LOOK! SHINY!

…Ahem, sorry, rather excited. What I mean is, these are finished copies of my new novella for Barrington Stoke, MY NAME IS O. I knew about the stickers, which (NB) are fully removable and come off without leaving a mark. What I didn’t know was how the mirror effect on the cover was going to turn out. The answer is, very nicely indeed.

To celebrate the book’s launch I’m having a party - tomorrow night (Fri Feb 3rd) from 7.30 at The Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green, London, England. For those who don’t know about the party already, if you’re reading this and you’re available then consider this a formal invitation: please drop by for a chat and a glass of something, it would be great to see you there!

If you can’t make the party, then signed copies of MY NAME IS O (and my other books!) will be available to order from The Big Green Bookshop (here’s their website) from tomorrow night onwards until I’m back in Japan. The book’s cover price is £6.99. Samurai booksellers Simon and Tim will gladly arrange delivery to anywhere in the world, and postage inside the UK is free.

Now another pic. Look at the middle one, so shiny that in the right light / right angle almost everything disappears except the O…

…Mmm. SHINY!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

While I was in Japan I saw this smiley dude all over the place – not the gurning loon on the right or the lady taking the pic, I’m talking about the dragon. Isn’t he great?

Physically I’m back in London; whether I’ve arrived yet mentally remains an open question. After sleeping on a low bed or futons these last three months, being in my bed at home feels like floating in space – and being outside it kind of feels the same way. But I’m back, all’s well and normal service (or what passes for it with me) will resume shortly.

…Big in Japan:

(A bathroom doorway, Kyoto, seriously)

This weekend I’m going home to London. It’s going to be lovely. But I hope I don’t get too used to not having to dip my head for doorways while I’m there, because I’m already looking forward to coming back. ;D

This month marks the launch of my novella for Barrington Stoke, My Name Is O. I’m coming home to London for party to celebrate. More news on that soon.

Meanwhile, my new book is coming along nicely. In fact things here in Tokyo are going better than my partner Laura and I had dared to hope – so we’ve decided to stay longer. After the launch of My Name Is O we’re coming back to Japan until summer 2012 at least.

Here above, with some grinning fool standing in front of it, is The Great Buddha of Kamakura.

I miss home and friends and family, of course. But, well, I’m in Japan, with the person I love most, writing the most awesome book that I can possibly think of.

I’m having one of the best bits of my life so far. I feel very lucky and very grateful.

Sam

Look at this beautiful piece of art by Faye W., 13, from the UK:

It shows Esme, Jack (and the Chinj!) and Charlie – characters from my debut novel, The Black Tattoo. I’ve just added it to the slideshow at the Black Tat Reader Art Page.

I consider it a huge honour when people use my stories as a starting point for great creative work of their own. And I adore the Chinj’s raised eyebrow! Thank you, Faye.

Still with awesome art, for a guest spot by ace illustrator Phil Harvey check Trapped By Monsters.

Just posted to TBM: The Hounds of Feet.

One of the most surprising things I’ve enjoyed in Tokyo is Flamenco.

The scene here is small but dedicated: I first came across it in a bar in Golden Gai, Shinjuku then last week I saw the performance in these pics, which was every bit as passionate and spectacular as anything I’ve seen or heard in Spain.

It was part of an amazing evening of music and dance taking place on two floors of an art gallery in Shibuya, organized by Megalo Theatre. As well as the flamenco there was traditional (and some decidedly non-traditional-!) Japanese music played on shamisen and tsuzumi, a ritual swordfight accompanied by a biwa-playing storyteller, and all kinds of other good stuff. The climax of the evening was a Mizu-Nagashi…

…a New Year ceremony for which everyone anonymously wrote down a mistake they’d made during the past year, or something else they wanted to forget. The pieces of paper with the mistakes on were read out before being smacked with sticks and then consigned to water.

My mistake was ‘I ate all the okonomiyaki.’ But it’s ok, I’ve forgotten all about that now. ;D

New balls – I mean posts - at Trapped by Monsters: The Tanuki who Spooked Me and On Being Inappropriate.

Here (below) are some carrots. The Japanese word for them is ‘NINJIN’.

Here (below) is one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen in my life – the awesomely raucous Ken South Rock - playing, last night, a song the title of which is the Japanese word for people: ‘NINGEN’.

Here (below) is the best paragraph I read in 2011. It comes from Hokkaido Highway Blues, by Will Ferguson, a wonderful book about travelling in Japan. Describing what a challenge similar-sounding words in Japanese can be, the author provides an important message to keep in mind as we plunge on into 2012.

‘Another combination that gives me trouble is “human” (ningen) and “carrot” (ninjin) which once caused a lot of puzzled looks during a speech I gave in Tokyo on the merits of internationalization, when I passionately declared that “I am a carrot. You are a carrot. We are all carrots. As long as we always remember our common carrotness, we will be fine.”

Happy New Year

Sam

This, in case you didn’t know, is Shibuya Crossing. Watching it as the lights change is hypnotic.

Whether it’s Christmas you’re celebrating, or (like the Japanese) New Year is the big thing for you, or what, here’s wishing A Very Happy, er, Thing! to all readers.

*waves from Tokyo*

Sam