WRITE FOR TOHOKU EBOOK

“We are a group of writers in Japan who are publishing an ebook to benefit survivors of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku-Kanto earthquake and tsunami. This project has two goals: to raise money for earthquake victims and to help overseas readers understand more about Japan and the kindness and hospitality of its people. All proceeds from the sale of the ebook will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Chapter themes are: Tohoku people & their kindness Foreigners’ stories of adapting to Japanese culture and customs Daily life in Japan Coming to feel that Japan is home; experiences of feeling welcome here Discovering beautiful places in Japan Japanese people’s strength during disasters Traveling in Japan & learning more about the country/culture (we have great stories from both foreign & Japan-raised writers) Funny stories about culture/language mistakes or travel mishaps”

THE BOOK’S GENRE / THEME / TONE

Since there were a great number of authors from a variety of different genres who wanted to submit work to anthology, I thought it best as editor, NOT to limit the genre. Thus the anthology will offer up a little something for all readers. Even if a reader is not particularly fond of a specific genre, they can still enjoy the book as a whole because each story is only 1000 words long, and there is a good balance of all genres. Genres submitted so far include (but are not limited to): crime, humor, dark humor, new weird, bugpunk, gothic, satire, fantasy, and mythology. That said, we are still weeks away from the deadline, and there are science fiction authors, romance authors, historical fiction authors, samurai fiction authors, lightnovel authors and a full two-thirds of the crew involved yet to submit. So don’t fret if you don’t see your favorite genre included yet. As for tone and theme, while there was no limitation set on tone, authors from unanimously agreed that they did not want this to be a disaster-themed work. If you have any questions about the book, feel free to contact me at FaceBook, Twitter, or made.in.dna AT GMail.

PROGRESS REPORT

I am getting very close to approving the first stories for this project. As that happens, I will release the titles and names of the author in an alphabetical Table of Contents (which will evolve, so keep an eye on it). Note that the order of TOC on this page and the final TOC may vary in order (or story if the need should arise).

A VISIT TO JAPAN RED CROSS

Over the weekend, I had the fortune to visit the Japan Red Cross office in Nagaoka (about an hour’s drive from where I live) at the Riverside Senshuu shopping mall. I spoke with the personnel there to see if I couldn’t get information on a direct deposit account via a US bank. As the gentleman in the office had not a clue, he kindly called up the Niigata Prefectural head office for me, and I spoke with another gentleman who was impressed with our project. Unfortunately, he told me that JRC doesn’t have any accounts set up in the US, however, he said, JRC has successfully received funds from a number of big name Hollywood stars via the American Red Cross. I thanked him for his time and promised him I would be in contact with the ARC to get the job done. While the money won’t go directly to the JRC, they will get it with no problems. So this is one more check on the list of finished items.

APPROVED TITLES

In the interest of keeping people excited about the anthology, I am releasing a list of stories that have been approved. (Meaning, this is just a partial list.) Alphabetical by author. “Eternal Case of the Mondays” - David Agranoff “The X-Ray” & “Homecare” - Kevin Anderson “The Loft up in the Sky” - Danilo Arona “Downtown Pharmacy” - Ken Asamatsu “Memories of Ken” - Junichi Ashikawa “Humanitas Ex” - Volker Baetz “Dissolution” - Glynn Barrass “The Push of Man” - L. Chirstopher Bird “Back Beyond The Hedgerow” - Elizabeth Black “Homecoming” - Adam Breckenridge “YARA-MA-YHA-WHO” - Christene Britton-Jones “The Starlet and the Fishman” - Ran Cartwright “The Dream-colored Morning” - Vittorio Catani “Orpheus in the Underwear” - Garrett Cook “Tarma’s Song” - Andrew Freudenberg “Ploughman” - Nickolas Furr “That Long Day” - Shinya Gaku “A Cure for the World” - SA Gambino “Dead and Breakfast” - Fulvio Gatti “From Tokyo” - Katherine Govier “Thrones & Powers” - Jon Courtenay Grimwood “The Ice-Flock Storks of Sørøya” - Michael John Grist “The Norwegian Makes Lemonade” - Jess Gulbranson “That Day” - Ryuto Hijiri “The Flower” - Fumihiko Iino “The Old Man And Honey” - Minoru Inaba “Whispers” - Adam Joffrain “The Mermaid Princess’ Love, Curse and…” - Tamao Kanroji “Initiation” by Naohiko Kitahara “Mom, Dad and Hiro” - Yasumi Kobayashi “Recollections” - Ukyo Kodachi “Legends” - Lucía González Lavado “A Second Metamorphosis” - Ash Lomen “Inconceivable” - Kevin Lovelace “Kopy Cats” - Davide Mana “Island Swarm” - Kirk A.C. Marshall “The Power of Perspective” - Thersa Matsuura “Jackie Ω Has Gone Too Far” - Moxie Mezcal “Heart of an Angel” - Jonathan Moon “Walking the Hog” (an all-new, original Jerry Cornelius story) - Michael Moorcock “Last Embrace” - David Naughton-Shires “Dial Tone” - Stephen North ”The Music Box” - Tadashi Ohta “Bille_Goat_Gruff_2056” - Philip Overby “Breakwater” - Alvin Pang “Email to Mother” - Lee Pletzers “HOlocaust Scale” - Robert M Price “Throat Wad” - Andersen Prunty “Angelis” - Joseph S Pulver “Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra” - John F. Rice “100 Fingers and the Tree” - Michael Allen Rose “Not Alone in the Dark” - Richard Salter “The Game” - Bradley Sands “The Story without a Key” - Yufuko Senoo “A Tale of Smoke and Ash” - Curt Seubert Five Twitter Shorts - Riri Shimada “Girl with Eyes in the Back of Her Head” - John Shirley “The Feast of the Fly” - Berry Sizemore “Appointment at the Oji Inari Shrine” - Massimo Soumaré “Pocket” - Touya Tachihara “If Only Flowers” - Mie Takase “Natusmi’s Diary” - Midori Tateyama “Cherry Guard” - Yuusuke Tokita “Why Wear Red?” - Sho Tomono “Sweet Hearts” - Grant Wamack “Sharan Gali” - Richard Wright “The Bubbling Road of Self-Loathing” - Jason Wuchenich “A Summer’s Melody” - Hiroshi Yamamoto “Nothingness Dust” - Trent Zelazny

This list will be occasionally updated. Updated 7/5

QUICKIE UPDATE

Today I started a Gmail acct for Kizuna (kizuna.charity) which will be used to field mail as well as set up a Kindle account (and probably a Smashwords acct), and I started a Twitter acct (http://twitter.com/kizunacharity). I hope you’ll tell folks about it. Things are really shaping up and I think everyone will be very happy with the results. You all have been so very excellent so far. Only a little further to go. Thank you. Brent

EVER FORWARD

Some great news all around. First, over the weekend, I was able to finish all the final editing on stories and move forward with the actual formatting of the anthology into ebook form. The ebook will launch first, and then the print book soon after. As I am not as familiar with CreateSpace, this is the way things have to be. Formatting is a touchy thing. This needs to look nice. So keep your hats on. eBook by the end of the month at the latest. Hopefully sooner. Second, we have a charity! Smile Kids Japan, who have a special project going with Living Dreams to help the orphans in the disaster-struck prefectures of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima!

QUICKIE UPDATE 2

Intro page: check Copyright page: check Forward: check Main body: check Just waiting on two more small items before publication! Yes! Finally we have come to the next step: the ebook. Publishing later this week, the ebook will come before the print version of the book. That will come mid-August at the latest. So hang on to your hats, a fantastic mixed-genre anthology of fiction goodness is headed to Amazon and Smashwords very, very soon. With, as stated before, the proceeds are going to orphans in Tohoku (the area struck by the earthquake/tsunami). Pass along the word! Buttons and banner also coming very, very soon.

THE OFFICIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS

As you will find it in the book: From Tokyo : Katherine Govier Downtown Pharmacy : Ken Asamatsu E-mail to Mother : Lee Pletzers Small Ocean After Solar : Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. A Cure for the World : S.A. Gambino 100 Fingers and the Tree : Michael Allen Rose Ploughman : Nickolas Furr Orpheus in the Underwear : Garrett Cook Pocket : Touya Tachihara The Norwegian Makes Lemonade : Jess Gulbranson Breakwater : Alvin Pang HO(locaust) Scale : Robert M. Price Inconceivable : Kevin Lovelace Memories of Ken : Junichi Ashikawa Whispers : Adam Joffrain Jackie Ω Has Gone Too Far : Moxie Mezcal Throat Wad : Andersen Prunty The Push of Man : L. Christopher Bird The Old Man and Honey : Minoru Inaba Sharan Gali : Richard Wright Island Swarm : Kirk Marshall Kopy Cats : Davide Mana Why Wear Red? : Sho Tomono Thrones & Powers : Jon Courtenay Grimwood Yara-ma-yha-who : Christene Britton-Jones Bille_Goat_Gruff_2056 : Philip Overby Cherry Guard : Yuusuke Tokita Eternal Case of the Mondays : David Agranoff The Game : Bradley Sands Initiation : Naohiko Kitahara The Ice-Flock Storks of Sørøya : Michael John Grist Nothingness Dust : Trent Zelazny Five short Twitter novels : Riri Shimada Conservation Hero Blues : Made in DNA Dissolution : Glynn Barrass Dead and Breakfast : Fulvio Gatti Plum Blossom : Melissa J White The Flower : Fumihiko Iino A Tale of Smoke and Ash : Curt Seubert Back Beyond The Hedgerow : Elizabeth Black Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra : John F. Rice A Summer’s Melody : Hiroshi Yamamoto Humanitas Ex : Volker Baetz Tarma’s Song : Andrew Freudenberg The Power of Perspective : Terrie Czechowski Legends : Lucía González Lavado If Only Flowers : Mie Takase Dial Tone : Stephen A. North The Starlet and the Fishman : Ran Cartwright Recollections : Ukyo Kodachi The Loft in the Sky : Danilo Arona Last Embrace : David Naughton-Shires The Girl with Eyes in the Back of Her Head : John Shirley Heart of an Angel : Jonathan Moon The Music Box : Tadashi Ota Not Alone in the Dark : Richard Salter Natsumi’s Diary : Midori Tateyama Sweet Hearts : Grant Wamack Appointment at the Oji Inari Shrine : Massimo Soumaré The Story without a Key : Yufuko Senoh The Feast of the Fly : Berry Sizemore A Second Metamorphosis : Ash Lomen Homecoming : Adam Breckenridge Mom, Dad and Hiro : Yasumi Kobayashi The Bubbling Road of Self-Loathing : Jason Wuchenich That Day… : Ryuto Hijiri The Dream-colored Morning : Vittorio Catani The End of the Royal Palace and the Kingdom : Joji Hayashi The X-ray : Kevin David Anderson The Mermaid Princess’ Love, Curse and… : Tamao Kanroji Walking the Hog : Michael Moorcock That Long Day : Shinya Gaku

ICONS & BANNERS!

Here are icons and banners for you to link to us with. Currently there is no URL to link to but this site. But we will have a proper URL for you to share very soon.

KIZUNA EBOOK FOR YOUR KINDLE!

Kizuna: Fiction for Japan (a charity anthology) > US Kizuna: Fiction for Japan (a charity anthology) > UK Kizuna: Fiction for Japan (a charity anthology) > DE March 11, 2011 - Three prefectures in northeastern Japan are devastated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, and a massive tsunami that takes the lives of nearly 30,000 people. April 2011 - 75 authors from 11 countries came together to collaborate on a mixed-genre anthology of short stories to benefit the orphans of the disaster-stricken Tohoku area. Ninety percent of which is all original work written for this book. Horror, humor, human drama, science fiction, fantasy, absurdist, bizarro, weird, new wave, bugpunk, Cthulhu, Sherlock Holmes, historical fiction, and more. Complete author list (in index order): Katherine Govier, Ken Asamatsu, Lee Pletzers, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., S.A. Gambino, Michael Allen Rose, Nickolas Furr, Garrett Cook, Touya Tachihara, Jess Gulbranson, Alvin Pang, Robert M. Price, Kevin Lovelace, Junichi Ashikawa, Dan Ryan, Adam Joffrain, Moxie Mezcal, Andersen Prunty, L. Christopher Bird, Minoru Inaba, Richard Wright, Kirk Marshall, Davide Mana, Show Tomono, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Christene Britton-Jones, Philip Overby, Yuusuke Tokita, David Agranoff, Bradley Sands, Naohiko Kitahara, Michael John Grist, Edmund Colell, Trent Zelazny, Riri Shimada, Made in DNA, Glynn Barrass, Fulvio Gatti, Nirnara, Melissa J White, Fumihiko Iino, Curt Seubert, Elizabeth Black, John F. Rice, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Volker Baetz, Andrew Freudenberg, Terrie Czechowski, Lucía González Lavado, Mie Takase, Stephen A. North, Ran Cartwright, Ukyou Kodachi, Danilo Arona, David Naughton-Shires, John Shirley, Jonathan Moon, Tadashi Ohta, Richard Salter, Midori Tateyama, Grant Wamack, Massimo Soumaré, Yufuko Senoh, Berry Sizemore, Ash Lomen, Adam Breckenridge, Yasumi Kobayashi, Jason Wuchenich, Ryuto Hijiri, Vittorio Catani, Joji Hayashi, Kevin David Anderson, Tamao Kanroji, Michael Moorcock, and Shinya Gaku.

SO YOU DON’T HAVE A KINDLE? NO BIG DEAL!

You can view and read Kizuna: Fiction for Japan (and other ebooks) via a myriad of other readers (such as MobiReader < Windows), but for your one stop needs, get Calibre. It not only views/reads ebooks, but you can create your own ebooks as well! Works with Windows, Mac, Linux and portable devices! Amazon UK Amazon DE If you have trouble with the links, type KIZUNA FICTION into the search, Kizuna will pop up.

PRESS RELEASE (WITH LINK TO GOOGLE DOCS)

Kizuna Brent Millis [email protected] 090-4121-8504 (JAPAN) For Immediate release Kizuna: Fiction for Japan Edited by Brent Millis Kindle ebook: $9.99 Print version: $15.99 The earth shook. The waters rose. Japan cried out… And we listened. After the devastating earthquake, people from all over the world have found ways to help, and Kizuna: Fiction For Japan is one that is new and unique. Kizuna: Fiction for Japan is a mixed-genre anthology of short fiction, most of it 1000 words or under. It boasts internationally-known authors like Michael Moorcock, Ken Asamatsu, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, John Shirley, Shinya Gaku, Vittorio Catani, Robert M. Price, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., and Alvin Pang; genre-authors like Bradley Sands, Jason Wuchenich, Andersen Prunty, and Garrett Cook; and independent authors like Trent Zelazny and Glynn Barrass. An astonishing 76 authors answered the call to help and approximately ninety percent of it is original work written specifically for this anthology. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to helping orphans in the disaster-devastated areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima via the NPO, Smile Kids Japan. Smile Kids Japan Smile Kids Japan and Living Dreams (NPOs / social benefit organizations) are working together on Smiles and Dreams, a program to help the orphanages in the worst affected prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. From helping with immediate needs, to setting up long term programs to empower the children to dream again and help them realize their goals, Smiles and Dreams is a grassroots project that gets the money directly to those in need. From the editor’s introduction: “I turned to my friends in the writing community. Would they contribute? Sure they would! Soon I had ten authors. Then twenty. Thirty… Author friends of author friends were submitting. Authors from Spain, Singapore, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Germany, France, America, the UK, Australia and Canada all stepped forward. I was stunned. Even now, as corny as it sounds, the gratitude I feel at their selfless desire to help makes me very misty-eyed.” Please help spread the word of Kizuna, a word that means “bond” in Japanese, and create your own bond with the people of Japan. For more information on the anthology, a list of stories, and ways to help with the disaster in Japan, visit: http://bit.ly/kizunacharity

KIZUNA LINKS & INFORMATION (UPDATED)

Kizuna: Fiction for Japan would not be the powerhouse of love that it is without the awesome efforts of all 75 authors (from 11 countries) who contributed original fiction to it. Have a peek once more at the Table of Contents. Everything from bizarro (weird fiction) to the Japanese “I”-novel, horror, science fiction, humor, fantasy and more.

To get your copy:

http://bit.ly/kizunaprint < a link to the direct sales site (CreateSpace, an Amazon company) for the PRINT VERSION - we appreciate sales from this site most of all as the orphans receive more of the royalties.

http://amzn.to/kizunaebook < a link to the ebook/print version on US Amazon

http://amzn.to/kizunaebookuk < a link to the ebook on UK Amazon

Or if you need more information:

http://bit.ly/r5sduv < a link to the press release

Or if you would like to share this site with someone:

http://bit.ly/kizunacharity < a link back to this site

Copy and use these and all information on this site, freely. Also, remember, you can also get banners and icons, and the press release (also updated) information.

Thank you, Brent Millis editor/publisher GMAIL: kizuna.charity

KIZUNA AUDIO VERSIONS OF STORIES AT SOUNDCLOUD

Check out, download, and disseminate (as provided) the audio versions of Kizuna: Fiction for Japan. Copyright to the stories belongs to the authors. Please do not change the information. Kizuna: Fiction for Japan audio versions

HELP THE ORPHANS OF JAPAN & HELP YOURSELF TO FREE FICTION

Through November 2011, when you purchase a print, Kindle, or direct PDF version of KIZUNA: FICTION FOR JAPAN, you can get two free works of fiction from Kizuna authors Trent Zelazny and Made in DNA. To purchase a copy:

http://bit.ly/kizunaprint < a link to the direct sales site (CreateSpace, an Amazon company) for the PRINT VERSION - we appreciate sales from this site most of all as the orphans receive more of the royalties. Or go to your local Amazon and search under “Kizuna Millis”.

http://amzn.to/kizunaebook < a link to the ebook/print version on US Amazon.

Or send $9.99 via PayPal to harajuku.hijack AT gmail.com

To get the free fiction:

Once you receive your copy, take a photo of yourself with the book “open” to either Trent’s or DNA’s story and send it to kizuna.charity AT gmail.com Those who purchase the PDF version need not send proof. The two bonus stories will be sent with your purchase from the Kizuna.charity Gmail address. For more information on Kizuna: Fiction for Japan itself: See the complete Table of Contents for the 75 authors (from 11 countries) who contributed original fiction. Everything from bizarro (weird fiction) to the Japanese “I”-novel, horror, science fiction, humor, fantasy and more. http://bit.ly/r5sduv < a link to the press release

Or if you would like to share this site with someone:

http://bit.ly/kizunacharity < a link back to this site

Copy and use these and all information on this site, freely. Also, remember, you can also get banners and icons, and the press release (also updated) information.

Thank you, Brent Millis editor/publisher GMAIL: kizuna.charity

KIZUNA WHY 001: BRENT MILLIS, EDITOR

Why I launched the Kizuna project. From the Introduction: It was March 11, 2011. I was in a meeting with a client when the earthquake struck. It was jarringly long. My client and I entertained the idea of leaving the building, but nixed the idea pretty quickly. The building didn’t come down on top of us, so we figured everything was okay. Much later, we would understand just how lucky we were we were not on the other side of the island. Earthquakes in Japan are ‘no big deal.’ As you will learn from Mr. Gaku, one of the Japanese authors in this anthology, everyone expects earthquakes in Japan; what they don’t expect is for the earthquake to be so devastating that it claims nearly 20,000 lives when a follow-up tsunami strikes. But this is the reality of the Japan we live in today. It is a lesson I hope none of us soon forgets. In the days and weeks that followed, overwhelming scenes of complete carnage streamed through the television and into my life, and indeed the lives of the millions (perhaps billions) who watched. I turned to social networking sites to offset the mounting horror and stress of witnessing so much pointless death and destruction. Familiar faces, and new ones too, offered comfort. It helped. And it didn’t. It was hard to watch it all happen, and not be able to do something. But what? I have a family. (At the time, a pregnant wife and two young sons. At the time of writing, I am blessed with a healthy newborn daughter.) Getting up to go and help was not an option. Yet, I was compelled to do something, even after our family had given to charity numerous times. Musicians and artists began donating proceeds from their current shows to organizations like Red Cross. Could I write something? Seemed like a good idea. The problem was, would sales of my ebooks increase enough to make it worthwhile just because I was offering to give the money to charity? I thought not. I’m not a well-known author. I turned to my friends in the writing community. Would they contribute? Sure they would! Soon I had ten authors. Then twenty. Thirty… Author friends of author friends were submitting. Authors from Spain, Singapore, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Germany, France, America, the UK, Australia and Canada all stepped forward. I was stunned. Even now, as corny as it sounds, the gratitude I feel at their selfless desire to help makes me very misty-eyed. Over seventy authors in total have contributed to this anthology. Approximately ninety percent of it is original work written specifically for this anthology. And while you might see it somewhere after, it was here first. Kizuna: Fiction for Japan is a mixed-genre anthology of short fiction, most of it 1000 words or under. It boasts internationally-known authors like Michael Moorcock, Ken Asamatsu, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, John Shirley, Shinya Gaku, Vittorio Catani, Robert M. Price, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., and Alvin Pang; genre-authors like Bradley Sands, Jason Wuchenich, Andersen Prunty, and Garrett Cook; and independent authors like Trent Zelazny and Glynn Barrass. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to helping orphans in the disaster-devastated areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima via the NPO, Smile Kids Japan. Please help spread the word of Kizuna, a word that means “bond” in Japanese, and create your own bond with the people of Japan. Thank you, Brent Millis, editor/publisher Niigata Prefecture, Japan July 20, 2011 +++ Kizuna: Fiction for Japan – Table of Contents. Everything from bizarro (weird fiction) to the Japanese “I”-novel, horror, science fiction, humor, fantasy and more.

To get your copy:

http://bit.ly/kizunaprint < a link to the direct sales site (Create Space, an Amazon company) for the PRINT VERSION - we appreciate sales from this site most of all as the orphans receive more of the royalties.

http://amzn.to/kizunaebook < a link to the ebook/print version on US Amazon

http://amzn.to/kizunaebookuk < a link to the ebook on UK Amazon

Or if you need more information:

http://bit.ly/r5sduv < a link to the press release

Or if you would like to share this site with someone:

http://bit.ly/kizunacharity < a link back to this site

Copy and use these and all information on this site, freely. Also, remember, you can also get banners and icons, and the press release (also updated) information.