The Director's Cut: My First Novel is Launching

Hello Reader,

Here is your Newsletter — New Moon Edition August 13, 2026. In 5 days you will receive you Welcome package with a freebie (on top of what you may win from the Giveaway).

Award-winning historical fantasy: The Kabuki Book

I am chuffed to bits to share with you that The Kabuki Book received a Literary Titan Book Award.

And the launch is upon us: 1st of September, yes, in two weeks. You can lock in the price if you pre-order. UNIVERSAL LINK Juss saying. ARCs are still open on NetGalley, but don’t wait too long as is it a sizeable novel.

Starting in 2009, I put a lot of blood and sweat into the characters, research and plots. This was a difficult birth, but so rewarding. I hope you choose to continue the journey with me.

The Kabuki Book is a substantial journey, coming in at 107,000 words (or roughly 675 pages for the paperback version). It is a subversive historical fantasy set during the transition to the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The Hook:

In early Edo Japan, an exiled fox-spirit. A guilt-ridden swordsman. An empire determined to silence them both. As the gods of land and sea clash over Okuni’s soul, she consumes her divine life force to forge a radical, transgressive theatre on Kyoto’s muddy riverbeds, sparking a rebellion of art and magic that refuses to die.

Blending the immersive feudal realism and subtle Shintō magic of Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori with the fierce, feminist mythological reclamation of Madeline Miller’s Circe, this is a sweeping and unapologetic historical fantasy. It will strongly appeal to readers of R.F. Kuang’s Babel who are looking for a visceral, anti-authoritarian story about marginalized creators fighting against systemic erasure. The novel explores the violent birth of Japan’s most famous theatre and the philosophical awakening of its most lethal swordsman.

Genre & Categories: Literary Historical Fantasy / Speculative Subversion / Magic Realism + Shintō Mythology
Tone: Lush, Atmospheric, Witty, and Sad in turns

Writing news

Besides working on the final packaging of The Kabuki Book, I’ve also given Lotus, Mud, Blade: A Tale of Romantic Sacrifice a new cover, more in line with its content.

What I am writing currently? I’ve set aside for the time being the sci-fi series that was going nowhere fast. I am working on a new series in a new genre. All stories will happen between 1898 and 1928. Settings include Oaxaca, Buenos Aires, Patagonia and the Paris of the IIIrd Republic. I will have more details to share with you in the coming months.

On the website…

Don’t miss the short story Ya Mo set in Thailand 1826.

In the universe of What Is The Colour Of Purple: We have added 1 location: Kaminoyama Domain (Dewa Province).

Envoy

Did I mention free books? Let’s have some, thanks to collabs with other indies.

Historical fiction freebies and
Stories That Linger - Character-Driven Fiction

You may also like (not freebies): Relax with these Historical Fiction Books

If you cannot wait for the newsletter next New Moon, come visit the site.

— Kohōpeh, with love

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