News and Tour Dates

The Courtesan and the Samurai – lecture dates tour 2010 update

18 June 2010

Forthcoming lectures: Saturday June 26th 3.00 – 5.00 pm Ipswich Literary Tea, Ipswich Arts Festival, Arlington Brasserie, Ipswich, Suffolk Box Office 01473 433100 £8 (£6 concessions) Law and disorder: Making an impression throughout history. Discussion over tea and cakes with Giles Kristian, author of Sons of Thunder, and Paul Sussman, author of The Hidden Oasis. [...]

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The Last Concubine – Thai edition

13 May 2010

The Last Concubine just came out in Thai. This is the beautiful cover. Big in Thailand!

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Forthcoming lectures: May – July 2010

3 May 2010

Friday May 14th 11 am Lincoln Book Festival, Lincoln Drill Hall, Lincoln Festival Box Office tel 01522 873 894 £4 (£2 concessions) History panel: Law and disorder: How to make an impression throughout history. With Giles Kristian, author of Sons of Thunder, and Manda Scott, author of Rome: The Emperor’s Spy *** Tuesday May 18th [...]

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The Courtesan and the Samurai – lecture and tour dates

23 April 2010

Spoke on Fighting for the shogun: the story of a ship, some samurai, nine French officers and the battle for Hokkaido – at the Japan Society, at a very convivial Japanese pub called The Crane and the Tortoise (suitably auspicious name) on Gray’s Inn Road. My talk was followed by sushi and sake and a [...]

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The Courtesan and the Samurai – launch and tour dates

26 March 2010

Launched The Courtesan and the Samurai on March 25th and now hoping for a keen wind to fill her sails! The launch took place at Daunts bookshop on Marylebone High Street, in London, and there was a good-sized gathering of friends, colleagues, my publisher and my agent, as well as Colin the master swordsman, who [...]

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The Courtesan and the Samurai – Tour dates 2010

17 March 2010

Wednesday April 21st 6.30 pm Japan Society Crane and Tortoise (room to rear of main bar), 39 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8PR tel 0207 828 6330 Illustrated talk: Fighting for the shogun: the story of a ship, some samurai, nine French officers and the battle for Hokkaido. £7.50 including a light Japanese buffet following [...]

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Coming soon – The Courtesan and the Samurai

14 September 2009

Japan, 1868: the last shogun has been defeated, the age of the emperors is about to begin – and in Japan’s frozen north a diehard band of loyalists plans a desperate last stand. Hana is just seventeen when her husband goes to war, leaving her alone and very vulnerable. When enemy soldiers attack her house [...]

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The Last Concubine – Second German Tour spring 2009

23 March 2009

Wednesday, April 15th -  BERLIN 18.00 Illustrated lecture: The Last Concubine:  Secrets of the Women’s Palace At the centre of the German-Japanese Society of Berlin, Deutsch-Japanisches Zentrum Berlin, Saargemünder Str. 2 Thursday, April 16th – HAMBURG 19.00 Reading: The Last Concubine Shiawase Japanisches Restaurant Jungfernstieg 7 Hamburg Friday, April 17th BIELEFELD 19.00 Illustrated lecture: The [...]

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Forthcoming book presentation – Japan Through Writers’ Eyes at Asia House

9 March 2009

Asia House Presents Japan Through Writers’ Eyes Thursday 19 March 6.45pm How does one begin to understand the enigma that is Japan? Four Japan specialists will celebrate Eland’s new book, Japan Through Writers’ Eyes, edited by journalist and former Tokyo resident Elizabeth Ingrams. She will be joined by three travel specialists: Lesley Downer, author of [...]

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Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2009

11 February 2009

Many congratulations to Julia Gregson who won the romantic novel of the year award 2009 for her wonderful novel East of the Sun. I was honoured to be nominated for the shortlist and much enjoyed meeting my fellow shortlisters Cecelia Ahern, Linda Gillard, Susanna Kearsley and Judith Lennox. The competition, the award and the very [...]

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