This episode of the Crime Cafe podcast features my interview with crime writer Naomi Hirahara.
Check out our discussion about her latest work — a historical series, as well as her inspiration for writing them.
Download a copy of the transcript in PDF here.
Debbi: Hi everyone. Our guest today is the Edgar Award-winning author of multiple mystery series and noir short stories. Her first historical mystery Clark and Division won a Mary Higgins Clark Award and follows a Japanese-American family's move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a wartime detention center. She's also written numerous nonfiction books and a middle grade novel. It's my pleasure to have as my guest Naomi Hirahara. Hi, Naomi. How are you doing today?
Naomi: I'm doing well. Thanks for having me, Debbi.
Debbi: It's my pleasure, believe me. You seem to have several series going. How many series do you have and which one did you start with?
Naomi: Well, my first one was my Mas Arai Mystery series and its aging Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. It's an homage to my own father. It's not my father, but inspired by someone like him, and that went for seven books. Actually two of my series, they've only made it as far as being duologies. One is the Ellie Rush bicycle cop mysteries, and there's a Leilani Santiago shave ice mysteries. I guess we're calling that the Leilani Santiago Hawaii Mysteries set on the island of Kaua’i. More recently, I've changed to historical mysteries and because publishers like series but it's loosely linked, it's called the Japantown Mysteries. And as you mentioned, Clark and Division is the first. The second just came out - Evergreen - and it'll be followed by a third one, but not from that main character's point of view, but another character.
More recently, I've changed to historical mysteries and because publishers like series but it's loosely linked, it's called the Japantown Mysteries.
Debbi: Interesting. So it's like the same world, but a different character.
Naomi: Exactly. And it's actually even a different time period, so the third one will be set in 1903.
Debbi: Huh. So you go back in time?
