Hello again! Well, it's been six years since I've posted anything here and asked to talk to anyone who lived in Japan during the early 1950s because I was writing a novel set in that era. Guess what? My novel is going to be published on December 3rd, both in print and ebook!! It's a dream come true, and I'm excited, but terrified. LOL It's been through one major re-write (at the suggestion of an agent) and many changes, but the original concept remains. Here's the blurb about the story from my website:
It's the age-old struggle in Japanese culture: duty (giri) versus emotion (ninjo.) Tradition says duty must outweigh emotion. But the war changed everything, especially for women. The new democratic laws allow women to put personal feelings before duty. Against the wish of her secret heart, Miyoko is called upon to preserve the kumi, an ancient family covenant, or face disgracing herself, her family, and the memory of her father, who fought and died in the war. As the sun rises over the new Japan, mysterious undercurrents in the kumi drive her struggle to find an honorable way to balance both giri and ninjo in her new world.
My avatar pic, btw, is the earthquake doll my parents gave me when we lived near Sapporo. The parents of Toshiko, who worked for us, told us that these wobble-headed kokeshi were to warn people of earthquakes. I thought the doll would be the perfect metaphor for what happened to the first generation of Japanese women living in the post-war era at a time when their country faced its greatest upheaval. During an earthquake, the doll's base remains standing, but the head may be facing a new direction when it's over. I hope you'll be interested in reading The Earthquake Doll when it's published. If you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know.
