New England Authors Expo: Book Sale & The Tipsy Sensei

Would you like to meet me and obtain signed copies of my two Tipsy Sensei books? Would you also like the opportunity to meet other local authors and check out their books?

If so, then you should attend a special Book Sale being held by the New England Authors Expo on Wednesday, July 31, from 4pm-9pm, at the Danversport Yacht Club. The Expo is FREE to the public and the first 100 attendees will also get a FREE gift bag.

The Expo's Book Sale will consist of numerous New England authors, illustrators, publishers, writer's groups, schools, associated businesses and sponsors. It is an excellent place to buy books and gifts, meet many authors and artists, and discuss book writing, illustrating and printing with dozens of publishing professionals.

For a list of all the participating authors, illustrators and more, please check out this Book Sale site.

I will be at the Expo selling paperback copies of The Tipsy Sensei & Others ($13) and Demons, Gods & Sake ($15). If you purchase copies of both books, it will only cost you $25.00. And as a special bonus, I will give my blog readers an additional $2.00 off their purchase. All you have to do for this discount is tell me you saw it mentioned on my blog.

The Tipsy Sensei & Others is a collection of nine food, wine and Sake short stories, including the first three stories in the Tipsy Sensei series. Demons, Gods & Sake is a novel and the fourth installment of the Tipsy Sensei series. I am currently working on Hand Fed Tigers, the next novel in the Tipsy Sensei saga.

Come see me, purchase copies of my books and chat about Sake, writing, Japanese legends, and more. Plus, check out all of the other local authors at the Expo, and pick up plenty of books to read over the summer, whether on the beach or within your air-conditioned house.

The Expo takes place at the Danversport Yacht Club, The Harborview Ballroom, 161 Elliott Street (Rte. 62), Danvers, MA 01923.

I hope to see you there!

Read More

The Tipsy Sensei & Others. And A Contest!

This month is the First Year Anniversary of the publication of my first short story, Yurine's Pot, the beginning of the Tipsy Sensei series. Since then, I have published two more short stories and a novel in the Tipsy Sensei series. I am also pleased to publish this month my second paperback book, The Tipsy Sensei & Others, my new collection of nine food, wine and Sake short stories. It is available through Amazon as a Trade Paperback and an Ebook. I hope to conduct some local signings of the paperback and will announce them on my blog once they are scheduled.

The nine short stories contained within this volume range from romance to mystery, fantasy to thriller. It collects together the first three Tipsy Sensei stories as well as adds a new story centered on a popular character from Demons, Gods & Sake. You will also find five other food and wine stories.

The collection contains:

Yurine's Pot (Tipsy Sensei #1): Nate Randall is a Sake expert in Boston and his son is dying from cancer. Nate receives an ancient, magical item that allegedly can cure any illness. Others desire that item as well, and may be willing to kill for it. Can Nate save his son, and if so, at what cost?

The Ghost Of A Ninja (Tipsy Sensei #2): Several thieves have been slain under mysterious circumstances. Is the ghost of a ninja responsible? Nate is asked to help a friend who is worried that he will be murdered next. Can Nate solve this mystery and save the life of his friend?

The Fox & The Katana (Tipsy Sensei #3): Nate has been approached by a kitsune, a fox spirit, who wants Nate to murder her mate. She claims that her mate is a remorseless and sadistic killer who has slain innocents across the U.S. Can Nate kill this kitsune? Or is Nate being set up, a pawn in some intricate scheme?

Forest of the Ox Demon: A brand new story featuring Hato, a popular character from Demons, Gods & Sake, the first Tipsy Sensei novel. This is a historical tale of medieval Japan, exploring Hato's mysterious past, and involves ninjas, brigands and a supernatural creature.

You Had Me At Foie: A tale of romance, a bond formed over a delicious dish of foie gras.

Feast For A Killer: What would you do if an assassin showed up on your doorstep to kill your spouse?

The Perfect Wine: An obsessed wine lover seeks a legendary perfect wine. Can such a wine exist? And if so, what price would you pay to drink such a wine?

The Veil Of Flowers: A geeky and unusual story, told from the viewpoint of a yeast in a barrel of Sherry.

The Passwords: A more traditional mystery, where a man must decipher an enigmatic letter to provide justice for a murdered friend. The key to the cipher involves wine.

Check out my latest book and please understand that you can read this book even if you do not own a Kindle. You can download a Free App for your computer or smart phone that will allow you to read any Kindle ebook.

While you read The Tipsy Sensei & Others, I will be working on Nate's next supernatural adventure, Hand-Fed Tigers (Tipsy Sensei #5). Could it involve zombies and cats?

Now, on to my Anniversary Contest. This is a picture of Jessica, Courtney & Laura, some new fans of Demons, Gods & Sake. The photo gave me an idea, to collect pictures of other fans holding a copy of any of my books. I have decided to make it contest with a cool prize.

The contest will run from now until midnight, April 5, 2013. To enter, just send me a picture of yourself holding one of my books. If you only have an ebook, just send me a picture with your ebook reader showing the cover of one of my books. You will get an extra entry if the picture is of my latest book, The Tipsy Sensei & Others. You can also earn up to four extra entries if your picture is especially creative, which I will determine at my discretion.

The Grand Prize will be that I will immortalize you as a character in the next Tipsy Sensei novel, Hand-Fed Tigers. The character will bear your name and might also share some of your interests and personality. We will work together on the details. You will also receive a copy of the paperback version of Hand-Fed Tigers.  At least two Runner-Ups will also receive copies of the ebook of Hand-Fed Tigers when it is ultimately released.

So start taking your picture with the Tipsy Sensei!

Read More

Signing Event For Demons, Gods & Sake: Feb.2

Have you read my Boston-based, supernatural thriller yet?

As I previously mentioned, my new novel, Demons, Gods & Sake is now available as a Trade Paperback through Amazon. The Trade Paperback is 252 pages long and sells for $14.95. This novel is the fourth installment of the Tipsy Sensei series, the adventures of Nate Randall, a Sake Expert from Boston. The novel is also available as an Ebook and the prior three Tipsy Sensei short stories are available as Ebooks too.

Demons, Gods and Sake can now be found at three bookstores, The Book Oasis in Stoneham, Bestsellers Cafe in Medford, and Pandemonium in Central Square, Cambridge as well as the AKA Bistro restaurant in Lincoln. I am hoping to make it available in a few other local and independent book stores in the near future. If any restaurants, book stores or other businesses would like to stock my new novel and/or do a book signing, please contact me.

On Saturday, February 2, from 2pm-3:30pm, I will be presiding at an author event and signing my novel at Bestsellers Cafe in Medford. So come on down, meet me and pick up a copy of my book. I will be answering questions about my book as well as any Sake questions people have. Pick up a copy for yourself or get one for the book lovers in your life.

Hope you see you at my author event and signing!

Read More

Signing Event For Demons, Gods & Sake: Dec.16

Have you read my thrilling supernatural thriller yet?

As I previously mentioned, my new novel, Demons, Gods & Sake is now available as a Trade Paperback through Amazon. The Trade Paperback is 252 pages long and sells for $14.95. This novel is the fourth installment of the Tipsy Sensei series, the adventures of Nate Randall, a Sake Expert from Boston. The novel is also available as an Ebook and the prior three Tipsy Sensei short stories are available as Ebooks too.

Demons, Gods and Sake can now be found at two bookstores, The Book Oasis in Stoneham and Bestsellers Cafe in Medford, as AKA Bistro restaurant in Lincoln. I am hoping to make it available in a few other local and independent book stores in the near future. If any restaurants, book stores or other businesses would like to stock my new novel and/or do a book signing, please contact me.

On December 16, from 3pm-4:30pm, I will be signing my novel at Bestsellers Cafe in Medford. So come on down, meet me and pick up a copy of my book. I will be answering questions about my book as well as any Sake questions people have. Pick up a copy for yourself or get one for a holiday gift for the book lovers in your life. Next year, on February 2, from 2pm-3:30pm, I will be doing a larger author event at Bestsellers Care, and we might even get to drink some Sake too.

Hope you see you at my book signing!

Read More

Demons, Gods & Sake: Paperback Edition Is Now Available

The Tipsy Sensei series continues in a new novel, Demons, Gods & Sake, which is the fourth installment in the adventures of Nate Randall, a Sake Expert from Boston. The novel is now available both as an Ebook as well as a Trade Paperback through Amazon. The Trade Paperback is 252 pages long and sells for $14.95. It will make an excellent holiday gift this season!

The stakes for Nate Randall, a Sake expert from Boston, couldn't be higher. Later this month, Demons, Gods & Sake will also be published as a Trade Paperback and I hope to do some local signings. As soon as it is available as a paperback, I will let everyone know.

Though I recommend that you read the first three stories in the Tipsy Sensei story before reading this novel, it is not a necessity. It is a self-contained story, describing the main events of the prior three stories. Please also understand that you can read the ebook of this novel even if you do not own a Kindle. You can download a Free App for your computer or smart phone that will allow you to read Kindle ebooks.

Here is a brief teaser about the contents of Demons, Gods & Sake:

To the Japanese, the number 4 is considered unlucky because it is sometimes pronounced shi, which is also the word for death. In Tipsy Sensei #4, there is much death and the entire world faces a dire threat.

Two months ago, Nate Randall, a Sake expert, received an enigmatic phone call warning him that an Oni, a Japanese demon, might be in Boston. After having previously encountered other supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, Nate had little trouble believing that a demon could threaten Boston.

Now, his fears have come true. A formidable Oni is in Boston, seeking an ancient weapon of power and willing to kill anyone in its way. This weapon might be a legendary sword, the Doji-Giri Yasutsuna, once used to kill the great Oni Shuten-doji.

Nate faces other dangers too, as the Oni is not the only party seeking the weapon. A ruthless Yakuza clan is also involved. Nate soon finds himself being pursued by these enemies as he might possess the key to locating this magical artifact. Nate receives assistance from a mysterious ally, but can he be trusted? And what secrets is that ally concealing?

In his previous adventures, the stakes were on a relatively minor scale. This time, the fate of the world might depend on Nate's actions. Can Nate prevent his enemies from acquiring this powerful weapon? What will he have to sacrifice to prevent his enemies from winning?

The action spans the globe, from Boston to Japan, introducing new characters and bringing back others connected to previous stories in the Tipsy Sensei series. The stakes have never been higher, the action has never been more exciting, and the twists have never been more intriguing.

Check out this latest installment in the thrilling Tipsy Sensei urban fantasy series. While you read Tipsy Sensei #4, I'll be working on Nate's next supernatural adventure.

Read More

Demons, Gods & Sake (Tipsy Sensei #4) Is Now Available

The Tipsy Sensei series continues in a new novel that is now available through Amazon as an Ebook. Demons, Gods & Sake is the 4th installment of the Tipsy Sensei series and the stakes for Nate Randall, a Sake expert from Boston, couldn't be higher. Later this month, Demons, Gods & Sake will also be published as a Trade Paperback and I hope to do some local signings. As soon as it is available as a paperback, I will let everyone know.

Though I recommend that you read the first three stories in the Tipsy Sensei story before reading this novel, it is not a necessity. It is a self-contained story, describing the main events of the prior three stories. Please also understand that you can read this novel even if you do not own a Kindle. You can download a Free App for your computer or smart phone that will allow you to read Kindle ebooks.

Here is a brief teaser about the contents of Demons, Gods & Sake:

To the Japanese, the number 4 is considered unlucky because it is sometimes pronounced shi, which is also the word for death. In Tipsy Sensei #4, there is much death and the entire world faces a dire threat.

Two months ago, Nate Randall, a Sake expert, received an enigmatic phone call warning him that an Oni, a Japanese demon, might be in Boston. After having previously encountered other supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore, Nate had little trouble believing that a demon could threaten Boston.

Now, his fears have come true. A formidable Oni is in Boston, seeking an ancient weapon of power and willing to kill anyone in its way. This weapon might be a legendary sword, the Doji-Giri Yasutsuna, once used to kill the great Oni Shuten-doji.

Nate faces other dangers too, as the Oni is not the only party seeking the weapon. A ruthless Yakuza clan is also involved. Nate soon finds himself being pursued by these enemies as he might possess the key to locating this magical artifact. Nate receives assistance from a mysterious ally, but can he be trusted? And what secrets is that ally concealing?

In his previous adventures, the stakes were on a relatively minor scale. This time, the fate of the world might depend on Nate's actions. Can Nate prevent his enemies from acquiring this powerful weapon? What will he have to sacrifice to prevent his enemies from winning?

The action spans the globe, from Boston to Japan, introducing new characters and bringing back others connected to previous stories in the Tipsy Sensei series. The stakes have never been higher, the action has never been more exciting, and the twists have never been more intriguing.

Check out this latest installment in the thrilling Tipsy Sensei urban fantasy series. While you read Tipsy Sensei #4, I'll be working on Nate's next supernatural adventure.

Read More

Yurine's Pot: A New Sake Short Story

If your son was dying of cancer, what would you do to save him?

I have taken a big step, self-publishing a new short story for the Kindle. I have always loved writing fiction, and have previously posted five of my food & wine related tales on my blog. I have written plenty of other fiction that has yet to be posted anywhere. It is time to take the next step, to start publishing my work and the advent of the e-book has made that more accessible. So this story is a pioneer, blazing a path for me which I hope will lead to a better realm.

The tale, Yurine's Pot, is a modern fantasy, revolving around an ancient Japanese legend about Sake. A father, whose son is dying of cancer, may have discovered a mystical cure but others are willing to kill for it. Is the legend real or is the father merely deluding himself? What is the father willing to sacrifice to save his son?

This short story is now available HERE and will be Free on Saturday and Sunday, before reverting back to its $0.99 price.

I hope that you enjoy this short story, and if you do, please leave a review on Amazon as well as leave me a comment here on my blog. If you have any constructive criticism, I would love to hear that as well. If this story is well received, it could be the first of more Sake-centric short stories.

Kanpai!

Read More

O-toso Sake For The New Year

Raise a sakazuki of o-toso and toast Oshogatsu, the New Year.

About 130 years ago, after adopting the Gregorian calendar, Japan began celebrating New Year’s Day on January 1. One of the numerous Japanese customs surrounding this holiday involves sharing glasses of o-toso, a special herbal steeped sake. The term "toso" literally means “to kill or defeat an evil spirit.”  O-toso is supposed to protect people from disease and promote long life, defeating the "evil spirits" which might harm someone. And you don't necessarily even have to drink it to garner its positive benefits. There is an old saying that if a single family member drinks some o-toso, then everyone in that family will be protected against illness. That sounds good but can be even better, for if every family member drinks some o-toso, then their entire village will be protected against illness. So the more people drinking o-toso the better it is for all.

Like sake itself, o-toso originated in China, sometime between the 2nd and 3rd centuries. A famous Chinese physician, Dr. Hua Tuo, who was skilled in surgery, anesthesia, acupuncture, and herbal medicine, is thought to be the inventor of o-toso. Hua added a special mixture of herbs to some sake to create an herbal medicine, o-toso. That was not his only alcohol-related invention for he also created another concoction called mafeisan ("cannabis boiling powder"), which was an  anesthetic and created through mixing herbs with alcohol, maybe also sake.

It would not be until around the 9th century that o-toso started being being found in Japan and it was first only available to the nobility. Over time, it would slowly spread to the common people as well, which makes sense considering the history of sake during those centuries. It appears that o-toso first became associated with the New Year during the Edo period, when pharmacies started giving out the o-toso herb mixture, called tososan, to their patients as an o-seibo, a year-end gift. At home, the patients could soak the tososan in some sake, and then drink the sake, hoping that it would give them good health in the New Year.

It is thought that the original tososan mixture consisted of eight herbs, including cinnamon bark, rhubarb, sanshou (Japanese pepper), and less common items like kikyou (platycodi radix) and okera (atractylodis rhizome). This mixture has changed over time, and it is now common to find tososan in Japan made from apiaceae, asiasari radix, atractylodes Japonica, Chinese bellflower, cinnamon, dried ginger, rhubarb and sanshou. You will also find other mixtures using a different combination of herbs. In Japan, there are numerous stores where you can purchase the tososan mixture to take home and mix into your sake. In the U.S., it is tougher to find, but you can find it at some Japanese grocery stores.

Different regions of Japan have developed their own o-toso drinking rituals, but one form seems to have become most dominant. There are supposed to be three o-toso cups, which resemble sakazuki, and they are of different sizes, so that they stack well together, one atop the other. The o-toso is poured from a vessel resembling a teapot and you are supposed to drink, while facing east, from the smallest cup to the largest.

There is some variation as to who drinks first in the household. In some regions of Japan, the head of the household will drink first while in other regions, the youngest member of the family will drink first, ending with the oldest member. It is felt that this progression will assist in passing youth onto the older members, though there may be a darker reason as well. There is allegedly an ancient Chinese tradition that young people would test drinks for their elders, to determine if the drink contained poison or not. So, if the o-toso were poisoned, you would not lose one of the revered elders.

In another older tradition, there appears to be different types of o-toso, though I had difficulty finding detailed information on these other types. The first, and smallest cup, is made with the usual tososan mixture but the second and third cups are prepared instead with mixtures called byakusan and toshōsan. Byakusan may be made with herbs and bits of meat and it is unclear what toshōsan contains. It seems that over time, the custom has become simpler, using only the tososan.

So raise a glass of o-toso and say "Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu." (Happy New Year!)

Read More

Shojo & White Sake

If you are wicked, then beware of white sake as it may poison you!

I previously discussed the tanuki, a legendary Japanese creature which loves to drink sake yet the tanuki is not the only supernatural creature in Japanese folklore which loves this delicious brew. The shojo is a Japanese sea spirit with long scarlet hair, red skin and a pronounced love for sake. In addition, the shojo possess magical powers which often seem to involve sake. The legend of the shojo actually has a Chinese origin, where they were called sheng sheng or xing xing. The term "shojo" translates as “heavy drinker” or “orangutan,” and sometimes is used as slang to refer to someone who really enjoys to drink.

In one Chinese legend, there was a young man named Kofu, a sake merchant who was also very dutiful to his parents. One of Kofu's new customers consumed vast amounts of sake yet never seemed to get drunk. When Kofu inquired of him, the customer stated that he was a shojo who lived under the sea. So, one day Kofu went to the shore, bearing a large pot of sake, and waited for the shojo to arrive. When he did, they spent time drinking and dancing and afterwards the shojo, who really liked Kofu especially because of his filial piety, rewarded him with a special pot of sake, which never emptied. This legend would later become the subject of a Japanese Noh play, a form of classical musical drama.

There is also a Japanese legend about events that allegedly occurred about 2000 years, when Mount Fuji  supposedly over night. Yurine, a poor man who lived nearby, loved sake and drank it almost every day. On the day after Mount Fuji appeared, Yurine got sick and could not drink his sake. Over time, he only got worse and finally decided he needed one final cup of sake before he died so he asked his young son, Koyuri, to procure some for him. But there was no sake in the house and they had no money so Koyuri was unsure what to do.

Koyuri took an empty gourd and wandered the beach, with no specific destination in mind. Fortunately for him, he eventually came upon a couple shojo, though Koyuri did not know it then, who were drinking an intriguing white sake from a large jar beside them. Koyuri pleaded for some sake for his ill father and they let him fill his gourd. Not only did Yurine love the sake, but it also seemed to make him feel better. So Koyuri returned to the beach four more times for sake and his father recuperated from his illness. But there was still a problem, a bitter and unpleasant neighbor named Mamikiko who loved sake but was poor.

He was jealous of Koyuri's sake and demanded some from the young boy. Yet when he tasted it, he quickly spit it out as he thought it tasted terrible, which puzzled Koyuri. Mamikiko then demanded that the boy take him to the source of the sake, which he did. The shojo let Mamikiko take some of the white sake and Mamikiko was initially very impressed with its aroma. But when he tasted it, he spit it out again because it had  a foul taste. The shojo then revealed their true identity, stating that their sake was sacred and could not only cure any disease but also granted long life.

But there was a catch, as not everyone who drank the sake benefited from it. Only those who were good and righteous gained the benefits while those who were wicked and evil found only a poison. Mamikiko panicked as he did not want to die, and started begging for forgiveness and stating he would repent and become a good person. The shojo believed that he was sincere and gave him a powder to counteract the poison. Mamikiko was true to his word and became a good man, making friends with Yurine. They eventually became partners, brewing white sake from a recipe given by the shojo, and both lived for 300 years.

So, it appears that those who are good people will most benefit from their encounters with shojo, and it certainly helps if you love sake. What sake lover wouldn't want a never-ending jar of sake, or a sake that granted long life? Ah, if only the legends were true.

As an aside, what is the nature of the shojo's "white sake?" It is unclear from the legend and I have not been able to find any definitive answers. It seems likely that it might simply be nigori, "cloudy" sake which contains sake lees and often has a whitish color. During that time frame, basically all sake was nigori, though the white color varied in intensity. The most ancient term for white sake may be nerizake, where "neri" means "to knead."  It seems that it was not until around the Heian era (794-1192 AD) that sake started to be separated from the lees, being placed into bags and squeezed to acquire just the juice.

A later term for white sake, which originated some time prior to the Heian era, was shiroki.  This was a special sake meant to be consumed by the Emperor and used in certain religious rituals, a type of sacred sake known as omiki. That would not be the same as the shojo's white sake, though it too was sacred. In the 17th century, another type of "white sake" was created, shirozake. It was created by the founder of the Toshimaya brewery, who claimed to have gotten the idea from a dream. Though white in color, it is not actually a sake but is a drink made from rice, koji and shochu. It is very sweet and the brewery still exists, continuing to make shirozake.

I haven't heard any recent reports of shojo sightings though.  Kanpai!

Read More