Wanda Iola

Wanda Iola has been writing tales all of her life, from detective novels to martial arts, from the macabre to poetry based on ancient Japanese woodprints. She was the editor of a fanzine titled "Fangraphic," initially dedicated to horror films, then finding a true home with the 70's martial arts movie craze. She is also a founding member of The Pleasant Places of Florida, a Sherlock Holmes scion recognized by The Baker Street Irregulars, and currently edits a Sherlockian newsletter, Papers on the Sundial.

She completed her first novel, "Homecoming" in the early 80's but life came along and the book was shelved. Wanda's interest in martial arts never failed, however, and she returned to the dojo to complete a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. About this time, the Sung family would no longer sit still in the file cabinet and demanded to get out. The author felt she needed to delve more into the past, however, and thus, The Phoenix and Chen novels were born.

In "Two Halves - Book One," Phoenix meets Chen and has to come to grips with her past and his as their mutual attraction can't be denied. With Chen's help, Phoenix learns that the only way to let go of her past is to embrace it.

In "First Chapter - Book Two," we follow Phoenix and Chen after their marriage, and meet Chen's family first hand. The young couple soon find that there is a constant danger from Chen's past.

In "Homecoming-Book Three," our couple arrives in Chicago, hoping to leave the Triad behind. But trouble is brewing in Chinatown and friends as well as family are drawn into the danger.

In "Chokehold - Book Four," a strangler attacks Chicago, while in Hong Kong, a Triad war breaks out. As Chen's family tries to escape possible genocide, he and Phoenix are thrown into the search for the Chicago killer and discover a connection to their past.

In "Aftermath-Book Five," an old enemy rears its head and Phoenix disappears.

In "The Notebook - Book Six," Chen and Phoenix are drawn into the prosecution of a local mob boss as friends and relatives in China encounter their own criminal societal chaos.

In "Reboot - Book Seven," our heroes become involved with a victim of the sexual slave trade while Chen's family begins to set its sights on the future.

In "The Island - Book Eight" martial artists are being kidnapped to form super soldiers.

In "Betrayal - Book Nine," our heroes have to break up an illegal fight ring and stop a serial killer while the Sung family's triad learns whether or not they can trust their allies.

In "Flashback - Book 10," we learn how the Seven Three Triad came to be.

Wanda also has two playbooks at Kindle. In "Daddy Loves Ya" two adult siblings must come to grips with their father's relationship with his caretaker, while "Short Scenes and One Acts from Life" contains various scenes of relationship dynamics.

Wanda is currently working on a fantasy involving vampires and mythology called "The Girl Who Listened," a play about three men and their relationships called "The Men's Room," and updating a collection of Holmesian short stories.