Edited Out, Part Five: Going to the Dogs

Edited Out, Part Five: Going to the Dogs

by | May 24, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

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

Takeaway: Gripping Literary Thriller

by | May 10, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

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...
Beginning at the End

Beginning at the End

by | Mar 29, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

“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 the Beginning There Were Pigeons

by | Mar 15, 2023 | Mystery Fiction

“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...