Towards the end of Chapter Two of Fireworks and Other Illuminations, I sent William McGrath to Las Vegas. He is there for the private-investors event inaugurating the opening of a luxurious Japanese-themed casino hotel. I imagined it on the Strip out my love for Japan and its culture—echoing Regina's trip in Chapter One. But also, because back during the aughts Vegas was a very important destination for me… Continue Reading -->
If you take your romantic fairytales seriously, you want to know what your romantic heroes stand for—beyond the looks and the charms, the whirlwind of passion and the heat they ignite... Especially if, like William McGrath, they are not just rich playboys, but—as I define him in particular—the ethos billionaires... Granted, William McGrath is not... Continue Reading →
It was always Regina’s plan during her trip to Kyoto to spend some time in the narrow wooden streets of Gion. There, she finds herself drawn to the tiniest antiques shop on Shinmonzen-dori, where she discovers a collection of netsuke that will stay with her for a lifetime... Watch Now
In this scene from Fireworks and Other Illuminations, Regina finds herself in a Kyoto antique shop, captivated by an erotic netsuke—a carved ivory sculpture no larger than a thumb—of a bound geisha. As she holds it, an imagined story unfurls in her mind, merging art, desire, and violence. This is Regina's private tale - one... Continue Reading →
Years before the idea of Fireworks and Other Illuminations was conceived I took my first trip to Japan... Temples, gardens, hot springs, seismic activity, geisha encounter, stolen passports, and escalator missteps - I will cherish that voyage forever. It inspired the opening of the novel... Read the real story behind the first chapter
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