When Lillian Too speaks on feng shui, people listen. And they are willing to pay for it, sometimes as much as US$10,000 (RM33,480).

She also entered history books by being the first woman to run a Malaysian public-listed company, Hong Leong Credit, and, in 1982, she became the first woman in Asia to be CEO of Grindlays Dao Heng Bank, the fifth largest in Hong Kong. Dining with then Hong Kong Governor Lord Chris Patten was the norm and she was feted in the highest financial circles.

However, she left for Kuala Lumpur in 1998 to be a full-time mother to her only child Jennifer.

“I am comfortable but not a billionaire! Money is important to me because it gives me the freedom to donate to charities.’’

Too recalls how when she first got MPH to distribute her feng shui books in 1997, the book chain did not know where to put them.

“It was a toss up between Chinese Culture and Interior Design! I vowed to create a new section just on feng shui in every bookshop!” beams the indefatigable author.

Today, after over 100 books, she is going stronger than ever as a feng shui writer. Her books have been translated into 31 languages including Lithuanian, Latvian and Mongolian and sold over 10 million copies in 38 countries.

“How many ways are there to write on feng shui without repeating yourself? After a while, readers expect something different,” Too says.

Hence the book Living With Good Feng Shui.

“Previously I taught how to apply feng shui principles. Now I am showing how I did it to my own home in Kuala Lumpur,” smiles Grandmaster Too, a title bestowed on her last December by the Feng Shui Association of Singapore.

Last week, she was awarded Personality of the Year by the Brand Laureate Asia Pacific Brands Foundation. On Jan 10, she launched the book at KL Convention Centre with a lion, dragon and phoenix dance.

“This book is autobiographical and can be narcissistic so I had to tread carefully,” says Too.

“I want it to benefit everyone and show how anyone can be as successful as me using feng shui.

“When my husband built this house in 1976, our budget could accommodate exactly 2,150sq ft! I decorated it to precise feng shui proportions and it has grown organically over the years, getting bigger as I made more money.

In 2007, I bought my neighbour’s bungalow and merged the two buildings. The land is now 20,000sq ft with a built-up area of 15,000sq ft. To me, this is a veritable mansion. If I can do it, anyone can do it,” Too insists.

She is also introducing the third dimension in feng shui — Spiritual Feng Shui.