Benjamin Martin's Blog: More Things Writing, page 45

Tiger Wins National Geographic Photo Contest

I’m a fan of photography, actually I’m a fan of taking pictures, but Its always inspiring to see the world through the lens of a great artist, or at least someone who ended up in the right place, at the right time, and with the right equipment.

This year’s Grand Prize for the 2012 National Geographic is by Ashley Vincent of a Tigress at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.  (Checkout the Photo below)

Nature – Winners Gallery – National Geographic Photo Contest 2012 – National Geographic

Kou would be proud.

 

Happy New Year’s!

2012 was an amazing year for me.  It was my first full year on Kumejima, my first novel was published by Tuttle Publishing, and I had many amazing experiences thorough it all.  New Year’s is one of the most important times in Japan.  If you’d like to learn more, checkout my various blog posts on New Year’s.

Since New Year’s is such a big deal here, and because I appreciate the support of every reader, I’ve decided to release The Tanner’s Daughter early and for free.  You can now download a free digital copy for your favorite platform from Smashwords.  It will also soon be available from your favorite ebook stores.

This holiday season, I hope you’ll curl up with a few good books.  Thanks for reading and have a great year in 2013 and beyond.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Martin

Cover Reveal for the Tanner’s Daughter

Some of you may know that my debut novel, Samurai Awakening is part of a series with the second book set to be published by Tuttle Publishing next fall.  What you may not know is that I’ll be releasing short story tie-ins between the major novels!  Most short stories are under two thousand words and can be found in magazines, anthologies and now on ebooks.  I’m happy to say that the first in the Samurai Awakening Diaries series will be over 8,000 words.

Samurai Awakening Diaries: The Tanner’s Daughter is the story of a young boy in ancient Japan that meets a young outcast girl on the edge of his village.  As war returns to the land, and the boy grows closer to the Tanner’s Daughter, he will have to choose between the freedom of the forest and his pride.

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Note: Final Cover may (and probably will) change.

You can read the (unedited) first part of this story now for free on wattpad.com.  The full story is set for digital distribution in January 2013.

Cultural and Student Exchanges

A big part of the premise for Samurai Awakening deals with what happens when a young American joins an exchange program and ends up surrounded by a culture and language he does not understand.  Since immersion is perhaps the fastest way someone can learn a foreign language, it has become a popular option for many students seeking a better understanding of the world and themselves.  As a fifth year member of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, I can see every day how cross cultural exchanges effect both parties.  While it is true I’m an adult with a college degree, there are also many programs for students of various ages to travel and live abroad.

Why Have Exchanges?

“…many former JET participants use their experiences … to continue enhancing relations.” JET Programme Website

“…Study Abroad Programs became popular after World War II…  Have the aim of helping to increase the participants’ understanding and tolerance of other cultures, as well as improving their language skills and broadening social horizons.”  TwoWorldsUnited.com

Essentially, countries realized after the major world wars that we needed better understanding between languages and culture.  Young people have the best chance at broadening their language skills, and often get the most benefit from exchanges.  While it is definitely effective to learn about other cultures from books, movies, and other mediums, it does not compare with the full exposure that one can receive from living with a host family and truly experiencing things first hand.

Take the JET Programme as an example.  As Japan grew in economic strength during the 1980’s the government realized that there were difficulties in working with other countries due to language and cultural gaps.  The Japanese government instituted a program to bring young adults to Japan so that they would learn about the country and then return to their home counties with a better understanding of Japan.  They got the side benefit of getting native English speakers to teach the youth of Japan English and help inspire Japanese people to learn more about the world outside Japanese boarders.  The JET Programme has been a huge success in grassroots internationalization, with thousands of participants over twenty-six years.

Many JET Participants know little or no Japanese before they enter the programme, though it is preferred they know a little bit about the country since they will be working there for at least a year.  I studied Japanese language and culture for several years before entering the programme, but my language skills were not strong.  It wasn’t until I arrived and was immersed in the culture of a small island that I quickly began picking up the language.  Even with years of study I could understand very little when I first arrived, but then I am not a natural linguist.

Programs

International exchanges have become a great way for young people to learn about other cultures.  There are tons of programs out there for all ages.  When I was in the Phoenix Boys Choir, we routinely hosted choir members from other countries as they toured and were hosted during our international tours.  This enabled both groups to travel more cheaply, but also to get more out of their experiences than just a place to stay.  The opportunities help broaden perceptions and create shared experiences between people of different cultures.

Many schools also have exchanges and opportunities for students to travel from anywhere from a month to year or more.  Every summer Kume Island sends three junior high students to America for a month to study English and learn about our culture.  These students study English beforehand, but are rarely confident in their speaking ability.

Two students also came to Kumejima for a month with no previous language skills.  Though they were high school students, and they may have had difficulties understanding everything going on around them, I’m sure they value the experience.

The Case of David Matthews

I have been surprised by some reviewer comments about how believable it would be for David to go on an exchange with little or no language/culture ability in Samurai Awakening.   While I fully support all reviewers’ right to their opinion and value the time they took to read Samurai Awakening and more so write about it, I wanted to share my views on exchanges, and why I think David’s experience is not far from reality.

Learning a language is difficult, but many people go through the culture shock and adjustment David experiences.  I hoped to show a dramatized version of what many people really experience.  I would definitely suggest anyone seeking to do an exchange learn about the language and culture, but there are definitely plenty of cases where it just doesn’t happen.  Even those well prepared will still run into surprises.  It is difficult, but that experience is a powerful force for change in a student’s life.

The act of stepping into the unknown is very often a larger reason for an exchange experience than growing language skills.  Giving students stressful (hopefully positively) and challenging situations can be an effective learning experience.  .  It is not uncommon for new exchange students to have a rough time at first.  The initial difficulty of an exchange pays off exponentially as the student quickly begins picking up the new language. While some might use an exchange to escape, most exchange students simply go to explore a new culture

Humans have amazing potential.  I’ve experienced a limited form of immersion and it really has changed my life.  While the argument might be made that David is too young to be in a full-year program, the younger the student is the more chance they will have of becoming bilingual, and after all.  It is a fantasy.  The website I quoted above, along with many other programs offer full year exchanges with minimal or no qualifications.

David went to Japan on the spur of the moment, taking a last-minute opening to see more of the world.  He was part explorer, part escapist, but his experience, while dramatized, isn’t far from reality.

Have you been on an exchange?  I’d love to hear your perspective.  Thoughts on the way David’s exchange was portrayed?  Let me know!

Resources:

The JET Programme Website

Two Worlds United Educational Foundation

Phoenix Sister Cities Youth Ambassador Exchange Program

How I Got Published

My first novel, Samurai Awakening, has now been on store shelves for a bit over a month.  It’s been an amazing ride over the last few months.  A ride I had not planned on taking.  The second I knew I had a story to share, however, I started learning.  Getting into any kind of writing is a difficult process, mainly because there is no rule, but plenty of people out there trying to sell you “the way.”  I was shocked at the fact that there is an ENTIRE INDUSTRY out there trying to take advantage of want-to-be writers.  Some of the people in that industry sincerely want to help and improve the market.  Many are sharks looking for their next bite.

The fact is, many people have a story to tell, and want to share that story.  A lot of people also think they will somehow make a lot of money by selling a blockbuster right off the bat. Writing has almost become a kind of lottery, where people keep putting entries in and hoping one will hit.  The reality is that if you want writing to be a career, you’ll have to get into it the same way you get into any career, through education, hard work, and determination.

The Industry

I’ve already talked about how I started writing.  For most writers this should be the easy part.  If you’re having trouble getting words onto paper, you need to figure that out before you even consider tackling a career in writing.  With my story in hand, I started looking at the industry as a whole.  The thing is, its changing and there are a lot of different aspects.  You might note I say “writer” rather than author.  Overall, I think what I’m writing her applies to a broader segment of the industry than just one set, the author, but be aware that blogging, news, short stories, picture books, non fiction, etc all have their own nuances.  Since I knew I had YA fiction I focused on that.

My initial research told me I had two options.  Self publish through amazon or the like, or go traditional.  I like reading, and I like ebooks, but I decided to try for traditional and have self publishing as by back up.  I did this because I knew I was new.  I have read a lot, but no newbie knows how to put a book together.  No matter how much you research  you’ll never know how to really create a quality book until you do it.  I wanted to traditionally publish as a learning experience.  I wanted a set of professionals to help guide my story through the process so that my naiveté would not ruin its chances of being read.  I was also wary of the huge numbers of companies and people ready to take advantage of new authors.

I also knew that most publishers do not have slush piles anymore, and that if I wanted a big publisher, I would need an agent.

The Agent Search

I do not have an agent.  This is probably where I succumbed to my first newbie writer mistakes.  I read a lot of websites, even a few books on writing query letters and getting an agent.  I went through drafts of query letters then got my hands on a list of agents and started sending out emails.  I wasn’t ready.  My story wasn’t where it needed to be, and neither was I as a writer.  Worse, it showed.  Since I sent out emails to the agents I was most interested in, I ruined a lot of chances right off the bat.  After a few rejections, I went back to editing.

Down the line, as my story came together, and more importantly, as I understood that story better, I wrote more persuasive query letters, and even began getting full requests.  Unfortunately, the list of agents I could or would want to submit to had now fallen.

Small Publishers

Aside from the big 5 (formerly the big six and perhaps soon to be four) there are a lot of small presses that tend to focus on specific areas.  From my own Japanese studies, I knew that Tuttle Publishing did great work on Asian-themed books.  I started looking at small presses and also started reading Publisher’s Weekly for news items that would point me to presses that might match my work.  I noticed that Tuttle Publishing had many books on Japan in everything from non-fiction to origami and children’s but did not have any young adult.  I also saw that they took unsolicited submissions.  After all my research, they stood at the top of my list so I submitted.  Then I went back to editing.  As my book changed, I realized that as with my agent search, I had likely submitted before I was ready.

Contests

As I kept working on my story, getting feedback and trying to make it better, I pulled away from submitting to agents and a few small publishers.  I changed the title of the work, and began writing more on my first blog.  Then I found out about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  Since it was free to enter, I figured it would be a good way to test my writing and possibly even get some feedback outside friends and family.

I entered and found the pain of waiting.  Perhaps nothing else is more important to a perspective writer.  The industry is changing quickly, but still moves slow.  It takes time for people to read, especially when they have hundreds of submissions to get through.  I was impatient, but learning.  I spent that time working on my second book.  As I progressed in the competition, I got to the point where my work fell under exclusivity for the duration of the contest, and so I emailed Tuttle Publishing to withdraw my submission.  Surprisingly they emailed me back almost immediately with their regrets and welcomed a re-submission after the contest.

In the end, I finished in the semi-final round of the 2011 ABNA, and got a Publisher’s Weekly review that I used to help refine my work.  I edited again, and then resubmitted to my editor of Tuttle.

After negotiating my first contract, we signed in September of 2011 for publication in 2012. I did not have an agent, so I could not rely on anyone for help, but I did plenty of research on contract terms and had no one to pay a percentage to.  I was happy to work with Tuttle over a big publisher because I knew Tuttle would support my efforts to show real Japan over trying to just sell a story.

The Take

My story is both unique and not.  I went from never having written anything longer than a business plan to a published author in under two years.  Most writers take years of training, years of revisions, and years of searching for a way in.  I got in quickly because I found a publisher that fit with what I was doing and skipped the agent gate keepers.  Should everyone do this? No.  Agents are another layer of professionals that can help improve your work… or never sell it.  It depends on you and your skills and your desires.  If I had spent another year revising, then gone and resubmitted to agents, I could probably find one, and maybe I might have even made it to a big publisher.  I opted to keep more control over my work and get it to readers sooner.

My advice is be wary, educated, and take your own path.  Find the right course for you and your writing.

 

Twitter 101

[image error]I was recently asked by a new blogger about twitter, and since I’m a fan I went ahead and told him plenty about it.  There must be sources out there for those of you getting your start in blogging or social media, but in case it can be helpful to anyone else, here’s my take.  Not everyone might agree with it, but take a look, and if you want more advanced topics scroll down.

Why use twitter?

Twitter is social networking site that gives you access to tons of new content while also helping new readers learn about you through the people they follow.  At first, I had very few followers so anything I wrote had limited audience, yet I still found and find twitter useful because it allows users to create a stream of short posts from providers that you actually care about.  When I started my twitter account I was just getting into writing so I started following the few real-life friends who were on it and then started following content providers such as Publisher’s Weekly, the LA Review of Books, news services, authors, and more.  I found it gave me quick access to world news and even better publishing news that put me on a fast track to understanding the industry.  While you could still go google a topic and work your way through tons of pages, twitter’s feed can help you learn about what’s going on much faster.

On the flip side, twitter also allows for content creators, writers, and people to share short snippets of their lives.  You can easily update people about new posts, news, or interesting events in your life that are of interest to others.  If you do this right people will follow you to continue learning more and share your posts with their followers, creating the possibility of viral expansion which will help spread the word about you and your words.

Get Started

Twitter and most social networks work around a brand.  Every new website you join takes time to think about and operate, so consider well what public face you intend on presenting to the world.  Do you plan to build a brand around yourself?  A specific work?  This is important because you’ll have to choose a screen name that will be used to define your account.  You can change this in the future, but it makes things easier if you don’t have to go and change a bunch of links later.  I’m an author, blogger, photographer, and radio host, but everything has to do with Japan, so I went with a screen name close to my blog @MoreThingsJapan (you’re limited in length).

Once you know how you want to brand yourself, Twitter is easy to set up.  Simply go to twitter.com and follow the instructions to set up an account.  Most of this information can be changed later if you decide to expand or change directions.  It’s a nice feature so don’t worry too much!

When you have your account, you’ll be able to connect to other services to find your connections already on twitter.  At this point you’ll also want to upload a picture.  If you have an icon for your site, book, or service you and use that, but most people suggest a self-portrait to give your brand a human touch and so that people can actually see who they’re following.  There is a separate, relatively new feature called a header that allows you greater expression about what you plan to talk about.  The header is where you’ll want to put a book cover, sample photography, or other catchy picture.  Just realize your profile will go over it so play with colors and design until you get something that looks good and is still readable.

My Current Twitter Header – Located above your feed on twitter platforms

 

You will also need to write a profile.  Just as each post is limited, so too is your profile limited to a few words.  Tell potential followers about you and what you plan to write about. They probably don’t need to know about your love of the color blue.  Unless you blog about the color blue.  You should probably note if you blog about blue.

Twitter also allows you to change your background and color scheme.  This is mostly for your own enjoyment though if someone clicks to your full profile they’ll see your background too.  This can be another opportunity for branding or a great way to show off a favorite picture.  Be creative and most of all original.

Following

“You have to give to receive.”  For the most part, the only people who will randomly follow you are bots (accounts set up to automatically follow people to get you to follow back so they can spam you).  Following adds a person’s stream to your feed.  You will see their posts, so follow people who create content you’re interested in.  You can find new people to follow by searching trends, categories, or even key words.  Check out a profile or recent tweets to see if they’re interesting then follow.  Once you start following you might also notice other user’s tweets showing up when they are ReTweeted (RT) by someone you follow.  If those interest you too then you can follow and the good vibes spread.

Getting Followers

Using Twitter strictly as a news service is possible, but is really only a small part of the site’s potential.  The easiest way to get a new follower is to follow.  Every time you follow someone, twitter will tell them in their @connect feed.  Many users follow back everyone, but it’s not a requirement.  For my part, I only add back people who have an interesting profile or content I want to read since I still use my twitter feed.  Still, even if only 1/10 people follow you back, that’s more than before.

Most people see the “Followers” number as a holy grail and do whatever it takes to get more.  It’s true that if you follow everyone you can, you’ll get a higher number, but that doesn’t mean those people will read, or more importantly interact with your tweets.  If a person follows 10,000 people, they’ll likely never see your tweet and thus what’s the point? Instead of focusing on quantity, try to get followers who will be interested in you and your content.  Do this by following only accounts with content you want to read and might want to read your posts as well.

You can also get followers by retweeting their tweets, interacting with them through @ mentions, tweeting with # hashmarks and tweeting their content.  These methods have their pitfalls too so keep reading!

Tweeting

You might get a few followers from people you know or bots, but if you really want to connect with people you have to create balanced posts that are interesting, useful, funny, or informative.  I say balanced because if all you do is tweet about your one book, rt others,  or new blog post, or the color blue people will likely not follow, unfollow, or love you with hate messages.  You’ll have to find your own balance between all the above to create a unique account people will be excited to follow and share.

Once you have everything set up, start tweeting (that is write a short snippet of your life and hit the tweet button).  You can tweet about anything but everything is public.  Think about how children, your parents, or a newspaper might take what you write.  If it’s too personal for mum, maybe it shouldn’t be on twitter.  On the other hand, if you never give a bit of yourself, you’ll just be another bot.

Timing

You can tweet quite often, or once a year.  You’ll have to find a pace that is comfortable for you.  I automatically unfollow anyone who fills my feed with tweets.  This usually happens when people use programs to auto tweet, or have had a few too many and decide to post all at once.  Just be aware that you can lose followers by tweeting too much in one sitting, or by not tweeting enough.  The content of your tweets will determine where those boundaries lie.

Linking

One of the most powerful and useful twitter tools are links.  Links allow you to connect people to your blog, website, or other articles that will give more of the story.  You tweet create excitement, and the link will take them to the real content.  For authors, bloggers, and most content creators, we want people to visit our sites to read other articles, click on advertising, or otherwise connect with us.  Links are how this is done.  Posting just a link, however, does little.  You have to convince your followers to click the link if you want them to read it.  Consider titles or summaries carefully.  Twitter often automatically shortens links to 20 characters to conserve space for your writing, so use that space!

@ Connecting

Using an @mark followed by a screen name ie @MoreThingsJapan will put that tweet into that person’s @connect feed even if they don’t follow you.  You can use it to have a tweet conversation that your followers will be able to see.  Their followers will only see it if they choose to RT it.

@connects are often used to acknowledge the source of a post or information.  This is usually done with “via @MoreThingsJapan” at the end of a post.  If you click on a link in your feed, it’s generally polite to RT(retweet) them rather than click the share button from the original article.  This is because you found the news through them and it will tell your followers about someone they might want to follow.  It is also generally polite to follow someone before using an @connect unless it is auto generated (like if you click a tweet button at the end of an article and it automatically includes one).

Hastags

Hastags (#) denote a keyword in the twitterverse.  Some robots automatically pick up certain hashtags for further dissemination.  They are also used to track trends, with the most popular showing up in the “whats trending” sidebar.  You can follow hashtags under the “discover” feed to follow specific topics for a time as well.

Use hashtags with care.  If a post is all hashtags, no one will want to read it.  If you never use any, then you might miss out on opportunities for a wider audience.  When I write about Japan, I generally include a #Japan hashtag.  You can use them as part of a sentence, or at the end of the post.

Some hashtags are used almost purely for comedic value.  #IBlogAboutBlue #NotReally

ReTweeting

If you find a post in your feed useful, consider retweeting it.  It’s a quick and easy thing to do to create more value to your own followers while rewarding content creators for their post by sharing it with a wider audience and potentially leading to more followers.  Here again, you’ll want to find a balance.  To often I find accounts that are all RTs.  It’s true they get a lot of followers, but what’s the point?  I end up getting the same tweet twenty times and then unfollow.  You might notice accounts with thousands of tweets are mostly just people with autotweet programs.  They’re trying to get the most followers by tweeting about everything in a specific category (ie Japan). I have to wonder if it is really worth anyone’s time.  I focus my tweets on creating new original content that is interesting of its own, rather than worry about trying to be a one stop shop.  You might grow quickly, but then you’ll die like all portals do (think yahoo! or aol).

It is common for people to thank those that retweet them.  Use your judgement on this.  If a person retweets everything you write, you don’t need to thank them every time.  It will fill up your feed and annoy your other followers.  You also don’t need to thank everyone individually.  Consider doing a “Thanks for the RTs! @____ @___ @___” post.  The same goes for new followers.  Your other followers really don’t care about how many new followers you got.

More on tweeting

You can also tweet pictures, videos, and other media content through links.  When a person clicks on your post, it will usually expand to show the content.  For the most part use your common sense and be mindful about creating balance.

Twitter Pitfalls

There are a lot of ways to become annoying on twitter without realizing it.  Here are the most annoying things I’ve seen on twitter, in no particular order.  I’ve probably done some of these, sorry loyal followers!

Follow Friday – This aka #FF was a way to get your followers to follow other people you’re interested you’d say “Follow these great people” list a bunch and then write “#FF”  It feels great when they thank you, and then RT, and then suddenly your entire feed is full of people posting about people and very few lead to actual followers.  Instead, consider just giving a shout out about a specific person if you really enjoy their tweets.
Link Overdose – If your tweet is full of only links or hashtags I’m going to think you’re trying to give my computer a virus
AutoTweet- Don’t do it!  If you don’t want to take the time to post something, do I really need to take the time to read it?  Likely I’ll just unfollow.  Especially when its an entire page.
Horoscopes - Be careful which applications and sites you give access to.  I don’t need to read your horoscope everyday.
Direct Tweets – Watch what you open in direct tweets.  Unless you’re sure it’s from that person.  SPAM often gets sent through DMs.  If you lose control of your account and I get spam from you, I and most others unfollow.
SPAM – It can be hard to find a balance among your postings, but if everything you do is trying to sell me something it’s no good.
Copywrite – Anything a person writes in America is automatically copywritten and protected by law.  If you steal a tweet, it’s stealing.  RT people so they get credit with an @connect, don’t copy their hard work.
Bait and Switch – Sometimes people will follow you just to get you to follow them back, then later go unfollow.  This is annoying as Twitter doesn’t announce when someone stops following (though your number will go down). It’s a pain to go unfollow but most people will do so.  If you follow someone and unfollow them, expect to be unfollowed.  For my part, I’ve unfollowed some (you over-posters you) but I fully expect to be unfollowed in return.

Twitter, like all social media, is constantly changing.  It’s a useful tool and entertaining way to connect with interesting people all over the world.  Help to keep it a great environment by learning the niceties, staying active and relevant, and keeping a balance.  Remember it’s also a public forum, so keep personal information safe.  Use features such as photos and location with discretion.  Watch out for SPAM, Viruses, and other dangers as you would on any site or in email.

If you’ve enjoyed this article please click the tweet button, subscribe, or share on your favorite social media.  Twitter 202 will be all about promoting your twitter feed once you have one up and running.

My First Published Words

When I was in High School, I took an AP government course in my junior or senior year (2002).  As part of the class, we had to write letters to the local newspaper on current affairs.  After we wrote our letters, our teacher sent them to the newspaper.  Mine was one of the few that was actually published. I don’t remember much from High School anymore, but oddly enough I still have a lot of the files on my computer.  I found the letter when I was going through my backup hard disk. Unfortunately I don’t have an exact date, and its unlikely there are archives for the letter’s section, but below is what I wrote.

The threat of weapons of mass destruction has plagued the world since the Cold War.  Yet, we have survived and prospered, going about our lives with outcries of rage at any mention of war.  This has prevented action; we go on letting terrorists and enemies past and present go on with little regard for national and world security.  Time has allowed for the exponential growth of weapon stores around the world.  Leaders of countries agree to inspections, but negotiation degrade them to a superfluous level, an annoyance that is eventually forgotten.  Who in their right mind would negotiate with someone who is merely biding their time until they attack? We do.  The destructive works of the past are forgotten, to today’s generation.  War, not all that long ago, is forgotten, this is why history repeats itself, no one cares to remember.  How do we change the past, protect the future?  We must make amends for the lack of action.  Iraqi weapons, North Korean weapons programs, of course there is a likely hood they would use horrible weapons, they do horrible things, that is why we must stop them.  The important thing however is that we never sink to their level, and, we must never give in.  If we do then we have no place as a world power.

 

I can say I don’t agree with everything I wrote. The worst part is seeing how bad it needs an edit!  Not only are there errors, but the ideas bounce around without a single coherent message.  Still, it is the first of my writing that was ever published.  I think I’ll stick to avoiding politics like the plague.  Fiction is much more fun.  It’s strange to go back and read such old work.  Now I’ll have to go back and re-read all my other reports.  Not a bad project as the 10 year mark comes around!

November Giveaway and Booklist Review

It’s November!  That means my birthday is right around the corner.  What’s more I already got an awesome gift!  Booklist Magazine gave a great review today in their November 1 issue.  You can read the review on Booklistonline, though you’ll need a subscription.  Luckily they offer a free 14 day trial!  Here’s an excerpt:

“An imaginative take on the triumph of the underdog.”

If you’ve read Samurai Awakening you know Kou might disagree with a bit of the word-choice, but then we can’t all be a Japanese god descended form the Zodiac Tiger can we?

To celebrate the great review and my birthday, I’m giving away two personalized copies on Goodreads! Just enter below before November 30 for your chance to win!  If you’ve already got a copy, be sure to rate and review it!  Help spread the word and make the series a success!  Thanks to everyone who has already taken the time to do so!

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Samurai Awakening
by Benjamin Martin

Giveaway ends November 30, 2012.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

Welcome to More Things Writing

Hello!  I’m author Benjamin Martin.  For the past few years I’ve been blogging over at  More Things Japanese.  There I’ve explored Japanese Culture, shared pictures, and delved into the delicious recipes that keep me fed while I live in Okinawa.  With the release of Samurai Awakening, this past October, however, there are a lot of things to share that won’t really fit with what I’ve got going on over at MTJ.  I’ve started this blog to connect with readers and bring you book and writing related information.  Subscribe to keep up to date on the latest happenings.

Thanks for taking the time to read.  I hope you enjoy More Things Writing.

Samurai Awakening is Out

It’s October 10, and that meansSamurai Awakening is officially hitting store shelves, nooks, kindles, and e-readers everywhere. I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks about it, and I deeply appreciate your support. Writing Samurai Awakening has been an adventure from start to now, which I see as a whole new beginning.

For those of you who have already read the book, know that I will continue working hard to perfect my craft and bring you new stories from Japan. Tuttle has already signed Revenge of the Akuma Clan for next year, so expect a lot more from the Jitsugen Samurai series. I’ve also got a special surprise in store for between now and then.

I’m off to go prepare for tonight’s debut party at Changing Hands in Tempe Arizona. If you can, stop by, say hello, and get a signed copy!

よろしくおねがいします！