by Dawn Gardner
I want to let the reader know a few things. Guess what? The American Ping Pong Team really did get a ten-day trip to China. The story of the American hopping on the Chinese bus is real history. The incident on the bus helped promote peace between the countries. Jack Andrews of Lynchburg was the fictional 16th member of the team; there were only 15 members.
This is a work of fiction. I took some liberties with timing. Cosmo travel did exist in Lynchburg, but I believe that it was established in 1976. Also, I-Hsiung Ju was a great teacher of Chinese brush painting. He taught at Washington and Lee from 1969-1989, and could have been the one to teach Joni. I did move the date of his exhibit. The real exhibit Journey Home happened in the fall of 2011. I wish they would bring that exhibit back. His work is beautiful.
I did a lot of research on Alzheimer’s. And I am thankful for the various people I spoke to about their loved ones that have dementia. I wanted Joni to be the best representation of the disease as I could possibly create.
Lastly, my characters take me on such a ride. Because of Joni’s love of Chinese painting, I fell in love with the beauty of it as well. Each time I write a novel, I grow as a person. And for that, I’m thankful.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people to thank! My family. Mike and my girls for always listening to me talk about what I learned in my research or what crazy things my characters have said or done that day. So thank you Mike, Erin, Rachel and Melaina. A particular shout out to Erin and Rachel. They worked with me to produce this novel, Erin as an editor and Rachel as my publicist. Thank you, thank you!
Thanks to Jean Seeling and her husband Lou. I was lucky to find Jean so geographically close to me. She is a talented and accomplished artist. She is also an authority on Asian art and painting, in particular the kind of painting that Joni did. Joni’s style of painting was already established in my novel when I met Jean. And then imagine the coincidence that her husband was drafted into the Vietnam War. Thank you universe. Thanks to Lou for sharing with me some things about his experience in Vietnam. I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon with Jean. I watched her paint and she gave me all kinds of resources to research. Jean, thank you so much!!!
Thanks to David Harker. Although he was not directly contacted for this book, I thank him for his service to our country. I remember being at his homecoming in 1973 at the Lynchburg Airport. I was about 7 years old. My parents went to high school with David and we followed his story and prayed for his return. Even as a little girl, I remembered being moved by what he endured. For this book, I found a transcript of him telling his story of being a POW in Vietnam for five and half years. I cried most of the way through it. He is a light and continues to shine in his community.
Thanks to Randy Higgins, Retired Fire Captain; Mark Stein, Retired Crime Scene Investigator and Todd Anderson, Science teacher. They were all instrumental in me getting the facts as accurate as I could following the incident at the school in The Jade Butterfly. Thanks to my early readers: Rachel Dugger, Joan Anderson, Katie Keene, Jim Keene, Melanie Renner, Liz Higgins and Viki Herzog. I would’ve had more early readers at this juncture, but it was a strange time in our history. We were in the midst of the pandemic of 2020, so I kept the early readers to a bare minimum to keep from taxing anyone during this trying time in our history.
And thank you Maude, I wish I had known you.
About the Author
Dawn is an author and a professional photographer. The Jade Butterfly is her third novel. Writing has always been a part of her life in some shape or form.
Dawn lives in Virginia with her husband and two dogs. She loves being surrounded by family and friends, traveling, reading and outdoor adventures.
Also by Dawn Gardner
Queen Anne’s Lace
Searching For Elvis
dawngardnerauthor.com
