"-The scenes were wonderfully evocative. They were intense, emotional, and held a deep sense of meaning throughout the story. Furthermore, there was good use of imagery made throughout, which helped to create a clear picture of what was happening in my mind’s eye." Ellie M., Goodreads
Tagline: A myth come to life may be worth far more than his freedom.
Will a former gangster dare to protect the elderly woman who antagonizes him? He must choose between breaking a promise to his parole officer or the old lady. Each choice carries a hefty price.
Umeji Tatsuya moves from Tokyo to a small town after leaving the yakuza, the Japanese mob. He knows all too well that his past can't stay buried.
‘Once Yakuza, always Yakuza. The tattoos mark you for life.’
Nakamura Hisako, the town’s beloved dowager, learns about Umeji’s past and tries to oust him, but Umeji just discovered her own long-held secret. If he keeps it for her, the cost is his recently regained freedom. If he doesn’t, Nakamura might have to leave her home, and he risks angering forces he barely understands… and barely believes in.
As the mundane and Spirit Realm intertwine, so do the modern-day and the Pre-Meiji eras. Centuries-old rivalries flare up again, and the past returns in the present. Umeji’s second chance is only the first step of his journey to discover myth, social redemption, and found family.
Rise is the first book in the Liminal Chronicles series.
GUEST POST
Greetings! My name is Amy Winters-Voss and I write urban
fantasy based on Japanese mythology. Today I get to share about the culture of
one of the places I love most—Japan.
New Year's Day in Japan
The big winter holiday in Japan is New Years. It's an
official government holiday and many businesses are closed from December 29th
through January 4th. It's a hectic but fund time filled with New Years office
parties, putting out special decorations such as a stack of rice cakes with an
orange or a bundle of pine and bamboo tied with straw, the annual cleaning of
the house from top to bottom, feasting on traditional foods, the temple bells
ringing in the New Year, giving kids a red envelope with cash, surprise bags
(where the contents aren't known before hand) purchased at retailers, fireworks
displays, watching the first sunrise of the year, and visiting the local shrine
or temple.
Why not the Lunar New Year?
Unlike much of Asia, Japan doesn't celebrate the Lunar New
Year anymore. Though it used to. Many aspects of China's scholarship were
imported to Japan about the 6th century—from the symbol based writing system to
the lunar calendar. That changed in 1873 when the Meiji Era government, in its
sweeping changes to modernize and be recognized by the West as a major power,
adopted the Gregorian calendar. Events were shifted to match. Thus, Japan
celebrates New Years on January 1st.
What about Christmas?
Japan doesn't celebrate Christmas like the west. It's not a
time of family gatherings, gift giving, and big holiday feasts. Instead,
Christmas Eve is considered a romantic day. It's not a government holiday.
Though, you'll can see Christmas light displays. And through a clever marketing
ploy, KFC became very popular on Christmas and Christmas Eve.
New Years Cards
One of the most popular traditions is sending New Years
cards, called nengajo, to family and friends, expressing gratitude to those who
have helped you during the year. The post office puts in extra effort to ensure
that these special greetings are delivered early on the morning of January 1st.
Let's Make a New Years Card
Even though Japan doesn't follow the lunar calendar any
more, they still enjoy reference the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. 2022
will be Year of the Tiger, so it will be a popular theme for cards. Mt. Fuji is
also a popular icon on cards.
I've collected a few designs from Freepik (one of my favorite graphics places) that you can download for free and print on cardstock.
Here are some of the common greetings in kanji and kana
(the Japanese writing system), a Romanized version so you can see how it's
said, and an English translation.
- 明けましておめでとうございます。[Akemashite
omedetou gozaimasu.] - Happy New Year
- 昨年はお世話になりました。[Sakunen wa
osewa ni narimashita.] - Thank you for all your support last year.
- 今年もよろしくお願いします。[Kotoshi mo
yoroshiku onegaishimasu.] - I'm looking forward to the goodness of our
continued friendship/relationship. (for relationship here, think work or
office).
If you are sending your card to Japan write 年賀 (Nenga) on it so the Japanese post office will know it should go
with the new year's cards. Cards sent to Japan should get to the local post
office by December 25th to be guaranteed to arrive on New Years Day.
What are your favorite New Year's traditions?
EXCERPT
“To make things worse, yesterday I heard
you’re covered in irezumi tattoos. Nonogawa may be in the sticks, but we all know
what that means here.”
I blink.
Why are little old ladies so rude?
“Well?
Are you?” she presses.
While I
deserve the disdain, I don’t want my boss to take heat for me. “Ma’am, the
community respects Satou-san. I’ll do my best for his sake.”
She
draws out the syllables. “You dodged.” As she crosses her arms, her sharp eyes
shift to a predatory glint. “If you won’t answer, roll up your sleeve. I know
yakuza ink when I see it.”
My head
swivels. Satou, where are you? Make your vicious aunt heel. She’s really
causing my hackles to raise, but I don’t want to do anything stupid. “Ma’am?”
In the
Hiragi clan, I was good at remembering names, because the alternative could be
costly. What did Satou say her name was? Oh yeah—Nakamura Hisako, the town’s
beloved matriarch. When I was yakuza, I would have never let a little old lady
corner me. But I’m caught flat-footed because I can’t use any of the
in-your-face phrases that bubble up to get her to lay off. I haven’t done a
damned thing to her. What gives?
So, I
take a deep breath. No attitude. “Nakamura-sama, it’s becoming more common in
the cities. People keep ‘em out of sight to avoid the stigma.”
As if
I’ll tell this biddy the full truth. Later, I can scream rebellion in gokudou
drawl all I want. But her outburst is the proverbial piano hanging overhead,
threatening to crash down on the little hope I have in this town.
At
twenty-four, I should have a high school diploma and a college degree or
employment experience. This is my only chance. Suck it up, Umeji. So, I bow
deep. “I apologize that my tattoos offend. If I could turn back time, I’d not
have done it. How may I help you?”
Harrumphing,
she turns on her heel with the grace of a ballerina, leaving me with some
serious heartburn. Hiro, my big brother in the Hiragi clan, had taught me to
ferret out everything that seemed out of place. How does an old lady move that
fast?
When I
finish stocking, I grab my baseball-style jacket with its embroidered fox on
black and gold silk and beeline it to Satou. Just my luck, his aunt beats me
there.
I wait
behind her and examine my shoes. Faint reflections of fluorescent lights show
on the tile floor.
“That
tattooed punk is bad for business.” She points, doubtless aware of how rude
she’s being. “He dares to flaunt his past wearing that rebel jacket, instead of
considering this store’s reputation. I’ve heard all manner of rumors. Mark my
words, Kazuo, people will stop shopping here.” Full-to-the-brim grocery bags
strain her arthritic knuckles.
While Nakamura’s concern is understandable, does she care that this ‘rebel jacket’ is the only one I own? I was fortunate someone dropped it by the penitentiary after emptying my apartment. My fists clench, pulling on the stitches from yesterday’s wound. Why does this town love her, anyway?
3 comments:
Sounds like a great read
Thank you so much for being a stop on my book tour Mythical Books!
And thank you Madonna! I hope you enjoy the story!
thanks this sounds interesting
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