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Dark Karma
Dark Karma immerses readers in the cultural and personal conflicts of exotic southern Siam a century ago. A bold Thai woman works to expand her casino empire amidst the challenges of a patriarchal society and a ruthless competitor. Obsessed with vengeance for the deaths of his father and brother, a young Chinese man joins a secret society. A disgraced royal official seeks redemption by gathering intelligence on unrest in Siam’s Malay provinces even as he hides his own Malay heritage. A Buddhist monk preaches against folk superstition. All must deal with guilt and tragedy when the Spanish Influenza pandemic hits the region.
545 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2024
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Paul Wedel
5 books1 followerPaul Wedel has spent more than 40 years in Asia as a journalist, teacher, administrator, consultant, and writer. Fluent in Thai, he also speaks Indonesian and Lao. He has written extensively on Thai politics, the Thai monarchy, the language of newspapers and business as well as social and political change throughout the region.
His published books include "Beads on a String: A Novel of Southern Siam," and "Radical Thought, Thai Mind: A History of Revolutionary Ideology in a Traditional Society," written with his wife, Dr. Yuangrat Wedel.
He has also written parts of "King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work: Thailand’s Monarchy in Perspective" and co-authored "English by Newspaper" with Terry Fredrickson.
"Dark Karma," a sequel to "Beads on a String" is scheduled for release at the end of April 2024.
Paul grew up in a small town in New Jersey and was the first in his family to graduate from college. With a degree in English literature, he taught English in a rural southern Thai school as a member of the US Peace Corps and produced programs on an educational television channel for two years for the Bangkok government.
Returning to the United States, Paul won a scholarship from the Columbia School of Journalism. He earned a master of journalism degree, writing his master’s degree paper on the violent political struggles in Thailand from 1973-76. After graduation, he won a six-month traveling fellowship awarded by Columbia to write about the aftermath of the Indochina War.
Paul then spent the next 14 years working in the region as a reporter for United Press International. Some of his work focused on the Communist insurgency in Thailand, the Communist victories in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and the later shifts to market economies in those countries. He also reported from Burma, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Paul later served for 19 years as executive director and ultimately president of the Kenan Institute Asia, a Thai non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of education, strengthen public health systems, and make free enterprise work more effectively for development. He taught courses on Southeast Asia as an adjunct professor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
With Terry Fredrickson, he wrote "English by Newspaper," which showed English learners how to use the language and style of newspapers to improve their reading.
Working together, Paul and his wife, Yuangrat, wrote "Radical Thought, Thai Mind" on the history of leftist political thinking in Thailand and collaborated on a number of other articles. In 2012 Paul was one of the co-authors of a definitive biography of the long-serving Thai king, "King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work."
In 2019 Paul and Yuangrat published a completely updated, revised, and rewritten edition of "Radical Thought." The following year they completed "Beads on a String," a historical novel set in southern Thailand at the end of the reign of King Chulalongkorn. The book tells the intertwined stories of four families beginning in 1896 as they struggle for love, identity, and status amid rapid social, economic, and political change.
Paul and Yuangrat also write a blog on the bond between Thai history and current events. Their work can be found at https://www.yuangratandpaul.online/
They enjoy biking, ballroom dancing, and working with their daughters Jinda, a digital marketing expert and magazine writer, and Pailin, an award-winning documentary film-maker.
His published books include "Beads on a String: A Novel of Southern Siam," and "Radical Thought, Thai Mind: A History of Revolutionary Ideology in a Traditional Society," written with his wife, Dr. Yuangrat Wedel.
He has also written parts of "King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work: Thailand’s Monarchy in Perspective" and co-authored "English by Newspaper" with Terry Fredrickson.
"Dark Karma," a sequel to "Beads on a String" is scheduled for release at the end of April 2024.
Paul grew up in a small town in New Jersey and was the first in his family to graduate from college. With a degree in English literature, he taught English in a rural southern Thai school as a member of the US Peace Corps and produced programs on an educational television channel for two years for the Bangkok government.
Returning to the United States, Paul won a scholarship from the Columbia School of Journalism. He earned a master of journalism degree, writing his master’s degree paper on the violent political struggles in Thailand from 1973-76. After graduation, he won a six-month traveling fellowship awarded by Columbia to write about the aftermath of the Indochina War.
Paul then spent the next 14 years working in the region as a reporter for United Press International. Some of his work focused on the Communist insurgency in Thailand, the Communist victories in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and the later shifts to market economies in those countries. He also reported from Burma, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Paul later served for 19 years as executive director and ultimately president of the Kenan Institute Asia, a Thai non-profit organization that seeks to improve the quality of education, strengthen public health systems, and make free enterprise work more effectively for development. He taught courses on Southeast Asia as an adjunct professor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
With Terry Fredrickson, he wrote "English by Newspaper," which showed English learners how to use the language and style of newspapers to improve their reading.
Working together, Paul and his wife, Yuangrat, wrote "Radical Thought, Thai Mind" on the history of leftist political thinking in Thailand and collaborated on a number of other articles. In 2012 Paul was one of the co-authors of a definitive biography of the long-serving Thai king, "King Bhumibol Adulyadej, A Life’s Work."
In 2019 Paul and Yuangrat published a completely updated, revised, and rewritten edition of "Radical Thought." The following year they completed "Beads on a String," a historical novel set in southern Thailand at the end of the reign of King Chulalongkorn. The book tells the intertwined stories of four families beginning in 1896 as they struggle for love, identity, and status amid rapid social, economic, and political change.
Paul and Yuangrat also write a blog on the bond between Thai history and current events. Their work can be found at https://www.yuangratandpaul.online/
They enjoy biking, ballroom dancing, and working with their daughters Jinda, a digital marketing expert and magazine writer, and Pailin, an award-winning documentary film-maker.
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September 20, 2024
We worked hard to bring to life the social and political conflicts of southern Siam in the early 20th century. Our characters were inspired by real people. We hope you enjoy seeing how they deal with the personal challenges of desire, obsession, and ambition.
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