Lian Writes…

The research for the sort of novels I write (which for want of a better term I call historical fantasy) is rather a mysterious process, even to me. I read very widely, travel in Japan as much as I can, … Continued

Dear Reader, I would like to tell you a little about this book, part epic, part romance, part fairy story. Five years ago I was in the northeastern region of Japan, a few months before the devastating tsunami of 2011. … Continued

Vowels are pronounced in the following way (as in British pronunciation): ‘a’ as the ‘a’ in ‘father’ ‘e’ as the ‘e’ in ‘met’ ‘i’ as the ‘i’ in ‘macaroni’ ‘o’ as the ‘o’ in ‘plot’ ‘u’ as the ‘oo’ in … Continued

The heron is one of the key symbols in Tales of the Otori. It is the crest of the Otori clan and is used many times in comparisons with Lord Shigeru. He describes himself as having the patience of the … Continued

Many writers young and old become intrigued and fascinated by another country or another period in history – sometimes both together. This fascination can be triggered by all sorts of different things: travel or living abroad, studying history, reading books, … Continued

The beautiful calligraphy for the poems that open the first three books of the Tales of the Otori was drawn by Sugiyama Kazuko who passed away in Tokyo in February 2006. I was introduced to Kazuko-san by a mutual friend … Continued