The first movement of the symphony composed to shed light on the novel of the same name, is now available on all platforms.
Review: The Nature of Kyoto
A review of The Nature of Kyoto in the Tokyo Weekender:
The Nature of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5
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 Golden Temple In White
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 Shadow That Endures Symphony
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). 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:
Spirit of Shizen
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:
COVID ADVENTURES IN JAPAN
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.
The Shadow That Endures (Second Edition)
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.
A Habit of Resistance: The Audiobook
It is with great pride that I announce the release of “A Habit of Resistance – The Audiobook.” Read by British actress Amelie Edwards; you will experience this uplifting story in an entirely new way as she brings the characters to life with exceptional warmth and humor. In what must certainly be a rare feature for an audiobook, yours truly (the author) has scored the music for the project, allowing the readers to experience the actual emotional intent. Over six months in production, I hope you will consider supporting this worthy project. Available on Amazon and Audible today!
Liberté: Theme For “A Habit of Resistance.”
Recently, I have been hard at work, writing music for the audio book version of “A Habit of Resistance. Please look forward to this exciting new project in Fall of 2020! Here is a small clip of the main theme: