M.H. Boroson's Blog
February 4, 2016
Altar at a Chinese temple in Weaverville, CA
"Father’s altar dominated the heart of the large chamber. Colorful silk lanterns hung above it, red, yellow, and blue-green, and the altar was surrounded by bright brocades, candles, idols, and incense—a clutter of magnificence."
-- from The Girl with Ghost Eyes, by M. H. Boroson.
Undated antique photo shows the interior of a Chinese temple in Weaverville, California. From my personal collection.
---
If you would like a free copy of the new Li-lin short story, Ride a Mule, first leave a review of The Girl with Ghost Eyes at Amazon. Then send a link to your review to mhboroson@gmail.com, with the word "mule" in the subject line, and let me know what electronic format you'd prefer (epub, mobi, doc, docx, etc.).
January 12, 2016
A new Li-lin adventure? For free?
That's right. A short story called Ride a Mule. A month or two after the events in The Girl with Ghost Eyes, Li-lin is called upon to exorcise a strange spirit -- but things may not be what they seem. If you enjoyed the novel, you're probably going to enjoy this story.
How can you read "Ride a Mule"? Well, we'd like to see more reviews of The Girl with Ghost Eyes on Amazon.com.
To get a copy of this new adventure, first leave a review of the book at Amazon. Then send a link to your review to mhboroson@gmail.com, with the word "mule" in the subject line, and let me know what electronic format you'd prefer (epub, mobi, doc, docx, etc.).
It should go without saying that this offer is open to anyone who leaves a review, even a negative one.
How can you read "Ride a Mule"? Well, we'd like to see more reviews of The Girl with Ghost Eyes on Amazon.com.
To get a copy of this new adventure, first leave a review of the book at Amazon. Then send a link to your review to mhboroson@gmail.com, with the word "mule" in the subject line, and let me know what electronic format you'd prefer (epub, mobi, doc, docx, etc.).
It should go without saying that this offer is open to anyone who leaves a review, even a negative one.
October 22, 2015
Pronunciations
The novel The Girl with Ghost Eyes uses many words which are unfamiliar to most Americans. I hope people who read the book feel inspired to learn more about the languages and cultures it explores -- to learn more about the worlds we share.
I'm posting this as a resource for people who want to learn a little bit of the language:
Pronunciation Guide
I'm posting this as a resource for people who want to learn a little bit of the language:
Pronunciation Guide
August 16, 2015
Spirit Magic Kung Fu: The Coolest Genre You've Never Heard Of
Prelude
Nothing disturbs the dark woods' silence for hours at a time. Occasionally a wolf may howl, somewhere in the distance. Rarer is the chant of the corpse-herder. He wears yellow linen robes. He has tied a bell around one finger, and shakes it, rhythmically, when his incantation pauses. Murmur, murmur, murmur, ring, murmur, murmur, ring. Behind him, in an orderly line, comes a group of hopping vampires.
Don't be frightened. There's nothing to worry about. Each of the corpses has his face covered by a sheet of yellow paper -- a talisman. The corpse-herder wrote magic symbols along the papers, using vermilion ink. The talismans keep the jiangshi compliant. They remain strictly under his control. He knows thirty-six commands: he can order them to jump, turn left, turn right, go backwards, and they will obey. When he hasn't given them a command, the talismans ensure that they stand still, taking no action, only swaying slightly.
Unless, of course, something dislodges the talismans. And then the corpses, blind, will hop toward the nearest living person and kill him for his vital energy.
Again, there's no reason to worry. The corpse-herder is good at his job, he's been trained for it since he was a lad. He's a Daoshi -- a Daoist priest -- and he follows the famous magical lineage known as Maoshan. His bumbling assistants are another matter, though. The two young men behind the corpses are always playing pranks, causing trouble.
And then there's the woman. Clad in ghostly white, she lifts off the carriage then floats into the shadows, watching. There's something about one of the apprentices, something attractive, something that reminds her what it was like to be alive.
* * * * *
For me, nothing beats a spirit magic kung fu movie. The best of them set up elaborate comedy scenes reminiscent of "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," and they proceed at a dizzying pace, mixing laughter with action and a kind of horror. But this isn't any form of horror we're used to; more spooky than scary, the horror is both clownish and unearthly, otherworldly, unheimlich.
Over the next few blog posts, I'll write more about my favorite film genre of all time. I'll discuss several different subgenres, some recurring tropes and themes, and I'll recommend the films I consider most enjoyable. I'm going to talk about how I fell in love with the genre, and I'm going to discuss important figures in its history. I'm going to build a kind of encyclopedia of Spirit Magic Kung Fu monsters, and a grimoire of the magical spells and rituals that have appeared in these fantastic movies.
It's gonna be a good time.
Nothing disturbs the dark woods' silence for hours at a time. Occasionally a wolf may howl, somewhere in the distance. Rarer is the chant of the corpse-herder. He wears yellow linen robes. He has tied a bell around one finger, and shakes it, rhythmically, when his incantation pauses. Murmur, murmur, murmur, ring, murmur, murmur, ring. Behind him, in an orderly line, comes a group of hopping vampires.
Don't be frightened. There's nothing to worry about. Each of the corpses has his face covered by a sheet of yellow paper -- a talisman. The corpse-herder wrote magic symbols along the papers, using vermilion ink. The talismans keep the jiangshi compliant. They remain strictly under his control. He knows thirty-six commands: he can order them to jump, turn left, turn right, go backwards, and they will obey. When he hasn't given them a command, the talismans ensure that they stand still, taking no action, only swaying slightly.
Unless, of course, something dislodges the talismans. And then the corpses, blind, will hop toward the nearest living person and kill him for his vital energy.
Again, there's no reason to worry. The corpse-herder is good at his job, he's been trained for it since he was a lad. He's a Daoshi -- a Daoist priest -- and he follows the famous magical lineage known as Maoshan. His bumbling assistants are another matter, though. The two young men behind the corpses are always playing pranks, causing trouble.
And then there's the woman. Clad in ghostly white, she lifts off the carriage then floats into the shadows, watching. There's something about one of the apprentices, something attractive, something that reminds her what it was like to be alive.
* * * * *
For me, nothing beats a spirit magic kung fu movie. The best of them set up elaborate comedy scenes reminiscent of "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," and they proceed at a dizzying pace, mixing laughter with action and a kind of horror. But this isn't any form of horror we're used to; more spooky than scary, the horror is both clownish and unearthly, otherworldly, unheimlich.
Over the next few blog posts, I'll write more about my favorite film genre of all time. I'll discuss several different subgenres, some recurring tropes and themes, and I'll recommend the films I consider most enjoyable. I'm going to talk about how I fell in love with the genre, and I'm going to discuss important figures in its history. I'm going to build a kind of encyclopedia of Spirit Magic Kung Fu monsters, and a grimoire of the magical spells and rituals that have appeared in these fantastic movies.
It's gonna be a good time.
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