The Fourth Day of Kitsune – the Brief History and Use of Chopsticks
Today we will learn an important aspect of polite society — chopsticks! Or, as they are known in Japanese, hashi. Continue reading
Today we will learn an important aspect of polite society — chopsticks! Or, as they are known in Japanese, hashi. Continue reading
My non-fiction project on training is coming out! And here’s the cover, in full, glorious color: Continue reading
I don’t usually do a Wordless Wednesday post — for one thing, I’m pretty bad at “wordless” — but here are some fantastic pictures I collected for research and inspiration while working on Kitsune-Tsuki and Kitsune-Mochi. Click through to see so many pretty pictures. Continue reading
Kitsune are clever shapeshifters who can appear as a human. Today, we’re going to change our own appearances toward a kitsune costume. Continue reading
For the First Day of Kitsune, I’d like to share one of the oldest and most common folk stories about a kitsune. It’s a tale of a fox wife, similar to Western stories of fairy brides, and it features many of the key points in the kitsune legend. It’s also… Continue reading
Warning! Here there be spoilers, in great measure. Also, plot dissection and narrative breakdown. Continue reading
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays — but it wasn’t exactly popular during Heian and Kamakura eras in Japan, for obvious reasons. So here on the blog we’re going to celebrate Twelve Days of Kitsune, and each post we’ll discover a new folk tale, period foods, or other fun… Continue reading
At one point in Shard & Shield, a character is waiting for his treason to be discovered. He knows it is only a matter of time before he is identified, seized, tortured, and executed, but in the meantime he must go about his daily business as if nothing is wrong, as… Continue reading
You can find the two-hour panel “Japanese Folklore & Mythology: A Primer for Anime, Manga, & Film” at Anime Crossroads on Dec 8. Admission is included with con badge. We’ll talk about Japanese folklore, supernatural creatures such as tengu and dragons and kitsune, why it’s smart to fart at a… Continue reading
Someone on the NaNoWriMo chat group mentioned a technique in which a writer writes a pep talk from his or her characters. She said she had found it helpful. I hadn’t heard of the technique, but just the thought of it scared the snot out of me. Continue reading