水 (water) is one of the first chinese characters I learned. I love its simplicity, the fact that it has a center from which smaller strokes emanate.

Water also plays an important role in The Glint of the Luopan (To be published in October/November). Lai Fang finds herself magically drawn to places near water, such as the Hudson River in New York, or Suzhou with its many canals.

And of course water is also important for the portals – because only places that are close to water are suitable as portal locations. They work with the help of the tides, and they work best when there is a full moon in the sky…

Water and wind are the most important elements in my novel, as to earth and fire, maybe I’ll reserve a spot for them in future sequels…