Manga I love ... Skip Beat

How awesome would it be if you had ghostly minions that could scare the crap out of people? Skip Beat!, by Yoshiki Nakamura, is probably my most favorite manga ever, and one of the few I am still following. 

First published in 2002, it's about Kyoko Mogami, a 16-year-old girl motivated by revenge and sworn to never love again. Damn Shotaro, the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart! He is a jerk you will love to hate, and admittedly the story gets a lot more interesting when he's involved. The plot is a little weak, but apparently the only way to truly get revenge on Sho, a major pop idol, is to make it in the entertainment business. And to do that, Kyoko changes her look and becomes an actress. And then comes Ren/Corn, the real love interest, and a bunch of unresolved history and it all gets a little twisted. 

Kyoko keeps her minions in a metaphorical "Pandora's Box," locked up in her psyche until she gets angry. Then her little demons come out to play and threaten and scare the offender, although only one other character in the manga is able to actually see them. Most just feel an overwhelming, evil aura.

Like many manga, Skip Beat! can be a bit tedious to read at times. Things are drawn out but it's so worth it because it's freakin' hilarious. Kyoko is a good girl but very naive and has an overactive imagination. She fantasizes about princesses, mermaids, and of course, demon kings. 

I watched the anime, and also saw a Korean live-action version. They've only made one season but it was great. The actresses and actors were well chosen, and adds to the characterization from the manga. The theme song is one of my favorites as well. 

 Toward the end of every month I get totally antsy as I wait for the email telling me the next Skip Beat! has been released. Then I text my sister "SKIP BEAT TIME!!!" and we read it in 5 minutes and then compare notes. 

So you should totally read this shojo manga. If nothing else, I'll feel better knowing others are suffering with me as we wait for the next month's scans. Oh, and please support the mangaka, people.

Jess

"That's why I hate love so much. It is because I know precisely how low humans will fall. To become so weak and helpless."
Kyoko Mogami, Skip Beat!, Chapter 202

Samhain

October marks one of my very favorite times of year. Not only are the mornings chilly, the weather beautiful and clear, but the mosquitoes are in their last throes and All Hallows' Eve is upon us. The history of Halloween goes back many centuries, possibly beginning with a pagan holiday called Samhain. Samhain (pronounced sow-en) is one of four ancient Gaelic seasonal festivals and marks the end of the harvest season. In the 9th century, the Roman Catholic Church shifted All Saint's Day to November 1st, thus renaming October 31 as All Hallows Eve, and later on, Halloween. 

During Samhain, it was believed that both good and evil spirits were able to cross over and visit the world of the living. Deceased family members were honored and given a seat at the table during feasts. Conversely, precautions had to be taken to keep evil spirits away, so people wore disguises, carved turnip lanterns and lit special bonfires to help guide spirits back home. 

This turnip jack-o-lantern has a creepy-ass face, am I right?


In addition to the ghosties, those who celebrated Samhain had to worry about the freakin' fairies as well. The fae were also more active, causing mischief and even kidnapping humans. Superstitious folks would carry iron or salt, and fairy mounds were avoided.  

I've read more than a few YA books that capitalize on the lore and general creepiness that is Halloween, certainly with varied levels of success. I even read one where the alter love interest was this weird dude named Sam. I can't remember what happened in that book, but yeah, it pretty much sucked. It's like a YA trap, something us aspiring authors just can't resist, like school dances and mean girls. It's 'cause it's what we like to read about, too.

Halloween has changed a lot in the last 100 years. Even in the time since I was a kid, it's become so much bigger and more commercialized. If it didn't have such a dark stigma attached to it, I think it would be more celebrated than Christmas by now. But most people don't know or appreciate the history. So seriously, honor your loved ones that have passed when Halloween comes around. And watch out for fairies. We all know they're freakin' evil.

Jess


“I was born on the night of Samhain, when the barrier between the worlds is whisper-thin and when magic, old magic, sings its heady and sweet song to anyone who cares to hear it.” 
― Carolyn MacCullough, Once a Witch

Blood Moon ... Mwah ha ha

I first ran across the term "blood moon" when I was researching the history and mythology of the moon. It's a dark and sinister combination of words. You can just imagine all the awful things that might happen during a blood moon, right?

The blood moon AKA hunter's moon AKA falling leaf moon, is the first full moon after the harvest moon, and usually falls in October in the lunar calendar. Naming each month's moon became popular in American folklore, and was attributed to the native population. The blood moon was named so for several reasons. The leaves were falling from trees, the animals were fattened, and it was time to begin storing up meat for long winter (meaning, it was time to decide which animals would be slaughtered). Also, because the fields were harvested and cleared in late September (thus, the harvest moon), hunters could easily see animals that came to scavenge the fallen grains. Because of the looming winter, the blood moon was celebrated, and was traditionally a day of feasting in many Native American tribes.

Apparently, a blood moon can also refer to the red-colored moon often observed during a lunar eclipse. Of course, the reddish hue results from the refraction of sunlight and depends on the amount of dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere. That being said, there are blood moon prophecies running rampant on the internet due to the fact that there will be four total lunar eclipses in the next 2 years, dated April 15 and October 8, 2014 and April 4 and September 28, 2015, leading some to believe that the apocalypse is coming or some shit. 

I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm sure as hell not gonna worry about it. But it is interesting that as soon as I read about the full moon in October and the blood moon meaning, I started seeing the term everywhere, most recently on an episode of "Sleepy Hollow." So maybe I was hyper-aware of it so I noticed it more, or maybe it was a coincidence, but maybe its that darn collective human subconscious arresting my attention, tempting my fate, and forcing my hand. To what end? As I write this it is still a mystery ... but I can say that last night's blood moon was uneventful, at least for me.

Jess

“And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Joel 2:30-31

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Moon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/
The Bible

Mistborn Trilogy

Seriously ... Brandon Sanderson is a freakin' literary genius. Compared to the wonderful YA drivel I usually read, the Mistborn Trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, is like reading Shakespeare. 

I usually don't read real fantasy novels. I consider myself a different kind of nerd, but my brother convinced my sister to read it, and my sister convinced me. The books total just over 1000 pages, but it was an investment well worth my time.

I enjoyed reading The Final Empire so much, with its' barren, ash-covered landscapes, terrifying dictator, strange, metal-based abilities and freaky but fascinating creatures that I stopped myself from starting the next installment. I paused for about a week to reflect on what I had read, especially the cataclysmic event that occurs near the ending (I was so not expecting that! You are messed up, Mr. Sanderson.). I started The Well of Ascension when I felt prepared to once again leave reality and dive back into Sanderson's world.

Romance in a story is essential to me, and in this series the romance rates as just a "meh." But it didn't matter. There was some, and Vin, the female protagonist, got to kill his ex. Awesome. More importantly, down with the Lord Ruler and his dogs, the Steel Inquisitors. I hate a predictable story line more than anything, but the twists and turns in the plot of the Mistborn series will surprise you, just as it surprises the characters.

Its amazing to me that one of the criticisms of this trilogy is that everything is wrapped up too well. Every lose end, every side plot, all of it has explanation and closure, wonderful closure. Seriously, how did he do that? He had to have written all three books at once, and then nearly finalized each before publishing the first one. But even if that's true, how did he do that? The forethought, foreshadowing and execution is truly a literary feat. He must have a team of super editors complete with super editor powers and super editor tights working around the clock. That is the only plausible explanation.

Truly, this is one of the best series I have read, ever. It is not to be missed, people. Thanks to my sister for encouraging me to read this series. And thanks to my brother for encouraging her to read it. And your welcome.

Jess

"Belief?"
"Yes," Sazed said. "Tell me, Mistress. What is it that you believe?"
Vin frowned. "What kind of question is that?"
"The most important kind, I think.” 

― Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire

Linkin' Park

I enjoy angry music. You would assume I enjoy it when I'm angry, but that isn't necessarily the case. I enjoy it pretty much always. Once in awhile I prefer moody, dark music or just plain sad stuff, but generally, I like screaming and self-deprecating laments. This is probably why Linkin' Park is my favorite band ever. They've even topped U2, who, along with Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, was my favorite when I was in high school. I know, I know, my age is showing. I'm old, people. 

Over the years Linkin' Park's musical style has evolved and changed dramatically. The first three albums rock and are filled with anger. In the especially poignant songs, the lyrics center around a very dysfunctional relationship, which resonates with pretty much everyone on the planet. 

Linkin' Park's musical style is, in my opinion, the most successful example of the rock/rap combination. The back and forth dynamic between the Chester Bennington, who sings/screams, and Mike Shinoda, who raps and plays piano, is performed flawlessly and sets them apart from other (and I hate this term) "screamo" bands. 

Their last few albums are much more mellow, which is a sore point for many original fans, but I've enjoyed all their music, and I mean all of it, and I never get tired of it. My children have been indoctrinated as Linkin' Park fans by sheer proximity (they never had a chance). When my twins were babies they had colic, and we would play Meteora to startle them out of their crying so they would go to sleep. More recently, I had Minutes to Midnight in my car CD player for over a year and listened to it each and every time we drove anywhere. 

I have a few favorites of their lesser known songs, one of which is The Little Things Give You Away. The lyrics combined with the melody is heart-wrenching. I also really grew to love the Reanimation CD, which is just a remix of Hybrid Theory, but many of the songs are actually better, which you don't often see with remixes. P5HNG ME A*WY is one.

I've been lucky enough, even though I live at the ends of the Earth, to see them in concert twice, and it was just awesome. By using the word awesome, I'm dating myself again, aren't I? Well, as my mom likes to say, it is what it is. I have no apologies about being a geeky old Linkin' Park fan. 

Jess

P.S. I realized my affinity for angry music is probably why I still rock out to Limp Bizkit. "Break Stuff," "Rollin'" and "My Way" make me oh so happy when then pop up on Pandora.


Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I’m about to break
I need a little room to breathe
Cause I’m one step closer to the edge
And I’m about to break
Shut up when I’m talking to you
Shut up, shut up, shut up
Shut up when I’m talking to you
Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up
I’m about to BREAK

-One Step Closer, Hybrid Theory

RANDOM! Odontophobia

As I grow older I have realized that I have a proclivity to suffer from various psychological disorders. I believe the potential to become a raving lunatic at some point in our lives exists in all of us (happy thoughts!). For me, I'm borderline obsessive compulsive about certain things, for instance, the spoons and bowls my children eat cereal out of each morning have to match. Also, when I'm highlighting something, it needs to be a perfect rectangle, or I may throw it away and start over, despite my guilt over wasting paper. Anyway, I don't think I'm there ... yet. Give me 15 years or so and I may be on medication. 

There is a phobia I can say with certainty that I suffer mildly from, and that is odontophobia, the fear of teeth and/or dental procedures. And its really not the dental procedures that bothers me, as one would assume. No, it's actually the teeth. And not teeth in general, but teeth that have fallen out, or are soon to disengage. 

My children love to show me when they have a loose tooth, how it wiggles and bleeds, and it sickens me. Also, they will keep their teeth when they fall out, which leads to the inevitable: a random tooth on the counter, in a drawer, or more recently, under some papers next to my laptop.

I think this fear was awakened when I watched the movie Don't be Afraid of the Dark. Let's be clear: I hate horror movies. I rarely watch them. Ever since I watched Pet Cemetery in 6th grade and had horrifying dreams for months afterward, I know better. But for some reason my husband wanted to watch it, and although I fell asleep after about 15 minutes, it was long enough to witness that the creatures in the house were twisted, evil little versions of the tooth fairy, and demanded the teeth of children. 

Wherever it originated from, I know one thing: it's getting worse as time goes on. So please, keep your teeth to yourselves people. They are dirty and disgusting and make me think of death, and I don't want to have to touch one ever again.

Jess

“Even if one understands that what one is doing is mad, it is indeed still madness.” 

― Guillermo del Toro, The Fall

Hell Girl

Speaking of bizarre stories with no backstory or explanation ... have you seen Hell Girl? The name and the premise drew me to it, and the imagery and music are fantastic, but I became frustrated at the repetitive storylines and lack of continuity or backstory. Thus, I stopped watching after about 20 episodes, but I shouldn’t have.

Jigoku Shōjo, written by Japanese animator Hiroshi Watanabe, is one of those few anime which are actually adapted into a manga, instead of the other way around. The episodes I watched are self-contained short stories in which someone is harassed and/or tormented by one or more antagonists. The issue escalates until it is unbearable for the character, at which point they access the Hell correspondence website, which only appears for those with significant grudges and only at midnight. This is where Ai Enma, the beautiful young girl with bright red eyes makes her entrance. 

Ai will pull the client into a realm of perpetual twilight (apparently in Hell) to discuss the details of the contract. He or she is given a straw doll with a red string wound around its neck. If the string is pulled, Ai and her companions will immediately ferry the offender to Hell, in dramatic fashion, I might add. However, Ms. Ai doesn’t work for free, people. Once the client's life has ended, they too will go to Hell, and a black crest-shaped mark appears on the client's chest to serve as a reminder of what has been lost. 

I’ll admit, it’s sickly satisfying to see deserving people get theirs over and over again, but what is frustrating about this anime is we want to know more. We want to know how a seemingly sweet little girl, Ai, was cursed with this responsibility. We want to know who her three assistants are and why they do what they do. And who is (figuratively) pulling the strings? It must be Satan himself considering he’s getting two souls with one stone in each case. Someone must be in charge of the website, and I don’t think its Granny (old people hate computers) and it definitely isn’t Ai. She’s too busy bathing in a pond, dressing in her kimono and flying off to exact revenge in a small cart pulled by a flaming Wanyudo. If only I had her life. 

As I was writing this, I was also doing some research. It seems like all the answers are revealed in season 2, so I just need to quit whining and keep watching this unique horror anime. Turns out there are 52 episodes I haven’t seen, which in my little otaku world is a veritable gold mine. There’s also a live action series, which is probably pretty cheesy but might be interesting.

FYI someone put up an actual Hell correspondence website if you are looking to damn someone to Hell, and you don’t even have to wait until midnight for it to appear. It even tells who the last person to receive judgment was and when. It’s pretty interesting even if it’s pretty creepy. So don’t cross me people. I have no soul so I have nothing to lose …

http://jigokutsushin.co.nr/ 

J.L. Dodd

While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself.
- Douglas Horton

RANDOM! Cats are from outer space ...

I had an interesting conversation the other day. Someone told me that in a certain neighborhood in a certain town at a certain time ... all the cats disappeared. Where I live, you would assume that either a mountain lion or a coyote was to blame. But this particular cat exodus just happened to coincide with the most recent Hale Boppe passing. So the theory was that all the cats hopped on the comet and flew away to another planet. 

Of course we all prefer that explanation. Your cat was killed and eaten by a hungry mountain lion! vs. Your cat took off with E.T.! The choice is obvious. We can choose what we want to believe, and that choice may or may not be based on logic. I imagine we do it often without even realizing it. Its amazing how you can train your brain to live in denial.

Anyway, I liked that theory because 1) picture in your mind 15 cats riding on a comet ... awesome, right? Kind of like Nyan Nyan Cat only exponentially greater and 2) it reminded me of a story by H.P. Lovecraft where cats are able to travel to the dark side of the moon on a nightly basis, can converse with a human who is dreaming and will fight against disgusting white moon beasts.The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is one of Lovecraft's longest stories and is considered one of his most influential, even though it was published posthumously. The amazing cats of Ultear and Randolph Carter's relationship with them was a literary treat. I was totally thrown by this particular arc of the story, in fact, I went around telling my friends and family about the cats and their secret language and their travels to the moon. 

As is typical of Lovecraft, you are given no background and no explanation; you as a reader are forced to believe and just go with whatever nonsense plot he has created. Reading something like that can be frustrating but can also be freeing if you let go and enjoy the ride. Ever since I started writing for myself, its difficult to read something without judging each and every sentence, which takes away from the experience, let me tell you. I didn't used to think about this crap. Who cares if the POV says something stupid and completely out of character? I used to just keep reading without questioning it, but now it causes a complete disconnect from the story. And I get mad. And I get inspired to write something better, which I guess is a good thing (no promises people; these are simply my aspirations at this point). 

Anyway, Lovecraft has no apologies for his cryptic, hard-to-follow and completely brilliant writing. And that is what makes his stories so unique. 

I'm hearing the Nyan Nyan cat song in my head right now ...

Jess

"Then through that star-specked darkness there did come a normal sound. It rolled from the higher hills, and from all the jagged peaks around it was caught up and echoed in a swelling pandaemoniac chorus. It was the midnight yell of the cat, and Carter knew at last that the old village folk were right when they made low guesses about the cryptical realms which are known only to cats, and to which the elders among cats repair by stealth nocturnally, springing from high housetops. Verily, it is to the moon's dark side that they go to leap and gambol on the hills and converse with ancient shadows, and here amidst that column of foetid things Carter heard their homely, friendly cry, and thought of the steep roofs and warm hearths and little lighted windows of home." - H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

YA Super Awesome Series

There are a seemingly infinite number of YA paranormal series out there. Many I've had the pleasure to read were painful struggles akin to bloodletting, but on a positive note, here are a few I enjoyed:

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

The cast and the depth of character building is really what makes these stories great. Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin will keep you entertained through many crazy adventures. The romance between Meghan and Ash builds slowly and uncertainly, which in a genre full of insta-love pairings, I appreciated. The series gets a little played out after the 3rd book, but I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the fey.

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

This trilogy was one of the first series I read after I bought my Kindle. The paranormal species in question are trolls, which is a little weird. It's hard to imagine attractive trolls. But the story is unique, well written, and best of all, has an unexpected and happy ending.The series has apparently been optioned for a movie, with the screenplay in the works. I also enjoyed Amanda's other works, including My Blood Approves.  

The Celestra Series by Addison Moore

The reviews for these books are pretty harsh. The story revolves around warring factions of angels, each unique in their beliefs and abilities, and of course, one girl caught up in the middle of it. I can't tell you why exactly, but I really enjoyed these books. Okay, so the plot is all over the place and the characters can be annoying. The "dun dun dun!" love triangle gets old quickly, especially after it evolves into a love square. But the twists and turns keep you guessing, and I feel sorry for Skyla, even though she's a bitch, a slut, a crybaby and a murderer. Gage is way too good for her, seriously.

More to come. Happy YA reading!

Jess

“Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.” 
― W.H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand

RANDOM! Fruitcakes ...

You look like a fruitcake. These truly epic words of my brother are echoed as the first five words in my novel, although admittedly it makes no sense there. Still. I won't delete it unless someone makes me. 

What does it mean? It could mean a number of things to a number of people. It can be taken literally, as in, an actual fruitcake, or it could mean a crazy or eccentric person. I don't think I've ever used it that way. I prefer crackpot, but that's just me.

It started because I don't like to be cold. It could be that my inner crazy old lady is making her presence known prematurely because in the winter I wear layers and stay in my pajamas as long as possible. I think of it as a perfectly healthy form of hibernation.Yes, it's cold here in Arizona, relative to the summer anyway. Live here long enough and 50 degrees will feel cold to you too. Point being, when I'm at home in the winter, I wear layered pajamas. As often as possible. 

So at one point last winter, I looked down and realized that I had on colorful, mismatched socks, polka-dot pants, a striped sweater and a plaid shirt. I won't even get into the color scheme, but I can assure you, it involved pinks, purples, browns, blacks and greens. Even I was surprised. How the heck did I get this way? I had to tell someone, so I told my brother. And when he saw me, he was impressed with both my lack awareness and my subconscious wish to resemble a traditional Christmas cake that no one really wants to eat. Or was he calling me crazy? Hmm ... He did have that look in his eyes. Oh, wait, he always has that look. Like he thinks I'm stranger than him. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, my dear brother. We are equally strange and its obviously our parents' fault.

I'm looking forward to being a crazy old lady. You can do whatever the hell you want and nobody judges you beyond the initial judgement. Maybe I did it on purpose. Maybe my amalgamation of colors, fabrics and opposite design was intentional. Could be. Or maybe I'm crazy.

Jess

“Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.” 

― Albert Einstein

Dire story ...

Recently, I had particularly vivid dream. I usually forget my dreams within a few minutes of waking up. This dream, however, made an impression and I've continued to fixate on it, mostly because of the phrase "dire story."

I was being haunted by an onryo, or vengeful spirit. It was a girl's spirit, and she had initially been a friendly ghost, but had quickly turned malevolent for no apparent reason. She appeared everywhere I went, threatening, harassing, and generally scaring the crap out of me, even when I was with other people. In the last bit of the dream, I had learned her "dire story," or the story of her death, and knowing that, I would be able to force her to cross over into hell. I opened a door, and there she was, crouched on the ground and ready to come at me, dark fury in her sunken black eyes. That last sinister image is still seared into my mind. 

When I woke up, I was scared. I don't have many bad dreams, but when I do, they typically involve someone I love getting hurt, not a supernatural event happening to me. Then I was intrigued. I wondered if a dire story was a real thing or not. I got all the way to work that morning and then forgot the word "dire" and couldn't remember it for several days. Finally it came back to me when I wasn't thinking about it and I was able to search it up. I found an interesting game called "Dire Grove" about an abandoned town with a banshee problem, and some kind of series on YouTube called "mai dire story" which translates in Italian to "never tell story." I also found information about the dire wolf, which went extinct about 10,000 years ago, and wasn't really that interesting. It was the same size as a gray wolf is today, but about 25% heavier in mass. 

I'm a little disappointed. I thought it might mean something mystical if it was a real phrase. Like that the collective human consciousness had sent me a message. Or that I seen the sign of Koth during my dreaming and learned something about the afterlife. I guess technically either one of those could be true, and I'll have no way of ever knowing. 

In truth, I figured I had heard of a dire story somewhere else and it had shown up in my dream. But it's actually something original that my brain threw at me, and I think I will continue to develop the idea. How does knowing the circumstances of an onryo's death give you power over it? And how do you invoke that power? TBD ...

Jess

"It was the sign of Koth, that dreamers see fixed above the archway of a certain black tower standing alone in twilight—and Willett did not like what his friend Randolph Carter had said of its powers." ~H.P. Lovecraft; The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

Yuu Watase

I ran across the works of Yuu Watase toward the beginning of my manga addiction. If you are unfamiliar with shojo manga, its basically really awesome comic books for girls. Tell me then, what self-respecting nerdy girl doesn’t have a manga-based compulsion? For several years several years ago, I spent all my free time either reading manga or watching anime. And for someone who has a family and two jobs, there is no free time. So, I lost a lot of sleep over it. I would be up for hours each night watching episodes of Bleach or looking for different manga to immerse myself in. My obsessive behavior is not something I’m especially proud of now, but in the long run I think it helped me immensely with my writing. And seriously, it could have been worse. I could have been addicted to painkillers or chocolate bars or crack, ... not that there’s anything wrong with that. You crack addicts do your thing.

Anyway, Yuu Watase is a nationally recognized mangaka from Japan who has written over 80 volumes of short stories and series. She usually writes shojo manga, and is known for her beautiful male characters, aka bishonen. Many of her stories have been adapted into anime or even television series. The anime series Fushigi Yugi: A Mysterious Play was the first of her work that I came across. Although it was an older style of character drawing, I was quickly caught up in the unique storyline and fascinating characters. After that, I sought Ms. Watase out. My favorite manga by far that she has written is Absolute Boyfriend. Truthfully, it made me laugh, smile, and cry. It begins with a young girl who is rejected after confessing her love. She later runs into a strange man on the street who offers her the opportunity to purchase the perfect boyfriend. She goes online to make her order, and voila! the perfect boyfriend is delivered to her door the next day. As you can imagine, all kinds of shenanigans ensue, and … well, I don't want to spoil it.

One of her series in particular has influenced the novel I’m currently writing. Ceres, the Celestial Legend, inspired me to write about the beautiful and otherworldly celestial maidens of Japanese myth, specifically tennyo. When the main character Aya transforms into a tennyo, she obtains many supernatural abilities such as flight, teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, premonition, superhuman speed and more. For this she is relentlessly hunted, eventually captured and studied in a laboratory.  It isn’t a very happy story overall, but the plot is compelling and the romance wonderful in a frustrating, poke-your-own-eyes-out kind of way.

So my fellow otaku, there is hope for your addiction as well, assuming you want it. I still love manga but I don’t let it control me anymore. I need my sleep.

Please support Ms. Watase by purchasing her manga. Yes, it’s much easier to watch the anime or drama online, but you'll be missing out if you take that cowardly route. To fully appreciate her captivating art, it's best to hold it in your own hands.

Jess

“Even though you're not by my side, Night, you will forever be my first man, my Zettai Kareshi.” – Yuu Watase

A bunch of freakin' drivel ...

Don't get me wrong. I love me some great paranormal romance drivel. I expect it, to some degree, in most of what I read, because of the genre I am addicted to. However, when I pay $3.99 for a book with almost entirely positive reviews on my Kindle, I expect certain things, like, more than ridiculous drivel.

I don't want to name any specific books or authors, because as I said before, writing a book is hard. Not just hard, damn hard. The book that inspired me to write this is one I downloaded a few days ago and it's just awful. I was only 3% in when I realized it. The story went from cliché to unrealistic to annoying to the point that I started to despise the characters. I'll give you what I know so far: the female protagonist is the envy of every other girl when a gorgeous man with a British accent throws himself at her for no apparent reason and she refuses to go on a date with him because she doesn't know him very well. Seriously? I have a pretty high tolerance for these things, given the time I have invested in this genre and my gravitation toward self-published works, but this book is just too much. I'm actually getting pissed off as I read.

You know what would help? If all those kiss-ass reviewers out there would stop giving positive reviews that are undeserved. If something reads like it was written by a ten-year-old and has obviously had no editing, it isn't "amazing" or "incredible" or worth my time. Please don't tell me there are "no words" to describe how great the book is. Usually, I have to look for the negative reviews to find out if something is worth reading. Maybe the problem is that writing a negative review is a lot harder than writing a positive one. Not only do you feel bad, but you have to defend your criticism by giving reasons why it sucks. I prefer just to rate by star myself, although I've been thoroughly disgusted and thoroughly amazed enough to write a few reviews in the last couple years.

But I won't quit reading, or buying self-published novels, or complaining to my sister when they are crap. In fact, I will continue to read every pathetic excuse for a story I accidently buy. I have to keep reading because I am driven by the need to know what will happen next. So please, hurry up girl. Go on a date with that British guy and find out if he's a vampire, werewolf, faerie or demon. At this point I'm hoping for a serial killer.

Jess

"Read, read, read. Read everything - trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If its good, you'll find out. If not, throw it out the window." -- William Faulkner 

Synchronicity

Synchronicity sounds like some kind of Quincy mind power of Uryuu Ishida. In actuality, it's a far more interesting concept than that. You know when some seemingly random thing pops up, and then it pops up again and again? And when you think about it, its too specific to be a coincidence, but too bizarre to have any real significance?

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychologist who founded analytical psychology, developed the concept of synchronicity. According to my best friend Wikipedia, it's defined as "the experience of two or more events as meaningfully related whereas they are unlikely to be causally related." Jung considered these meaningful coincidences evidence of a collective unconsciousness that is inherited and shared by members of the same species. It's both intriguing and unnerving to think that we could all be connected at some deep, unconscious level. Think of the implications if a person could access or influence the human collective unconsciousness. If I were an evil mastermind plotting to rule the world, I'd definitely be looking into it. 

I've experienced several blatant examples of synchronicity in my life, the most recent being centered around a cosmic monster with a hard-to-pronounce name: Cthulhu. I'd never heard of it before about a year ago when my husband told me about a video game called The Call of Cthulhu. Later, I watched an episode of South Park featuring Cthulhu that mimicked "My Friend Totoro." It was seriously funny even though as a fan of Studio Ghibli I was a bit offended. Then a few months later, I downloaded a collection of stories by H. P. Lovecraft, considered by many to be the father of modern horror. I was surprised to find that he wrote The Call of Cthulhu in 1928. The story was rather short compared to some of his others, but was just as wonderfully horrible. 

And it continues. Just a few weeks ago my son was playing a different game where he had to fight the eye of Cthulhu. So the question is, what does it mean? What, if anything, is the collective human unconsciousness trying to tell me? Should I seek out and join the cult of Cthulhu? I'm sure there's worse things than swearing allegiance to an ancient evil octopus-faced beast. But as awesome as that sounds, I think I'll hold off for now and keep my options open. I've always had an affinity for Mothra.

Jess

"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places." - H.P. Lovecraft

Writing a book is hard ...

I have to admit, writing a book is hard. Like, a lot harder than I ever thought when I decided to write a novel. I have a new found respect for all authors: published, self-published and unpublished who make this commitment. In the past, I had no desire to write; only the fierce desire to read. The ability to escape from one's own world, to mentally travel to a place of pure creation is something wondrous. To retreat into a story is absolutely freeing, whether you are gone for 5 minutes or 5 hours. For me, there is nothing better than completely losing yourself in a book. In my experience, I would even liken reading to an addiction. I will read until 2 am because I must know what happens next. I will wake up early so I can read before I go to work. Even though I know I will have no spare time, I will still haul that book around with me everywhere because I can't bear to leave it at home. Same with my Kindle. Even if I'm not reading something, I rarely leave it at home unless I'm worried about losing it. It's always in my purse, regardless. That's why my purse is the size of a small suitcase. What? 

Two years ago I decided to write my own paranormal romance/adventure novel. I had a great idea for a plot, and I planned to include elements of modern paranormal literature that I enjoy, like the totally played out but still moving trope of a typical mostly unattractive female protagonist we identify with who overcomes her obstacles and is actually freakin’ amazing. As a profession of my love for shoujo manga, I also would use themes of celestial maidens, school life stories and the curse of unrequited love. Although I refuse to read anything too scary, I am a reverent fan of horror stories, from Edgar Allen Poe to H.P. Lovecraft to Dean Koontz when I was younger, therefore any female lead of mine will have more than a few terror-filled moments. Okay so put those three very different genres together, and that equals that I am a total and complete nerd. I’m okay with that. I’m a happy nerd, so there. I’m hoping I will be successful at incorporating all these different elements into one story. Truthfully, I am determined to write something I myself would want to read, so I'm hoping that extends to others like me. (Total nerds.) 

In addition to the writing itself, there is a tremendous amount of research, editing, and rewriting involved in something like this. I completed the storyline and 16 chapters nearly a year ago, and have since then been fleshing out my story and content editing all at once, between my job, my family, my other commitments and my sometimes short attention span. It’s too easy to get sucked into watching episode after episode of Supernatural or checking my Pinterest. Only by threats from my long lost and equally nerdy sister did I ever get this far. That, and the guilt that weighs on  me when I refuse to open that folder on my computer for days at a time. Anyway, I will keep at it. And you can look forward to it. I hope. Someday.

Jess

“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.” ― George Orwell