I came, I saw, I drank Tea

 Lots of people have been asking me, "So what made you decide to write a book?" Turns out, the reason why they're so curious is that the world is full of fledgling writers. "How'd you know you had something important enough to write a whole book?" Yeah, why does an old carpenter decide to sit down and write a novel? Most of us are unsure if we have an original thought, or idea worth writing about. We all can't be Suzanne Collins and write "The Hunger Games."

Before I began, I felt strongly that if I was going to write a book, I'd be careful about the ideas I set down on paper. Even if you're writing fiction, an author has a responsibility for their words and ideas. I wouldn't want something that I've written to be misinterpreted and have unintended consequences. Ideas are powerful things. Right? Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I wrote about a bird call that signaled a violent revolution, and war. Look, I'm not taking a shot at anyone. (At least not until I hear that secret whistle.) 

Yes, I understand that bad people do bad things and it's up to us good people to do something about it. Who didn't love Gary Cooper in, High Noon. Katniss really can kick-butt with her bow. Most of us grew up with the idea of "might for right" even before we knew how to read. We learned that Camelot isn't possible without the Knights of the Round Table.  Julius Caesar wouldn't have made headlines back in the day day by sitting down to tea with his enemies. Or, maybe he would have? Gandhi did pretty well. He won the Nobel Peace prize five times, and also manage to liberate his country through civil disobedience. Martin Luther King Jr. and more recently, Nelson Mandela have proven that positive change can be brought about through nonviolent struggle. If raising an army to fight an army is the only choice we have as humans, you have to admit that does seem a bit limited. 

So, what's this got to do with the price of tea in China? Well… everything, as it turns out. I came across an article about a rare tea auction where an ounce of tea sold for ten times the price of an ounce of gold. How's that possible? I was shocked. Truth is stranger than fiction. Tea more valuable than gold? You can't make that up. Bad people will do bad things to get a hold of that tea. I was off and running, armed with secret-special knowledge that I didn't know enough to know any better. A mere eight years later, I published an award winning novel. If I can do it ––you can do it. You need help along the way. It's not something you can do all on your own. I can honestly say that  if you really want to write a book, you can. 

Good luck.

Play It Again Buddha

I was so excited to see this photo of a Seiler piano. I don't play piano, but it made me feel good to think a distant relative was akin to Steinway. Making pianos––that's a noble profession. My brother gave me great book to read, "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank." A wonderful story of a fellow living in Paris who passes by this piano shop and eventually goes in to purchase a piano. Turns out, it's not as easy as it sounds. 

The Buddha didn't play the piano either, it would not be invented for another twelve hundred years or so. He did have a disciple named Zona who played an Indian Lute. Zona was having a hard time progressing in his meditation practice. He decided that he didn't have what it took to be a monk.

The Buddha asked him, "When you are playing music, do you tighten the strings so they are very tightly tuned?"

"No, this produces a very shrill sound and the string can break at any moment," Zona explained.

"Do you make beautiful music when the strings are very loose?" 

"No, the strings don't produce much of a sound when they are loose."

The Buddha smiled. "Not too tight, not too loose, just so. The Middle Way."

Google Censored and Sensibility

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Once the giant stack of papers in my study became a well-edited manuscript, it was time to come up with a cover design for my new novel. "Don't judge a book by its cover." But let's face it,  we do.

By far the most arresting image around our house was an old painting from my late grandmother. Before I was born, my mother's mother, Virginia, had an art gallery in San Francisco, back in the early fifties. Virginia had red hair, and by all accounts, she was a wild thing. Maybe in her youth she modeled for this painter? I'd love to know who the artist was.

My guess is the painting is from the 1920s. For some unknown reason I get the feeling the artist was a woman. I hope where ever she is now, she's happy with her painting of the moon on the cover of my book. I wonder if she would be interested to know that a google administrator  decided the image was, "Adult Content," and would not allow the image to be used in a google display ad. Luckily I don't live in China, where I understand the internet is censored. 

My first idea for the book cover was to have my good friend, Rev. Kosen Ishikawa, take a picture of his wife, Yayoi. I asked them if they would be willing to help with my book cover. They agreed. It took several months, and then lo and behold, Kosen sent me a wonderful photo of Yayoi at a Bon Dance festival, here on Kauai. In the meantime, I pursued the idea of using the painting as a cover. To make a long story short, I now have two covers for my book. Which cover do you like best? (You may want to read the book to make the most informed decision. (Ha ha!)

Both covers are available from Amazon. If you're strapped for cash at the moment, let me know, I'll try and get you a copy, especially if you're willing to write a review on Amazon.