Friday, December 21, 2018

Playing Marilyn Monroe by Naomi Hirahara

JENN McKINLAY: Many conferences ago, I was lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a delightful woman named Naomi Hirahara, whose fourth Mas Arai mystery had just come out. Being a series reader, I had to go back to the first title, Summer of the Big Bachi, and once I read it, I was hooked. Recently, I saw pics pop up on Twitter of Naomi being inducted into Vroman's walk of fame, and I knew I had to ask her to come and share her insider's perspective of this amazing honor. Congratulations, Naomi! And thanks for joining us today!

NAOMI HIRAHARA: So honored to guest blog for the Reds! I’m a big fan of every single one of these writers and I’m wearing a red plaid throw as I compose this post.

The most remarkable thing happened to me this year—I got a chance to play Marilyn Monroe. If you’ve seen me in person, you are definitely calling my bluff right now. I’m 4’10” and my measurements will remain a secret. But my local hangout, Vroman’s, the oldest and largest independent bookstore in Southern California, made it all happen.


Vroman’s, established in 1894, owns the Pasadena property extending from its bookstore on Colorado Boulevard to an art movie house. As a result, the store management has decided to create a Walk of Fame, sporting handprints and signatures of authors cast in concrete a la Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

I actually witnessed the ceremony in the past and thought it was the coolest thing ever. In this age of digital book reviews, e-books and online sales, sometimes I feel like I’m living in a virtual world. To see something literally in concrete celebrating writers seem anachronistic, in the best possible way.


So when Vroman’s came calling this year to invite me to participate, I was completely floored. In fact a couple of days before the ceremony, I was feeling a bit sick to my stomach. I’m not a household word. I’m not worthy. But then my wise husband told me, “None of us really deserve any of it.” In other words, whatever we manage to receive is a gift. 

Jenn: You absolutely deserve it, but I adore your husband's wise words!

The event was a blast and after I cleaned off my hands, I did a Q & A with the wonderful Nancie Clare, a kindred spirit who is a writer of both history and mystery.



The wet cement was covered by a wood platform to protect it and for several days orange cones and yellow tape were placed around it to ensure that no dogs left their footprints. (Although it would have been cute if my Jack Russell was able to leave his.)

Since my husband and I often frequent that block in our neighborhood, he always tries to get us to stop at my square. Somehow it’s too embarrassing and I decline and usually keep walking.

The other day when my husband was away, I went to the movies on my own at the art movie house. After the film ended, I did stop at that square of concrete. Looking down at my signature and hand print, I had to smile and laugh. It was a gift. For a day, I was Marilyn Monroe.




Happy holidays, everyone!

Okay, Reds and Readers, if you could see the handprints of any author, dead or alive, on a Walk of Fame, whose would you want to see? And would you compare your hands to theirs? (Yes, I totally would).

***

Naomi Hirahara is the Edgar Award-winning author of two mystery series set in Southern California and numerous short stories. Her Mas Arai series ended this year with the publication of the seventh, Hiroshima Boy. The first in her Officer Ellie Rush series won the T. Jefferson Parker mystery award. A consultant for TV cable series and historic books/exhibitions, she is currently working on a mystery with a new character, Leilani Santiago, set on the island of Kaua‘i. Iced in Paradise will be released in September 2019.  She is also writing a historical standalone mystery based in 1940s Chicago. For more information, visit www.naomihirahara.com or her blog http://naomihirahara.com/blog/.




26 comments:

  1. Congratulations, Naomi! A writer’s Walk of Fame is a wonderful tribute to authors . . . cheers for Vroman’s Bookstore!

    If I could see any author's handprints on a Walk of Fame, I’d choose Isaac Asimov. [And, no, I’d never compare my handprints to his] . . . .

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    1. Joan, Isaac Asimov gave the address at my graduation from Ithaca College! Sadly, I can't remember a thing he said - I guess even though he was one of my favorite authors, I was too excited to absorb any words of wisdom.

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    2. I can just imagine how exciting that was for the graduates!

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  2. Congrats again on that honor. The first time I'd heard about Vromans doing this was when you talked about it on Facebook. Definitely a cool thing I need to go check out at some point.

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  3. That is SO exciting! Congratulations. I was born in Pasadena and grew up in Temple City, so that's my old stompin' grounds...

    I would love to see Agatha Christie's hands on that Walk of Fame.

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  4. I love the whole idea of having a local walk of fame, and could totally see it fitting into corners of Dallas in Deep Ellum or Bishop Arts. I also think it is cool that it is privately curated--there is no panel of city leaders to decide who is commemorated, just the folks who run the bookstore and maybe some of their friends. Congratulations, Naomi!

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    1. Isn't a splendid idea? There are a few bookstores in Maine that own their own free-standing shops; I can imagine a "Walk of Fame" being a tourist draw, especially in one of our mid-Coast towns.

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  5. Well, I got very emotional reading this! What an amazing thing to do for authors!
    I would compare my handprints to all of the authors! It's just the thing to do. I would love it if Agatha Christie had had the chance to do this. I do think Vroman's will be on my bucket list!

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  6. What a grand idea! This list of hands I would like to see is endless, but I suppose I'm to pick just one?

    Can I divide them into categories? Of course I can. Who's to stop me?

    British and dead: Dorothy Sayers
    British and undead: Catriona Mcpherson
    American and dead: Patricia Highsmith
    American and undead: Deborah Crombie
    Live Canadian: Louise Penny
    Do I get any more? Stay tuned. It's early.

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    1. Now I'm picturing zombie Catriona and Deborah, shambling toward a tea room: "Scoooooones....SCOOOONES....:

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  7. Naomi, what a lovely story and what a wonderful day for you. Loved the photos. And my answer to the question might have to be PD James.

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  8. There are so many authors I’d love to see handprints for - the long gone Jane Austen or Mark Twain or Lucy Maud Montgomery to the more current but still gone Agatha Christie or Barbara Martz. This should be a thing in every city - don’t you think? Thank you, Naomi, for visiting us today! This is such a delightful post! And congratulations!!!

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  9. I want to see them all! Guess I know what I better be planning!

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  10. What a cool honor - congratulations!

    I'd see Agatha Christie, hands down (literally). And Mary Higgins Clark. No, I wouldn't compare my hands to either of these ladies.

    Mary/Liz

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  11. I have so many favorite authors that I could never narrow it down to just one! (And isn’t that a nice dilemma?)

    DebRo

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  12. This is so sweet! Thanks for sharing the experience!! I remember as a kid going to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd and putting our feet and hands in the prints left by great movie actors. Congratulations on the new book and fabulous futures!

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  13. It's 7 AM here in Pasadena, California, so I'm just reading these great comments. And I love your ideas for other writers to be commemorate in cement. I didn't mention that the crew that does the hand prints for Grauman's Chinese handles Vroman's Walk of Fame, too. I had to come in an hour early to practice writing my name in wet cement! (You have to do it at an angle.)

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  14. How fun, to get to leave a lasting memory of yourself, Naomi. You are hereby immortalized!

    I can't think of any handprints that would compel me to compare my own, though. I have tried very hard to accept myself as I am, and not worry about how others stack up in any way. Anyway, I have very small hands, so almost everybody has hands larger than mine! (I'm still wearing my little brother's baby ring on my pinky, and it still comes off easily.)

    It would be easier to compare footprints, don't you think? No bending down. :-)

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  15. Congratulations! This is so cool and your husband is obviously a keeper. :) SO many authors to choose from...Agatha Christie, Carolyn Hart, Mary Higgins Clark, the Reds...

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  16. SO coool . SO amazingly cool! Hurray!

    And I would say Shakespeare.

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  17. Congratulations Naomi! I visit Vroman's regularly and love the Walk of Fame. Can't wait to put my mitts in your imprints!

    By the way, the gentleman standing to the right in your photo is responsible for the imprints at the Chinese. He has been the "cement craftsman" for the theater for, I believe, close to 40 years. So, you have more in common with Marilyn than you might have realized!

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  18. Shalom Reds and fans. Congratulations Naomi. I live in Doylestown, PA and our most famous forebear, Henry Mercer, believed religiously in cement and concrete. So I do believe we have some handprints around that speak of earlier times. The County Theater, our local movie house, while not strictly an art cinema house, is a non-profit, privately owned by a local foundation. They do have a walk of stars outside, but I believe they celebrate donors to the foundation.

    Many years ago, I read a book by Noah Gordon, called The Physician. I have read many of his books in the following years, however, none of them, or actually, any other book, has moved me as deeply as that book did. His online biographies say that he is 92. I would love to once shake his hand or compare my print to his in tribute.

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  19. Congrats on such a unique honor, Naomi! I'd love to see the handprints of all the writers who wrote as Carolyn Keene, with their real names, of course!

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  20. Congratulations, Naomi, on your Vroman's walk of fame honor! That is such a wonderful idea for authors to have a space like that. I hate to admit that I haven't read your books yet, but Jungle Reds is one of my best places to introduce me to new authors and new reading. Now I just have to decide where to start.

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  21. Congratulations, Naomi, and a blessing on your head! Always loved Vroman's and now, even more. I'd love to see Dashiell Hammett's handprints-- perhaps he'd have a cigarette in one hand and a Scotch in the other. All the best to you!

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