Volume III | March 26, 2024 |
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By: Natalie Jacobsen, & edited by Max Hare Whoever coined the term "March Madness" got it right! This month has been a busy one for us. It started with a trip to Barbados, then the Oscars, cherry blossoms in DC, workshops, volunteering, Japanese Culture Day at the Library of Congress, preparing for major events at work, rooting for the Ducks (and yes, Beavers too!) in the NCAA, progress on Ghost Train, and some relaxing here and there. Thank you for your support this month! Best viewed on your Desktop. |
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FIRST LOOK: History of Magic in Japan
Ghost Train is primarily Historical Fiction, but that doesn't mean magic isn't present in the book. Japanese culture, religion, and folklore include touches of the fantastical, and magical. Learn about Japanese magic, how astrologers were used by emperors, and laws that banned practices over time at the link below.
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NEWS: Ghost Train is on Storygraph!
Do you have a Storygraph account? Then you can add Ghost Train to your digital bookshelf!
Click the blue button for its listing page, and add it to your "To Read" list. When it's released, share your review so other readers may get a sense of the book and choose to read it, too.
If you don't have a Storygraph account, but have a Goodreads account, you can add Ghost Train to your account here. Storygraph and Goodreads are especially important for new authors to connect with readers! Thank you for adding it to your list. | | |
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Recommendations: We will share our media recommendations each Newsletter. These are what we've recently been entertained by, and hope you are, too (can you tell we are a little excited for the upcoming Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire movie out on March 29?): |
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| | Book: Momo Arashima MG/YA, Book 1
Misa Sugiura |
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| | Show: Shogun Rachel Kondo
Hulu / FX |
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| | Movie: Godzilla (2014) Gareth Edwards Warner Bros. |
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A Debut Author's "What?" Interaction of the Month |
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Publishing a book has brought funny interactions with family, friends, my publisher, and complete strangers. Each newsletter, I'll share one with you—for levity. Earlier this month, I sent blurb requests to authors. This process is important for debut authors, as many need established authors for promotion and vouches. Blurbs may be published on a book cover, in a review, or inside cover to coax potential readers pick up the book. One agent responded on behalf of the author they represented with regrets, but did mention they "loved the premise of Ghost Train," and acknowledged they wish they'd seen it sent to them before. Well, they had received it. I queried that agent a year ago, and have their "pass" in a saved folder. |
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FOLKLORE FRIDAY: Every Friday, I introduce a character from Japanese folklore. If you don't follow me on Threads, you have some reading to do!
Read about symbolism of cherry blossoms, the god of the Moon, the story behind Hinamatsuri Day (Girls' Day), and more. | | |
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Max & Nat's Nit-Picks:
Each Newsletter, we feature a commonly misused word or expression and share its appropriate use. These words and expressions are inspired by real-life encounters we have had and that haunt us.
"I wrote 2000k words today!" Good grief! This person is saying they wrote 2,000,000 words!? In one day!? I don't even think ChatGPT can match their ability. They'd be bored as a courtroom transcriber. Oh wait, they probably just forgot what "k" stands for numerically. "K" represents "thousand," which eliminates the need to write out all of those zeroes. Instead of writing "2000k" to convey "two thousand," we just need to write the number "2" followed by "k," in this instance. "I was able to write 2k words today, and now I'm going to nap." Disclaimer: Please excuse any typos, misspellings, or grammatical errors; we understand that we avail ourselves to Muphry's Law when we nit-pick. |
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Media Memory:
Want to know the best spots to walk—or picnic—beneath cherry blossoms in Tokyo? Check out this list I made for Tokyo Weekender Magazine, and bookmark it for your trip!
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