Spann, Susan: - Susan Spann is the 2015 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Writer of the Year and the author of six previous novels in the Shinobi Mystery series: Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, Flask of the Drunken Master, The Ninja's Daughter, Betrayal at Iga, and Trial on Mount Koya. She has a degree in Asian Studies and a lifelong love of Japanese history and culture. When not writing, she works as a transactional attorney focusing on publishing and business law, and raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium.