5 Favourite Fiction Books About... Japan

In no particular order:

1 Silk by Alessandro Barricco. Exotic, erotic and beautiful. I can't believe I haven't blogged a review. It will follow later today ... and on that note, enough said.

2 The Plum Rain Scroll by Ruth Manley. CBCA Book of the Year in 1979. A wonderful blurring of fact and fantasy in a traditional style folk tale. My review here.

3 The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. This 17th century work on strategy, tactics, bushido and swordsmanship, by the greatest samurai warrior of all time (My opinion, yes, but most would agree) has been my constant ocmpanion duting the writing of the Samurai Kids series. It centres me - firmly in feudal Japan. Apparently Musashi looked awful and refused to take a bath. I guess if you are the best swordsman in the world you can do whatever you like when it comes to personal hygeine!

4 Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. And the other books in the Tales of the Otori series. This is fantasy Japan at it's best. And not such a big step away from history either.

5 Moonshadow: Eye of the Beast by Simon Higgins. And also the sequel in the Moonshadow series, Wrath of the Silver Wolf. These are wonderful books by an Australian author who truly lives and knows what he is writing about. Don't miss a visit to Simon's website

Simon Higgins Launches Monkey Fist

My blog has been sadly, badly neglected of late. I have been been having too much fun! Blame it on the Book Week whirl and the wonderful Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature. These past weeks have reinforced to me why I write for kids and have inspired me to continue writing and reaching out to our young readers, writers, story-tellers and story-listeners.

So where to begin? Backwards has always been a direction that has worked well for me. So tonight I am revisiting the launch of Monkey Fist by author and extroadinary person all round - Simon Higgins. Simon is a master oral story teller, an expert on many things Japanese and a Taikai practitioner. I had to confess - in person, how embarrassing - that I hadn't read any of his books based in Japan - even though I own them all - because I know I am going to love them (I had a peek) and am just a little worried a line might sneak across from one of his books without me knowing it. Call me a wimp but I once wrote a song and stole a whole line from Jummy Buffet without realising. I am actually very strong - and not a wimp! - because it is taking all the willpower I have not to get started on the Moonshadow series.

The launch began with Simon transporting the assembled group from the lawns of historic Woodlands of Marburg to a tori gate in Japan. We watched spellbound as Simon performed a sword ceremony in honour of Monkey Fist. The sword hissed as it slithered from the scabbard. And around me I hear whispered oohs and aahs.

He was a very hard act to follow. So I kept it simple and if you want to know what I said I rather like the way Belinda Jeffrey described my (very short) speech on her web site here (She's a very talented writer and I recommend you read her excellent debut YA novel Brown Skin Blue).