SJ Rozan and The Murder of Mr. Ma

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am a big fan of SJ Rozan's Bill Smith and Lydia Chin books (loved the latest, THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK) so when I began to see the buzz for THE MURDER OF MR. MA, written with co-author John Shen Yen Nee, I was so intrigued. Not New York, and not contemporary--it's set in 1920s London! 

And what buzz this book is generating, with starred reviews in Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly just the beginning! So of course I wrote to SJ to say, "Tell me more!!" and here she is to explain this latest adventure.

   

Wait, How Did This Happen?

SJ Rozan

 

Deborah Crombie, in inviting me to do this guest blog (Thanks, Debs!) around the publication of THE MURDER OF MR. MA, thought folks might be interested in how the collaboration between me and John Shen Yen Nee, former publisher of Marvel Comics, began. Did we know each other? Did we develop this idea together, and then assign roles? Were we both devotees of Judge Dee and Lao She? Did we both always secretly harbor a desire to write books set in London, books set in the 1920's?

The answer to all but one of those questions is no. Separately, John and I had both long since discovered and devoured the Judge Dee books and films. But neither of us had ever looked longingly at London, or the 1920's. I, for my part, had heard of but never read Lao She.  And we'd never heard of each other.

John's one of those people whose mind is like an explosion in a fireworks factory, if ideas were fireworks. And he's more widely read than anyone else I've ever met. Early in the pandemic, when one thing we all pretty much had on our hands was time alone, John worked on developing this one idea: that Judge Dee would move forward about 1,000 years (he was a real jurist in Tang Dynasty China) and partner with Lao She (a real 20th century Chinese novelist) and they'd solve crimes. In London, in 1924.

Covent Garden, 1920s

At least, starting in 1924. Lao She was in London then, beginning his writing career. It was a time of great change in China, full of events little known in the West. John envisioned a series that spanned the history of modern China and wove some of that history in with murder, detection, and martial arts. A Holmes-and-Watson-y vibe from a Chinese angle. Plus kung fu.

But John, as he'll be the first to tell you, is not a narrative writer. He'd put together an outline (spanning sixteen single-spaced pages: remember that fireworks factory explosion) and needed someone to make it into a novel.

Luckily for me, he knew Alex Segura, from the comics world. Alex recommended John call Josh Getzler, his agent. Josh is also my agent, and when John told him what he needed, Josh called me. When I said I was interested, Josh suggested John read some of my books. He did, and they worked for him. He sent me the outline.

The outline worked for me, in a big way. Though "big" also describes the outline. John and I talked, and talked. I knew we could work together when he told me what in the outline was really important to him, and what was negotiable. It wasn't which things were which; it was that he could separate them.

So we started working together, by which I mean, John started to send me books, and I started to read. Chinese modern history, British literary criticism, books about Lao She, books by Lao She. I also started researching London in the 1920's. Clothes, cars, food, books, music. Finally, as I read and we trimmed the outline, came the moment I was ready to write a sample chapter.

London, George Alley, 1920s

The day I sent the sample chapter to John was a big deal. Writers will recognize this: The voice I was writing in, the narrative voice of our fictionalized Lao She, had spoken in my head. It was unchangeable. If John didn't like it, the collaboration had no future.

He loved it.

So we began seriously to work. Based on the outline, I'd write, ask questions, he'd give answers -- or say he didn't have an answer, so I'd invent one and run it by him -- he'd read and make suggestions, I'd take them or explain why I thought they weren't a great idea. We also hired a kung fu consultant, Master Paul Koh of Bo Law Kung Fu School, to choreograph the fight scenes, which I then put into Lao She's voice, or occasionally Judge Dee's, as he takes over the narrative sometimes.

Sifu Master Paul Koh

Yes, the outline and original characters were John's. Yes, the words as written are mine. But beyond those facts I'd be hard put to tell you what was John and what was me.  Someone recently asked John how the collaboration went. He said, "Like butter." I'd have to agree. Though throughout the process -- and even now, as we work on Book 2 -- I had to duck, every now and then, to avoid getting hit by a flying idea.

DEBS: Everything about this is right up alley--excuse me, I have to go read now! 

Here's more about SJ: Born in the Bronx, SJ Rozan lives in lower Manhattan. She's a graduate of Oberlin College and was a practicing architect. Her novels and short stories have won multiple awards, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, Macavity, and Japanese Maltese Falcon. She's received Life Achievement Awards from the Private Eye Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society. Her stories have appeared in "Best Of" collections, and she's edited three anthologies. She teaches a fiction writing workshop in Assisi, Italy, in the summer and she wants you all to come there. SJ's newest book, co-written with John Shen Yen Nee, is THE MURDER OF MR. MA. www.sjrozan.net

And more about THE MURDER OF MR. MA

London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?

DEBS: Readers, Mr. Ma has a bit of Holmes pastiche, fascinating history and culture, some mouth-watering descriptions of food, and brilliant fight scenes. I love this kind of genre-bending. Share some of your favorites crossover novels with us, and stop in to chat with SJ!

PS One more bit of business! Flora, you are the winner of Susan Shea's MURDER AND THE MISSING DOG! Get in touch with Susan at scsauthor@mac.com.

S.J. Rozan--The Remonstrance of Flushing

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We have a real treat today! The acclaimed and multiple award-winning S. J. Rozan, whose novels featuring private detectives Bill Smith and Lydia Chin brilliantly evoke contemporary New York City, gives us a thought provoking look at how New York came by its storied diversity.

Here's SJ!

THE REMONSTRANCE OF FLUSHING, or

Take that, Peter Stuyvesant!

My new book, THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK, has Bill Smith and Lydia Chin hunting for a runaway fifteen year old through many New York neighborhoods. It's a book I've had in mind for a long time, a novel that would showcase the glory of New York -- our diversity.

New York is the most diverse city in the world. 'Twere ever thus: in 643 a French Jesuit missionary reported that eighteen different languages were spoken by local inhabitants. (No record of whether he was counting the Lenape.) A lot of reasons exist to help explain this, the most obvious of which is that we're on the edge of a resource-rich land mass previously unknown to Europeans. If you wanted to try your fortune in the New World, New Amsterdam was and New York became an obvious place to touch down. Beyond that, though, two little-known-except-to-historians events had a major role in turning New York City into a place that welcomes everyone.

In 1654 Peter Stuyvesant, the governor of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, wrote to the Dutch West India Company back in Holland asking them to order Jews who had settled in his colony to remove themselves. The Jews also wrote, saying they'd leave if they had to but then there'd be nobody to watch over their trading businesses so they'd have to close them. The directors of the Company wrote back, basically asking Stuyvesant who he thought was financing his little colony over there. The Jews got to stay. Stuyvesant was incensed.

He also wasn't finished. The Dutch had other settlements in the area, to which his governorship extended. One of them, the village of Vlissingen (spoiler: this deteriorated into "Flushing"), way out on Long Island (spoiler: not so far away, now part of Queens) had, though Dutch, been settled largely by Brits. Stuyvesant had never been there so he didn't really care, until he got word that a group of Quakers fleeing England had settled there. Well, dammit, he had to let the Jews stay in New Amsterdam, but Quakers in Vlissingen? No. Just, no.

He wrote to the Dutch king, suggesting everyone not of the Dutch Reformed faith be banished from Vlissingen. This time he sent a list: Jews, Turks, Egyptians, Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, and Quakers. Not that there were any Egyptians around, and no one quite knew what he meant by "Independent." But he was thinking ahead. Once this banishment was enacted he'd have ammunition to go back and rid New Amsterdam of... all the folks he didn't like.

And the moral of the story is, don't overreach.

The king at first agreed; but a group of non-Quaker (but non-Dutch-Reformed) British citizens also wrote to the Dutch king. They spoke of "The law of love, peace and liberty... which is the glory of the outward state of Holland..." and ended, "Therefore if any of these said persons come in love unto us, we cannot in conscience lay violent hands upon them, but give them free egress and regress unto our Town, and houses, as God shall persuade our consciences." And the "said persons?" Yes indeedy, they sent a list: Jews, Turks, Egyptians, Presbyterians, Independents, Baptists, and Quakers.

This document was the Remonstrance of Flushing, written two days after Christmas, 1657. The Dutch king didn't take much persuading; he was collecting taxes from a flourishing village and why was it in his interest to rile up its inhabitants? If they wanted to live with Quakers and Egyptians, let them. He reversed himself and told Stuyvesant to mind his own business.

After that, it was essentially open doors all around. By the time the British seized New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1665 there were yet more languages being spoken; now there are over 115 in Queens alone. There's historical evidence that at least some of the Founding Fathers had read the Remonstrance and that separation of church and state was written into the Constitution based on it.

And now? From Harlem to Staten Island to Jackson Heights, every neighborhood, every restaurant, every street I put into THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK is real. Every room I wrote about, I've been in (though some weren't used for the purposes I claim) and of course, every food I wrote about, I tasted. And I'm thrilled I was able to do that. But there's so much more to show. I guess, a bit like that fool Peter Stuyvesant, I'm not done yet.

DEBS: I was so fascinated by this story that SJ sent me the link to the historical document, The Remonstrance of Flushing, and it is truly remarkable. It is also, I think, very appropriate in this season of goodwill. 

Here's more about SJ:

SJ Rozan is the bestselling author of 19 novels and 85 short stories. Her work has won the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, and Macavity awards, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon.She was born in the Bronx and now lives in Manhattan. Her latest book is THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK.

DEBS: And here's more about THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK.

In January, New York City inaugurates its first female mayor. In April, her son disappears. Called in by the mayor's chief aide—a former girlfriend of private investigator Bill Smith’s—to find the missing fifteen-year-old, Bill and his partner, Lydia Chin, are told the boy has run away. Neither the press nor the NYPD know that he’s missing, and the mayor wants him back before a headstrong child turns into a political catastrophe. But as Bill and Lydia investigate, they turn up more questions than answers.

DEBS: SJ will be stopping in to chat, and if you have favorite New  York stories, share them with us!

SEE YOU IN ASSISI?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:   Yes, yes, more TBR piles below! I am so thrilled to see these—isn’t it reassuring to know that you’re not the only one with a teetering pile of books by your bed? And truly, a wonderful psychological study of reading habits. I am learning so much about you all!

And I bet we are all getting good reading ideas from each other. 

Speaking of getting good ideas—sometimes those come by chance, right? And that is exactly what happened to today’s fabulous guest, the amazing SJ Rozan. 

How did her new series begin? Well, because she is SO glamorous, it began in Italy. In Rome, drinking Campari.  Then on to New York, at a tony party. And then…well, let SJ tell the story. That’s what she does best.

St. Francis and the (Skin of the) Wolf

            by SJ Rozan, blogging at you from Assisi, Italy. 

I've been offered the opportunity to drop over to Jungle Red from my own blog  to give you a little background on Sam Cabot's new book, SKIN OF THE WOLF. 

Why do I care about what Sam Cabot's up to?  Because he's me!  Half of him, the Sam half.  Cabot is Carlos Dews, and Carlos and I met here in Assisi, which is where Sam's story begins. 

For seven years now I've had this great two-week summer teaching gig at Art Workshop International in Assisi.   (If you're pre-published and looking for a workshop you might want to consider coming over here next summer, by the way; but that's another story.) 

ASSISI

Four years ago a Texas-born professor at John Cabot U. in Rome came up here to visit some of the folks at the Workshop whom he knew.  We met, sat around drinking Campari on the terrace, got on very well, thank you, and then he went back to Rome.  Six months after that he appeared at a holiday party in NYC, thrown by the AWI people.  I appeared there too.  

Idle conversation ensued among a bunch of people, the "what are you working on?" kind of thing.  I allowed as how I'd finished the last book on my most recent Lydia Chin/Bill Smith contract and wasn't sure what direction to go in next.  Carlos, for his part, said he had a great idea for a thriller but he wasn't a thriller writer and he had too much respect for the genre to just dive in and make a mess. 

 I sat there smiling appreciatively, liking the "respect" part, when someone said the thing sounded right up SJ's street and SJ, why don't you work with Carlos?  I kept smiling, wishing I'd left the party ten minutes earlier, because how was I going to tell this perfectly nice guy that however good his idea was, I didn't want any part of it?

I hadn't heard the idea, of course.  Carlos loved the thought of working together and he wanted to have coffee the next day and tell it to me.  I figured after that he'd go back to Rome and I'd email and let him down easy.

Never happened.

I heard Carlos's idea, and decided it actually was great, or else it was insane, or both.  We'd pretty much have to write the book to see.  That in itself was intriguing.  Most important, though, was that taking on this project involved doing three things I'd never done: co-writing, writing the paranormal, and writing a thriller.

I'd co-edited, working with Jonathan Santlofer on DARK END OF THE STREET.    And I'd written a Bill Smith/Lydia Chin book, ON THE LINE, in the form of a thriller.  But editing isn't writing and a PI book in whatever form is a PI book.  And I'd stuck to reality my whole career.  World-building, multiple third-person pov's, and the idea there would be someone to call whenever I got into trouble were temptations I saw no point in resisting.

Carlos and I work differently from other co-writers I know.  We work out the plot together, getting the major characters and their motivations organized.  Then he does the research and I do the writing.  It's a division of labor that suits us both; neither of us can understand how a book can have a consistent voice if two people are actually writing it.  (Though some clearly do.  But we don't know how.) 

The rhythm of scenes, the pace of action, dialogue -- that's the part I like.  Our books are history-rich, although not historical novels, and we're both committed to the idea that facts matter; no messing around with geography, history, art.  We insist on getting it right, and as a life-long academic Carlos can research like nobody's business.

The first Sam Cabot book, BLOOD OF THE LAMB, (just out in paperback),  is set in Rome, where Carlos lives.  The subjects are the meaning of the artworks in the churches; the relationship between faith and religion; and oh yes, did I mention vampires?  The second book, SKIN OF THE WOLF,  coming out this week, takes place in New York City, my hometown, and concerns issues of identity, Native Americans, those vampires again, and -- you guessed it -- werewolves.

If the publisher, Penguin/Blue Rider, is pleased enough, there will be more.  We have the third one sketched out, and ideas for a fourth.  I hope it happens, because I have to tell you, I'm getting a kick out of this.

And to think it all started in St. Francis's town, Assisi, where Francis once told a wolf to stop eating people because it was wrong and the wolf, overcome with the Peace of Assisi, stopped at once.  Miracles do happen here.  Hope you like the books, and peace to you all!

HANK: Now, doesn't SKIN OF THE WOLF sound like it would be the perfect fit  to go right on top of these? 

Bill Hopkins' nightstand (with quilt!) 

Kathy Phillips' nightstand (with lighting!)

Sandy Young Moore (better read faster :-)...) 

The high-tech Sherrie Noble (and thank you! I see it!)

Tina Whittle (Whoo, with FOR Tammy Kaehler!)

Elizabeth Conley (being secretive)

David Terrenoire (very tough-looking, right?)

More to come tomorrow..and wait til you see who's here! You LOVE her...and we are all applauding her new book!

SO--IN HONOR OF SJ ROZAN--today's question: Have you even been to Italy? Tell us something wonderful about it. If you haven't been--would you want to?

And a copy of Sam Cabot's newest to a lucky commenter.

(The winner of my TRUTH BE TOLD arc is mmgage.  The winner of Rhys Bowen's QUEEN OF HEARTS is Bonnie Searle!

Email me at h ryan at whdh dot com with your address! 

***********************

SKIN OF THE WOLF
First seen in BLOOD OF THE LAMB, Livia Pietro, Father Thomas Kelly, and Spencer George reunite in NYC.  Livia and Spencer are Noantri -- vampires.  At Sotheby's a mysterious Native American mask is up for auction but two days before the sale a Sotheby’s employee is found brutally murdered. Steps from her body is the  mask, undamaged amid the wreckage of a struggle. As rumors begin to swirl around the sacred object, Thomas, Livia, and Spencer are plunged into a world where money, Native American lore, and the history of the Catholic Church collide. They uncover an alarming secret: the mask contains a power that, if misused, could destroy millions of lives with the next full moon.

In Skin of the Wolf, Sam Cabot blends historical fact, backroom conspiracy, and all-encompassing alternate reality as the Noantri discover they aren't the only humans set apart by their natures—there are Others.

 *****************

Sam Cabot is the pseudonym of Carlos Dews and S.J. Rozan.

Carlos Dews is a professor and chair of the Department of English Language and Literature at John Cabot University where he directs the Institute for Creative Writing and Literary Translation. He lives in Rome.

S.J. Rozan is author of many critically acclaimed novels and short stories which have won crime fiction's greatest honors, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Macavity, and Nero awards. Born and raised in the Bronx, Rozan now lives in lower Manhattan.

What I'm Writing @LucyBurdette

Castle in Matsue

LUCY BURDETTE: I'm at the early, early stage of a new book. So early, that every word feels tentative. But mostly, I've been on vacation, so I haven't been writing anything. I had good intentions for making progress on that book, but the trip was too busy and all-consuming. We were so fortunate to take a tour of Japan, a place I've wanted to visit forever.

Torii for Itsukushima Shinto shrine

Each day, as I reviewed my photos, I wondered how I could ever summarize the things I'd seen and experienced to show how amazing the country is. Other folks on the trip were keeping detailed journals, which made me feel guilty, though not guilty enough to do anything about it. Then I began to scribble down a few notes, and the notes evolved into--Haiku, of course! (Thanks to the tutelage last year of our pal SJ Rozan.)

Rohuon-ji Temple

So here you have it--a quick trip through Japan in photos and Haiku...

Chieko-San

Many of the places we visited were off the beaten track. As our ship docked or sailed away, locals in costumes with bands and banners would come to celebrate our arrival or departure with dancing and gifts and singing. "That is your waving committee," our Japanese tour guide, Chieko-san would explain while laughing loudly. 









 

WELCOME

Dragons swerve and clack
Ladies in pink kimonos
Waving committee






Everywhere we went there were gorgeous shrines, mostly Buddhist and Shinto. There doesn't seem to be much conflict between the religions--in fact people seem to turn to more than one, as needed. But the hopefulness and yearnings for guidance are heartfelt...

 



















YEARNINGS

Shrines welcome guests who
Stack stones, tie papers, rub snouts
Wishes left behind

Sea Urchins in the market

 













It turns out that I am not such a fan of Japanese food. I tried to be a good and adventurous foodie--I really did! But after a while, I had to groan when another bento box appeared at our lunch table.












LUNCH

Spiny sea creatures
Armor bristles: Stay away!
Soon to be sushi
















MORE LUNCH (by John Brady)


Bento box is served
tastes colors textures so odd
Sad so much untouched

Atomic Bomb Dome

One of the most moving stops on the trip was a visit to Hiroshima. It was absolutely pouring, which seemed appropriate for the day. The city has been completely rebuilt, as if the tragedy hadn't happened. But the memorial and the museum aroused the kind of sad and horrified feelings I had when at the Holocaust museum or the 9/11 site.

Hiroshima


Sheets of silver rain
Devastation's grim mem'ry
Smart enough to learn?





 

If you'd like to read about my lesson on making sushi or see lots of cool food pictures from the Kyoto market, visit my post at Mystery lovers kitchen. And thanks for indulging my modern day slide show! Meanwhile, I'm back to chapter one--no excuses...