The author Nicole Mones is originally from Baltimore, and she has spent almost four decades in China. She’s written four novels, the latest of which follows the journey of a classically trained African American pianist from Baltimore to Shanghai. It’s called Night in Shanghai, and Nicole Mones talks with Tom Hall about it.
In the book, real-life people mingle and work with fictional characters. The main character lives in Baltimore, but is recruited to lead a jazz orchestra in the years leading up to the outbreak of World War II.