The third novel is finally ready for the world. Eastern Empire publishes in December, and I’m experiencing that familiar mix of anticipation and terror that comes with releasing something you’ve poured years of your life into.
This story began during my semester at Beijing Language and Culture University back in 2018. Walking through hutongs at dawn, watching elderly practitioners doing tai chi while skyscrapers glowed with LED advertisements, I felt the profound tension between preservation and progress that defines modern Asia. Those early morning observations became the first sketches in what would eventually become my most ambitious work.
The writing process stretched across continents and life changes. Initial chapters were drafted during my MSc at Coventry University London, when I was still processing how tradition adapts to innovation. The middle sections emerged during MBA coursework at Glasgow Caledonian, where modules on luxury concepts helped me understand how cultural heritage becomes a commercial asset. Final chapters came together this summer in Dubai, where East meets West in the most literal architectural sense.
Sometimes it felt like I was constructing an empire myself — from chapters, characters, and ideas — trying to maintain a bridge between East and West without letting either side collapse under the weight of cultural assumption.
The protagonists emerged from real encounters. Li Wei draws inspiration from Chinese entrepreneurs I met in Beijing who were navigating Confucian family expectations while building Silicon Valley-style startups. Elena reflects conversations with Russian professionals working in Asia, caught between Soviet-era pragmatism and global capitalism. Their partnership explores what happens when two women from different cultures discover their ambitions align despite their different approaches to power.
Here’s a glimpse from chapter twelve, set in near-future Shanghai:
“The temple’s incense mixed with ozone from the server farms below. Through the prayer hall’s windows, holographic dragons coiled around glass towers that pierced the clouds like digital needles. Mei-Lin pressed her palm against the ancient wooden door and felt the vibration from the quantum processors three floors down. Heritage and innovation had learned to share the same heartbeat, even if the rhythm sometimes skipped.”
This passage captures what I’ve been trying to achieve throughout the novel: not East versus West, tradition versus technology, but the complex synthesis that emerges when cultures genuinely collaborate rather than compete.
My Mandarin skills from Beijing Language and Culture University proved essential for authentic dialogue and cultural nuance. The business strategy knowledge from my MBA helped structure the corporate intrigue subplot. Even my nail art practice informed character development — working with clients from diverse backgrounds taught me how cultural identity expresses itself through personal choices.
Eastern Empire represents six months of intensive work following Luxury Labyrinth, the fastest turnaround I’ve managed between novels. The stories felt ready to emerge simultaneously, each informing the other. Where Luxury Labyrinth explored individual psychology within systems of aspiration, Eastern Empire examines how entire cultures negotiate modernization without losing their essential character.
December publication feels both thrilling and daunting. Readers who followed the journey from Polished Edges through Luxury Labyrinth will find familiar themes explored on a much larger canvas. The intimate character studies expand into geopolitical implications while maintaining the psychological complexity that defines my approach to fiction.
The cover reveals tomorrow, and pre-orders begin next week. After years of research, writing, and revision, I’m ready to share this empire with the world.
Posted from London, where every story eventually leads to questions about home and belonging.
— Writer Julia Zolotova
