Tag: Gina Miyoko Mystery

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Book Quote Wednesday! Oops … Thursday!

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Still celebrating last week’s release of the trade paperback edition of THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER starring the inimitable Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko, private eye. Daughter of a retired police detective and a Russian-American professor of folklore, Gina rides a Harley named Boris, packs a titanium blue Taurus Magnum, and has a lucky charm for every occasion.

THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER (Pegasus Crime) tells of her first major case in which she joins forces with her National Park Service agent friend to thwart thieves of black market antiquities. You can get your trade paperback copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble or a bookstore near you or you can get the eBook from all the usual suspects. The hardback release is also still available for those of you who like the fashion statement of a hard cover in a lovely dust jacket.

Over in Book View Cafe’s online bookstore, the prequel novelette, “Tinkerbell on Walkabout” is on sale for $1.99 if you purchase it directly from bookviewcafe.com.

“I’m still being followed.” Those were the first words out of Rose’s mouth when I reached her on her cell phone.


“Our reporter-archaeologist friend?”


“If it is, he’s changed cars. This one is a metallic green Chrysler LeBaron.”


I felt a shiver run through me at the mention of LeBarons. My last encounter with one did not conjure pleasant associations, mostly because I’d found a body in the trunk. I reflexively reached for my lucky Caddie wire, which was sticking jauntily out of my pencil cup. “Well, like you said—his cover was blown, so I suppose he might have changed vehicles. When did you notice this?”


“This morning, when I drove to the courthouse for the pretrial deposition with the Blankenships’ defense team. Listen, Tink, this guy—whoever he is—is a little more aggressive than our professor. I mean, maybe it is him, but . . .”


“What do you mean ‘more aggressive’?”


“I mean, pacing me in the left lane, pulling up, then dropping back, tailgating. Weird stuff.”


More shivers. “Close enough to get a look at?”


“Except for the smoked windows, yeah. All I can see is a silhouette with shades.”


“Where are you, Rose?”


“I’m still at the courthouse. I called Ellen Robb and told her about it. Tink, this has really got me spooked. I mean, the timing and everything. I’m supposed to go back down to Albuquerque for the trial in five weeks.”


“And you think someone is trying to dissuade you from doing that?”


“That’s what Ellen thinks. Listen, can you meet me at the NPS offices in about half an hour?”


“I’ll do better than that,” I told her. “I’ll meet you at the courthouse in ten minutes and escort you there.”


“Woo-woo!” she said gamely. “A one-Harley motorcade.”


“Don’t diss Boris. One Harley is better than half a dozen lesser machines.”


I sounded flip, but I was seriously worried.”

Excerpt From: Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, The Antiquities Hunter

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Book Quote Wednesday!

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I’m celebrating the February 11 release of the trade paperback edition of THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER starring the inimitable Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko, private eye. Over in Book View Cafe’s online bookstore, the prequel novelette, “Tinkerbell on Walkabout” is on sale for $1.99 if you purchase it directly from bookviewcafe.com.

“What’d he look like?”
“Like I could tell from that distance?”
I kept my narrowed eyes on her face.
She closed her eyes. “Dark hair, I think. He was wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses. Uh . . . well-tanned or dark-skinned. Slender. Tallish.”
“Ish?”
“Around five-ten, five-eleven.”
A titan in my little universe. “If you are being stalked, you need to tell someone. Besides me. Preferably your boss . . . or the police.”
“And if I’m not, I look like I’m paranoid. Not good for my professional credibility.”
I suddenly felt much less impotent than I had about two minutes earlier. “All right. The first thing we need to do is establish the existence and identity of the stalker.”
“And how do I do that?”
“We, Rose. We.”
She smiled. The first genuine Rose Delgado smile I’d seen for weeks. “How?”
I pulled my lucky Caddie wire out of the side pocket of my gym bag and twisted it around my wrist. “We turn the tables on him.”

Excerpt From: The Antiquities Hunter, a Gina Miyoko Mystery by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff

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Whence Gina Miyoko?

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Before I had quite finished writing the manuscript that became THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER (Pegasus Crime 2018), I penned detective Gina Miyoko’s genesis story, Tinkerbell on Walkabout, and posted it as a novelette on Book View Cafe.

Some of Gina’s backstory changed in the writing of the novel, so I reworked parts of the novelette, re-imagined the cover to be more in line with the one Pegasus gave to the novel and re-released it in anticipation of THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER’s trade paperback release in February.

The novel is also available in eBook format from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and just about any other online outlet.

If you want to know how Gina “Tinkerbell” Miyoko came to be a private eye, Tinkerbell on Walkabout (also available from Amazon), is my telling of that harrowing tale.

I’ll let you in on a secret: The original working title of my Gina novel was TINKERBELL AND THE FOURTH GOD FROM THE LEFT, which is a reference to an important work of ancient art Gina comes across in her adventure down among the Mayan ruins. Yeah, I can totally see how hard that would be to squeeze onto the cover of a book.

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Book Quote Wednesday!

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It’s Book Quote Wednesday, y’all!

It was a struggle not to roll my eyes. “Day in the life? Habits? And for that, you scare a woman into hiring a bodyguard?”

His brows ascended. “Bodyguard? Are you speaking of yourself . . . or the dog?”

As if knowing he had been mentioned, Hoho chuffed and wagged his tail harder.

Okay, now I wanted to help Rose punch this guy in the face whether he was telling the truth or not. “I’m a licensed private detective,” I said quietly. “The pretty blue gun is not just for show. I actually know how to use it.”

He gave me a direct look. “I have no doubt of that.”

Excerpt From: Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff’s “The Antiquities Hunter” in hardback and eBook from the usual suspects.

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Gina’s Oberegi – Say What?

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Gina Miyoko, Private Investigator (aka Tinkerbell) packs more than a spectrum blue Taurus to protect her. Thanks to her Mom, Nadia—who is a folklorist and cultural anthropology professor at San Francisco State University (SFSU)—she’s well-quipped with an obereg for every occasion.

Obereg? Is that some sort of breakfast roll, you may ask?

No, and I’ll let Gina explain.

This literally means “protector” in The Mother’s Tongue and, like the sweater and vitamins, is something Mom will not let me leave home without. Not that she’d admit to being superstitious. But with a PhD in Russian folklore, a fascination with arcana, and a vast collection of materia magica from all over the world, she views packing an amulet as a practical consideration. Better safe than sorry, yada, yada.
I reach into my jeans pocket and retrieve the obereg du jour — the smallest of a set of nesting babushka dolls that have spent some time under the altar at Our Lady of Kazan.

As if she does not trust a nesting doll to protect her daughter, given the dangers of her chosen profession, Nadia Eliska Arkhangelski Miyoko has also given Gina a Saint Boris medal. This is no arbitrary guardianship; Gina was born on Boris’s feast day. Besides the medal and the ”obereg du jour,” Gina also carries a wire from the taillight of an aging Cadillac that she credits with saving her life.

Gina’s dad, Edmund, occasionally gets into the act, as well. His solution to Gina’s security issues—a mingei (Japanese protective amulet)  in the form of a tanuki. Again, I’ll let Gina explain:

Now, anyone who’s ever become addicted to Mario Brothers video games knows that a tanuki is a cute little pot-bellied critter that looks a lot like a raccoon. In fact, tanuki essentially means “raccoon dog.” This is not to be confused, mind you, with Mario in a raccoon suit. The tanuki is an ancient and legendary bit of Japanese culture. Mario in a raccoon suit, not so much. The tanuki is a shape-shifter, so I suspected Dad thought this was an appropriate mingei for a private detective.

In addition to all of these protective devices, Gina often finds that her mother has gone to greater lengths to ensure her safety—sometimes with Holy Water.

I was surprised to see Mom standing next to Boris, apparently in conversation with it. She saw me, gave me a wave of her hand and continued on down the dock to her place. I surveyed the bike, wondering what she’d had to say to it, and if she’d managed to conceal any additional ‘backup’ on it somewhere. That was when I realized the candy apple red finish of the rear fender was dappled with beads of water. Mom was nothing if not thorough.

Gina would argue she’s more than thorough. When Gina notices the Holy Water her mom keeps in the refrigerator is diminishing, she is prompted to inquire….

“Mom, you been blessing things again?”
“Maybe.”
I closed the fridge. “Mom…”
She wouldn’t look at me.
“Mom, what have you blessed now?”
“Only your gun,” she said conversationally.
“Nadia!” Dad exclaimed. “You shouldn’t put water on a gun.”
She shrugged. “A sprinkling only. It doesn’t take much. It was a very small prayer.”

You’d think that with all this protection, the redoubtable Tinkerbell’s life would be danger free. You’d be wrong. But will she get into more trouble than “a perky little private eye with three amulets and a Holy Water blessing” can handle?

Read THE ANTIQUITIES  HUNTER to find out just how much trouble Gina Miyoko, PI can get into.

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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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Gina Miyoko, P.I.: Gina’s Gun

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Like many private detectives, Gina ”Tinkerbell” Miyoko carries a gun and is well-prepared to do so. Her favorite is a Titanium Taurus .357 Magnum (Model 617) in a delightful shade called “bright spectrum blue.” This nifty little revolver has a two inch barrel and fits neatly into Gina’s specially constructed fanny pack. It has a seven chamber cylinder (meaning it fires seven bullets).

The model has been discontinued, which makes it seem even more special. Possibly, Gina thinks, even special enough to name.

She’s taking suggestions.

Gina has a Level III Concealed Carry License, a black belt in the Hung Gar discipline of kung fu, a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and is a graduate of the Diamond Heights Police Academy. She spent three years on the San Francisco PD before resigning for Reasons.

What reasons, you may ask? You’ll have to read THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER to find out.

In weeks to come, I’ll post more tidbits about Gina Miyoko, PI.

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Gina and Boris (The Harley)

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Every private eye needs a cool ride to get them around. In THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER, Gina Miyoko’s cool ride is Boris, the Harley. Boris is a Cherry Red, 1983 Super Glide II.

Pretty, huh? Boris has been known to go through carburetors, so Gina keeps a spare on hand at all times and picks up refurbished ones whenever the opportunity arises.

She talks to Boris on occasion and has been known to speculate that if a person’s home has domovoi (which is a Russian word for the spirit of a house), perhaps vehicles have some sort of similar spirit—a Harleyvoi, or maybe a motovoi.

If you asked her point blank she’d tell you that was ridiculous, of course. ”I’m a pragmatist,” she’d say. “It’s Mom who believes all those old wives’ tales from the Motherland.”

Gina’s mom, Nadia, is a professor of folklore and religious history in the cultural anthropology department at San Francisco State University. I’ll write more about Nadia in the future, but suffice it to say, she also sees herself as a pragmatist … which she feels is ample explanation for why she occasionally blesses Boris with the contents of a bottle of Holy Water that she keeps in her refrigerator, carefully labeled, ”Holy Water: Do Not Drink.”

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Gina S. Miyoko, P.I.

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She’s five-foot-two, gamine, and weighs ninety-four pounds in a soggy trench coat. The nickname “Tinkerbell” has followed her from high school. It’s hard to imagine her riding a Harley named Boris, or packing a baby blue .357 Magnum. She does both. She’s Gina Miyoko, private eye.

After a disastrous engagement, quitting the San Francisco police force, and going walkabout in Gold Rush country, Gina has opened her own detective agency. Her usual cases involve suspicious spouses and worker’s comp fraud, but when her best friend, Rose, picks up a stalker, she hires Gina to help her figure out who he works for. Both women quickly realize that Rose’s work as an undercover agent for the National Park Service is far more dangerous than they knew. The stalker is connected to a black market antiquities case Rose is investigating—and he’s more than a stalker; he’s a hit man. 

When Rose is gravely injured in a murder attempt, Gina takes her place in an antiquities sting operation south of the border, and finds herself in a Mayan ruin deep in the wilds of Chiapas, pursued by a man she had come to believe was a friend.   

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In months to come, I’m going to post little tidbits about Tink on my blog, so please stay tuned!

Oh, and that interesting image accompanying this post? That’s Gina’s secret tattoo. You can read all about it in my first Gina Miyoko Mystery—THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER.

 

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Readings and Pre-orders

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I did my first reading from THE ANTIQUITIES HUNTER at BayCon in San Mateo over the Memorial Day Weekend and discovered a couple of things.

One is that there is a lot of crossover between the readership of SF & F and Mystery & Crime novels. When I announced the book release (remember October!) I saw folks excitedly writing down the information about the book—which is available for pre-order on Amazon right this very moment!

The other thing is that the novel works out loud! People laughed in all the right places, looked concerned for my plucky heroine as appropriate, and generally gave me their full attention and immediate feedback. Warmed the cockles of this writer’s heart. I suppose I do not need to tell you that I was tickled . . .  well, pumpkin, since I dislike pink.

I plan to read from the book again at WesterCon and possibly WorldCon if I am so privileged as to have a reading.

Jack o’ Lantern smiles all around.