The book contract is signed, so the official announcement is out: CLARK & DIVISION, my historical mystery set in 1944 Chicago, will be released by Soho Crime next year. Thrilled! I’m still working on the novel, so stay tuned for posts regarding research. If you subscribed to my newsletter,...

Writing is not conducive to weight loss. In fact, being such a sedentary active, often fueled by one too many jalapeño potato chip, See’s molasses chip or bottle of sweet tea, it can lead to the weight gain. I’ve always been an active person–in the past, I’ve run in...

I adore these two guys!...

In one of my favorite writing books, BIRD BY BIRD, Anne Lamott discusses writing “shitty first drafts.” It’s a necessary evil for writers and sometimes I forget to extend that truth to my own work. On Christmas of all days, I printed out my work in progress, got comfortable...

Tulo wishes you a Happy Year of the Rat! Since Jack Russell Terriers are ratters, he’ll be keeping his eye on them!...

(Written in December 2012) When my mother was in her twenties, she had sukiyaki parties with her friends in Hiroshima.  Instead of bring your own booze, it was bring your own extra ingredient.  To complement the sliced beef, it could be cubed blocks of tofu, a tangle of graykonnyakunoodles,...

Tulo got a Christmas tree this year. Decorated with Tulo-centered ornaments. He wishes you all a happy holiday....

I’m already anticipating 2020 as my year of the three Cs: cultivation, creativity and contemplation. Other than being a part of a short story anthology, I won’t have any new books published. Although I’ll still be attending three mystery conventions–two in my home state of California, I won’t be...

We are getting parts of our complex painting and while I was talking to the contractor, Tulo decided to leave our place and see what was going on. I’m going to have to close our door more firmly!...

As I’m leading a life of writing, I also have to prepare for the next as well as the next next. In fact, I started doing some heavy duty research for the book I’m writing now about two years ago, while I was writing the final Mas Arai mystery,...