Come and meet ...

... friend and author Wendy Nakanishi. I first came across Wendy at a conference where she was talking about living in Japan.  My second encounter was over dinner in an Italian restaurant in Brighton. Like Wendy, I was in the city for a conference.  And now, Wendy is here on my blog.  Come and meet this fascinating writer...

I am Wendy Jones Nakanishi, an American, a long-term resident of Japan: my husband is an orange grower on Shikoku island.  I adopted the pen name of Lea O’Harra to write crime fiction, wanting to try my hand at a literary genre I’ve researched in a number of published articles as a Japanese university professor.  That Ian Rankin was a fellow postgrad at Edinburgh in the early eighties also played a part in my decision.  I wrote the Inspector Inoue thriller series first: Imperfect Strangers (2015), Progeny (2016), and Lady First (2017).  My fourth book, Dead Reckoning (2022), is a standalone murder mystery set in the American Midwest in a rural community not dissimilar to my hometown of Rolling Prairie, Indiana, population 500.  My fifth, Sayonara, My Sweet ((2025) is a standalone in small-town Japan. My books have been nominated/finalists in a number of literary competitions.

about her latest book ... In the summer of 1988, beautiful young Kaori Hirakata from a wealthy family resident in a town in Kyushu falls in love with Hiroki Sato – a local boy from the wrong side of the tracks – and decides to run away with him.

Is it a case of love is blind?  Kaori is horrified when Hiroki admits he once belonged to a yakuza gang in Tokyo.  She toys with breaking up with him but changes her mind after he apologizes and brings her a box of chocolates.

Her younger brother Aki is eavesdropping on the couple when he hears the sister he adores begin to cough.  An ambulance is summoned but too late: she dies, and it turns out some of the chocolates were poisoned.  Hiroki disappears.  Unable to find the main suspect, the police cannot solve the case, and Kaori’s family moves away.

Ten years later, Aki returns, determined to find out who killed his sister.

You can get the book Here

You can follow Wendy on her author Website and on her Amazon Author Page

If you are coming to the Death in the Dales Festival of Crime in October, Wendy and I will be taking part in a panel discussion about using foreign locations in our books.  You can read more about the Festival of Crime Here

Look out for a post about the third panel member - David Beckler - in September ...

 

Come and join me...

 ... and lots of other Yorkshire authors at the Live at the Libraries event next week.   Read on for more details ...

The Live at the Libraries Festival runs from August 13th to 15th.  You may recall that I blogged about this event in June, and you can read that earlier post Here  Live at the Libraries Festival will take place in Harrogate, Knaresborough, and Bilton

We have panels and workshops, and we are covering more than just crime, as we did last July.  This time around, we have events for poets, writing for children, and my favourite genre of crime.  So please do keep checking with your library to see what's coming up, meanwhile, here's some advance information about the content of the crime events.

Wednesday, August 13th

We will be at Harrogate Library and we will be Creating a Villain 13:00 - 14:30

I will be hosting this event and chatting with Gianetta Murray, Dawn Treacher, and Tom Sibson.  Just because there will be a panel of authors, it doesn't mean that the audience is just expected to listen and ask a few questions at the end. No, there will be audience participation, and I hope you will let us know your thoughts as we go through the session.

We're bringing back last year's Just a Minute. 15:00 - 16:30

Sue and Ged Williams will be hosting, and Pat Sutcliffe, Ian Walker, and I will be providing answers. Again, there will be audience participation, so please bring your questions along with you 

Ever wanted to write a mystery? Then join us for  Plotting a Crime 17:00 - 18:30

Gianetta Murray will host this event along with writers Roshan Pitteea, LK Pang, and Anne Wedgwood.  Bring your ideas with you and join in.

Thursday, August 14th

I will be at Knaresborough Library, Creating Criminal Characters - 10:00-12:00

This will be a workshop, so numbers are limited to 12. The aim is to make sure attendees leave armed with tips, strategies and references to enable them to create a Criminal Character for their own story. Please contact the library if you wish to attend

Who would you Murder and How would you do it? - 19:00 - 20:30

This workshop will be hosted by Sue Williams, and she will be ably supported by Roshan Pitteea and Tom Sibson.  Again, this is limited to 12, so please contact the library if you wish to attend.

Friday, August 15th

We will be at Bilston Library and Creating a Villain - 14:00 - 15:30

Sue Williams will be hosting on this occasion, and Roshan Pitteea and Tom Sibson will be taking the audience through the numerous considerations required to make your characters walk on the page.

Be great to see you there if you can make it.

I'm reviewing The Corisco Conspiracy ...

... by Raphael Sone on the blog today.  Read on to find out what I made of this fascinating memoir...

This book is a memoir, and as such, some may consider it to be a truth told from one individual’s point of view.  Because that is what a memoir is, right?  Erm… not in this case.  The central character is William Shakespeare, referred to as Musketman Shakespeare, who, it turns out, was a spy!

The opening of the story lets you know that Shakespeare arrives in Rome to meet a fellow playwright with whom he plans to work.  However, his friend had left the city several weeks before William’s arrival and had gone to Spain.  Before making a decision about what to do next, Shakespeare is visited by one Guy Fawkes – yes, it is he of the bonfire fame – and William is diverted to the Island city of Corisco. It is there that Shakespeare contrives ‘the most diabolical assassination plot in British history.’

With a set-up like that, and my lifelong association with the real William Shakespeare through his plays and poetry, I just could not ignore this book.

The memoir opens in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616 with the writer looking back on his life, his family and his work, which all seems quite tame. However, the tension gradually ramps up until you find yourself reading a romp of an adventure story.  The twists and turns in the plot kept me turning the page, and I finished it in two reading stints across one weekend.  I could not put this book down.

The narrative voice is companionable and flows very easily across the page, and perfectly suits the content of the memoir.  I liked the use of quotes from the real William's plays for each of the chapter headings.  I recognised most of the quotes taken from thirteen of the plays, but there were a small number that were a little more obscure.  However, I really enjoyed looking those up and re-reading some of the original verse or prose, including the quote.

All in all, this was a great read.  I hope Mr Sóne is working on something else to entertain us.

You can get the book Here

You can find out more about the author Here

I'm Off My Beaten Track in ...

... Cadiz.  I’ve been going through my travel journals and discovered some notes about a short stay in Cadiz. Come and join me as I meander the streets of this ancient Spanish port.  Read on …

SPANISH SCRIBBLINGS

‘… after three days at sea, I’m really glad that we are finally berthed and have stopped moving.  I just can’t wait to get onto dry land again.  The boat is parked right next to the town, just as though a car has slotted into a standard parking spot!  It’s the relative sizes of everything that kind of blows my mind as I walk into the city centre…’

Cadiz, with a population of around 120,000, was founded by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC. The Phoenicians were renowned for their expertise as seafarers, navigators, and traders.  That wealth is eminently demonstrated here in the city of Cadiz, along with the marvellous architecture from various historical periods across four millennia.

‘It’s Sunday today, and as I meander through the streets, there are few people around.  I want to visit the cathedral, but there is a service going on, so I’ll have to wait.  But then, there are other churches if the number of spires and domes I saw from the restaurant where I was having breakfast, are anything to go by…’

‘The streets are mostly pedestrianised and the narrowness and height of the buildings keep the sun at bay in the hottest part of the day.  The artistry in the masonry surrounding very ordinary doors is a treat to see…’

‘Above, the narrow streets are decorated with theatrical masks from the Commedia dell’Arte - Harlequin, Il Dottore, Pantalone, Pulcinella, Innamorati and others whose names I can’t recall.

No matter where I walk, these theatricals look down on me, but I can’t find anything to explain why this and why here and now in February.  I decide to check this out once I get back to the boat.  But then I turn a corner.  A large square opens out in front of me, and at one side is the Gran Teatro Falla.  A stunning red and white brick building in Moorish style.  Suddenly everything becomes clear – the city is preparing for the Carnaval de Cádiz, which, according to the banner, will take place from February 27th until March 9th.  I want to stay here.  I would love to be here for that…’

'As I make my way back to the boat, I notice that the first square I came to as I started my stroll is suddenly full of people at the pavement cafes.  There are stalls with paintings, sketches, and handmade jewellery.  So I browse to the lilt of music from somewhere.  As I explore the stalls, I discover a musician playing an accordion ably supported by a group of automaton musicians playing various instruments.  Along with a crowd of others, I stop and listen for a while...'

 

Alas, I wasn’t able to stay; my time in Cadiz was fixed, but there is always the opportunity to come back another year.  I’ll let you know if I achieve that…

I am very pleased to announce ...

 ... that I will be one of the many authors appearing at the Death in the Dales Festival of Crime in October.  Read on for more info ...

The festival will take place in Sedbergh, a fabulous old farming community that has been in existence since the early Middle Ages, and will run over three days, from October 17th to 19th.  There will be a mixture of author panels, discussions and performance - a real murder mystery for you, the attendees, to solve!  There will be plenty of opportunities to buy books, too, if murder mystery is your bag.

The program has been finalised, and I can now let you know that I will be part of a panel discussion alongside David Beckler (author of the Mason and Sterling thrillers) and Lea O'Harra (author of the Inspector Inoue thrillers).  We will be talking about setting our books in foreign locations and all the joy, tribulations and research that using an 'over the hill and faraway' setting can bring to a writer's work and life.  Personally, I find my trips to France are essential for getting some of the details right.  But do join us to hear what David and Lea also have to say.  It will be, friend and author, Marsali Taylor who will be putting each of us under the spotlight.  Marsali has appeared on the blog and if you want to catch up with that post you can read it Here

The full programme of events is available on the Sedbergh website, along with full details of how to purchase tickets. I really hope you can make this fabulous event, which was a runaway success in October last year.  I am really looking forward to catching up with old friends and taking part in the whole weekend of bookishness!

  

Look out for my social media posts over the next few months.  The Sedbergh website is Here  and you can book your tickets Here

Rivers of France ...

… I’m picking up my route from where I left you on my last post - Orléans. Read on... 

I brought you into the city of Orléans on the D2152, and we will leave using the same road, heading west. I chose this thoroughfare because it skirts the river on the left through Meung, Beaugency, Mer and finally brings you into the heart of the city of Blois.

Blois, with a population of over 47,000 inhabitants, is a substantial city with an even greater history. Archaeological excavations of recent decades have revealed a substantial collection of hunter-gatherer camps in the area dating back to approximately 8,000 years ago. There are also Gallic traces that suggest Blois, as we now know it, was an important location on the ancient road linking Chartres and Bourges. The river has always been a major route.

Despite these ancient origins, the city of Blois has been a major source of power since the 9th century. The House of Blois has been in existence since then until it was ceded to the crown in 1397. With the power and wealth of the French Crown behind the city, you won’t be surprised to learn that a château was built here in the 13th century and later inhabited by Duc Charles d’Orléans. In 1462, his son Duc Louis was born in the château, and he would become King Louis 12. I have an earlier post about the magnificent château – it really is worth a visit - which you can read Here

But today I want to take you and show you something much smaller that is often forgotten. The city is built on high ground, so we will leave the river and climb the steep path up towards the cathedral – another magnificent building that has to be seen.

At the top of the path in place Saint Louis is a three-storey house referred to as La Maison des Acrobates. Everyone is so intent on seeing the Gothic architecture of the church that they often fail to notice this little gem among the other buildings opposite.

Built in the 1470s, it was originally referred to as La Bourse des Escholiers de Bourmoyen. The word bourse in a scholastic context means grant, so the house was for the use of the scholars who qualified for the support. It is timber-framed and the decoration on the exterior is worth the effort of the steep climb. It is the external decoration that gives the house its current name. If you look carefully at the wooden pillars, you will see that they are covered in carvings of acrobats in various poses. If you are familiar with medieval clothing, you will also notice that the acrobats' shoes are poulaines. These soft, flexible, and completely flat unisex shoes, with their long, pointed toes, were used throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. They were slip-ons and sometimes were secured with a short drawstring at one side or a pull-over toggle that slipped into a small loop.

These shoes were so comfortable and flexible that they were used by professional dancers and acrobats, as demonstrated in the carvings, to perform the moresque, a very lively and popular dance from the Middle Ages.

The rest of the house's history is shrouded in mystery. At some point in the 17th century, the house was occupied, but historians have been unable to identify who the occupant/s might have been. All the more reason to visit in my view!

Unfortunately, the house is now in private ownership, so visitors can only admire the exterior.

If you want to catch up on any posts you may have missed, click the following links: Rivers of France  La Loire  Digoin  Nevers  Orleans

The Seasonal Collective ...

... has been hard at work since our last publication.  If you like short stories, read on ... 

For the last four years, I've been working with a group of authors from the other side of the pond that we refer to as the Atlantic Ocean.  Over that time, we've produced four multi-genre collections of short stories, the first, Autumn Paths, being published in September 2021.  From the very first germ of an idea in January 2021, we took almost nine months to create the content and publish the book in both e- and print format.  We have continued to deliver three more miscellanies of stories since then, thereby forming the entire seasonal paths series.

If you haven't read any of them yet, perhaps some comments from a reviewer about the first book (see below) might encourage you.

'This enticing collection of short stories are [sic] sure to uplift, inspire, and satisfy hungry readers. With tales spanning multiple genres, including adventure, mystery, sci-fi, and more, you'll find something for everyone. I very much enjoyed the variety and impressive quality of the storytelling. Every story was developed and executed well, and each author brought a unique perspective and writing style to the collection. Autumn is the underlying theme, but these stories are perfect to read any time of the year. I look forward to reading more stories by these talented authors.'   Reviewer in Canada

Even though we have completed the 'Paths' series, we haven't been idle.  We've decided to create another series of related anthologies.  Thus far this year, we have created more stories, compiled them, designed a cover, and are now about to move to the proofreading stage.

For this new series, the writing team has changed and we've increased our number to ten.  The constitution of the Seasonal Collective may have evolved since we first started out in 2021, but the enjoyment, camaraderie, and support across the team are still very much alive.  I'm really looking forward to seeing our new anthology in its final form.

So, watch this space for some exciting news coming soon ...

If you want to try the first series of books then you can get them using the links below 

Autumn Paths   Winter Paths   Spring Paths   and   Summer Paths