Rebecca’s Reflections
Edited Out, Part Five: Going to the Dogs
What do kimonos and dogs have in common? Not much. Unless you’re reading The Kimono Tattoo. Midway through the novel, protagonist Ruth discovers that the Tosa dog has an intricate and unfortunate connection to the mystery she is trying to solve, namely, what happened...
Takeaway: Gripping Literary Thriller
Indie authors have to hustle to get their books reviewed. Just before my publisher released The Kimono Tattoo, she and I scrambled to find journals willing to carry a review. I was disappointed time and again when journals turned us down. It’s discouraging really. My...
Curried Memories
Yesterday was a day for curry rice. By “curry rice,” of course, I mean “karee raisu,” the delicious Japanese concoction made from curry bullion paste. The paste blends with the ingredients of your choice to create a thick aromatic stew at once sweet and savory. I’ve...
DC Palter on Silicon Valley, Unicorns, and Magic
How does the digital empire of Silicon Valley inspire fantasy fiction? What can it teach us about the culture driving this global force? Today’s post lets us in on the romance, suspense, and even magic tricks one novelist discovered exploring these issues. I’m here...
Beginning at the End
“And isn’t it better really to leave things only hinted at?” This is a well-cited line from Tanizaki Jun’ichirō’s 1929 novel Tade kuu mushi (translated by Edward Seidensticker, Some Prefer Nettles). The protagonist’s father-in-law utters the line midway through the...
In the Beginning There Were Pigeons
“In all things, it is the beginnings and the endings that are the most interesting.” Or, so wrote Japan’s famed medieval poet-monk Yoshida Kenkō (1283–1350). Kenkō illustrated this bit of aesthetic wisdom with advice on how to appreciate a romantic affair. The...