Blog
August 13, 2026 AI: A New Weapon in the Global Contest Between China and the United States
China's Belt and Road Initiative has primarily involved Chinese companies, backed by the Chinese government, building infrastructure projects in many parts of the world. Africa has been a major region for these projects, which are intended to enhance China's influence in its countries and, to many people, serve as economic colonialism as China and historically the U.S. compete for global influence. The Belt and Road Initiative and terrorist attacks on its projects play a critical role in my novel Attacking the Dragon.
Now there is a new means of Chinese global expansion, and it is growing. It's China's AI. Although U.S. AI is generally still considered to be superior, China's is less expensive and proving to be easier to use and thus growing in popularity, in particular in many African countries. In addition to spreading China's influence, this also provides China with the opportunity to amass data regarding the foreign users of its AI. As a result, there now appears to be another form of colonialism—information colonialism. The battle between China and the United States carries on; only the weapons change.
June 12, 2026 Global Events are Affecting China
Having written about China’s global role in my novel Attacking the Dragon, and in currently writing a sequel, I am interested in how global events impact China. It is clear that China’s size and global reach subject it to political and economic events taking place around the world. For example, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz adversely affected China’s imports of oil as estimates are that 38% of crude oil shipped through the Strait goes to China. In 2025, before the Strait closed, those oil flows accounted for 45% of China’s total crude imports. Meanwhile, while the Strait is closed, China has exported diesel and other fuels to energy-strapped nations in Southeast Asia, enhancing its relationship with them. The US actions in Venezuela have affected China in the short term with the lack of exports of oil from Venezuela to China and by impacting Chinese investments in Venezuela, and may have greater long-term effects. Recently, economic tension between China and the European Union has been increasing as the EU addresses reducing its member nations’ dependence on Chinese goods. It will be interesting to observe the impact of future global events.
April 27, 2026 London Book Festival Award
I just found out that Attacking the Dragon was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2026 London Book Festival in the General Fiction category. So exciting to have received a 6th award for the book!
April 19, 2026 Los Angeles Book Festival Award
I'm happy to report that Attacking the Dragon was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2026 Los Angeles Book Festival in the General Fiction category.
April 9, 2026 Are You Ready for More of Wes and Maria?
When I wrote Attacking The Dragon, I intentionally ended it in a way that allowed for sequels of the main story line and subplots. I have been pleased that reviewers and other readers have asked for a sequel, and I am happy to say that I have begun writing it. This is proving to be a very interesting and different experience compared to writing Attacking The Dragon. Writing the first book, I created characters which I could make look, feel and act as I wanted (consistent with the storyline and a sense of reality, of course). As I start the sequel, though, I am no longer the master. My main characters have been defined and are positioned where I left them at the end of the first book, so now I have to work with my cast and their situations as I previously described them. On the one hand, I don’t have to create them, but now I have to develop a story and shape the characters’ futures within the context of what I previously created—a very different task. I still have not decided where the book is going, or have even come up with a title, but I am enjoying this new journey.
March 24, 2026 Who is Wes Robertson and Why Should I Care?
Wes Robertson, the protagonist in Attacking the Dragon, is a successful businessman and a generous and caring person. His career has given him the opportunity to travel all over the world.
Wes cares deeply about his friends and business acquaintances and has a very strong sense of justice. He is devastated when he witnesses the deaths of many people in a terrorist attack in China, where he and his colleagues are also injured. His sense of justice propels him to search for the people behind the terrorist attacks. And he is prepared to make personal sacrifices and take extraordinary action to stop them.
February 18, 2026 Serenity in Suzhou
The Humble Administrator's Garden is one of the many settings in China made to give a sense of serenity and calm. Located in Suzhou’s Garden District, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination. In this picture, I'm standing where one of my characters in Attacking The Dragon has a meeting which, unfortunately for him, threatens him and dramatically changes his life for the worse. Luckily for me, I had no such problem.
January 30, 2026 An Eerie Resemblance
Imagine my surprise when on January 29, 2026, The New York Times published an opinion piece by David French entitled “What MAGA Sees in the Minnesota Mirror” which hit on similar themes to my book, in part addressing how the way political leaders can influence sections of the American public. The Times piece includes a graphic of the hand of a puppet master pulling the strings which is eerily similar to the cover of The Conscripted Extremist.
China's Belt and Road Initiative has primarily involved Chinese companies, backed by the Chinese government, building infrastructure projects in many parts of the world. Africa has been a major region for these projects, which are intended to enhance China's influence in its countries and, to many people, serve as economic colonialism as China and historically the U.S. compete for global influence. The Belt and Road Initiative and terrorist attacks on its projects play a critical role in my novel Attacking the Dragon.
Now there is a new means of Chinese global expansion, and it is growing. It's China's AI. Although U.S. AI is generally still considered to be superior, China's is less expensive and proving to be easier to use and thus growing in popularity, in particular in many African countries. In addition to spreading China's influence, this also provides China with the opportunity to amass data regarding the foreign users of its AI. As a result, there now appears to be another form of colonialism—information colonialism. The battle between China and the United States carries on; only the weapons change.
June 12, 2026 Global Events are Affecting China
Having written about China’s global role in my novel Attacking the Dragon, and in currently writing a sequel, I am interested in how global events impact China. It is clear that China’s size and global reach subject it to political and economic events taking place around the world. For example, the closing of the Strait of Hormuz adversely affected China’s imports of oil as estimates are that 38% of crude oil shipped through the Strait goes to China. In 2025, before the Strait closed, those oil flows accounted for 45% of China’s total crude imports. Meanwhile, while the Strait is closed, China has exported diesel and other fuels to energy-strapped nations in Southeast Asia, enhancing its relationship with them. The US actions in Venezuela have affected China in the short term with the lack of exports of oil from Venezuela to China and by impacting Chinese investments in Venezuela, and may have greater long-term effects. Recently, economic tension between China and the European Union has been increasing as the EU addresses reducing its member nations’ dependence on Chinese goods. It will be interesting to observe the impact of future global events.
April 27, 2026 London Book Festival Award
I just found out that Attacking the Dragon was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2026 London Book Festival in the General Fiction category. So exciting to have received a 6th award for the book!
April 19, 2026 Los Angeles Book Festival Award
I'm happy to report that Attacking the Dragon was awarded Honorable Mention at the 2026 Los Angeles Book Festival in the General Fiction category.
April 9, 2026 Are You Ready for More of Wes and Maria?
When I wrote Attacking The Dragon, I intentionally ended it in a way that allowed for sequels of the main story line and subplots. I have been pleased that reviewers and other readers have asked for a sequel, and I am happy to say that I have begun writing it. This is proving to be a very interesting and different experience compared to writing Attacking The Dragon. Writing the first book, I created characters which I could make look, feel and act as I wanted (consistent with the storyline and a sense of reality, of course). As I start the sequel, though, I am no longer the master. My main characters have been defined and are positioned where I left them at the end of the first book, so now I have to work with my cast and their situations as I previously described them. On the one hand, I don’t have to create them, but now I have to develop a story and shape the characters’ futures within the context of what I previously created—a very different task. I still have not decided where the book is going, or have even come up with a title, but I am enjoying this new journey.
March 24, 2026 Who is Wes Robertson and Why Should I Care?
Wes Robertson, the protagonist in Attacking the Dragon, is a successful businessman and a generous and caring person. His career has given him the opportunity to travel all over the world.
Wes cares deeply about his friends and business acquaintances and has a very strong sense of justice. He is devastated when he witnesses the deaths of many people in a terrorist attack in China, where he and his colleagues are also injured. His sense of justice propels him to search for the people behind the terrorist attacks. And he is prepared to make personal sacrifices and take extraordinary action to stop them.
February 18, 2026 Serenity in Suzhou
The Humble Administrator's Garden is one of the many settings in China made to give a sense of serenity and calm. Located in Suzhou’s Garden District, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination. In this picture, I'm standing where one of my characters in Attacking The Dragon has a meeting which, unfortunately for him, threatens him and dramatically changes his life for the worse. Luckily for me, I had no such problem.
January 30, 2026 An Eerie Resemblance
Imagine my surprise when on January 29, 2026, The New York Times published an opinion piece by David French entitled “What MAGA Sees in the Minnesota Mirror” which hit on similar themes to my book, in part addressing how the way political leaders can influence sections of the American public. The Times piece includes a graphic of the hand of a puppet master pulling the strings which is eerily similar to the cover of The Conscripted Extremist.
New York Times
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The Conscripted Extremist
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January 18, 2026 Leshan Giant Buddha
I have traveled extensively in China and one of the sites I found most fascinating is the Leshan Giant Buddha. There’s a picture of it with this blog. It's over 225 feet high and was carved out of a cliff in the eighth century. No power drills!
When I was writing Attacking The Dragon, I thought the Buddha would be a great place to set a scene. In one episode in the book, one character, gun in hand, is chasing another up a narrow rickety staircase packed with tourists alongside the Buddha.
The character being chased is a middle-aged man who is out of shape and is struggling as he tries to run upward. I know I couldn’t run up it. Could you?
January 2, 2026 Happy New Year!
Like so many others, at this time of year I am reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what 2026 holds in store.
For my family and me, I'm glad to say that 2025 was a goo year. All are well and, when it comes to my writing, I'm pleased with the successes I've had. I thank Cathy Teets of Headline Books for publishing my book, Attacking the Dragon. The book has gotten recognition from several book contests which give me confidence for my future writing.
I know that for some 2025 had been and good year and for others a disappointing or difficult one. I hope that 2026 will bring you a joy and peace.
Best wishes for the new year,
A. Marc Ross
December 2, 2025 It turns out that reality mirrors fiction!
I started writing my first action thriller, The Conscripted Extremist, in late 2022 and published it in 2023. At the time I wrote it, I didn't expect reality to mirror fiction. But in 2025 it has.
The Conscripted Extremist turns on a scheme hatched within the U.S. government to eliminate Antifa. Sound familiar? In the book, believing that Antifa and other left wing extremists pose a greater threat to the country than right wing extremists, a secret government group seeks to plant someone in the extreme left in order to ferret out the leaders of Antifa and then eliminate them.
In my newest thriller, Attacking The Dragon, China's global expansion is considered a threat to other powers and terrorist attacks are waged to curtail it. These days, political and economic actions are taken against China such as taking control of Tik Tok, imposing (and then suspending) special port fees on Chinese shipping, discouraging other countries from doing business with China, increasing tariffs on Chinese goods, and limiting Chinese investments and acquisitions in the United States. Fortunately, not the same measures as in Attacking The Dragon but the same concerns and goals.
We’ll see whether my next books prove accurate.
November 20, 2025 China Investment Group
I am pleased to share that yesterday I was a guest speaker at a meeting of the China Investment Group to talk about my new book, Attacking the Dragon. CIG is composed of many China experts. This was a fabulous opportunity to have the political forces described in Attacking the Dragon validated by experts in the field.
