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Film Score Composer John Horner Killed in Plane Crash

It is very sad to hear that composer John Horner was killed when his light plane crashed yesterday, June 22, 2015. Many remember his scores for Avatar and Titanic, but over the last several weeks, with my headphones on, I had listened to his score for The Hunger Games and A Beautiful Mind as I worked on my latest novel. I was inspired by Horner’s music in writing many of the passages in my story....

23 June 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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A Woman Samurai in the Era of Genji

There were a number of women warriors in the 12th century, most of which appear in the Yamabuki series.

20 June 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Yamabuki’s Sword — historic blade from her era and her swordmaker

Few swords survive from the period in and around the Gempei War and Yamabuki’s era.

23 January 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence
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Quantity, not Quality, Time with the Muse

There is something to be said for just being there.

20 January 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence

The World of Taira no Kiyomori

As a big fan of Japanese television, I have watched more than a historic drama or two. It is a rather Japanese style to introduce historic dramas by showing the films of historic places as they look today along with artifacts and scrolls. Think Ken Burns and The Civil War, if you are American. The other day I presented a map of the Isle of Unknown Fire, which today is called Kyushu and it the southern-most of Japan’s four main isles....

20 January 2015 · Katherine M. Lawrence