Guest Post: AMANDA SUN

by Amanda Sun, author of Ink (The Paper Gods book 1)

When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to live in Japan on exchange. I grew up in a very small town surrounded by forests on the banks of a river, so living in Osaka, with a population of 3 million, was a huge change. I couldn’t read the signs, I could barely speak Japanese, and I had trouble recognizing the food on my plate.

I loved every minute of it.

I kept a daily journal of my experiences there—the food, language, sights, and sounds. I had the chance to travel to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo, and even Miyajima where some of INK takes place. I climbed Mount Fuji, and I fed deer in Nara. I took the ropeway up the mountainside to look for monkeys. And even if I got homesick, or had a bout of culture shock, I just wrote it down and filed it away for later reminiscing.

As a voracious reader and aspiring writer since I was four, I knew that what had happened to me would find its way into my writing voice. I wrote short stories set in Japan, but they didn’t seem enough. I knew there was more to the story, that the experiences were flowering in my mind until it was time to uproot them to the page.

After university, I started hosting students from Japan. I wanted to give them the experiences I’d had, that life-changing moment when nothing looks the same again. I hosted a girl from Shizuoka and later had the chance to visit her. I was struck by how cinematic Shizuoka was, with its oasis of Sunpu Park and Castle surrounded by a moat in the middle of the city. I visited a few more times while writing INK, to make sure I really captured the spirit of that beautiful place.

INK is the story of Katie, an orphaned American teen who moves to Japan to live with her English-teaching aunt. There she crosses paths with the kendo star of her school, Tomohiro, whose drawings come to life in dangerous ways. Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being close to Katie is causing his power to spiral out of control. When the wrong people notice, Katie and Tomo find their own lives at stake.

You might be surprised to hear that INK started in my mind as a YA Contemporary. I pictured this boy drawing in a sketchbook in the forest, and the American girl who became intrigued by his drawings. And one day, while Katie and I were watching Tomohiro sketch, his drawing moved across the page.

I was stunned. Slowly, Tomohiro told me the truth about who he was, and I started to see how Katie fit into all of it, how they were linked, and how they needed each other. My early interest in Japanese mythology and history intertwined with the story, and a small detail I’d learned from my Archaeology degree fell into place as well—ancient Egyptian scribes used to chisel through the snake hieroglyphs in case they became alive and threatening on the tomb walls.

I knew, now, that Tomohiro’s drawings came to life, but in a sinister way that linked to ancient beings of power. Everything made sense, and I knew this was the book I’d been waiting for, the book of my heart.

I hope you enjoy INK, and that through Katie’s eyes, you can truly experience the country I fell in love with all those years ago.

Ink by Amanda Sun
Book 1 of the Paper Gods series
Genre: urban fantasy

About Ink:

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

Source: Info in the About Ink was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13423346-ink on 03/07/2013.
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About Amanda Sun:

Amanda Sun was born in Deep River, a small town where she could escape into the surrounding forest to read. Ink is her first novel and The Paper Gods series is inspired by her time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan.

Visit her at www.AmandaSunBooks.com and on Twitter at @Amanda_Sun.

Guest Post: Justin Gustainis

Law and Order: Occult Crimes Unit

My novels Hard Spell and Evil Dark (as well as the forthcoming Known Devil) are set in an alternate universe where the supernatural exists and is out in the open. But like every other human activity, the actions of supernatural creatures are subject to the rule of law. That’s true everywhere in this imagined world, including my fictional version of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Stan Markowski, the protagonist and narrator, is a Detective Sergeant on the Scranton P.D.’s Occult Crimes Unit. He describes his job this way: “When a vamp puts the bite on an unwilling victim, or some witch casts the wrong kind of spell, that’s when they call me. My name’s Markowski. I carry a badge.”

Although most human laws apply to supernatural creatures (speeding is speeding, after all – whether you do it with a Ford Mustang or a broom), some parts of the penal code are specifically designed with “supes” in mind. Here’s a sample:

Vampires. As you might gather from Stan’s words above, it’s legal for a vampire to take blood from a human, as long as consent is freely given (no use of vampiric influence to weaken the will). There are no documents to sign, but if someone files a complaint charging unlawful blood harvesting, then the vampire so accused will have to answer the accusation in court. On the other hand, making someone into a vampire does require signing of official documents in advance. “Turning” someone without filing the paperwork can get a vampire into serious trouble. In some jurisdictions (though not in Scranton), it’s even considered murder, because the victim has to die for the transformation to work.

Werewolves. Everybody knows that during the time of the full moon, werewolves lack the self-control that they usually exhibit the rest of the time. However, that doesn’t mean a werewolf can just commit mayhem and get away with it. Werewolves are expected to take reasonable precautions to be confined, or at least closely supervised, while in their more primal state. And although a werewolf who commits a crime while under lunar influence can plead “diminished capacity,” he or she has to show that due diligence was exercised prior to the unfortunate accident, in an attempt to avoid bloodshed.

Magic. There are two kinds of magic recognized by law: white and black. The former derives its power from the Earth and nature; the latter gets its mojo from the infernal side. The practice of black magic is against the law under all circumstances. Lay a curse on someone, and it’s considered felony assault. If the victim dies, the witch or wizard is facing a murder rap. White magic is legal, however, because it is self-limiting. This form of magic cannot be used to do harm to innocent parties, nor can the practitioner employ it for his or her own direct benefit (otherwise, witches would be winning the lottery every day). However, you still need a license to practice white magic, and getting one requires completion of a rigorous training program.

Demons. The conjuring of demons is a serious matter, and is never permitted under the law. This is partly because of the danger posed to public safety if the damn thing (so to speak) gets free of the protective pentagram confining it. The other reason it’s illegal is that demons are invariably summoned to commit some kind of mayhem. Nobody calls up a creature from the depths of Hell and orders it to mow his lawn – although he might tell it to mow down his neighbors.

Those are some of the issues that occult crime cops like Stan Markowski have to deal with every day – and especially every night. For Stan and the other cops of the Occult Crime Unit, some nights are worse than others.

Want more? The books are Hard Spell and Evil Dark, available online and in fine bookstores (even some mediocre ones) everywhere.

See you in Scranton – “haunted Scranton,” that is.

More info about Justin Gustainis.

Evil Dark by Justin Gustainis
Book 2 of the Occult Crimes Unit Investigation series

About Evil Dark:

My name's Markowski. I carry a badge. Also, a crucifix, some wooden stakes, a big vial of holy water, and a 9mm Beretta loaded with silver bullets.

A series of seemingly motiveless murders of supernatural creatures points to a vigilante targeting the supe community. Markowski wouldn't normally have much of a problem with that, but his daughter may be next on the killer's list...

Source: Info in the About Evil Dark was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11500077-evil-dark on 19/04/2012.
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