Launched The Courtesan and the Samurai on March 25th and now hoping for a keen wind to fill her sails! The launch took place at Daunts bookshop on Marylebone High Street, in London, and there was a good-sized gathering of friends, colleagues, my publisher and my agent, as well as Colin the master swordsman, who … Read more
Wednesday April 21st 6.30 pm Japan Society Crane and Tortoise (room to rear of main bar), 39 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8PR tel 0207 828 6330 Illustrated talk: Fighting for the shogun: the story of a ship, some samurai, nine French officers and the battle for Hokkaido. £7.50 including a light Japanese buffet following … Read more
Even before Japan opened to the west in 1853, westerners were beginning to discover Japan’s extraordinary culture. Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth Japonisme was hugely in vogue. Across Europe and the United States, people filled their houses with fans, screens, blue and white porcelain, netsuke and samurai swords … Read more
Japan, 1868: the last shogun has been defeated, the age of the emperors is about to begin – and in Japan’s frozen north a diehard band of loyalists plans a desperate last stand. Hana is just seventeen when her husband goes to war, leaving her alone and very vulnerable. When enemy soldiers attack her house … Read more
We arrive by turbo prop from Bangkok, juddering slowly across a corrugated expanse of jungle-encrusted hills with mist floating in the hollows. As we touch down at Luang Prabang’s sleepy airport I remember my father talking about how he had to hold the door of the aircraft shut when he flew across Laos almost 50 … Read more
Wednesday, April 15th – BERLIN 18.00 Illustrated lecture: The Last Concubine: Secrets of the Women’s Palace At the centre of the German-Japanese Society of Berlin, Deutsch-Japanisches Zentrum Berlin, Saargemünder Str. 2 Thursday, April 16th – HAMBURG 19.00 Reading: The Last Concubine Shiawase Japanisches Restaurant Jungfernstieg 7 Hamburg Friday, April 17th BIELEFELD 19.00 Illustrated lecture: The … Read more
Asia House Presents Japan Through Writers’ Eyes Thursday 19 March 6.45pm How does one begin to understand the enigma that is Japan? Four Japan specialists will celebrate Eland’s new book, Japan Through Writers’ Eyes, edited by journalist and former Tokyo resident Elizabeth Ingrams. She will be joined by three travel specialists: Lesley Downer, author of … Read more
Many congratulations to Julia Gregson who won the romantic novel of the year award 2009 for her wonderful novel East of the Sun. I was honoured to be nominated for the shortlist and much enjoyed meeting my fellow shortlisters Cecelia Ahern, Linda Gillard, Susanna Kearsley and Judith Lennox. The competition, the award and the very … Read more
The Last Concubine comes out in paperback on February 12th 2009. Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Romantic Novel of the Year Bestselling author Cecelia Ahern is one of the six authors shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year 2009, which is organised by the Romantic Novelists’ Association. The final six novels are currently being read by a panel of three judges, who will select the winner in time for the … Read more