Yokai Treasures Companion books: Taiki

Originally, I wanted to include the extended scene of the first few chapters of Smoke & Jewel where little Taiki is running away (yes, it was cut in the final version) and then later show how he meets Mimi. And I also wanted to show you how he ended up betraying the shinobi hidden village where he trained and why he did it. How the heck did he end up in this big mess?!

And then I realized it would take way longer than expected. Oops... So I had to prune my ideas and think about what to include. I've decided the extended fleeing scene will go into the Easter Eggs (I'll post it soon) and that's where probably the chapters with Mimi will end up, too. Unless I write a side story for Mimi, which might be fun! Eventually, I've decided to concentrate on two important events in little Taiki's life: when he was recruited as a ninja at the age of 7, and the incident which sparked his betrayal 5 years later.

This is a heart-wrenching story but hopefully, will give you a better understanding of his character.

Taiki's side story

Yokai Treasures Companion books

Yokai Treasures Companion books: Ciara

This one has quite a few time-jumps and thus might feel a bit... abrupt at times. We start off in Ciara's early childhood as she discovers her special powers and grows into it as a teenager - or is it rejecting it in the end? And we finish a few years ago when the accident that has changed her life happened.

I wanted to share with you some of Ciara's baggage she's been holding onto. The guilt and the shock that prevents her at the beginning of Sword & Mirror to fully accept herself. Why she thought she was undeserving to be happy - and why she refused to sing that aria.

Fun fact: the scene about the accident and the one at the doctor’s were cut from the first draft of Sword and Mirror.

Ciara's side story

Yokai Treasures Companion books

Yokai Treasures Companion Books: Katsuo

This story shows us the incident that has happened in Katsuo's household about 10 years before the events in Sword & Mirror. I wanted to give you additional insight into Katsuo's mind; what makes him distrustful of women (except his Granny, of course!) and how he got the scar on his back.

It also includes a wedding. Oh, quite a research went into that and I can't be sure it's all accurate. You see, nowadays, a wedding is traditionally shito-style. However, because Katsuo has a pagoda and that's related to buddhism I had to look into buddhist ceremonies. I tried to reflect that the best I could, but I can't be sure it looked the same in the 16th century Japan. Seeing as this is fiction (and fantasy, at that!) I hope you'll give me some leeway of artistic freedom ;)

Read Katsuo's side story

Yokai Treasures Companion books