Books
A Ghost in the Middle Kingdom (2025)
A Memoir
Amid the mountains of China, Anna falls in love with a Hui yak herder from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. At first, he appears to be a kindred soul and charismatic lover. But with treachery, traps, and fraud at every turn, their passionate romance is doomed from the start.
​
Not only does Alimu convince Anna to barter away her passport - rendering her ensnared in his embrace - but he convinces her that only his word can be trusted as those around him began furtively warning her about his past. Armed with only rumors from strangers, she is forced to piece together the truth.
​
As her suspicions grow, Alimu's threats intensify. Repeatedly abandoning her with a series of increasingly improbable excuses, he tests Anna's trust and loyalty - even as he betrays her in the worst ways a woman can imagine.
​
This engrossing memoir delves into the perils of abuse, deceit, infatuation, and misplaced trust wile simultaneously illuminating the beauty of China's landscape, hospitality, and culture. With electrifying twists as the author confronts and impossible choice on her world travels, A Ghost in the Middle Kingdom is a true tale of love and loss like you've never heard before.
Buy Now!
News and Interviews
Firecrackers: The Exploits of an Expat in China
A Collection of True Stories
Anna was nineteen years old when she moved from rural Indiana to China as a foreign exchange student. What was intended to be a five-month stay turned into a five-year adventure as Anna integrated herself into the culture of Jinan, Shandong. Firecrackers contains thirteen true and truly wild tales about life as an expat in the city, focusing on the manufactured expat culture.
​
You won't find stories of enlightenment in these pages, nor does anyone climb the Great Wall. Instead, Anna reveals the underbelly of all Jinan had to offer its foreign residents, with no shortage of partying, police encounters, and nearly-missed disasters.
​
From navigating the local hospital system to long-distance online dating, from kitchen fires to escaping an attempted kidnapping, Firecrackers showcases stories of everyday humor and debauchery present in the lives of the 2010's foreigners.
Coming May 1st, 2026. Now available for preorder.