Haymarket, Va. - "I guess the inspiration for the novel comes from my past visits to China and our fascination with Chinese history, myths, legends and culture," Haymarket author T.H. (Tom) Henning said.
Henning and his wife, Helen, have authored "Legend of the Chinese Spy" (iUniverse), the tale of Lu Wong Di, who spies for Chinese emperors.
In the course of spying, Di murders a Chinese gate guard and is cursed by a witch never to die until he learns the value of a single human life. The curse sends Di on an adventurous journey covering six centuries of Chinese history.
In the pursuit of his own salvation, Di falls in love, marries and has children, only to watch them age and die while he remains a young man. He questions mans' search for immortality as he also searches for a cure to the witch's curse.
Eventually, Di encounters a Buddhist monk who leads him to a vampire. The vampire debates Di on the value of human beings and tells Di to seek out the tomb of the first emperor of China for the answers.
Di takes on a partner, Xiancia. Together, they encounter bandits, pirates, typhoons, floods, disease, a dragon, a demon and ghosts, all while seeking to understand the value of a single human life.
The pair uncovers ancient secrets of the Book of Three Curses and the Three Mirrors of Fate.
"The greatest challenge for us, I think, was to persevere in writing the novel," Tom said. "With so many other distractions and continuous editing, it was a challenge for us to keep on writing until the novel was finished."
Henning completed an undergraduate degree in political science and Russian area studies, and holds a graduate degree in higher education from Pennsylvania State University. He has traveled several times to China and is currently adjunct faculty at Northern Virginia Community College.
Helen Henning attended Nazareth College in Rochester, N.Y., and majored in economics.
The Hennings' first book signing of "Legend of the Chinese Spy" will be April 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Borders Bookstore in Fair Oaks Mall.
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