The Fifth Day of Kitsune — Dining with the Daimyou
Today we’re going to have a meal with the oyakata-sama and okugata-sama, the lord and lady of the household. Have you been practicing with your chopsticks? I hope you’re hungry!
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.
Cover Reveal! Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out
My non-fiction project on training is coming out! And here’s the cover, in full, glorious color:
The Third Day of Kitsune – Wordless Wednesday kitsune images
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.
The Second Day of Kitsune — Shift Your Shape with a Kitsune Costume
Kitsune are clever shapeshifters who can appear as a human. Today, we’re going to change our own appearances toward a kitsune costume.
The First Day of Kitsune – a folk tale
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 a story the village girl Murame hears in Kitsune-Mochi, which prompts her to do some deep thinking….
Storylines and Plot Beats – Rise of the Guardians
Warning! Here there be spoilers, in great measure. Also, plot dissection and narrative breakdown.
Twelve Days of Kitsune!
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…
Things To Do While Waiting To Hear Back From an Agent
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 if he fears nothing, as if his entire world does not hang by a Damoclean thread.
I might have researched and prepared for writing such a state by sending off a manuscript for consideration.
Catch a Kitsune at Anime Crossroads!
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…