Category: Huzzah!

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This is… Maya’s Book Shop

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Welcome to my new website. My God, it’s full of books!

Specifically, MY books. Books that contain characters and places I have loved and nurtured from a dream or a feeling or a sudden sense that a story just tapped me on the shoulder through all the stages of their evolution until they appeared in pixels or print in what we call the Real World.

In these books, you’ll hang with all sorts of people: A lost-in-space amnesiac with unsettling abilities. A pint-sized PI who carries a baby blue .357 magnum and rides a Harley blessed with Holy Water by a perhaps-too-anxious mum. A young man from Philly who watches ghost baseball games and wonders if he really has to marry a cockroach named Svetlana. A Jedi named Jax who thinks he may be the last of his kind, and his droid bestie, I-5, whom Jax is pretty sure is the first of his kind. A NYPD detective who worries about being yanked into the misty past at any second. Did I mention Han Solo? He’s in one of these books, too.

You’ll also visit a lot of very different places in these books, from the familiar present-day San Francisco, to a very different future-San Francisco peopled by Ohlone ghosts and a wizard named Chickpea. From Philadelphia, circa 1955, to a past Poland where magic lives in the elements and contains the seeds of vast ruin, to places that don’t exist in this world, or exist only in this or that book.

You can travel in space with an intrepid xeno-anthropologist who’s the best trade negotiator the Tanaka Corporation has to offer. In fact, you could find yourself time-traveling in a variety of ways with a bunch of different folks.

And wherever you go or whomever you’re with, there’s always a chance you might save a people or a world or the entire universe … or maybe just your best friend.

So, let’s make Reality behave together, I invite you to step into my bookshop and choose an adventure.

(We’re open, though the rest of the site is a work in progress.)

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It’s a LABYRINTH

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Well, we’re at the midway point or thereabouts with the Kickstarter for our newest all original music album, LABYRINTH.

Yes, I know, it’s the first I’ve mentioned it here because I am woefully bad at self-promotion event though I have been schooled by the best (Kevin J. Anderson, I’m looking at you).

But here’s the deal: Jeff and I are especially excited about this album for a multitude of reasons, some musical and some not.

What can I say about the music? I love it. especially the final track, “It’s Quiet Here.” That song was a late entry into the lineup which we decided to record when we pulled another song from the album because Jeff was unhappy with the lyric. “Quiet” was one of those songs (I think there may be one on every album) that was written, composed and recorded in a matter of days.

I fell in love with the song while I was working out the melody lines for it. I love the way it builds up with every verse and how the vocal turned out AND (as a big old bonus) the fact that Steve MacDonald happened to be here recording a selection for another project. So I did what any red-blooded singer would do: I begged him to put a harmony on the track. He also sings on “Don’t Look Away,” which is another favorite of mine.

Most of the reasons I’m excited about the album involve the work done by our incredibly talented friends who contributed their awesomeness to the mix. Stevie Mac and Vixy Dockrey on vocals, Mary Crowell and Jared Norris on keys, Chris French on sax, Betsey Tinney on cello and, of course, the absurdly perfect bass lines of Mike Mallory. Each of these extraordinary folks did signature work on this album, bringing elements to it that sometimes redefined the songs for us.

My non-musical reasons for loving this album include the stunning art and design work of Beckett Gladney on the cover and the campaign premiums and the love and support of friends and family in this effort. There is no end to the number of people we have to thank. (Remind me to tell y’all about the photoshoot we did in Seattle with Beckett and Taunya Gren on the hottest, steamiest day of the year … well, it sure seemed like it to me. And then there was our fab lunch at the Blue Star Cafe in Wallingford that we spent brainstorming premiums.)

Right now, I’m getting into TLDR territory, so I’ll wrap it up by saying thanks to all the folks that are contributing to the campaign.

We’re just $2,066 short of our goal!

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This is … How a Cancelled Championship Became a Celebration of Perseverance

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Amanda & Drum

So, we drove four hours down to Bakersfield Friday night (November 15) for the Western Bands Association State Marching Band Championships. Our daughter, Amanda, is a member of the Oak Grove High School Marching Band. She plays bass drum in the OG battery, as you can see in the photo to the right.

The air quality had been iffy, but within tolerable levels for several days, so we were hopeful. Saturday morning, we awoke in our hotel to a text from Amanda saying the WBA had canceled the event based on a forecast that the AQI was going to get much worse—above 150. I was bummed to the point that catching sight of Morgan Hill’s Emerald Regime semi parked outside their hotel brought on sniffles.

But wait, there’s more! Thanks to the perseverance of several intrepid band directors, including our host—West High School—an exhibition was quickly assembled and, in the end, five amazing, rebellious high school bands were scheduled to take the field in exhibition. They were King’s Academy, Branham, Valley Christian, Oak Grove, and West.

We assembled at West High School around noon to do show prep, watching the air quality index. The bands ate, warmed up, drilled and got costumed and, by the time the first band took the field a little after 4PM, the AQI had fallen to 83—clearer than it had been in days.

We waived much of the usual exhibition decorum—everyone’s props were assembled in the end zone and there was no time limit on setup or retreat. The kids for once got to watch other bands perform  from the front stands and could spend a few moments at the end of their show pieces, soaking up the applause and adulation. They had a blast.

Below is a photo album of the day from the point of view of one Oak Grove Band Mom. If you hover your mouse pointer over the image, it will display a caption. Enjoy!

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Mystery Scene Magazine Reviews THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER!

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Mystery Scene Magazine Reviews THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER!

This one I didn’t see coming. It just appeared in my Twitter feed this morning and is a lovely, lovely review. I went to their website and discovered a magazine that I would love to read.

The review begins:

California-based private investigator Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko is a powerhouse personality in a petite package. I have to give author Maya Bohnhoff credit for populating her book with some of the most inventive fictional names I’ve ever read. Gina’s Russian-American mom is Nadia Eliska Arkhangelski Miyoko (quite a mouthful), and a mysterious Mexican archeologist goes by Cruz Sacramento Vargas. But don’t worry, those names don’t slow down the fast pace of her debut mystery, The Antiquities Hunter.

But wait, there’s more!

Thanks, Mystery Scene!

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Today’s the Day! THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER Goes On Sale!

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THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER is now on sale at your local or digital bookstores!

This is a hardback release from Pegasus Crime and the first Gina Miyoko Mystery.

My official first book event is in Berkeley, CA at the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology (see the post on my website!) on October 20th. We will have live music, treats, a reading, a signing and other cool things.

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What People Are Saying about Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko

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More about Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko:

“… a tough, sassy, and relatable…” Publishers Weekly

“… a unique series lead, but she sweeps across the pages like an adrenalin-fueled soul sister of Janet Evanovich’s flamboyant characters…” Booklist

“… Gina “Tink” Miyoko, an absolute original…” John Copenhaver, author of ‘Dodging and Burning’

“… deeply complicated and memorable…”William Boyle, author of The Lonely Witness

“I love feisty Gina Miyoko, I could read her all day! She is intriguing, exciting, witty and cool.” Tessa Lunney, author of April in Paris, 1921

“… sharp, witty, but still soft-around-the-edges…”Dana Chamblee Carpenter, author of Bohemian Gospel

“Witty, feisty, sassy—a character to give Philip Marlowe a run for his money any day of the week—Gina ‘Tink’ Miyoko is my new favorite heroine.”E.S. Thomson, author of the Jem Flockart series

“Gina Miyoko is a unique, sassy, and very welcome addition to the top rank of fictional private eyes.” Zoë Sharp, author of the Charlie Fox thriller series

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Breaking News! Booklist Review of THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER is in!

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I am tickled pumpkin by this review from Booklist that I just received this morning from my delightful publisher.

Booklist says:

An entertaining debut introducing PI Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko. At five foot nine and 94 pounds, she is a Harley-riding, San Francisco Bay houseboat–dwelling powerhouse who is met with frank amazement by most people. When her best friend, Rose, an undercover Park Service agent, is gravely injured, Gina takes her place, going undercover in Mexico in the company of archaeologist Cruz Veras, a Mexican Indiana Jones, to ferret out who is trafficking in looted artifacts. The gamin-like Gina adopts a teasingly glamorous persona looking to spend, spend, spend, and attracts a mysterious antiquities dealer in Cancun. She ultimately ends up, after an unexpected betrayal, trapped in the pitch-black guts of a Mayan temple where she must fight for her life, armed only with her wits and an odd assortment of lucky charms. Gina is a unique series lead, but she sweeps across the pages like an adrenalin-fueled soul sister of Janet Evanovich’s flamboyant characters, presented in an equally biting and outrageous narrative that turns on a dime. A promising start to an exciting new series with plenty of crossover YA appeal. — Jane Murphy, Booklist

Wow! “Adrenalin-fueled soul sister of Janet Evanovich’s flamboyant characters . . . .” I am thrilled. Thank you, Jane Murphy for such a terrific review—and thank you, Pegasus, for taking a chance with my diminutive detective.

Stay tuned for more about Gina’s adventures.

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The Advanced Copies Are Out—Reviews Are Coming In!

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The ARCs (Advanced Review Copies) of The Antiquities Hunter have gone out to other mystery and crime writers and reviewers and I got a look at some of the reviews that are posted on the Pegasus website.

So SQUEEEEEEE!

Here’s one….

“Bohnhoff’s The Antiquities Hunter is a wild, breathless ride, a true pager turner. The plot alone, although full of exciting and unexpected turns, isn’t what makes it so compelling. Rather, it’s the energy, humor, and no-nonsense of its lead detective, Gina “Tink” Miyoko, an absolute original, that grounds the story, pulls us in, and makes us care.” —John Copenhaver, author of Dodging and Burning

And here’s another….

“A witty and thoroughly engaging page-turner that would make Lara Croft’s head spin. Gina Miyoko is a unique, sassy and very welcome addition to the top rank of fictional private eyes.” — Zoë Sharp, author of the Charlie Fox thriller series

YESSSSSSS! (as they say in the olde countrie)

Counting down to October!

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It’s Official! I Am Now a Mystery/Crime Writer!

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Yes, it’s true. I have sold my first ever mystery / crime novel to Pegasus Books—or rather my amazing and inestimable agent has. So, I have now stopped pinching myself and am ready to squee loud and long.

My first Gina Miyoko Mystery—THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER—will release on October 2, 2018 in hard back.

Let me tell you a little about Gina Suzu Miyoko. She’s five-foot-two, gamine, and weighs eighty-nine pounds in a soggy trench coat. The nickname “Tinkerbell” (or “Tink” for short) has followed her from high school. It’s hard to imagine her riding a Harley named Boris, or packing a baby blue Taurus .357 Magnum. She does both. She’s Gina Miyoko, private eye.

Gina’s is a highly functional if quirky family. Her Japanese-American father, Edmund, is a retired police detective. He’s also the chairman of a Bay Area Sherlock Holmes Society, chews the stem of a Meerschaum pipe that he never lights, and wears a deerstalker cap while reading the mystery novels to which he is addicted. Her mother—a professor of Slavic culture and folklore at SFSU—carefully maintains a thick “moose and squirrel” accent (thicker, Ed Miyoko claims, than when he met her) writes tragic poetry, directs a local theatre group, and collects materia magica from all over the world. This includes a vast collection of obereg (Russian for good luck charms) one of which she insists Gina carry whenever she embarks on a case.  

From these two characters, Gina has inherited a curious mixture of cultural and religious influences, a passion for law enforcement, and a penchant for Russian and Japanese arcana that gives her a unique slant on reality. Styling herself a Russian Orthodox Buddhist, Gina tells herself she’s purely pragmatic, but when it comes to pursuing a case, she hedges her bets—there is always an obereg somewhere on her petite person. Oh, and she wears a signature tattoo on her right hip—a Russian Orthodox Buddha.

She may look like a doll, but his exotic, Hog-riding, pistol-packing young woman is not to be judged by her stature.

Next time—more on Tink’s first major adventure.

 

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Sci-Fi Bridge Splendiferous Book Giveaway!

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Yours truly is involved in a new endeavor aimed at getting good books by devoted writers into the good hands of devoted readers thanks to Sci-Fi Bridge, a new online co-op of writers seeking readers.

Sci-Fi Bridge is dedicated to bringing you exclusive deals, new releases, and other exciting news from your favorite Sci-Fi authors straight to your inbox! In order to celebrate the Bridge’s recent launch, its Captains are excited to bring you the second of four massive book giveaways! There are FREE prizes available for all who enter between March 20 and 27, plus the chance for 5 winners to receive 30+ e-books from Sci-Fi authors of every stripe. 

1 lucky grand prize winner will also receive 30+ signed books, including two Star Wars Legends novels by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff (with the amazing Michael Reaves), books by bestsellers Rysa Walker and Jennifer Foehner Wells—as well as a full series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith, M. R. Forbes and Andreas Christensen—and many more! 

Enter here: www.scifibridge.com.