Naomi Hirahara, born and raised in Southern California, is the author of the Mas Arai mystery series, which features a Japanese American gardener and atomic-bomb survivor who solves crimes. The third book in the series, SNAKESKIN, won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original in 2007. Books in this series have also been translated into Japanese, Korean and French.

Naomi also has penned a middle-grade novel, 1001 CRANES, which was chosen as an Honor Book for the Youth Literature of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in 2009.

She then created the Ellie Rush mysteries featuring a female twenty-something LAPD bicycle cop.

Her latest book is ICED IN PARADISE, which just came out a couple months ago.

In addition to her Edgar win, Naomi has been nominated for multiple Anthony and Macavity awards, and the last Mas Arai novel in the series, HIROSHIMA BOY, was nominated for another Edgar.

Naomi and her husband Wes make their home in Southern California. Naomi served as chapter president of the Southern California chapter of the Mystery Writers of America in 2010.