The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 3,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 5 years to get that many views.
Chapter One
PROPHETIC DREAMER
He cried, it is both
a blessing and a curse to
know the awful truth…
–Tsuru no Megumi
The bird man flew low beneath stars that crackled like ice chips in the moonless sky. Expanding his wings, he glided on the jet stream, directing his flight a kilometer short of where the sandy embankment stretched on either side of the “Sea of Japan“. Dreading what he would find there, he closed his eyes and drew in a ragged breath while a single wish filled his thoughts.
Tonight, things will be different from all the nights before. Back the way they should be.
His greatest hope sprang from his greatest horror that the terrible revelations he remembered from previous journeys would turn out to be mere dreams dredged up from nightmares. Not a horrific foretelling of the future, as all of his most vivid visions always turned out to be.
Megumi Tsuru landed soft as a leaf blown by the wind. The current blew strong near the ground so it pulled his outstretched wings, snowy white with jet-black tips. The next instant, the fetid stench of dead fish, matted with decayed seaweed, assaulted his senses.
So it remains the same. He shook my head while anxiety washed over him like a dull film.
The voice of the sea thrummed in his ears. The gulls that chattered overhead seemed too loud. Still, he swallowed his sorrow, letting the crash of the waves soothe instead of annoy him while a different, yet familiar sensation burned deep inside his bones. It quickly blazed over and through him to the deepest regions beneath his feathers to the very tips of his claws and beak.
Moments later when he opened his eyes, he peered out from the smooth face–of a man. The warmth of a summer‘s night caressed his human body while an inner chill made him shiver.
He dug his toes into the sand, dry where it should be wet, next to a notched branch shoved into the sand when snow had covered the ground–over six months ago. He had put it there himself to mark the place where high tide used to hit the shoreline.
Now dried seaweed stuck cracked and black to the upper nodes of the branch severed from the sacred Sakai, the same tree that once hung with brightly colored cloth and a mirror to lure Sun from her cave hiding place millennia before.
From the defiled branch, Megumi made his way on foot toward the edge of the sea, his gaze focused on the sand near his feet. He could have flown, but he wanted to feel the tremors when they rumbled beneath him, shooting like a spear up his spine. The terrible sensation reminded him that this was more than a dream.
Megumi shook his head. The quakes grew in intensity each time he ventured to the devastated shore. Nothing could deny that.
He had read about a time, lost in the distant past, when the moon came so close to the Earth that it seemed the two colossal spheres would collide. From the account he had heard, the terrible phenomena caused cascading tons of ocean to eat away the shorelines, drowning everything that stood in the towering water’s path.
Most saw this event as pure mythology. But not Megumi.
The visions he saw now told of a time in the near future when the moon would take an opposite sojourn and slowly pull away from the Earth causing low tides to yank the oceans farther and farther away from the present shoreline. If this happened, the creatures of the sea would lie gasping for breath, helpless on dry land.
A grim smile tugged at Megumi’s lips. The meat eaters would find themselves stalking the shorelines for a mere glimpse of fresh food.
He shook his head in dismay. If things did not change for the better and soon, all of creation would face a slow agonizing death of starvation and worse. The Tribe of Crane included. But that was not the worst to come.
Pressure. Pressure.
His chest ached with frustration. The weight of what he knew, of what he must do squeezed like an invisible hand trying to crush out his existence–before the coming atrocities ever could.
He stopped at the edge of the sea, staring into the endless darkness beyond while cool salted water lapped around his ankles. Like a cold slap in his face, he could not get the image of the dried branch he had stuck in the ground or the heaps of dead fish piled up on the sand, reminding him that he must never give up his search for a way to stop it any of it from happening.
Megumi spun toward a mound of sand littered with decayed seaweed and fish carcasses. For one night, this bird had seen enough to make him miserable for eternity.
Head ducked low in determination; he trudged to the top of one rotten heap. Lifting his arms a wingspan apart the wind beat against his back, whipping his white hair, with jet black tips, into stiff, damp swirls. Nose tilted eastward toward the Brother Mountains, he took a running start. By the time he reached the edge of the dune his arms became wings spread open in flight…
***
In the Northern Province of Yamagata Japan, Mount Haguro stood the smallest of the three Brother Mountains. Nestled atop the summit the monastery slept. Tsuru no Megumi woke drenched in sweat. He felt the chill in the room as he slipped from beneath the covered sleeping mat.
Soft snoring drifted toward him. He paused, watching the sleeper beneath the colorful quilt. He wanted to wake his friend and tell him about the latest, terrible dream. Shojika would know how to ease the ache in Megumi’s heart even in the dark, cold hours before dawn. But courtesy would not allow him to disturb his friend’s precious sleep.
Head bowed in deep concentration, he turned and made his way through the darkened corridor of the living quarters. In his human form, man‘s feet pattered softly against the rice rush floors.
Situated at the backside of the monastery, Megumi stepped into the library where he spent long hours poring over ancient manuscripts of Nippon history and what others would call folklore. A place of profound peace, Megumi knew the library as a refuge from the insanity and chaos that the visions brought. Today, he went to there, desperate to find answers.
Tsuru no Megumi, “Crane of Mercy”, was the meaning of his name. And for the most part, he lived up to the title. With the abilities of a powerful seer since a very young age, he had grown accustom to knowing the future before it happened.
The outside world held in great demand one with such a “talent” as he possessed. But the over stimulation of attention he received in the past had almost driven him mad. It was the reason he now hid in the Mountains of Dewa where he had lived a quiet life—until the recent visions came to bombard his peace of mind.
He made his way toward cubbyholes that covered every wall, filled with rice paper scrolls. He stopped at a familiar niche.
A gentle slick gave way as he pulled a paper scroll loose from its slot and then made his way to a low-standing tea table. He knelt on a floor pillow tucked beside a tea table that sat beneath a round skylight, like a perfect full moon, that hung near the top of the high-beamed ceiling. Outside the window, the branches of a towering cryptomeria spruce scritch-scratched against the glass pane where the sun’s light had yet to rise.
Continued…
Enjoy!
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Is it possible to fall in love at first sight even if your crush is… a ghost?
Andean Hillstar cannot forget Hinata Jintori after she meets him through the magic of a dragon orb.
In Japan a secret society of magic exists. Hidden behind the world of humans. Populated with shape-shifters and immortals Where the son of a feudal warlord, with a heartbreaking past; a young woman, searching for the father she never knew; and the loss of an ancient talisman holds the secret to saving the creatures of the earth from a terrible fate.
Cherry Jewel is the exciting second volume in the epic fantasy adventure, Legends of the Hengoyokai that will leave you spellbound and yearning for more!
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During a time of civil war, Kenshi Sanada is born the son of a powerful warlord. When he is still a child, his family castle is taken by a rival clan. His father and mother are murdered right before his eyes. Barely escaping with his life, he is spirited away by the king of the tengu. The shape-shifting raven leads him to the hidden mountain retreat of a sect of mystic warriors. Mountain priests who practice the magic of Shugendo. Six years have passed.
The time has come for Kenshi to leave the mystic’s protective lair and face his demons in the world beyond. But the fiend that haunts his nightmares is also the one that shattered his life. More than a bad dream, it wants him dead.
In Legends of the Hengeyokai: Tengu Prince, nothing is as it seems. Shape-shifting creatures, both good and evil, populate the magical world of feudal Japan. And a young man could pay the ultimate price for a deadly rival spawned in the mists of time.
This riveting first volume of a epic fantasy adventure will leave you stunned and begging for more.
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/bpq6fz8
Hope you are all enjoying a perfectly frightful Halloween! Mu-ah-ha-ha!
Trade Paperback Version
Kindle Version
English: Downtown the Woodlands Texas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Hi everyone. It’s a lovely autumn day in The Woodlands, Texas. The cool weather is finally here and right on time for my birthday! YEAH!
Hope all of you are enjoying your weekend so far. I have plans for a birthday lunch with my son and his new wife. And then tomorrow, the festivities continue with a concert of Oktoberfest music at one of my writing buddy’s vineyard. Good music, food and fantastic wine. Should be great fun.
Here’s the link to my friend’s website if you are interested in ordering some excellent wine. http://www.bernhardtwinery.com/2012/
For those who are eagerly awaiting the publication of Book Two from Legends of the Hengeyokai, I am pleased to say that editing is going well on Cherry Jewel and that it should be available on Amazon.com as both a trade paperback and an ebook on Kindle by the end of November of this year.
Also, the first book in the series, Tengu Prince is available as a trade paperback and a Kindle ebook, both on Amazon.com. Look for the paperback under Legends of the Hengeyokai Book One Tengu Prince and on Kindle as Tengu Prince Legends of the Hengeyokai. At this time, there is a little mix up in how the title is being presented for the paperback and the Kindle versions. Sorry about that!
Have a fun and safe Halloween!
All the Best!
Halloween Costumes (Photo credit: Transguyjay)
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HI EVERYONE!
I’ve been out of the loop for a bit now, busy with the business of writing etc. For those following my book’s progress, it is pretty much decided that the local middle school is using my novel, LEGENDS OF THE HENGEYOKAI, BOOK ONE TENGU PRINCE as curriculum next April. I’ve been doing fine tune editing to make sure the book is ready for a teacher to read and teach to a class full of sixth graders. This is so exciting!
TENGU PRINCE has a new cover that I hope projects the theme of the story a bit better than the first one did. Also, I am fine-tune-editing book two in the series: CHERRY JEWEL. I hope to have it ready by this October, but a lot is happening now withTENGU PRINCE so not sure if I will find the needed time to spend on CHERRY JEWEL just now. It will be ready by April of next year at the very latest.
English: James Franco at the Austin Film Festival in October 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Johnny Depp at the Austin Film Festival in October 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am looking for an agent and plan to attend the Austin Film Festival next month. I have gone twice before and find it an exciting place to meet other writers as well as movers and shakers in the film industry.
Hope all of you are having a fantastic September! I wish all the best for you.
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HI EVERYONE!
I’ve been out of the loop for a bit now, busy with the business of writing etc. For those following my book’s progress, it is pretty much decided that the local middle school is using my novel, LEGEND OF THE HENGEYOKAI, BOOK ONE TENGU PRINCE as curriculum next April. I’ve been doing fine tune editing to make sure the book is ready for a teacher to read and teach to a class full of sixth graders. This is so exciting!
TENGU PRINCE has a new cover that I hope projects the theme of the story a bit better than the first one did. Also, I am fine-tune-editing book two in the series: CHERRY JEWEL. I hope to have it ready by this October, but a lot is happening now withTENGU PRINCE so not sure if I will find the needed time to spend on CHERRY JEWEL just now. It will be ready by April of next year at the very latest.
English: James Franco at the Austin Film Festival in October 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Johnny Depp at the Austin Film Festival in October 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I am looking for an agent and plan to attend the Austin Film Festival next month. I have gone twice before and find it an exciting place to meet other writers as well as movers and shakers in the film industry.
Hope all of you are having a fantastic September! I wish all the best for you.
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Just a quick note to say that I will be taking a hiatus from writing my blogs. My novel, Tengu Prince is under consideration for curriculum literature for several middle schools in my area.
I am also working on the sequel to Tengu Prince, entitled, Cherry Jewel, which is the second book in the trilogy Legends of the Hengeyokai. The release date for Cherry Jewel is October of this year.
Meanwhile, Tengu Prince is still FREE for a few more weeks. Just follow the link below and don’t forget to use the coupon code for your FREE copy at Smashwords.com.
Tengu Prince
FREE
for limited time!
In celebration of my beautiful daughter Shayla’s wedding this last Sunday, July 15 to Kyle Koerber I am giving my novel e-book away for
FREE
Here is the link https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54992
and here is the coupon code EC87Q.
Make sure to use the coupon at check out to get the e-book for FREE.
It only lasts until August 21, 2012 so get you FREE copy while you can.
Send your friends by for a FREE copy as well!
Here is the Prologue, an excerpt from the novel:
Prologue
SIBLING RIVALRY
Revenge is sweetest
when it is cold and bitter
like ice-capped mountains.
The tree’s skin ripped downward in reddish-pink strips that he dropped absently to the forest floor. The towering evergreens blocked out much of the night sky above where he systematically stripped the bark from the nearest trunk. Breathing in the scented wood, he felt light-headed–intoxicated with madness.
A chilled breeze rustled his robe as he narrowed his eyes toward the clearing beyond where a bonfire crackled and popped. Nearby, black bears, red foxes, cranes and all manner of forest creatures gathered at the foot of a moss-covered throne. Embossed jade ravens-in-flight seemed to glide across the backrest of the king’s chair.
A twig snapped and he turned to see a raccoon dog, its eyes glittering in the moonlight, watching him. Of course it was. That’s what the insignificant did. They watched their betters. They looked up from their lowly places near the dirt, lower than the dirt, and peered out to see what it was like to matter.
Without a second thought, he raised one hand. He felt the tingle of energy and power as a barb flew from the tips of his index finger toward one shining, black eye. The fluffy canine fell instantly to the ground. Writhing in agony, its bushy tail thrashed against the ground.
Ice cold, his hand fell to his side. He could not tolerate nosey creatures. It did not matter what their reasons were for spying. They should learn to keep their wet noses out of his business. It really was that simple.
When he turned back to the festivities, he saw Sojobo, correction, “King” Sojobo walking toward him–hand held up in greeting, a smile on his face.
A shiver of pure hatred tracked down his spine. He would not stand around waiting for his brother to gloat. That was something he could never abide!
Leaves rustled beneath his feet as he spun away in the opposite direction. He strode toward and through the wall of trees that lead into the deepest part of the forest.
He was never fond of his younger brother. Nor had he ever cared for any of them, but the king’s crown was his right as the eldest brother. The tengu should never have taken it from him.
A moment later, he peeked over his shoulder to see Sojobo standing in the same place he had just moments before. Torchlight glowed from behind the newly crowned monarch, making it look as if the sun had fallen into the forest.
The hatred he felt before now burned through his mind. He spun away and sprinted, his body tense as his newly formed wings picked him up and he flew above the cryptomeria forest.
One day he would return. One day he would have his revenge when Sojobo least suspected it. In fact, they would all pay for what they had done this day. The only thing that made any of it bearable was his knowing that when it happened, it would be a slaughter beyond imagining. He would make sure of it.
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Today is the 1st of February which means in two days it'll be time for Setsubun. Setsubun is the day which marks the start of the new season, though the most significant of these is the spring setsubun (or Risshun).
The spring setsubun is a chance for a fresh start, much like New Year's day it's a chance to stop the bad and usher in the good.
