Qiang, Second Chance

Q is one of those tough letters for an A to Z Challenge.  Then I remembered the character named Qiang from Second Chance (Chances Are #2), so I didn't have to fudge it too much.

Qiang is a Chinese woman who works for the evil Dr. Ling.  When Stacey Chance and her friend Madison (who's also Stacey's daughter from when she was a man) are kidnapped, they're taken to an old warehouse and then an elementary school that's been shut down.  That's where they meet Qiang, who's there to take care of them.

It soon becomes clear to Stacey that unlike her boss, Qiang is not evil.  She's only helping Dr. Ling because Ling has connections in China that could help to free her daughter, who's a political prisoner.  Stacey tries to work on Qiang to help free them, but she initially refuses because of what could happen to her daughter if she doesn't help Dr. Ling.

But then Dr. Ling uses a new batch of an experimental drug called FY-1978 on Stacey and Madison, making the former 10 and the latter 5.  Qiang finds out the doctor is planning to take the kids back to China to show them off and then dissect them for the good of science.  That's when she finally decides to help little Stacey and Madison escape.

Her hair matches the glasses!

A symbol to Qiang is a pair of red-framed glasses that belonged to her daughter.  She gives these to Stacey and when Stacey gets new glasses, she gets them in the same color as a reminder of what Qiang gave up to save her and Madison.

One thorny issue I've never decided is whether Qiang is her first name or last name.  I think in the Chinese fashion it would be the first name, though it would come last:  [Something] Qiang.  Like how the basketball player Yao Ming's jersey said Yao because that was his surname even though it comes first.  I think that's how it works.  But she never needs more than one name so in the story it doesn't matter.

This and the rest of my books are available at the new Planet 99 Publishing site!