Tomorrow morning (July 3 in Japan, though it’s only dawning July 2 in the U.S. now) I’m traveling to Koyasan (Mount Koya), in Wakayama Prefecture — one of Japan’s most sacred peaks and the setting for my newest Hiro Hattori mystery, Trial on Mount Koya, which releases July 3. As part of my ongoing project to climb 100 of Japan’s most famous peaks in a single year, I’ll be climbing and hiking on and around Mount Koya on July 3 and 4, to celebrate the release of this new novel.
Read moreHiro Hattori
Happy Ninja Day!
OK, it’s actually the release day for my newest Hiro Hattori novel, BETRAYAL AT IGA – but since Hiro is a ninja (who solves mysteries along with his partner-in-crime-solving, Father Mateo) I think it’s fair to declare today Official Ninja Day too!
Read moreBeyond 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 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 moreRelease Day for THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER!
It’s finally here! I’m proud to announce that THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER, the fourth Hiro Hattori Novel (Shinobi Mystery) releases today from Seventh Street Books!
Read moreA Chance to Win THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER!
Since it’s Friday, I’m sharing some excellent news:
Read moreHow to Hunt a Shogun
How do you stop a plot to kill a man who’s been dead for five hundred years? In my case, it required a map, a tour guide, and a ninja. My second Hiro Hattori novel (Shinobi Mystery), Blade of the Samurai, involved a plot to assassinate the 13th Ashikaga Shogun, Japan’s military leader from 1546 to 1565. In the novel, the shogun’s cousin is stabbed to death inside the shogun’s palace, and master ninja Hiro Hattori (along with his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo) must find the killer and stop the plot – or face execution in the killer’s place. Writing historical mysteries
Read moreFact from Fiction: Shinobi vs Ninja
At signings, I’m often asked why I refer to my ninja detective, Hattori Hiro (or Hiro Hattori to those who put surnames last), as a “shinobi” instead of a “ninja.” The answer is simple: the two are one and the same. Many Japanese words are written using Kanji, or characters, originally borrowed from Chinese. In Japanese, the word many English speakers pronounce as “ninja” looks like this: The Chinese pronunciation of those characters is “nin sha” – from which the English language derives the word “ninja.” That pronunciation is used in Japan, but more often, the Japanese pronounce those characters
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