About the AuthorJohn Biggs was born and educated in Hobart, Tasmania, and is a graduate of the universities of Tasmania and London. He has held academic posts in several countries, ending up in the University of Hong Kong. He retired early and like the falling autumn leaf in the Chinese proverb, he fell to his roots in Tasmania in order to write fiction. He has published five novels, and an anthology of short stories. Much of his fiction he calls Sino-Australian fusion, which reflects his domestic life, his wife Catherine being Hong Kong born Chinese. Also by this authorFiction The Girl in the Golden HouseProject Integrens DisguisesTin DragonsFrom Ashes to AshesTowards ForgivenessNonfiction Tasmania Over Five GenerationsChanging Universities: A memoirAcknowledgementI am indebted to many people in Tasmania and Hong Kong who have in various ways, often unknowingly, inspired my writing, and most of all to my wife, Catherine Tang.