Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M08IRW0/
Ace
of Blades
looks like a great start to a wonderful series. How far along is
book two?
Book
2: King of Masks; I just started working on it, and I am really in
the early stages of writing the rough draft of it. From book 1, I
have some things I have to reconcile and I have a lot of ideas for
this awesome second installment and I want it to be extremely perfect
for my readers. Therefore, I am taking my time with this because I
want it to be as mind blowing as Book 1 and I want it to have a deep
impact on everyone that reads King of Masks.
But,
just to give a little insight about King of Masks, I have based the
theme of the book on a Japanese Kotowaza (proverb) – A person has 3
faces. And that proverb not only has a strong meaning behind it, but
it gave me the inspiration to come up with the name of the book.
Originally, I had it named “King of Knives.”
Why
King of Knives?
It
came to me, when I had introduced a character in the middle of the
story and this particular character that I am referring to; I kind of
threw him in as a wild card, to give the reader a “double-take”
moment. My whole intention was to get the reader on a surprise note;
not expecting anything from this particular character. But, I did add
in an element of suspense, just to peek the reader’s interest. So
far, no one that has
read Ace
of Blades
has made a comment about this character and that’s good. Because,
in Book 2 I’m going to put that character in it and no one is going
to suspect it was them. SO in other words, I kind of threw in a bit
of an “easter egg” in book 1. SO if you do get a chance to read
AOB PARTS 1 &2; you just have to look really hard to find it. In
this case, READ…. Ha ha ha
But
in the meantime, everybody can read part two of Ace of Blades since
the first book is split into two parts due to it was originally 628
pages. Taking the suggestion from my editor guru Jim, I split it on
account it was my first book coming out and the book was just too
long. But on the positive note, the book went in the direction I
wanted it to go. And part two should be out in a month or two. I just
have to get it to the design team.
What
do you think makes a great story?
Tough
question…
I
would say the colorful words the literary artist uses. Describing the
surroundings, the culture, atmosphere, and the characters. It
breathes life into the story and gives it the essence of existence.
When I read a book, I want to feel like I just hopped into the story
and I’m sitting on the sidelines somewhere and just watching it
play out. Better example; “Marry Poppins” and “Burt” hop into
his paintings with the children and they live in that moment of
fantasy.
Adjectives
are magic potions of their own.
What
inspired you when writing Ace
of Blades?
I
would give credit to Anime and Manga. When I was writing this book, I
was reading manga and watching anime. I was in a period of nostalgia
and I was watching “ Yu Yu Hakusho,” “ Cowboy Bebop,” “
Outlaw Star,” “ InuYasha”, “ Howl’s Moving Castle,” “
HELLSING ULTIMATE,” etc…I can go on forever. But, anime and manga
gave me the edge and inspiration I needed to write. Along with
reading Grace Draven and Elizabeth Hunter.
What
are your ambitions for your writing career? Full time? Part time?
I
have too many…LOL you can never have just one concrete ambition.
That’ll make life boring.
My
ambitions for my writing career is to be one hell of a writer
Full-time. Most definitely, it’s the best career to have. I want to
create a manga series of my own and then make it into an anime
series. I then, want to be a voiceover for a character in an anime
series.
When
did you decide to become a writer?
That’s
the thing, I didn’t. The lifestyle chose me. It really did. But, I
have to say, when I wrote “Ace of Blades” I had peace of mind and
I felt so happy every time I created a different scene and a
character. I love the feeling. Writing is also therapeutic for me and
relieves my stress
When
writing Ace
of Blades
did anything stand out as particularly challenging?
YES….YES…YES…
Making
sure my characters did not overlap with the other. That was the most
difficult part. I had to make sure when I created my characters, they
had their own identity, voice, tone, attitude. And It is so easy for
a writer to lose focus and write another character’s thoughts and
line in another character’s place. It happened to me a couple times
and I caught myself and then again, I ended up turning my mistakes
into material, enhancing my character’s attitudes for the better.
Another
challenge was connecting the scenic dots in the story. My editor Jim
also brought to my attention, I had an issue of jumping from scene to
scene and not knitting them together thoroughly. I had struggled with
this in the early editing process of “Ace
of Blades”
and I am so glad Jim pointed this out. He was a HUGE godsend.
How
did you come up with the story of Ace
of Blades?
What
initially kicked the story into my head; to be honest. I was home
washing dishes and three things popped into my head: samurai, geisha,
and poker chips. NO LIE
I
was a little wigged out about it and then I went and grabbed a piece
of paper and wrote down ideas and next thing I knew, I created my
protagonist first, then I somehow wrote the ending out and didn’t
even realize I did.
Originally,
I had no initial plan of how I wanted it to come out. I think I
wanted it to be initially a manga idea and then I rethought about the
concept and decided, what if I just make it into a novel and see
where it takes me. But, I think I kept my mind in a state of giving
it an action-packed feel to it. It just had to have a bit of an
“anime-feel” to it.
What
do you like to do when not writing?
When
I am not writing, I love watching black and white movies. Nostalgia
at its best. Hitchcock and Rod Sterling are pure geniuses. I also
enjoy expanding my music library. I am very eclectic. You name it I
probably heard it.
I
also, go out and try different cuisines. Indian and Japanese are my
top favorite. I also, play video games, watch anime, and read manga.
But
as of right now, I am working on a blog on my website of all the
books I’m reading this year and I’m reviewing each of them,
meanwhile I’m blogging about my experience as an indie author.
Simple
follow me @:
FB:
@AuthorMitsuki Yoruichi
Pinterest:
Mizyori
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Mizyori
Myspace:
( Yes I found Myspace again LOL) Mitsuki Yoruichi
G+:
Mitsuki Yoruichi
Instagram:
Mizyori
I
do have a website but we are having technical issues so, I must ask
for you all to sit tight while I straighten that out.