and somewhat eclectic genres. However, since I hold degrees in sinology, Chinese History and Culture (and works that make it accessible to the general public) is of a particular interest to me. I swear I'm reincarnated from the 12th Century somewhere east of Lin-an. 

As for my reviews, I've garnered over 275 reviews across 19 published works. The majority come from patience and readers who have been generous and spontaneous. I rarely submit my books for review (I did that once to a known hatchet artist and gained me a stalker). However, there are a couple of my fans who love the China books and consistently read and review them. It's difficult to submit reviews on books in a series. Book one always gets reviewed, but the others usually do not. On the Southern Swallow series, the first book received the reviews, while the other stood naked. I was fortunate with Book II in that two of my faithful readers reviewed it. Both are reviewers for periodicals. The third book has no reviews to date, however those 2 readers have purchased the book and have told me they will review it at some point. On the Academician, there's one review I'm proud of because it came about quite fortutously. A reader on the Amazon thread for Historical Fiction read one of my promotions and began to grill my credentials. He was particularly interested in my transliteration system for the Southern Swallow, as it appeared to be a mixure of pin-yin and Wade-Giles. The poster taught English in China and was a proponent that pin-yin was the best system used. I explained that American readers would find pin-yin an obstacle to reading enjoyment, and by the same token, Wade-Giles - so I concocted a blend of both for the greatest accisibility to Chinese names (places and names in Southern Swallow) and phrases in The Jade Owl series. He concurred and said he was thinking of giving it a review. I thanked him and he wrote an in depth review - a review from a person who vetted my credentials - what a find and a nice addition to my readership.

I don't chase after reviews and am thankful for every one, even the one-stars. I've learned long ago that any reader who takes the time to provide public feedback on your book is paying you the highest compliment just by discussing what they liked or what they hated. Anything to impact our readership, and to have public response is phenomenal and puts the book on the map. From the reviewer who called me a "GENIUS" (in caps) to the one in the UK who said "this book is unreadable" (not this book, another book - an award winner), it is all genuine and unsought and by far better than the alternative - utter and unfathomable silence.

Edward C. Patterson


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## jaychi (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks Edward,

Great to read your enthusiasm on the topics of your books.

It is nice that you can inject culture and history in your books. Yes I agree pin yin is the most popular these days. I am Chinese and I don't know that. I prefer the Tzu - Im method (the older method). Don't know if I said it correctly.

Personally, I think you should do the paid review method with the caliber of your books. Your books are ready for primetime.

Good Luck!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Xie xie, Jay. You made my day.

Ed P


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The biography of Li K'ei-men is set against the background of The Jade Owl legacy to produce this parallel epic series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Sung China 1124 - 1127 AD

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The sweep of China's history has fascinated me from the first time I read Pearl S. Buck through a doctoral tract in Sinology at Columbia Univrsity. I neer pursued it as a career (Mammon beckoned), but it has been my passion, evident in The Southern Swallow series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Li K'ai-men also appears in the Jade Owl legacy series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Historical fiction with a dash of fantasy and the backstory for the Jade Owl legacy series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Historical novel of events that few in the west are familiar with amkes this series an exciting entry in the genre.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

He was young, but a power to contend with.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The grand pagaent of history begins.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The life and times of Nan Ya, aka Li K'ai-men, will take you back to a time lost to memory until now.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

An historical epic that will keep you glued to the pages.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

This series contains the back story for The Jade Owl Legacy.

Edward C. Pattreson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The pageant of Chinese History is celebrated within these pages.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Although written in a different style, The Southern Swallow series lays the foundation for the Jade Owl Legacy series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

In 12th Century China, society was in the full bloom of rennaisance. It was the flowering of Chinese civilization. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I'm on a History fiction panel this Sunday at the eFestial of Words. I'll be sharing my views on the Historical novel.

http://www.efestivalofwords.com/portal.php

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Mutiny and Mayhem in 12th Century China

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Start the full sweep of the Jade Owl Legacy today, with both series.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Thirty-seven years in the making.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Time travel goes two ways, you know.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

An adventure 37 years in the making.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Life is life, whrther during the 12th Century in Sung China or 21st Century America. We are all tied together by the ribbon of time.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The Academician - Southern Swallow Book I: Rising to Power in 12th Century China


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Join me in Sung Dynasty China - come smell the aromas and the stinks. See you there.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Three books in the Nan Ya series (Southern Swaoolow) down - two to go.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The world was ripe in 1127 in China to burst anew with an elegance far beyond any time known to civilization until that time. This was China's rennaisance.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Great new review on Amazon for the series:

Awesome Series, December 17, 2012 
By Teresa Shaw (SANTA ROSA, CA, US)

http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B00322P1N4/

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Happy Western New Year to all my fans and readcers.

Edward C. Patterson
Readers Rock!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The 4th Book in this series is called *The House of Green Waters* and should be published by year end 2013.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

He was a scholar and studebt — an Academician, and he rose to become one of the most powerful forces behin the dragon throne. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Yesterday marked the 971st annniversary of Yueh Fei's execution.

Edward C Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A Chinese adventure like no other you've taken.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Book IV - The House of Green Waters, should be ready by the end of this year.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The more things seem different, the more they are the same.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The world of Sung China waits you. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

He won fist place in the national exams and the world was at his feet.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The life and times of Li K'ai-men. No secret unturned.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Life in 12th Century China was never easy, but for those pledged to Imperial service, it was one turn after the other.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The story of Li K'ai-men aka Nan Ya, who rose from fisherman's son to Imperial Grand Tutor in 12th Century (Sung Dynasty) China.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

From Fishman's Son to Imperial Tutor (Nan Ya)

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A story bron in the fields of history, nurtured in an historian's mind.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Witness the fall of K'ai-feng.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I first got the idea for the Academician while working on my Master's thesis back in 1974. Now nearly 40 years later, the five book series is emerging. I'm working currently on book IV - The House of Green Waters. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A five book series begins with a young man's good fortune as he pursues his polical career and also a destiny which will land him at the feet of the Jade Owl.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

From Fisherman's Son to Imperial Tutor (Nan Ya)

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*The Ya-men Spider*
1
When winter comes upon the joints, cracking within every step, I think of those days when I could crawl through a drain and spy on the whores in The Golden Peony - stiff in only one place, never thinking that in winter this would be the only place that ceased to stiffen. However, the world doesn't clarify for the likes of me - I have learned that. It is not with false humility that I refer to myself as a piss ant, because no man leaves more than his last utility in this world. With the approach of K'ang Yu-wei, I found utility that I never had imagined within me, utility that flew above the crows, because my master was the protégé of Han Lin. I had never seen Han Lin until I was returned to the river in Gui-lin and waited for the kettle to boil and our phantom guests to arrive for dinner and . . . well, all in good time, I shall tell of that. All in good time. 
In these days - the green scallion days of Su-chou, when I fit into drains and could see beyond my hand and Madam Pi Fang's teats, I scarcely knew that the world was made from more mud than cobble. There were no inner workings in the universe for me then - nothing but the tasks at hand. 
2
He blinked from the crook in the tree while watching Pi Fang powder her bosom. Lilacs wafted from behind her screen, the aroma tweaking K'u Ko-ling's nose. He sneezed.
"Get away," screamed the old woman. She rattled across the planks, rake in hand. Ko-ling twisted about the bough, his robes dangling over the wall. The rake poked its evil teeth toward the bough. "If you want to buy something," shouted the woman, "show me your silver."
K'u Ko-ling dangled from the bough, but he was losing his grip. He knew that if he didn't get to the ground soon, the gate would swing open and the rake would do damage. So he let go.
"Ai," he yelped. The gate began to open, but he didn't wait to see the rake or hear the matron of The Golden Peony berate him with lips as sharp as the rake. He ran to the end of the lane, knocking over a pastry man, who had been toting his wares to market.
"Ai," screamed the man. "Come back here. You must pay damages for any cakes that you have broken, you inconsiderate bastard."
However, K'u Ko-ling had reached the narrow path beside the canal, where the trackers were hauling barges into port. Ko-ling glanced backward. He heard only the usual hawking of the Eastern Market - no shrewish madam now, or delirious pastry man. Ko-ling jumped the low railing to the canal path and hopped down to the water's edge. Here he hunkered down and laughed. 
Pi Fang had some big teats, he thought, and then laughed. Someday I'll get some of those and bury my face there. And in other places. But for now, he had a task list to fulfill - a pocket filled with paper requisitions -the kind that the merchants hated, because it meant giving over their best wares to the Ya-men for payment at a future date. Sometimes the payment never came. Ko-ling also had ten cash, the outsized coins of His Majesty, that his master had given him for a treat. He thought to spend this wealth at The Golden Peony, but what were ten copper cash there? That might get him a second glance at a left nipple, and no more. He sighed.
Perhaps the old lady has a young lad for me, he thought. That would probably be within my means. If it was fair game for his master, why not for him. However, while he understood and, on some level, accepted Fu Lin-t'o's place beneath his master, he could not bring himself to do it for any amount of outsized coin. Ko-ling glanced toward the wharf, where the trackers were unloading bolts of silk. 
"Tsao," he shouted as he approached the silk bolts - crimson and verdant and golden and sky. He held a letter from the Ya-men over his head. "Your wares are wanted at the Ya-men."
A tall man emerged from behind the bolts. He was draped in robes of the same material and only time's wear kept him from blending into the golden fabric. His sleeves reflected the sun, the garment approximating Imperial Yellow, but not quite - the taboo observed. When the man saw Ko-ling's approach, his demeanor changed from inquisitive to disgust.
"You," he shouted. "Tell your master that I am still not paid for the last ten bolts he ordered."
Another man emerged to stand beside the first, while the trackers congregated around the bolts as if to protect them with their lives.
"But good sir," Ko-ling said. He waved the letter, and then bowed. "I did not write this order. I am not so cultured. Your anger insults a fellow creature."
"Rubbish," the tall man said. "You are a creature of the clerks, and they pay worse than the Superintendent. I am privy to Ya-men extortion."
Ko-ling laughed. The trackers grumbled, pushing together forming a wall between the boy and the silk bolts. 
"Do as you please," Ko-ling said. "I am only delivering this order into your hands. If you chose to ignore it, I am no worse for it."
"Do not take it," murmured the other man. "If you have it, you must consider it."
"Consider it or not, it is a requisition in the Superintendent's own hand." Ko-ling presented the document, showing the crisp cursive strokes - beautiful and precise. "And as you will see, my master is honoring you by his order."
"Honoring me?" The tall man laughed, starting a wave of hilarity.
"Yes," Ko-ling said. He laid the order at the merchant's feet. "My master, Li K'ai-men said to me, he did - he said, 'K'u Ko-ling, where should I find the finest silk to make a gift for the Governor-General? Where in Su-chou can such quality be found?' And I said, 'Why, master, there can only be one man in the city who could supply material worthy of Yang-chou. It could only be supplied by Gung Tu-gao."
"Likely story," Gung Tu-gao said as he peered down at the paper. 
"It is true. My master smiled at your name. He remembered the glorious bolts that you supplied for the supplicants of the Willow Garden."
"Bolts still in want of payment."
"The paperwork, master Gung, the paperwork is slow in these matters. There are so many matters of state that take priority."
"Then let the Superintendent go naked and wrap himself in memorials and proclamations."
K'u Ko-ling frowned - a frown that returned Gung and his cohorts to a more sober frame of mind. 
"Are you saying that the Superintendent of Su-chou does not deserve the attentions of Heaven?"
"No," Gung said. "I would never say that."
"Then, pick up the order. You will be paid a premium this time."
"A premium on nothing," the other one said. "What premium is that?"
"The knowledge that your silk has been used to make the Governor-General's gift. Imagine the delight on his lordship's face when he learns that Gung Tu-gao's silk is as fine . . . no, is finer than the silk of the Yang-chou guilds."
Gung Tu-gao seemed to imagine this - an order that might bring business from the Viceroy himself. Such a thought made the merchant stoop and retrieve the paper. 
3
They all stooped in the end. They were all paid in the end as well. My master was no thief, but he had a notion that trust built character in the merchant classes. They might try to cut off the flow of goods, but the Superintendent had authority on his side, and something better. He had me. They may have closed their doors when they saw me coming, but they could never close me out. They couldn't do me harm, as I was Ya-men property. They couldn't chase me away, as I would return to them like the locusts. In the end, they had to avoid accepting the papers I brought - those documents of credit, which made them poorer for a short time, but richer in the end. My master always paid his debts. 
4
K'u Ko-ling had made his rounds. He had delivered several orders beyond the wharf. He hustled through the vegetable market, laying claim to crops that had not been harvested. He would weigh a melon in his hand and say fifteen just like this when the day has come. Deliver it to Su Bei-ch'in at the Ya-men kitchens. Ducks and rabbits, chickens and pig-snouts, bushels of eels and silvery carp - all were requisitioned that day, with a careful hand, an assessment of weight and quality and then, with a flick of a paper, ordered up for the great festival day. Two mistresses of the poultry tried to chase him away with their brooms, but they missed and the order was laid in their coop. And he came away with no more than a soaking from a piss pot thrown over the wall when requisitioning a week's worth of the best vermilion colored noodles from the noodle master. 
There was one moment when K'u Ko-ling did find himself forsaken. As he scurried between hawkers and carry-chairs in and out of the alleyways of the North Ward, he decided to spend two of his precious large coins on a moon cake. It would be sweet on his tongue, especially if washed down with some rose water. He knew just the place for the best cakes - The Howling Lion Pastry Shop. However, when he gained the Howling Lion's doorway, it was barred. He peered inside and saw other patrons drinking rose water and enjoying moon cakes; however, the door was bolted to him. He tried to hoist himself through the window, but suddenly, the shutters crashed closed, throwing him to the ground.
"I want some moon cake," he shouted.
The shutters opened, the proprietress leaning out. She scowled.
"They told us that the spider of the Ya-men was crawling about the market today. They said he would be near The Howling Lion. They were correct."
"I am not a spider," Ko-ling protested. "I am just a boy. A hungry boy, who wants a moon cake." He reached inside his robe, and then held his cash string high. "See. I have cash."
"Tricks and games," the mistress said. "You just want to get inside and give me one of your foul papers. Then I would be steaming cakes for many days so the Superintendent's belly could swell like a whore's belly."
Ko-ling stood. "It is not so."
"You are not on the prowl, then?"
"I do the Ya-men's business, but not here . . . today."
"I do not let spiders in my shop." She slammed the shutters closed. Ko-ling heard roars of laughter from inside - Lions howling.
"Keep your moon cakes," he shouted. "They are shit cakes. I will tell the world that you steam shit and call them cakes." He kicked the dirt, and then ran down the alley. He might have been crying, had his anger not been so real. It wasn't the loss of a moon cake and rose water that fired his heart. She had called his master, a whore's belly. She had called his servant, a spider. Suddenly, the city was too big for K'u Ko-ling. He longed for the countryside, perhaps even the paddies and the buffalo and those big fucking cowcumbers that his father prized. 
They can keep their robes and leather boots. When he couldn't get a moon cake with his own large coins, the world had turned rotten on this boy who would be a man.
As it turned out, Ko-ling was resilient. These bursts of self-pity were rare and, when they raised their head, were easily shaken. He found that pushing his way through the market or throwing a few stones off the canal bridge restored his grit. He was, after all, the right hand of Li K'ai-men, Superintendent of the entire place. They closed their doors on the servant because they feared the lord - a lord who howled louder than a lion. Now that was something . . . wasn't it?
K'u Ko-ling wearied. His days were long, waiting on his master, doing his biding, fulfilling the requirements for the great entertainment for K'ang Yu-wei. Ko-ling sauntered back through the Middle ward to the Ya-men, where he expected to find his master ensconced in the Hall of Glorious Peace listening to law cases and passing judgments. However, the hall was empty . . . and so was Fu Lin-t'o's quarters. In fact, the Ya-men was unusually quiet. So K'u Ko-ling sought out the Willow Garden, where he found his mistress and Ch'u Wu-ko.
"Ko-ling," Mei Lin said. 
She was sitting in the pavilion, sewing peony petals into a garland, a project she assumed in preparation for the Governor-General's visit. Ko-ling bowed to her. There was something about her that he adored. Perhaps it was the sweetness of her lips or the gentle quality in her voice. He had not known much about her, except she selected him from among the tenants to serve her husband, a husband she knew even less. The sight of his mistress sweetened any vinegar that Ko-ling had in his heart about moon cakes.
He approached the pavilion, his head bowed, as was appropriate.
"Watch your feet," barked the other one.
Ch'u Wu-ko was a tartar. She never had a kind word for him, always giving him orders. He wouldn't take her orders. He told her many times that she was not his lady and that he only took commands from Li K'ai-men. Then, she would chase him around the kitchen or the storehouse. However, she was older and less spry. Ko-ling was as wiry as a monkey. He would laugh at her attempts to catch him - the shrewish old bat. She was no better than he was - a servant. She may have been raised in a wealthy household along with the other servants. She may have waited on Mei Lin's father and scraped after Mei Lin's mother, but she knew nothing of following a buffalo and growing big cowcumbers. She didn't know how to get the best goods in the marketplace for the Superintendent of this entire place. No, she didn't. So let her shove her broom up her ass and chase herself around the room.
"I said, watch you feet."
Ko-ling almost told her to fly away on an ox fart, but then recalled that he was in the presence of his mistress. He relented and . . . watched his feet, which were about to tread on the garland.
"Ko-ling," Mei Lin said, her voice mellifluous. "Your lord has been looking for you. He wanted to show you how to mix the ink."
"But mistress, I already know how to mix the ink."
"This one knows everything," Ch'u Wu-ko said. "I bet you think you can teach the Superintendent how to do it then."
"Wu-ko," Mei Lin said. "Ko-ling is correct. He has been mixing my husband's ink for many months. It is an art and Ko-ling knows it well. He might teach most of the clerks in this Ya-men to do it better . . . but . . ." She smiled. "There are many things you need to know, Ko-ling. Many things. I have learned that when my lord and husband is in the mood to teach, he will do so."
Ko-ling bowed. He knew this to be so. Li K'ai-men was often instructing him on things he scarcely understood - ceremonies in eating blood fruit and homilies on the nature of wind and sky. Ko-ling enjoyed such lessons. They were soothing and restful. With the lessons came rest . . . and rest was the reward for the weary, even a wiry monkey of a boy, whom the marketplace called the Ya-men's Spider.
5
Ko-ling found his master in his study, a plain room reserved for meditation and painting. No one came here except by invitation or command. Li K'ai-men sat before a low table, his brush poised for painting, a silk sheet stretched across the workspace. Ko-ling approached with care. His master appeared so intent on his art that to disturb him might destroy the stroke and ruin the work at hand. 
"Finally, you are found," Li said, his voice static, his brush still poised. 
"I was requisitioning goods for the visit."
Li placed the brush on its rest, and then turned to his servant. 
"As you were instructed. Very good." Li smiled. "Come see what I do."
"You are painting, master." Ko-ling almost added I've seen you paint many times, but decided to just come around and look. The painting was unusual and far from finished. It seemed to be a landscape of a village in the mountains. The Superintendent must have been keen on some vision, because these were sheer mountains unlike the plum pudding hills of Gui-lin. "Where is this place?" he asked.
"It is far away in the heartland of old. Some day I will tell of this place, but not today. What I wish to show you is this." 
Li K'ai-men lifted the brush again. He dipped it in a well of green ink that stood beside a dozen such ink blocks. He raised the brush to his eye, and then smiled at his servant, as if he was about to play a prank. It was a boyish notion and not one of a mature scholar-official. The brush's tip was brought to the silk and touched a mountain path. The brush stroked pine trees, but . . . Ko-ling gasped. As the ink made contact with the silk, golden sparks jumped about the painting, shimmering about the piece, rippling in rainbows before settling into the true color . . . green.
"What magic is this, master?"
"No magic," Li said. He continued to paint. "It is ch'i."
"I do not understand."
"No. I did not think you would. However, you must see, because this is rare ink. It is mixed with precious water."
Ko-ling shrugged. He had recalled two dozen vials of water that his master carried in a chest. In fact, Ko-ling doubted that it was really water, because it was piss-colored and bubbled like some alchemist's concoction. Whenever Ko-ling carried this chest, Li K'ai-men would be anxious, admonishing him to take extreme care. Odd. 
"Precious water, master? Is this mixed with the water from the . . ."
"Yes. And I meant to teach you to prepare it, because I want you to take charge of this precious water. It is never to be spilled or drunk or used for any other purpose but to mix the ink . . . and only for . . ." He tapped the painting.
"But master, what makes it different than well water or rain water."
Li K'ai-men smiled. "You have seen why, Ko-ling. Did you not see the lightning in my stroke?"
He had. His eyes opened wide as he watched the shimmering again.
"But master . . ."
"No more, Ko-ling. I will teach you to husband these materials. However, you will not do it well until you know the full weight of your charge, and that must wait until another day."
Ko-ling sighed, and then stared at his master's strokes. The village was emerging.
"Have we been to this village?" he asked.
"No. But some day we may go there. It will be a dark day indeed."
"Far away?" Ko-ling murmured.
"Very far away, Ko-ling. A village of legend. A place made of jade. It is called Yu-shui-ch'ien."
Ko-ling shrugged.
6
Yu-shui-ch'ien. Far away indeed, but not far away enough. I would learn to mix the precious ink and more. I learned to detach the painting from its rack and bind it to its scroll blocks. I would roll it as if the world depended on my action, because my master had cautioned me to think so. He painted well, or so they said in all quarters, but I didn't know much about that. I liked a colorful picture of a duck or a bird or one of those big-breasted peonies that reminded me of Pi Fang's teats. My master rarely indulged in works to my tastes. Fu Lin-t'o painted things of that ilk. He even let me sell them in the whorehouses in later days - days when we needed to raise a coin or two. However, the magic water paintings, and there were seven, were never for the whorehouse. They were for the gates of seven hells.

Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE for the entire month of July at Smashwords.com. Use coupon SW100 upon check out and enjoy
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1094*

Use the smae coupon for all 19 of my books - also on FREE promotion for this Month
Edward C. Patterson


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*Still FREE for the entire month of July at Smashwords.com. Use coupon SW100 upon check out and enjoy
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1094*


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today & Tomorrow August 20th and 21st at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today & Tomorrow September 23rd and 24th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today ONLY - October 29th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow - November 18th & 19th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow - January 7th and 8th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Coming this month: Book IV - The House of Green Waters (Keep a Watch Out)

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow - February 17th & 18th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Coming this month: Book IV - The House of Green Waters (Keep a Watch Out)

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE for THREE Days - March 29th, 30th & 31st at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Thursday & Friday May 15th & 16th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

Edward C. Patterson*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Monday & Tuesday June 23rd & 24th at Amazon
The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

[size=14pt]The Southern Swallow Series:

The Academician
The Nan Tu
Swan Cloud
The House of Green Waters
Vagrants Hollow

Edward C. Patterson​​*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow August 11th & 12th at Amazon

The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series*

​
*"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

[size=14pt]The Southern Swallow Series:

The Academician
The Nan Tu
Swan Cloud
The House of Green Waters
Vagrants Hollow

Edward C. Patterson​​*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow Oct 18th & 19th at Amazon

The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series
12 4&5-star Reviews*

​
*What readers say:

"The author has done a great job bringing an ancient civilization to life both at a macro and micro level. The characters of the high and mighty as well as the lowly servant appear in flesh and blood." - V. Li

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does!" L. Pinord

"Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - T. Fonseca

------------------------------------------------

"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

[size=14pt]The Southern Swallow Series:

The Academician
The Nan Tu
Swan Cloud
The House of Green Waters
Vagrants Hollow

Edward C. Patterson​​*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow Nov 24th & Nov 25th at Amazon

The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series
12 4&5-star Reviews*

​
*What readers say:

"The author has done a great job bringing an ancient civilization to life both at a macro and micro level. The characters of the high and mighty as well as the lowly servant appear in flesh and blood." - V. Li

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does!" L. Pinord

"Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - T. Fonseca

------------------------------------------------

"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

[size=14pt]The Southern Swallow Series:

The Academician
The Nan Tu
Swan Cloud
The House of Green Waters
Vagrants Hollow

Edward C. Patterson​​*


----------



## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

*FREE Today and Tomorrow Dec 27th & 28th at Amazon

The Academician
by 
Edward C. Patterson

Book I of the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series
40 years in the Making

12 4&5-star Reviews*

​
*What readers say:

"The author has done a great job bringing an ancient civilization to life both at a macro and micro level. The characters of the high and mighty as well as the lowly servant appear in flesh and blood." - V. Li

"The Academecian is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's one of those you want to go on and on - and Mr. Patterson is going to see that it does!" L. Pinord

"Patterson masterfully weaves in the fictional fantastic elements of the Jade Owl and the character of Li K'ai-men during the sweeping changes in China's dynasties centering around the great painter but ineffective Emperor Hui and his family." - T. Fonseca

------------------------------------------------

"A bigger fool the world has never known than I - a coarse fellow with no business to clutch a brush and scribble. I only know the scrawl, because my master took pleasure in teaching me between my chores. Not many men are so cursed . . ." Thus begins the tale of Li K'ai-men as told by his faithful, but mischievous servant, K'u Ko-ling - a tale of 12th Century China, where state service meant a life long journey across a landscape of turmoil and bliss. A tale of sacrifice, love, war and duty - a fragile balance between rituals and passions. An epic commitment between two men to define the indefinable in their own world and time. Here begins the legacy of the Jade Owl and its custodian as he holds true to his warrants.

The Academician is the first of five books in the Southern Swallow (Nan Ya) series, capturing the turbulence of the Sung Dynasty in transition. Spanning the silvery days under the Emperor Hui to the disasters that followed, The Academician is a slice of world events that should never have been forgotten. Still, there are things more important than invasions and empires. The world's fate rests in the warrants of Li K'ai-men, this young scholar from Gui-lin, called master by his faithful servant, but known as Nan Ya to the world.
404 pages.

[size=14pt]The Southern Swallow Series:

The Academician
The Nan Tu
Swan Cloud
The House of Green Waters
Vagrants Hollow

Edward C. Patterson​​*


----------

