New Edition Release!

I’m excited to announce a newly re-edited version of my sci-fi novel, now with a brand-new cover and bonus material!

The Story:

A recently deceased J-pop idol now harvests souls in futuristic Japan battling a VR demon with laughs, thrills, and romantic sparks.

In this ground-breaking coming-of-age adventure, 16-year-old Alice Suzuki is torn from the mortal world after a tragic accident. Assigned the role of a soul harvester, she must navigate the afterlife, reunite with her lost family, and uncover the truth about her missing love, Keiji.

Alongside her partner Vegas Jack, Alice faces yakuza drug schemes, dream-hunting demons, and a VR café murder that changes everything. Even if it means joining a J-pop group (despite not being able to sing), she’s determined to fight back.

Will Alice uncover the demon’s secrets?
Can she return to the living?
And will she ever find Keiji again?

The second movement of the literary symphony composed to shed light on my novel of the same name. It is this author’s hope that this work will introduce the reader to this other creative medium with which I am associated while serving as a tribute to the first book I published.

Featuring over 120 tracks, this work was miraculously saved after an accident left its future in doubt.

The first movement of the literary symphony “The Shadow That Endures,” is now available on all platforms. Please enjoy this alternative approach to the written word.

A review of The Nature of Kyoto in the Tokyo Weekender:

https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/books-literature-art_and_culture/writers-in-kyoto-anthology-5/?fbclid=IwAR20gELZTv7GokBJ_qpZnV0SYHRKrSpks5QYLVxailx0Q_Li8P7suvji604

Recently, I attended the release event of “The Nature of Kyoto” (Writers in Kyoto, Volume 5). For this book, featuring works by distinguished Kyoto authors, I contributed a chapter in which I recount a wild boar attack that happened a few years ago in our neighborhood (in the style of a samurai battle).

Support local Kyoto Writers by purchasing this new release today.

The snow had been so heavy in Kyoto that I had gotten stuck on a train the night before. Seeing the sun peeking between the clouds, I knew this would be my opportunity to film the Golden Temple covered with snow. Arriving at the train station, I found all the JR trains canceled, but the Keihan line was still up and running. Altering my course to Demachiyanagi, I transferred to a bus—which promptly got stuck in the snow. After a bit of wrestling with the wheel, the driver managed to get us on our way again. The walk to the shrine was a bit perilous, with a sheet of black ice covering the road. Wearing the wrong shoes, I was more skating than walking, which inspired the line in the poem that the trip inspired. Not happy with any of the royalty-free music available, I have put together an instrument piece to accompany the images.

The first novel I ever wrote was The Shadow That Endures, inspired by the books of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien that gave me my love of reading. Over the years, I’ve had occasion to write enough music for my book trailers and audio books that it has occurred to me that they might collectively form a more significant work. Additionally, readers might even appreciate another avenue for gaining emotional insight into the novels. Quite a while ago, I began writing a symphony to use for promoting The Shadow That Endures, and a few rough sketches were even used in the book trailer. I had made it as far as the third movement when the computer with the musical score and recordings crashed irreparably. The JPL computer engineer friend who tried to save it said I might have damaged the chips by crashing it repeatedly in my attempt to push the envelope of what was possible (the finished version of the First Movement has 93 tracks, the Second Movement has over 120). Rather than trying to desolder the hard drive, I set out to re-create and improve the ‘lost symphony,’ which is now available on Spotify and approximately 30 other streaming services. I hope you will enjoy this labor of love.

This musical composition can be found here:

The original fantasy novel, which inspired the musical composition is available here:

Now through August 28, 2022, a selection of my Kyoto seasonal poetry is being featured at the Musée national d’histoire naturelle Luxembourg in their wonderful exhibit, “Spirit of Shizen. Those able to attend will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of experiences including screening the following film in a specially made tearoom:

A mostly-true, sci-fi story about my recent travails with COVID and the metaverse. This short story mines the same philosophical vein that I pursued in the book More Than Alive. I find it interesting to take a factual story and take it into the realm of fantasy purely via the perspective of the narrator.

After many years of effort, we are proud to announce the release of The Shadow That Endures (Second Edition). This edition features new art from Peter Murphy along with thousands of content changes. In honor of this event, I have written an original composition that reflects the novel’s emotional landscape. Should The Shadow That Endures be made into an audiobook, this music will naturally serve as the central theme for that production.