They came from opposite sides of the world but had shared experiences fleeing oppression, facing discrimination, longing for a better life….and falling in love.

Writing Irish Luck, Chinese Medicine, I followed my muse, not history. I had no idea if a match between an Irish woman and Chinese man would be realistic in the 19th Century.

My heart was in my throat the day I attended a lecture by Yale professor, Mary Ting Yi Lie, about her book, The Chinatown Trunk Mystery: Murder, Miscegenation, and Other Dangerous Encounters in Turn-of-the-Century New York City. (Which takes place about the same time as Irish Luck, Chinese Medicine.)

I was greatly relieved to learn that my characters channeled the truth. Dr. Liu and subsequent research confirmed that Irish “Bridget’s” came to America as domestics in the east and Chinese men came to build the railroad out west. The gender imbalance in both communities led to relationships and some marriages too.

Did opposites attract or shared experiences bind?