Since it’s release week for BETRAYAL AT IGA, I’ve had the honor to talk with a number of bloggers, radio, and TV interviewers. I’ll try to share them all, for people who want to learn more about the Hiro Hattori novels, my writing process, and the books I read when I’m not writing! First up, this great interview with Suzy Approved Book Reviews, in which I get to talk a little more about my TBR pile and my favorite cities in Japan! I took today’s ninja-related photo at the Iga Ninja Museum in Iga-Ueno, Japan, while researching Betrayal at Iga. This is only part of the large collection of shuriken
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Beyond the Trope: Ninjas and Japan!
Curious about ninjas–either the real, historical ones or the fictional ones that appear in my Hiro Hattori mystery novels? I recently had the opportunity to talk about ninjas, fiction, and my upcoming mystery, BETRAYAL AT IGA, with one of my favorite podcasts: Beyond the Trope. Check out the podcast here, and when you finish take a look at the archives for more fantastic podcast content!
Read moreNinja News!
The national reviews for Betrayal at Iga have started coming in, and they’re great! Publisher’s Weekly says: ““Spann keeps getting better, as shown by her fifth novel set in 16th-century Japan, a taut closed-circle mystery with perilous consequences…. Fans of classic whodunits will be pleased.” The novel releases July 11 in paperback and ebook formats, and I’ve scheduled the first Sacramento-area signings: – On July 14, I’ll be reading and signing at Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills from 6:30 until 8pm – On July 22, I’ll be signing from 1pm-2pm at Barnes & Noble Birdcage Center in Citrus Heights
Read moreWordspring Weekend!
This afternoon (Friday, April 28), I’m heading north to Chico, California, to teach at the Wordspring Writers’ Conference, sponsored by the English Department at Butte College. I’ll be teaching two workshops: Writing a Killer Mystery (the A-to-Z of writing a page-turning mystery) & Putting the History in Your Mystery (or “Writing historical mysteries that don’t get lost in the details!”) If you’re in the northern California area, and not busy Saturday (April 29), click over and check out all the information about the Wordspring Conference – I’d love to see you there!
Read moreBack from Left Coast Crime!
The blog was more silent than usual last week; I was finishing up a project and out of town for the Left Coast Crime conference – a fantastic West Coast mystery convention, organized by volunteers, that takes place in a different location every year. This year’s conference, “Honolulu Havoc” — took place at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort in Waikiki (O’ahu, Hawaii) Later that morning, I spoke on the Historical Mystery panel with Rebecca Cantrell, Ovidia Yu, Ann Parker, and fantastic moderator Noel Hynd: Later in the weekend, I moderated a panel on Religion in Crime Fiction, attended even more
Read moreOff to Japan . . . Almost!
Later this week – Wednesday before dawn, to be exact – I’m heading off to Japan! Due to my travel plans, I won’t be posting reliably here at the blog until my return on November 14. However, I do plan to hop in periodically and share a few photos and highlights of the trip, so please check in – and I’ll return to my usual blogging schedule on November 15! (Also: don’t worry about the seahorses and other residents of my reef. My husband is staying home this trip, so he’ll be here to take care of the house, the cats,
Read morePreparing for Japan – and a Ninja’s Daughter Signing!
A little less than a month from today, I return to Japan! I’m heading over to teach at the Japan Writers’ Conference (held at Tokushima University, October 28-29, 2016 – registration and attendance information here) and then for seventeen days of research on the next few Hiro Hattori novels. Sadly, I won’t get back to Hiroshima Prefecture, so I won’t be able to enjoy Itsukushima’s Great Torii:
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