Goodreads asked Paul Yee:

How do you get inspired to write?

Paul Yee I love to do research, so I am inspired by past events and past personalities. In the situation of Chinese immigrants to Canada, many parts of their history remain unknown to the general public, so I felt my writing opened a window into dark musty basement where pieces of their past had been hidden. There were family secrets, workplace accounts, political intrigue, and stories set on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. When I started writing many years ago, I depended on family anecdotes and personal experiences. They were not only very real but they also helped me better understand the larger community that I belonged to.

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