Shannon here: R.F. Whong shares her inspiration for her Contemporary Romance, Prestige of Hearts and how an Olympic skater moved her, plus a free download of her nonfiction title, My Journey into Writing Fiction, along with 3 other titles. Comment or answer the question in any post dated March 19th – 31st to enter the drawing. Deadline: April 10th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s R.F.:
An Olympic Star’s Father: From Tiananmen to the Gold Medal Podium
During the height of Alysa Liu’s rise to 2026 Olympic stardom, she fascinated the public. But for me, the fascination was specific.
While most saw a prodigy shattering records, I saw the legacy of a man who once stood at the epicenter of a revolution. Alysa’s father, Arthur Liu, was a key figure in the 1989 democracy movement in China, and became a political refugee who fled his homeland after the Tiananmen Square protests to seek a life of freedom first in Hong Kong, then in the United States.
As an author, Arthur’s journey resonated with me on a creative level. In 2024, I published my novel, Prestige of Hearts, which features a significant subplot centered on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Writing about that era required immersing myself in the atmosphere of hope, defiance, and the eventual heartbreak that defined a generation of Chinese youth.
Seeing Arthur Liu on the sidelines of an Olympic rink—cheering for a daughter who represents the very country that gave him sanctuary—felt like a living epilogue to the history I’d spent years researching.
My novel, Prestige of Hearts, explores these same themes of displacement and the search for truth. Set against the backdrop of the Tiananmen Square protests and Hong Kong’s impending return to China, the story follows Grace Feng, a devout Christian from Chicago.
When Grace travels to Hong Kong to deliver a letter from her late mother to a billionaire named Mr. Lam, she expects a simple errand. Instead, she is pulled into a world of opulence and ideological conflict. She finds herself caught in a complex love quadrangle involving:
- Kevin Cheung: The butler’s son, an atheist and struggling author.
- Mr. Lam’s Son: A young man born into wealth but searching for meaning.
- A Fugitive: A survivor of the Tiananmen Square Massacre who fled to Hong Kong.
In the book, as in the real-life story of the Liu family, the shadow of 1989 looms large. My characters must navigate the tension between their personal desires and the political shifts shaking the world around them. For Grace, the challenge is maintaining her Christian values while guiding those around her toward a different kind of “grace”—one that transcends politics and trauma.
The connection between the Olympic podium and the silent struggle of a refugee reminds us that history is never truly in the past. It lives on in the stories we tell and the children we raise. Whether it is a skater spinning on center ice or a character seeking love in a time of revolution, we are all looking for a way to turn our history into something golden.
Reader Question: Did you watch the Winter Olympics? Does Alysa Liu fascinate you?
Sign up for R.F.’s weekly newsletter for a free download: My Journey Into Writing Fiction
March Book Bundle #2
My Journey into Fiction Writing by R.F. Whong, Nonfiction, Newsletter signup download
Fairest Inn All by Amy R. Anguish, Fairytale Retelling Contemporary Romance, autographed print copy
Julia’s Sense by Lynne Tagawa, Short Story, digital
Texas Reclaimed by Sherry Shindelar, Historical Romance, digital
About R.F.: Dr. Ruth Wuwong (PhD in biochemistry, MBA in finance) has published 120+ scientific books and papers (under her legal name) and a few Christian fiction books under R. F. Whong. She lives in the Midwest with her husband, a retired pastor. They served together at three churches from 1987 to 2020. Her grown son works in a nearby city.
She currently runs a small biotech company (www.vidasym.com) and has raised more than twenty million US dollars during the past few years for Vidasym.
In addition to her weekly newsletter and the platform (www.ruthforchrist.com), she is active in several writers’ groups, including ACFW, Word Weavers, Facebook, and Goodreads. Through these connections, she plans newsletter/promotion swaps with others and has writers endorse her books, write forewords, and host her on guest blogs.
Ruth was chosen as a featured author by the Minnesota Anoka County Library in 2025 and by the Suffolk Virginia Authors Festival in 2026.
One of her books, Echoes over Stormy Sea, has won a few awards, including being chosen by readers as a winner in the HOLT Medallion Contest.
By Whong, named a Featured Author by the Minnesota Anoka County Library in 2025 and by the Suffolk Virginia Authors Festival in 2026. Learn more & connect:
Ruth’s Facebook Ruth’s Twitter Ruth’s Website
Ruth’s Linkedin Ruth’s Instagram Ruth’s Goodreads
About the book – Prestige of Hearts:
A diary about the Tiananmen Square massacre. A family secret. A hidden father.
A unique story of freedom, survival, and romance, set against the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and Hong Kong’s impending return to China.
When Chicagoan Grace Feng, a recent college graduate and a devout Christian, delivers her late mother’s letter to a billionaire, Mr. Lam, in Hong Kong, she expects a quick exchange. Upon their meeting, he offers her a job and luxurious accommodations. She reluctantly stays and befriends Kevin Cheung, the butler’s atheist son, and a jobless, unpublished author.
Haunted by a tragic past, Kevin finds solace in Grace’s company, but a mystery troubles him: Grace resembles several movie stars who date Mr. Lam, the town’s most eligible bachelor. Can Kevin unravel the enigma?
Meanwhile, Mr. Lam’s college-aged son and a fugitive who fled China after the Tiananmen Square Massacre also vie for Grace’s affections. Caught amid a love quadrangle, will she retain her Christian values and guide them toward true grace?
Can Kevin and Grace find a way to each other’s hearts despite their different ideologies?
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Prestige of Hearts Ruth’s Books
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I didn’t watch the Winter Olympics.
I didn’t watch Olympics but followed the results 🙂