Water Washes Earth

A love story shaped by history, tested by secrets, and haunted by the past.
Hong Kong, 1988. Lisa Li has lived many lives. A physics graduate from Oxford, a rising star in the Asian financial world, and the cherished daughter of a powerful Chinese Party leader, she now inhabits the uneasy space between East and West. To her colleagues, she is brilliant. To her parents, she is ta future leader ofChina. But to herself, she is still trying to understand who she really is-especially when it comes to love and identity..
James, an American, seeking purpose in a changing Asia, never expected to fall for someone like Lisa: poised, self-assured, magnetic. Their connection is instant. But what begins as a passionate romance soon deepens into something far more complex-filled with silences, half-truths, and questions neither dares to ask.
As the 1997 handover of Hong Kong looms, political tensions mount, and secrets from Lisa's past resurface: exile, betrayal, and a harrowing chapter from the Cultural Revolution she has never fully shared. When James discovers that British intelligence may be watching her-and that Lisa's father is one of the most powerful men in China-trust begins to fracture.
Told in lyrical prose with cinematic scope, Water Washes Earth is a novel about identity, loyalty, and the emotional cost of secrets. Set between Beijing, Oxford, Hong Kong, and Hangzhou, it follows two lovers from vastly different worlds as they navigate the shifting lines between freedom and duty, history and memory, love and loss.
For readers of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Pachinko, and The Garden of Evening Mists, this is a sweeping and intimate story of one woman's journey to reclaim her voice-and one man's struggle to understand the woman he loves before it's too late.
What would you sacrifice to protect the one you love? And what if love itself became the greatest risk of all?

For over two decades, I have embarked on a relentless quest to discover this vast, intricate world. My journey has taken me far beyond my birthplace in California, to the bustling streets of Manila, vibrant Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Sydney, Mumbai, Hannover, and back to dynamic Hong Kong
Throughout my travels, I have had the extraordinary opportunity to immerse myself in some of the globe's most fascinating locales, often during pivotal moments. I spent a year living with an aboriginal tribe in the remote Northern Philippines and another year in the slums of Manila, gaining insights into lives vastly different from my own. My adventures in Nepal included being tracked by a Bengal tiger for four intense days and nights through the dense jungle. China, Myanmar, and Vietnam have also left their indelible marks on me, as did my time in Cambodia, where I navigated the post-Pol Pot era with the protection of 16 bodyguards. And then there's India—a land of unparalleled magic and mystery.
As a keen observer of people, places, and events, I strive to transport readers into the heart of my experiences through vivid writing. Whether it's the depths of Nepalese jungles or the vibrant nightlife of Wanchai, Hong Kong, my goal is to make every story come alive