Xia Xia's Story Lake

Welcome to the first book from the Takamagahara Monogatari series.

Kogitsune is a retelling of Kokaji, a Noh Theatre play from Japan, about a famous swordsmith helped by the Inari God to forge a special sword for Emperor Ichijo (980-1011) which will be called “Kogitsune-maru”.

You can read the Noh play here:

http://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/data/program_037.html

I wrote the stories as “historical fantasy,” with influences from Japanese mythology and folklore, and combined them with my love for BL and Yaoi. That means the Takamagahara Monogatari series depicts love stories between two men. However, none of these love stories are written as “romance,” so beware.

I've made a deal with myself.

I’ve made a deal with myself. If I read a minimum of 30 pages/day for a duration of 30 days, at the end of each month I’ll buy myself something that I won’t usually splurge on. The most important rule of the game will be that the pages read won’t be cumulated, meaning if I read 100 pages in a day, the next day I’ll still need to read a minimum of 30 pages. To show how serious I am I’ve even…

Looking back at 2022

There’s an evil character in Romanian folklore which needs to be avoided if he appears in your path. He’s a trickster meant to enslave you by taking for himself your riches, goals and sometimes even life. His name is the Evil Bald Man. I cannot help not laugh at the translation, it sounds funny in other languages. He’s a sort of Bogeyman for Romanian children and the Romanian word “Spân” used to…

Welcome to a new a edition of my monthly blog series called "Who hurt Xia?".

Welcome to a new a edition of my monthly blog series called “Who hurt Xia?”. Today I’d like to write about the inspiration for the paragraph below. “In the times to come, they will tell our story,” he whispered. “They will find our love entwined under the Kurama Mountain. And then the universe will know how completely Fujiwara no Hirotsugu loved Takahashi Ryū, the beggar boy.” Shinigami,…

I have a week and a half of vacation for Christmas from the day job. Let's see how many things I can get accomplished.

I have a week and a half of vacation for Christmas from the day job. Let’s see how many things I can get accomplished. Reading I could be spending my vacation reading books from my ever growing TBR pile, but I’ve decided to close the year returning to some of my favorite 5 star reads. This way I know for sure I’m going to have a wonderful time reading. This, of course, is being said in a…

I can’t believe another month has passed. It’s quite frightening to imagine 2023 is right around the corner. Sometimes I feel I’m still stuck in March 2020.

I can’t believe another month has passed. It’s quite frightening to imagine 2023 is right around the corner. Sometimes I feel I’m still stuck in March 2020. I’m currently working on Chapter 1 from Fields of Higanbana, which is still not in good shape, but I’m getting there. Building Yomi is a wild ride. I started so many books on the mythology of the dead this month that I lost track of them. I…

This post is written for those who have already read Shinigami and know very well what's happening in Chapter 39 - Yūrei: Ghost.

This post is written for those who have already read Shinigami and know very well what’s happening in Chapter 39 – Yūrei: Ghost. Spoiler – This is your chance to turn back and not be spoiled. . . . . Last chance. . . Every month, I’ll dedicate one post to an inspiration element used in the Takamagahara Monogatari. Today’s post is about a sad little story called “The Chrysanthemum…

As Kogitsune has reached 4 years since publication, and Shinigami 3 years, it's time to look back at the costs, royalties and donations of this ongoing series.

As Kogitsune has reached 4 years since publication, and Shinigami 3 years, it’s time to look back at the costs, royalties and donations of this ongoing series. I don’t know if this is common knowledge, but both “Kogitsune” and “Shinigami” have been free on my site since 2020, as a gift to everyone affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns. For the readers who prefer ebook readers or paperbacks, the…

There’s a special place in my heart for everything related to mythology.

There’s a special place in my heart for everything related to mythology. I find it very relaxing to read about the life of gods and demigods. When I was very young, my grandma used to read to me stories from an Asian mythology inspired book. When she passed away, I took the book with me. My first ever present was a book inspired by Greek Mythology, a 2 volume series called “The Legends of…

In the world of the gods of Takamagahara, October is the month of Kannazuki.

In the world of the gods of Takamagahara, October is the month of Kannazuki. During the “Month Without No Gods” eight million Shinto deities leave their mountains, rivers and shrines to join a congregation in the land of Izumo to discuss next year’s matchmaking. All except Ebisu, or as he was initially called, Hiruko, the leech child, first born of Izanami and Izanagi, because he’s deaf and…

The Prologue to “Fields of Higanbana”

I always wanted to celebrate Halloween when I was young. Halloween’s not a Romanian celebration, but the younger generations started embracing it in recent years and enjoy playing spooky dress up at the end of October. But there’s no “trick or treating”.  Our sort of “trick-or-treat” event takes place during Christmas, on the 23rd of December (on my birthday). Children knock at your door, they…

I’ve been lying to you. I wasn’t as idle as I’ve made it believe in my blog from 5th of October. This is what I made.

I’ve been lying to you. I wasn’t as idle as I’ve made it believe in my blog from 5th of October. This is what I made. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Xia Xia Lake (@xiaxialake) Back in July, I received an email from a lovely reader from Romania (country where I live) asking if “Shinigami” was available in any of the Romanian libraries.  The shipping costs from Amazon to Romania…

Tiny Books And TBR for October

Long time no see

Dear One, It’s October 2022, and there’s blood on my desk. For the past two years, my passion for writing has been butchered, cut down piece by piece by the more powerful desire to live a comfortable life. I owe you the sequels for “Shinigami” and “Kogitsune”. I owe you “The Midnight Flower”, Kurohana’s story, and a dozen other fantasy stories that I started in secret. The truth is, I do not…