About the Author
Richard Lee Ferguson has been passionate about Asia from a young age when his father, a Marine officer, told him stories about war-torn China. His passion grew deeper as a result of his own experiences in Vietnam where he spent almost a year in the jungle fighting the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese Army, and malaria. After returning from the war, he obtained a Master's Degree in Asian Studies; learned to speak, read and write Chinese; established numerous businesses in Asia; and became an international lawyer. He practiced international law, advised businesses on their global operations and strategies, lectured at local universities on Asian culture and business law, traveled frequently to Asia, participated in seminars in Vietnam and China for business and government leaders, and taught graduate students at the University of San Diego (UCSD) and San Diego State University.
He is currently living with his wife in a secluded rural town veiled by the forests of Northern California writing and teaching young students the values of analytical thinking and questioning. The Stillness Trilogy (Stirring the Stillness, Stilling the Stillness, and Stillness) came about for many reasons, but the four most important involve a Vietnamese woman giving birth in the middle of a monsoon, a dead North Vietnamese soldier, Homer's Iliad, and schizophrenia.
Why Did I Write The Stillness Trilogy?
In the Beginning
A little background is in order as to how these novels were conceived. Many years ago, I agonized over how best to write a novel that would advance my premise, one that evolved after I witnessed a particularly disturbing incident during my tour of duty as a combat soldier in Vietnam years earlier. While on patrol in the jungle during a heavy monsoon rain, I passed a refugee woman giving birth in the mud. She was in excruciating pain and sheltered from the rain only by an upside-down cardboard box. Two young children were standing passively next to the box, their faces expressionless. No tears. No crying. No impatience. The only sign of emotion was that both children were wringing their small hands. Returning later that same day, I again passed the cardboard box, now rain-soaked and overturned. Next to the box was the body of a newborn baby girl, umbilical cord still attached, laying face-up in the mud. Her eyes were open and unblinking in the pelting rain.
Reflections
When I saw a checkered scarf the mother had apparently left to cover the baby flapping like a mournful flag, I realized this woman was a hero. A hero not in the conventional sense of a "war hero" created by men and society, but as an unknown or unrecognized soldier and a representative of the human spirit amid the carnage of war. After rereading The Iliad some time ago, a decidedly male paean to heroism and conquest, I decided to illuminate the paradox of war. In this paradox most men hesitantly but willingly participate in the destruction of society, while most women regretfully and resignedly act as guardians of that same society, one under siege and in mortal danger of being destroyed by the very men who rage against their participation in its destruction.
Join My Journey
The main protagonist and his father in The Stillness Trilogy are afflicted with schizophrenia, and the voices of God and Goddess rage in their minds, arguing over their fates and scheming against one another for the soul of humankind. Which will prevail, and what joy and suffering will they leave in their wake? Please join me in this journey. I would love to hear from you. Watch for the last volume of the Trilogy--Stillness--published soon!