Murder at Manzanar follows a private eye with a knack for finding things others cannot who ends up uncovering more than he anticipated. What was your inspiration for the mystery that must be unraveled?

2022 was the 80-year anniversary of the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II. I had been reading quite a bit about it and wondered how I could weave it into a story. As part of my research, I came across how many Japanese families had to just walk away from their homes and businesses never to see them again because of unscrupulous people, who conned them out of everything they owned. They were only allowed to take what they could carry when they were dispersed to various camps around the country. It wasn’t until 1990 that the US government paid out reparations to those who survived the internment camps. I thought about how interesting it would be to see how one Japanese family was conned out of their business and how the wrong came full circle to the detriment of the person who stole it.

How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing, or did it develop organically?

It developed gradually and I had some input from one of my Tai Chi students who happens to be a Buddhist priest she told me about a story that she thought would be interesting for a book and I asked her if I could use part of it and she gave me the permission to do so. From there the story took on a life of its own and I just put down on paper.

Was there a reason why you chose this location as the backdrop for your story?

The backdrop for my story is pretty much the same as all of the Polish Dragon P. I. stories. They, mostly take place in Northeast Ohio where I was born and raised. On occasion, Tom or Suzie may travel away from Ohio but always return to their home state. I like to share little tidbits about where I grew up. People don’t realize what a great place Northeastern Ohio is to live in. Things have changed over the years and Cleveland is a top vacation destination. It even has quite the food scene for all of you foodies out there. Right now Cleveland has three chefs who were named semi-finalists for the James Beard award. Time magazine calls the James Beard award the Oscars of the food world.

I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers next time? 

The story has continued with two more novellas following Murder at Manzanar. They are The Dragon is Missing and Finding Ami. In these two books, Suzie gets more of the spotlight, especially as the first title states Tom ends up going missing and Suzie must find him. In Finding Ami, she has to do a lot of the work because, well let’s just say Tom was out of the picture. I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I like writing them.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/01/28/took-on-a-life-of-its-own/