Kosuke Fujiki is a new Insignia Stories contributor from one of my favorite areas of Japan, Okinawa! I was thrilled to receive 3 Okinawan-myth drabbles for the Mythical Creatures of Asia anthology. Here is one today. Enjoy! She Saw Shisa Kosuke Fujiki When Machiko saw Shisa, a big, mottled viper was about to attack her.... Continue Reading →
HORROR MATSURI #7: ‘DECEPTION’ BY THERESE CHOON
It's Week 4 of Horror Matsuri, and this is Therese Choon's second publication in the series! Check out her poem 'Qingming; Clarity' if you haven't already. Today, enjoy a very creepy yōkai story 🙂 DECEPTION Therese Choon Yokohama comes alive at nine PM, thriving on flickering neon signs and the faint buzz from low-lying electric... Continue Reading →
INS8 Excerpt #4: ‘Dream Sequence’ by John H. Dromey
This excerpt is from a story by John H. Dromey, who is also a contributor in both Japanese Fantasy Drabbles and the upcoming Southeast Asian Fantasy Drabbles (Out Sept 24th). And look out for his poetry during Horror Matsuri in October! 'DREAM SEQUENCE' BY JOHN H. DROMEY Excerpt: Hoshiko was a born dreamer. As she... Continue Reading →
INS8 Excerpt #3: ‘Waiting by the Otogawa River’ by Kelly Matsuura
Today's excerpt is from me, Kelly Matsuura! It's a little weird promoting as the editor and also being a contributor, but this particular anthology is special to me because I LOVE Japanese castles, plus I have 2 stories in this collection. I also have a story in Japanese Fantasy Stories called 'The Waiting World' that's... Continue Reading →
INS8 Excerpt #2: ‘King Anisika’ by Tetsuya Sato & Toshiya Kamei (translator)
This second excerpt from 'Castles & Kimono' is from Japanese SFF author, Tetsuya Sato. Translated by Toshiya Kamei, it's a traditional-style Japanese piece and I'm proud to include it in the anthology. There was a short write-up about Tetsuya's story on the Japanese site Virtual Gorilla Plus recently (in Japanese only): https://virtualgorillaplus.com/nobel/king-anisika-insignia/ 'KING... Continue Reading →
INS8 Excerpt #1: ‘Portal to Miyashita’ by Carmen Indalecio
As you might have noticed, I love sharing excerpts! Well, Insignia: Castles & Kimono was just released on Sep 27th, so I'd like to introduce the authors and share a few teasers from the wonderful Japanese fantasy stories in this collection. This first excerpt is from new contributor, Carmen Indalecio. She also has work featured... Continue Reading →
Happy Release Day! ‘Insignia: Castles & Kimono’ (Insignia Series #8)
HAPPY RELEASE DAY! I'm really excited about this anthology, it's one of my most favorite themes! Thank you to the wonderful contributors who worked with me on this book. CASTLES & KIMONO INSIGNIA VOL.8. includes 8 stories and 1 poem with historical Japanese settings. Release Date: August 27th, 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS 'Waiting... Continue Reading →
INS2020 Excerpt #3: ‘Railroad to Potalaka’ by Juan Takai & Toshiya Kamei
How about a Japanese *tsukumogami story? This is a great piece by Juan Takai, translated by our resident Japanese translator, Toshiya Kamei. You can also enjoy Juan's writing in both of our drabble anthologies: Japanese Fantasy Drabbles (now available) and Southeast Asian Fantasy Drabbles due out in September. RAILROAD TO POTALAKA By Juan Takai Translated... Continue Reading →
Author Spotlight: EISUKE AIKAWA
It's my honor to introduce Eisuke Aikawa, contributor to our newly-released anthology, Japanese Fantasy Drabbles. Born in Chiba in 1977, Eisuke Aikawa is a writer based in Fukuoka. He has published two collections of short stories, Hiking (2017) and Kumo wo hanareta tsuki (2018). His short fiction has appeared in venues such as Bungakukai,... Continue Reading →
HAPPY RELEASE DAY!! ‘Japanese Fantasy Drabbles’ is OUT NOW!!
CONGRATULATIONS to all the authors who provided the incredible stories for this collection! It was so much fun to collaborate with past Insignia Series contributors as well as many new international writers. And SPECIAL THANKS to Toshiya Kamei, who translated about 15 of drabbles for this book. He's an INSIGNIA STAR! JAPANESE FANASY DRABBLES (... Continue Reading →