By Ken Mammarella 
Contributing Writer

On her first date with Kent Matsumoto, the man who’s now her husband, Constance Hays Matsumoto learned about his parents and decided that more people should know about teenage experiences these Americans had during World War II. His mother had been sent to incarceration camps thousands of miles from her Hawaiian home. His father had been conscripted to work in a rifle factory in Hiroshima, Japan, and he witnessed the city’s nuclear devastation.

It just took 27 years, false starts involving two experts (one in Maryland who wrote nonfiction, another a documentarian in California), the willingness to close her interior design business to create time for the project and her gumption to write a book – something that she had never done before.

“From the moment I met Kent, I have always believed that his parents’ stories were remarkable,” she said in an interview from the Greenville home that she and Kent share with Mister, a West Highland terrier. “I thought it was remarkable that his parents suffered the worst of the Japanese-American experience during World War II on different sides of the ocean. I also thought it was remarkable that they were able to put those traumas behind them and raise three kids to love this country as much as they do.”

Of White Ashes involved a lot of research into history, including more than 120 books, films, articles and documents, yielding spreadsheets than ran 176 pages and flip charts that were 2½ times as long as her kitchen island.

It involved research into writing, through classes, workshops and other events.

It involved travel “through the lens of writing a book,” including the bomb shelter Kent’s father and uncle had dug and other spots in the lives of Hisao Matsumoto and his wife, Reiko Odate Matsumoto.

And it involved overcoming emotions. “After my mother-in-law has been gone for a year, in addition to really missing her, I was grieving that this book had never been written,” Constance said. “I told Kent, ‘I’m going to close my business, and I’m going to write this book. I’m going to devote my full-time efforts to it, and I want you to come along with me on the journey.’ ”

The backstory

The result is a 375-page novel by the couple that was published in 2023 by Apprentice House, the nation’s only student-staffed publisher, directed by industry professionals and professors at Loyola University in Maryland. 

The Matsumotos promote the book on www.matsumotobooks.com and through about 75 events over the last three years. 

It was a silver winner in the historical novel category of the Benjamin Franklin Awards, presented by the Independent Book Publishers Association. The award, in turn, led to another book. How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History is due in 2026.

Lauren Kelliher met them at the awards ceremony. “I attended the 2024 IBPA Benjamin Franklin awards representing White Deer Publishing as managing editor of How2Conquer. After an exciting win and nerve-wracking public acceptance speech on behalf of our author, I headed to mingle at the conference hotel bar. As I sidled up to a promising spot, golden-boxed award in arm, a couple graciously turned and offered to get the bartender’s attention on my behalf. 

“We exchanged stories, and they told me about making the award-winning historical fiction novel Of White Ashes. Professional and personal curiosity grew as I asked more questions, learned more of Kent’s family story that inspired them, and Connie told me of her big binder of notes with a pink cover titled ‘How to Write a Novel.’ I declared, ‘Connie, that’s a book,’ and urged her to think about writing it all down for other first-time writers. …  

“Our How2Conquer imprint publishes nonfiction books written by experts in a variety of fields and designed to empower readers as they master new skills. We have worked with a range of authors who all have one thing in common: the desire to share their knowledge. ... Her commitment to bringing life to historical events has infused the process with hope and gratitude.”

A love of books

Work on Of White Ashes also led to leadership in the writing and publishing fields. “I’ve always believed in being a good literary citizen,” said Constance, who also enjoys reading historical fiction. “That means I’m involved in a community of writers, publishers and book lovers.”

She led the expansion of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Women’s National Book Association into nearby states, and she now serves as president of the mid-Atlantic chapter. She’s also a member of the Authors Guild, Eastern Shore Writers’ Association and Historical Novel Society. Previously, she served on the board of the Maryland Writers’ Association and as president of the Baltimore chapter, and as an advisory council member and chair of the Working Group on Nuclear Issues for the International Center for MultiGenerational Legacies of Trauma.

Constance was born in Baltimore, Kent in Arlington, Va. They met in Baltimore through work, she working in organizational training and he working as a lawyer. On their first date, he sketched the family history. His mother was born in Hawaii, the daughter of a Buddhist minister and a woman who died in childbirth when Reiko was in fourth grade. 

“Born in California, his father moved to Hiroshima, Japan, when he was a baby,” J.K. Knauss quoted Constance on Historicalnovelsociety.org. “He was 16 years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on his city. Miraculously, he survived. Feelings of terror, injustice and inadequacy stirred inside me, trying to imagine the unimaginable.”

The book’s title began as Gaman, but they didn’t get positive feedback about the term, which a glossary at the end of the book defines as “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” It was next From White Ashes before settling on Of White Ashes.

“The title was inspired by the writings of Rennyo Shonin, a Buddhist who lived in the 15th century,” Constance said. “Shonin wrote ‘Letter On White Ashes,’ which addresses the fleeting nature of life. White ashes refers to the Buddhist tradition of cremation, how ‘we may have radiant faces in the morning, but by evening we may turn to white ashes.’ ”

Modest lives

Kent said that his parents shared little about the childhood experiences that inspired this historical fiction and late in their lives declined to go further with a book written by someone else and a documentary. His mother opened up more to Constance.

While finishing the book during the pandemic, they moved from the Baltimore suburbs to Greenville, drawn by what Constance said included the quality of life, access to good medicine and “a welcoming and safe community.”

The book gives the main characters different names, and “We used our creative liberties and our imaginations to fabricate scenes to move from one significant event to another,” Constance said. 

All those experiences showcase “the humanity that we want to bring forth,” Kent said.

“We hope our readers will feel the power of injustice and nuclear destruction, be reminded of the fragility of our country and our world, and consider the importance of focusing on what unites rather than divides,” Constance said on “Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.”

“We really wanted to leave a legacy for my parents, who were very modest. They lived modestly. They spoke modestly,” Kent said, yet they had survived the world-changing events of the Pearl Harbor attack and a nuclear bomb.

“If you get down to it, Of White Ashes is a love story,” he said. “Not only a love story between my parents, but also a love story of their love for America.” And, as they have been told, it’a also a love story between Constance and Kent, because they persevered together to create it.