Praise

"The Butterfly Café" presents a fully contemporary view of Japan, with vividly drawn complicated characters, while imparting fascinating glimpses of the country’s history. But most of all, it’s a
celebration of second chances and found families. Also, there are cookies. This is the novel I’ve been waiting for.

– –Suzanne Kamata, author of award winning "The Baseball Widow" and "Cinnamon Beach"

“The Butterfly Café" is a compulsive page-turner that radiates a warm humanity. It’s a tale that just may go some way towards restoring your faith in your fellow human beings in these troubled times.

– –Lea O’Harra, author of "Dead Reckoning" and "Sayonara My Sweet"

With engaging characters, and more than a sprinkling of Japanese history, customs, and family relations, "The Butterfly Cafe" is a great read.

– –Rebeca Otowa, author of "The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper and Other Stories"

Diane Nagatomo immerses the reader in Japanese culture in this page-turner about an American woman whose Japanese husband is killed, leaving her with his gambling debts and sordid secrets. "The Butterfly Cafe" is a story of loss, finding oneself, true friendship, and second-chance romance.

– –Muriel Ellis Pritchett, author of "Sour Grapes" and "Balmy Knight"

Diane Hawley Nagatomo’s "The Butterfly Café" is a lovely, engaging　romance full of twists, turns and surprises, as sweet as its title. Five stars!

– –Patti Liszkay, author of "The Equal and Opposite Reactions Trilogy"

"Finding Naomi" is a delightful novel by a skilled storyteller, Japan and the American Midwest blend seamlessly in this fast-paced modern-day fairy tale.

– –Karen Hill Anton, author of ”A Thousand Graces”

In Finding Naomi, Nagatomo whisks the reader from the neon-lit alleys of Tokyo to the windswept plains of Nebraska, getting all the details just right. I was rooting for Naomi all the way as she dealt with complicated family issues and small　town rivalries, and I loved meeting the well-drawn and sometimes quirky characters who surround her. Nagatomo’s second novel will satisfy existing fans and bring in new ones.

– –Suzanne Kamata, author of ”The Baseball Widow,” ”Candy Cane Crush,” and ”Cinnamon Beach”

Fresh off the success of her widely acclaimed debut novel, The Butterfly Café, Diane Hawley Nagatomo delivers another page-turner with Finding Naomi. Set partly in Tokyo and partly in rural Nebraska, the book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns as we follow the protagonist’s search for identity and happiness. As a long-term American resident of Tokyo, Nagatomo deftly details the striking differences between Japan’s megacity and the American heartland credibly and humorously.

– –John Rucynski, editor of A Passion for Japan: A Collection of Personal Narratives

Nagatomo once more skillfully weaves an engaging cast into newfound family, friends, and love. With small-town feels, character growth, and a satisfying story, I couldn’t put "Finding Naomi" down.

– –Lena Gibson, award-winning author of ”The Wish,” ”The Edge of Life: Love and Survival During the Apocalypse,” and The Train Hoppers series

Nagatomo’s latest work, "Finding Naomi," is for the interculturally curious, but also those who love a roller-coaster yarn. Furthermore, it is the kind of heart-warming book that makes you want to go home, hug your loved ones, and live happily ever after! Expect a few moist-eyed moments.

– –Thomas Lockley, author of ”African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrier in Feudal Japan” and ”A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court”

From Tokyo to the American Midwest, Nagatomo leads readers on a journey full of twists and turns through loss, betrayal, forgiveness, and love. Along the way she elucidates the sometimes-surprising, often-hilarious cultural differences between Japan and America, especially when it comes to romance and the unpredictable complications that result. "Finding Naomi" is a smart, entertaining novel that highlights Nagatomo’s many talents as a storyteller.

– –David Joiner, author of ”The Heron Catchers” and ”Kanagawa”

She’s only gone and done it again! In her second novel, Finding Naomi, Diane Nagatomo has once again crafted a tale bound to warm the cockles of your heart and bring a tear to your eye. Bi-racial Naomi has grown up in Japan not knowing her American father – or her mother, who committed suicide when she was a child. Learning her father has died and left her property in Nebraska in his will, Naomi makes her way to the States. As in all good novels, the trick is in the title. In discovering her American identity, Naomi finds herself–and happiness and fulfillment.

– –Lea O’Harra, author of "Sayonara, My Sweet" and "Dead Reckoning"

“Nagatomo’s delightful international romance, "Finding Naomi," bridges two cultures, asking the question: if given a chance to remake yourself, does love deserve a second chance too?”

– –Cam Torrens, award-winning author of "Stable," "False Summit," and "Scorched"

“Finding Naomi" is compelling blend of intrigue, romance, and cultural exploration that will leave you thoroughly entertained and enlightened.

– –Niamh McAnally, author of "The Writer on the Water" and "Following Sunshine"

Nagatomo’s finest work! Perfectly paced, romantic to the core, and culturally authentic, "The Making of Us" will make you laugh, bring you to tears, and tug your heart!

– –Cam Torrens, bestselling author of the Tyler Zahn suspense mystery series

Diane Nagatomo’s devoted following will be eager to get their hands on the latest offering of this prolific, talented author. "The Making of Us" is another tale of the twists and turns of fate that bring both love and disaster, happiness and despair, to the characters she so ably describes and whose lives enthrall us in this page-turner.

– –Lea O’Harra, author of "Sayonara, My Sweet" and "Dead Reckoning"

Nagatomo’s many fans will be delighted, as I am, with this latest offering, a warm and tender story about love in Japan that leaps over seemingly insurmountable obstacles and crosses cultures. A+

– Suzanne Kamata, author of "Cinnamon Beach" and "River of Dolls and Other Stories"

Diane Nagatomo has given us an emotional ride as we follow Rose in major cultural changes as well as love, loss and friendships. "The Making of Us" is one of those books you'll want to read more than once.

– -LeeAnne James, award-winning author of The Thin Blue Line Series

Nagatomo's story of unconventional family, friendship, and love in unexpected places has all the feels.

– –Lena Gibson, award-winning author of the Train Hoppers Trilogy and the Love and Survival series

Nagatomo's writing is vivid and compulsive, abounding with both elation and tear-jerking episodes. The true to life characters feel as if they should be real people. I couldn't put "The Making of Us" down.

– –Thomas Lockley, author of "African Samurai: The True Story of Yasuke, a Legendary Black Warrior in Feudal Japan" and "A Gentleman from Japan: The Untold Story of an Incredible Journey from Asia to Queen Elizabeth’s Court"