Yukimi Ogawa's Blog, page 4
December 12, 2017
Bye-bye 2017
This has not been a busy year publication-wise for me. One new story, one reprint. But as you might have heard me complain, I'm a very slow writer. Hope I'll have more to say next year, but at least, I've been writing!
So, here are what Ive been doing in 2017:
New story:
Nini
The Book Smugglers' Quarterly Almanac: Volume 4 (June 2017)
Far-future science fiction with an android, mecha-AI, and a goddess.
Reprint:
The Seed Keeper
Everyone: Worlds Without Walls (December 2017)
First published: Jabberwocky issue 13 (August 2012)
Creation myth? Post-apocalyptic? Not sure myself.
Best wishes to everyone, everything-wise, for the new year.
So, here are what Ive been doing in 2017:
New story:
Nini
The Book Smugglers' Quarterly Almanac: Volume 4 (June 2017)
Far-future science fiction with an android, mecha-AI, and a goddess.
Reprint:
The Seed Keeper
Everyone: Worlds Without Walls (December 2017)
First published: Jabberwocky issue 13 (August 2012)
Creation myth? Post-apocalyptic? Not sure myself.
Best wishes to everyone, everything-wise, for the new year.
March 12, 2017
HAL-CON 2017
After a year of trying to walk around more of the SFF sphere which did not always go well, but still ended up fruitful in some way, it took me some time to make up my mind. But this year, I'll be going to HAL-CON 2017.
I was there last year, and enjoyed it immensely. I won't be doing anything much, other than hanging around and hearing as many panels as I can. I'm not sure if anyone reading this would be there, but if anyone's so inclined, do say hi. I'll hi back certainly, though not sure if I can do much more than that; sometimes I can be quite a ragged, shitty bag of introvert and unsociable.
It doesn't mean I don't want to talk. I'm just a very awkward person.
Anyway, look at the guest of honor page! You should consider attending, me or no me, really!
I was there last year, and enjoyed it immensely. I won't be doing anything much, other than hanging around and hearing as many panels as I can. I'm not sure if anyone reading this would be there, but if anyone's so inclined, do say hi. I'll hi back certainly, though not sure if I can do much more than that; sometimes I can be quite a ragged, shitty bag of introvert and unsociable.
It doesn't mean I don't want to talk. I'm just a very awkward person.
Anyway, look at the guest of honor page! You should consider attending, me or no me, really!
December 11, 2016
My 2016
This has been a mixed-feeling sort of year for me.
I learned that sometimes I can do more than I think I can (write! get published!) But I also have to admit that there are things I'd never be able to do as well as I'd like (speak English! be sociable!) Some incidents make me feel really proud. Some still make me cry a little. All in all, it wasn't a bad year, I suppose.
So...here are the things I've been doing this year!
"The Secret Mirror of Moriyama House"
Fantasy & Science Fiction, May-June
A story about a woman who patches up the dead's injuries
"Left Behind",
Mythic Delirium, Issue 3.1
Twin guardian foxes find themselves wedged between gods and humans
"Ever Changing, Ever Turning"
Lakington's, Issue 11
Beauty sold, wielded, and torn
"Blue Grey Blue"
Clarkesworld, Issue 123
Set in the same world as "Ever Changing, Ever Turning."
"Kokuri's Palace"
Asian Monsters
About a Japanese monster called Kokuri Babaa, that eats the dead's flesh and fiddles with the flesh's skin and hair and all for pleasure
I learned that sometimes I can do more than I think I can (write! get published!) But I also have to admit that there are things I'd never be able to do as well as I'd like (speak English! be sociable!) Some incidents make me feel really proud. Some still make me cry a little. All in all, it wasn't a bad year, I suppose.
So...here are the things I've been doing this year!
"The Secret Mirror of Moriyama House"
Fantasy & Science Fiction, May-June
A story about a woman who patches up the dead's injuries
"Left Behind",
Mythic Delirium, Issue 3.1
Twin guardian foxes find themselves wedged between gods and humans
"Ever Changing, Ever Turning"
Lakington's, Issue 11
Beauty sold, wielded, and torn
"Blue Grey Blue"
Clarkesworld, Issue 123
Set in the same world as "Ever Changing, Ever Turning."
"Kokuri's Palace"
Asian Monsters
About a Japanese monster called Kokuri Babaa, that eats the dead's flesh and fiddles with the flesh's skin and hair and all for pleasure
November 21, 2016
Innumerable Voices
I don't know how I failed to mention this here, but Haralambi Markov kindly wrote this article, which contains me.
Innumerable Voices: The Short Fiction of Yukimi Ogawa
This made me realise something (to me) funny: in my every-day life I fail to make myself understood on so many occasions; some people, though, understand something I wanted to say by reading my stories.
Sometimes the world is more okay than I realise. (˘v˘)
Innumerable Voices: The Short Fiction of Yukimi Ogawa
This made me realise something (to me) funny: in my every-day life I fail to make myself understood on so many occasions; some people, though, understand something I wanted to say by reading my stories.
Sometimes the world is more okay than I realise. (˘v˘)
September 12, 2016
Story note: Left Behind
This is about this.
If you're familiar with shintoism, or if you've been to a shinto shrine, you've probably seen or heard about guardian dogs. We say dogs but they are usually an imaginary animal, guarding the gate to the sacred area.
For some gods, foxes stand guard. These are usually harvest gods.
The guardians are a pair, one with its mouth open, another closed. The open mouth represent the sound "ah," which indicates the beginning of all things, as the "ah" sound is the first of the Japanese syllabary. The other has its mouth closed, representing "n" (or "m") sound, which is the last sound of our syllabary.
Some of you might have noticed that I mention shrines a lot. In my F&SF story there was also a scene at the shrine, with its guardian dogs. It's not like I'm an active shintoist or something--I just like to be at shrines. With a lot of shrines, when you go through the torii gate, you can actually feel the air change, noises of the city dying away. And there is not one guardian dog (or fox or any other animal) that looks the same as another. Each one is unique, but I'm not sure if this is because they are carved different in the first place, or the weather and touch and history change them after a time.
Well. This looks like How Much I Like Shrines and their Guardian Dogs rather than a story note. Anyway. I hope you enjoy the story.
If you're familiar with shintoism, or if you've been to a shinto shrine, you've probably seen or heard about guardian dogs. We say dogs but they are usually an imaginary animal, guarding the gate to the sacred area.
For some gods, foxes stand guard. These are usually harvest gods.
The guardians are a pair, one with its mouth open, another closed. The open mouth represent the sound "ah," which indicates the beginning of all things, as the "ah" sound is the first of the Japanese syllabary. The other has its mouth closed, representing "n" (or "m") sound, which is the last sound of our syllabary.
Some of you might have noticed that I mention shrines a lot. In my F&SF story there was also a scene at the shrine, with its guardian dogs. It's not like I'm an active shintoist or something--I just like to be at shrines. With a lot of shrines, when you go through the torii gate, you can actually feel the air change, noises of the city dying away. And there is not one guardian dog (or fox or any other animal) that looks the same as another. Each one is unique, but I'm not sure if this is because they are carved different in the first place, or the weather and touch and history change them after a time.
Well. This looks like How Much I Like Shrines and their Guardian Dogs rather than a story note. Anyway. I hope you enjoy the story.
August 5, 2016
August 2016
In 2015, I tried to join a book club. It went really, really bad, resulting in me just being such a nuisance to other members. I still find myself whispering "shinitai" (don't search the word!) to myself when I look back on that event.
It taught me many lessons. And I thought, maybe I should start from listening to what people thought about books, stories and ideas, before trying to say something myself.
So I started to attend smaller events, and went to a con held in Japan. And then, one thing leading to another, I decided to attend Worldcon this year.
(Oh past me, whatever happened to you?!)
Okay. So. I will be in Kansas City this August.
I was afraid to talk about this--I tweeted about this a couple of times, but I knew nobody was likely to be listening to me that way. Well, for one thing, I don't speak English well. I might miss the fabulous things people say there, or I might fail to make sense. And on some days I'm even worse than I usually am. I may have to ask you (if you ever decide to talk to me) to write it down, or I may just stand there smiling thinly, leaving you wondering why you ever talked to me at all. I'm still afraid.
Or, OR, maybe, perhaps, I wonder just in case, I might make sense and I might enjoy it all there.
So. If you are going. See you in Kansas City.
(Still a bit shaky (；ω；))
It taught me many lessons. And I thought, maybe I should start from listening to what people thought about books, stories and ideas, before trying to say something myself.
So I started to attend smaller events, and went to a con held in Japan. And then, one thing leading to another, I decided to attend Worldcon this year.
(Oh past me, whatever happened to you?!)
Okay. So. I will be in Kansas City this August.
I was afraid to talk about this--I tweeted about this a couple of times, but I knew nobody was likely to be listening to me that way. Well, for one thing, I don't speak English well. I might miss the fabulous things people say there, or I might fail to make sense. And on some days I'm even worse than I usually am. I may have to ask you (if you ever decide to talk to me) to write it down, or I may just stand there smiling thinly, leaving you wondering why you ever talked to me at all. I'm still afraid.
Or, OR, maybe, perhaps, I wonder just in case, I might make sense and I might enjoy it all there.
So. If you are going. See you in Kansas City.
(Still a bit shaky (；ω；))
July 12, 2016
Linked stories
This month this issue goes on sale, which includes a story of mine, "Ever Changing, Ever Turning."
This story shares the world with a few others by me. And I thought maybe I could collect the links to those.
The Colorless Thief
Ideomancer, 2014
This is the first story I wrote about this particular world.
Perfect
The Dark, 2014
Very disturbing story about how this island came to be. Let me repeat: very disturbing. While I was writing it I kept calling it "the disgusting one." One reviewr thought it was "distasteful," which made me feel kind of good.
In Her Head, In Her Eyes
The Book Smugglers, 2014
(Reprinted: Apex Book of World SF 4)
This is where I started to think about how the islanders can be oversensitive (?) about the art of their skin.
This story shares the world with a few others by me. And I thought maybe I could collect the links to those.
The Colorless Thief
Ideomancer, 2014
This is the first story I wrote about this particular world.
Perfect
The Dark, 2014
Very disturbing story about how this island came to be. Let me repeat: very disturbing. While I was writing it I kept calling it "the disgusting one." One reviewr thought it was "distasteful," which made me feel kind of good.
In Her Head, In Her Eyes
The Book Smugglers, 2014
(Reprinted: Apex Book of World SF 4)
This is where I started to think about how the islanders can be oversensitive (?) about the art of their skin.
February 23, 2016
F&SF!!!
So my story, "The Secret Mirror of Moriyama House," will appear in the May/June issue of F&SF. I'll talk about this story some time later, when I'm calmer.
Well. Finally.
I'm rather embarrassed to admit that F&SF was the first venue that I ever submitted. At that time I didn't have an e-book reader, and F&SF was the only SFF magazine I could find at Kinokuniya. And I didn't know much about the genre's markets, and I, I--oh well. Anyway.
Of course I received my first form rejection from them. I got my own address wrong when I transcribed it in English (sorry) and I included the wrong-sized envelope (sorry again) so it took that little rejection slip almost a month to get to me. But I did receive it, my first rejection ever.
This was 2009, the start of a long, long journey that still goes on. Like I've said many times, I very often thought no one would give a shit to what I had to say. But in time I discovered many kind people, people who were willing to listen to me. I still cannot believe how fortunate I've been since I first got published in 2012.
I'd be lying if I said oh my I never even imagined I'd ever have a story in F&SF! Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have submitted in the first place. I'd hoped, yes. But the act of submitting there in recent years was, to me, similar to going to a shrine to throw a coin and pray; no difference would be made, probably, but I had to try it anyway.
You may be tired of hearing this from me, but let me say it yet again: thank you so much for listening to me.
Well. Finally.
I'm rather embarrassed to admit that F&SF was the first venue that I ever submitted. At that time I didn't have an e-book reader, and F&SF was the only SFF magazine I could find at Kinokuniya. And I didn't know much about the genre's markets, and I, I--oh well. Anyway.
Of course I received my first form rejection from them. I got my own address wrong when I transcribed it in English (sorry) and I included the wrong-sized envelope (sorry again) so it took that little rejection slip almost a month to get to me. But I did receive it, my first rejection ever.
This was 2009, the start of a long, long journey that still goes on. Like I've said many times, I very often thought no one would give a shit to what I had to say. But in time I discovered many kind people, people who were willing to listen to me. I still cannot believe how fortunate I've been since I first got published in 2012.
I'd be lying if I said oh my I never even imagined I'd ever have a story in F&SF! Because if I hadn't, I wouldn't have submitted in the first place. I'd hoped, yes. But the act of submitting there in recent years was, to me, similar to going to a shrine to throw a coin and pray; no difference would be made, probably, but I had to try it anyway.
You may be tired of hearing this from me, but let me say it yet again: thank you so much for listening to me.
December 22, 2015
My 2015
Okay, I've never done this. And I don't have much to say. But here is what I've been doing this year!
Stories:
In the White Room
Lakeside Circus, May
Hundred Eye
Strange Horizons, September
This was part of their Fund Drive special issue, which also included a joint interview with Roshani-san
Also a Halloween post:
Japanese yokai Monsters
Reprinted:
In Her Head, In Her Eyes, The Apex Book of World SF 4
First published: The Book Smugglers, 2014.
At the moment I know I have one story due in 2016.
I will talk about that one soon, hopefully, in another post.
Wishing you all a happy new year!
Stories:
In the White Room
Lakeside Circus, May
Hundred Eye
Strange Horizons, September
This was part of their Fund Drive special issue, which also included a joint interview with Roshani-san
Also a Halloween post:
Japanese yokai Monsters
Reprinted:
In Her Head, In Her Eyes, The Apex Book of World SF 4
First published: The Book Smugglers, 2014.
At the moment I know I have one story due in 2016.
I will talk about that one soon, hopefully, in another post.
Wishing you all a happy new year!
