Year: 2016
The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu – Review at The Dorset Book Detective
A brand new and very kind review of my first novel, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu, at The Dorset Book Detective. Thanks! A snappy thriller with strong characterisation and witty dialogue, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu is an entertaining read with as many plot twists as it has droll one liners. Tom Vater’s novel […]
Continue ReadingIs tourism in Thailand becoming unsustainable? – Interview in The Daily Telegraph
Gavin Haines at The Daily Telegraph on whether mass tourism on Thailand‘s holiday islands is sustainable as visitor numbers continue to go up. I get to put in my five cents worth. Read the full story here.
Continue ReadingHow I wrote Burmese Light – in InDepth Magazine
My account on how I wrote Burmese Light, the illustrated book by photographer Hans Kemp in InDepth Magazine. Read the story on pages 20-23. Or read it right here… It really hit me while I was walking amongst the giant stone ruins of the former kingdom in Mrauk-U, which ruled much of Burma from the […]
Continue ReadingVint Lawrence – CIA handler of General Vang Pao dies
I somehow missed the recent passing of Vint Lawrence, CIA handler of notorious Hmong General Vang Pao in Long Cheng, Laos, in the early 60s, who threw his secret agent career away to become a political cartoonist in Washington. Read an obituary and summary of Vint’s remarkable life here. Vint Lawrence is interviewed in the […]
Continue ReadingThe Man with the Golden Mind – Review in Looking For A Good Book
Great review of my second Detective Maier novel The Man with the Golden Mind at Looking for a Good Book, from 2014. Writers often hear the mantra “show, don’t tell,” but author Vater brings this to a new level. Rather than showing us what is happening, he brings us in to the environment and lets […]
Continue ReadingBangkok Noir: Crime Fiction in the City of Angels – Jonathan DeHart in The Diplomat
Jonathan DeHart writes an in-depth article on Bangkok crime fiction in The Diplomat today. Thailand’s capital is home to a vibrant community of writers exploring the city’s vast underbelly. Excellent overview of some the city’s literary forces. Great to be interviewed for this piece and wonderful to see Crime Wave Press being mentioned. Authors James […]
Continue ReadingThe Last Tattooed Chin Women of Burma – Rise Tattoo Magazine
My story on the last Chin women in Rakhine state in northwest Burma who have face tattoos is out this month in the French magazine Rise Tattoo.
Continue ReadingNepal Earthquake – One Year On
One year ago today I got caught up in the Nepal Earthquake. I was covering with 5th international Nepal tattoo convention with Laure Siegel and Dom Pichard. The first big quake took place as we were interviewing tattooists in the ballroom of the Yak and Yeti Hotel. We spent the next four days wondering through […]
Continue ReadingGeneration Democracy: Jerry Ink and the Burmese Tattoo Scene in RISE TATTOO
Laure Siegel reports on Yangon‘s tattoo scene and one of its shops – Jerry Ink. Photos by me and Rāj Hegde for French magazine RISE TATTOO this month. We had a great time spending a day with tattooists Jerry Api and Sweetz Sweetz. Big thanks to Mg Mg Tha Myint for the connect.
Continue Reading