Work In Progress
Code name:
Project Sparkle Cup
MIOKA’S job is simple. Charm the richest merchants with her geisha grace, then betray their every secret to the GOVERNOR to protect his tyranny. In exchange, he uses his magic tea bowl to erase the painful memories that everyone she’s ever loved has always abandoned her.
One day he sends her to the house of the charismatic MR OSACHI, certain the merchant is plotting something. Mioka pickpockets a suspicious document, but as she tries to leave she bumps into a man coming inside. It’s KAIYO, whom she hasn’t seen since he deserted the Governor’s corrupt guard—and their secret romance.
Kaiyo takes the paper she stole but slips her a note in its place: “We’re stealing the tea bowl. Come back in a week if you’re willing to trust me again.”
Join the Project
Usually novels in development are kept pretty hush-hush, but I’m trying something new. I can’t tell everything about this Work In Progress, but I have been inviting my readers in on it’s process. I set up a newsletter where I can email back and forth with subscribers about research, worldview, creative process, and honestly a lot of random life stories and such. It’s an experiment to be this open about the novel writing process, but so far this book is looking like the richest themes and most heartfelt character arcs I’ve ever worked on and I’m willing to bet it’s the magic of conversation and connection with you readers. So if you want to get in on the conversation, try out the newsletter. (The buttons are everywhere on this page. lol) I’ll talk to you soon!
What’s with the name?
Speaking of reader input . . .
You may have noticed this project has an odd Code Name. PSC or Project Sparkle Cup is the nickname my readers picked for this project. It’s just a place holder so we all know which book we’re talking about. Once the book is written, we’ll change the title to make a better impression on potential publishers.
Oh and Sparkle Cup refers to the references to the Japanese art of kintsugi (to mend pottery with gold). It’s a nod to the themes of grief and healing in this book. If you want to learn more about kintsugi, check out my research notes on it.
Tropes
- Heist
- Found Family
- Femme Fatale
- Healthy Masculinity
- Second Chance Romance
- Forbidden Love
- Amnesia
- Hurt/Comfort
Japanese Elements
- Edo time period
- Ornate pleasure quarter setting
- Tea ceremony
- Main character is a geisha
- Use of Japanese art and technology for the heist mechanics. (Literally so excited for this!)
- Cast of diverse classes (merchants, ronin, nuns, geisha, ninja, acrobats, noodle chefs, artisans etc.)
- Secret headquarters at a hot spring
- Japanese monkeys!!!!
- Historic Chinese-Japanese relations
Project Sparkle Cup’s Progress!
- (In research) 10 %
Research (aka Reading. Laughing. Crying. Timelining. Bullet pointing. Trying to pronounce Japanese words. Flexing my niche knowledge at Young Adults Group. They think I’m cool.)
Brainstorming and story development (aka staring in to space, scribbling notes, pacing my house, acting out scenes in front of my cat who just wants me to shut up and feed her.)
Listening to insights from readers to deepen my understanding of the human heart. I learn so much.
Building an online platform via the newsletter so we can get the word out when the book launches. And also because writing with friends is way more satisfying than doing it alone.
Read My Study Notes
Want to get a peek behind the book writing curtain? Check out the Study Notes blog for the dramatic history and profound humanity that forms the undercurrent of this project. I share highlights from my research, a healthy dose of unseriousness, and a few minutes of philosophical reflection in each post. Check out my notes to stock up on niche knowledge to enrich your mind or make you interesting at parties.
