The Secret Meaning of Blossom: a fast-moving spy thriller set in Japan
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So, I’ve put him in this book, or a character at least partially reflecting some of his attributes, and I dedicate this book to him, with apologies and thanks. Perhaps some day he will read this.
Takao and the author at the Sapporo Ice Festival, c.1994
Sources
Twice Booker Prize winning author Peter Carey wrote a short memoir called Wrong in Japan, recounting a trip to Japan with his twelve-year-old son who at the time was obsessed with manga and anime. This is a lovely introduction to these worlds, and an insight into and refresher of the delights and eccentricities (to the visitor) of modern day Tokyo.
On the same bookshop trip I picked up Japan Journeys by Andreas Marks, a beautiful book that connects some of the loveliest classic woodcut prints to specific places in Japan. Within this book you can find the renditions of places such as Ochanomizu and Yoshiwara as I’ve imagined on Fairchild’s prints. Descriptions of what these places are like now owe much to Google Street View.
In the black and white world of current affairs media, everything tends to be deemed either success or failure; if a country isn’t growing in leaps and bounds it’s “stagnating”. Bending Adversity by David Pilling puts Japan’s recent economic performance into context. It includes the observation, articulated by Takao in the novel, that GDP per capita is still growing while the economy itself may have shrunk – or just not grown very much – in response to population decline. It’s Pilling who quotes a visiting MP from the North of England, who, on seeing Tokyo’s bustling streets and busy shops, said “If this is a recession, I want one.”
The Code Book by Simon Singh was influential, particularly in its explanation of the development of current encryption standards and the underlying principle of multiplying prime numbers. It’s basically a history of codes and code-breaking going back in time – a fascinating read.
Researching crypto currency and related security, I read numerous blogs and articles and am grateful to PixelPlex for educating me on the role of hot and cold wallets and the features of blockchain technology. Bitcoin and Blockchain Without the Bull by Andrew J. Smales provided some valuable context to the current crypto hype from the perspective of a knowledgeable enthusiast. My online reading also took in the connections between crypto and criminality, the state of play with hackers, ransomware and the FBI, Bitcoin mining and a real example of the theft of electricity to this end, and numerous examples of international hacking groups and the tactics and language they employ.
More online research informed my depiction of the Japanese mafia, in particular their involvement in the pachinko industry; manga and cosplay generally, though the specifics were generally fabricated (including the themed restaurant in Akihabara); DisneySea (it wasn’t there when I lived in Tokyo, though I did go to Disneyland twice); travelling on a cargo ship (this is now on my list of things to do before I die); working on a cargo ship including the mechanics of launching a lifeboat and/or a rescue boat; how to escape from a building using bedsheets; whether satellites can see through cloud; how to email someone your location without using a computer’s operating system; and the location of the Minato US military base right in the heart of Tokyo. Other descriptions are generally from memory, and as ever, accuracy at all times was subservient to the demands of the story.
Thanks
A huge thanks to the contributions from my beta readers, those at Hidden Gems and also Chris Lewando, Julia Blewett and Snyman Rijkloff. Ryan O’Hara as ever has created a magical book cover. Thanks also to those people who have reviewed The Secret Meaning of Blossom – it’s hard to articulate just how much of a difference this makes. If you haven’t left an Amazon review yet, please do so, and consider yourself thanked!
Reborn (Clarke and Fairchild Book 1)
A fast-moving thriller spanning Hong Kong, China, Tibet and Nepal
Introducing Rose Clarke and John Fairchild, both outcasts of the British Secret Service, their differing motivations bringing them together, often in conflict, across the globe.
Recently disgraced Secret Service officer Rose Clarke is given one last chance to redeem herself by tracking down John Fairchild, a notorious mercenary who has developed a global network of informants and is suspected of trading British intelligence.
Clarke’s mission takes her to China where Fairchild has links with Jinpa, a Tibetan monk whose reincarnated identity is of huge political significance. Jinpa has to flee from the Chinese authorities when they discover his secret, and Fairchild follows to try and uncover the truth of his own past. Clarke risks everything to pursue them over the Himalayas, chased by the ruthless and powerful Chinese authorities determined to stop them.
Their perilous journey in extreme conditions will take them all to the limits of their mental and physical endurance and change them for ever.
The story is a fictional hypothesis featuring a real-life figure, the Panchen Lama, considered by Amnesty International to be the world's youngest political prisoner.
Reborn is available to purchase on Amazon here.
Moscow Honey (Clarke and Fairchild Book 2)
“In the Russian story, everybody dies.” So it’s often been. But a few strong people are determined to change their fate.
The Bear, a veteran Russian mafia boss, hopes for a peaceful retirement but is dragged back to Moscow when his son is seduced by the wealth and power of the corrupt Russian state. Ambitious MI6 agent Rose Clarke targets the Bear's mysterious daughter-in-law, but this results in a gruelling ordeal which leaves her heartbroken. Mercenary and rebel John Fairchild unlocks the secrets of his past and wakes a potent and cruel force lying dormant since the Cold War. In untangling a mystery he has unleashed a monster which threatens everyone he cares about.
As the iron grip of the state gets ever tighter, can they resist Moscow’s power, or will they all be obliterated by its ruthless determination to control everything?
Fans of John Le Carre, Daniel Silva and Henry Porter will love this story of oppression, control and a thirst for personal revenge hidden deep within one of the most secretive and corrupt regimes on earth.
“...undoubtedly a talented writer of many strengths...Parris crafts her work with authority and professionalism.” Matt McAvoy, MJV Literary Author Services
The Colours (Clarke and Fairchild Book 3)
Clarke and Fairchild are drawn to Monaco in pursuit of a traitor's fortune which includes the most valuable painting in the world. Forced to work together despite their differences, they find it increasingly difficult to trust each other, particularly when innocent people are drawn into the chase.
And they are not alone. The traitor Grom, an outcast from Britain and Russia, is ruthless in his determination to keep his assets while the Russian authorities are desperate to reclaim what's theirs. When a group of thieves sets its sights on the Monaco Freeport, the stakes get even higher. But nobody is who they first appear to be, and a bid for wealth and power becomes a fight for survival against a corrupt and wealthy elite.
Will Clarke and Fairchild succeed in ruining the powerful Grom before he can inflict his bitter acts of cruelty on more people? Or will their differences result in more lives being lost?
Book 3 in the Clarke and Fairchild series, The Colours brings together the themes of offshore money laundering, fine art, and the millionaire lifestyle in the lush setting of the French Riviera. If you enjoy John Le Carre, Daniel Silva and the Bourne films, you'll love MI6 spy Rose Clarke, information mercenary John Fairchild, and their world of secrecy, deception and betrayal.
Buy The Colours here.
Trade Winds
Trade Winds is a short story which features John Fairchild from the Clarke and Fairchild series of political thrillers of which this is the first, Reborn. Trade Winds takes place before Reborn, in which Clarke and Fairchild meet. It’s set in the Philippines and is a typical episode in the life of the enigmatic John Fairchild showing how he operates, who his friends are – and aren’t – and what motivates him to operate in the dangerous a
nd morally murky world of international spycraft.
Trade Winds is available as a free download to members of the Clarke and Fairchild Readers’ Club. You can join the Readers’ Club here and claim your free story. As a member you’ll also get other offers, and I’ll let you know when the next in the Clarke and Fairchild series is out as well as sending out other offers and updates. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Crusaders
In cosmopolitan Zagreb, deep feelings of resentment and betrayal linger years after the bitter Balkan war. Tihana wants to live quietly, but within hours of a chance encounter finds herself on a dangerous path with no way out. Ambitious and committed MI6 officer Rose Clarke should have everything under control, but events slip from her grasp with horrific consequences.
A dark, atmospheric prequel of around 9,000 words featuring Clarke's final placement before she embarks on her desperate mission to regain favour in Reborn, the first novel in the series.
Crusaders is available as a free download to members of the Clarke and Fairchild Readers’ Club. Join here! I’ll also let you know when the next in the Clarke and Fairchild series is out, as well as sending other offers and updates. And, as mentioned above, you can unsubscribe at any time.
About the author
After graduating from Oxford with a history degree, T.M. Parris taught English as a foreign language, first in Budapest then in Tokyo. Her first career was in market research, during which she travelled extensively to numerous countries and had a longer stay in Hong Kong which involved visiting many of the surrounding countries. She has also taken sabbaticals for a long road trip in the USA and to travel by train from the UK through Russia and Mongolia to Beijing and around China to Tibet and Nepal.
More recently she has played a role in politics, serving as a city councillor in Brighton and Hove on the south coast of the UK.
She currently lives in Belper, a lively market town near the Peak District National Park in the centre of England.
She started writing seriously in 2011. She published her first novel, Reborn, in 2020, the first in a series of international spy thrillers. She is drawn to international settings and the world's most critical political issues, as well as the intrigue, deception, betrayal and secrecy of clandestine intelligence services.
Crime and action thrillers are her favourite book, film and TV choices. She occasionally plays the trumpet or the Irish flute. She enjoys walking, running, cycling and generally being outdoors in beautiful countryside, as well as cooking and baking and, of course, travelling.
Email: hello@tmparris.com
Facebook: @tmparrisauthor
Twitter: @parris_tm