My novel Demon’s Life is due to be released a week tomorrow. Today I’m excited to share with you an excerpt from the novel, which I hope you will all enjoy 🙂
Demon’s Life is now available to pre-order from Amazon.com!
Tag: taku kokawa
More about Demon’s Life
My latest novel Demon’s Life is due to be released on 4th November and today I would like to talk a little about the novel.
It continues two months from where Demon’s Blood left off with Thane searching for Taku’s sire whom he believes can tell him how to save Taku from the demon Kurai’s possession.
Demon’s Life is predominately set in Japan, with parts in Tokyo and parts in Kōfu and Nagasaki. There are also some chapters set in Hong Kong. I really enjoyed writing the changing settings, especially the ones in Japan as I have been to Tokyo so I incorporated locations that I visited into my novel.
The main focus of the novel is on Thane’s search for answers and much of Demon’s Life is written from his point of view. Thane is devastated by what has happened to Taku and also the knowledge that it is, in part, his fault. His determination to find Koji and the belief that Koji can save Taku is all that is holding him together. However his pain causes him to make mistakes and put his trust in the wrong vampire again.
Thane also learns about Taku’s past, which is explored in more detail. In Demon’s Blood, Taku only made vague references to his life before he became a vampire and also his former deceased lover Minoru due to the pain that the memories cause him. In Demon’s Life he is forced to confront his past and the pain that he’s been keeping buried for over a century. Thane also learns more about Taku’s relationship with Koji and why Koji left him.
When writing Demon’s Life, my main emphasis was on Taku and Thane’s relationship. Their commitment and love for each other spans across more than a century. For Thane, Taku is his first and only love. After Minoru died, for a long time Taku was too afraid to let anyone close to him again. Meeting Thane saved him from a much darker path. Yet more so than their love, it is Thane’s unshakable belief in it that shapes the entire novel. Even when he witnesses the terrible acts that Taku, as Kurai, is now capable of, Thane refuses to give up on him. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but my favourite scene from Demon’s Life shows the strength of Thane’s belief in Taku and their relationship.
So that’s what you can expect from Demon’s Life. I will be posting some excerpts from it very soon which I hope you will check out. It is also now available to pre-order on Amazon!
Demon’s Life Character Profiles: Part Two
Character Profiles: Part Two
Today I’m posting part two of my character profiles of the four main characters in my upcoming novel Demon’s Life. Today’s profiles feature Koji Takata and Akito Okada.
Demon’s Life is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com!
Continue reading “Demon’s Life Character Profiles: Part Two”
Demon’s Life Character Profiles: Part One
I really enjoy creating character profiles for my main characters and as part of a series of posts up until the release of my novel Demon’s Life, I’m going to be posting some profiles I created for my four main characters. This afternoon I’m posting Part One which features Taku and Thane. These profiles contain basic information as well as spoiler-free details specific to Demon’s Life.
Demon’s Life is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com!
Continue reading “Demon’s Life Character Profiles: Part One”
Cover Reveal: Demon’s Life by Shari Sakurai
Out of respect for the relationship we once had I will spare your life. However, if you try to obstruct me again then I will kill you
Vampires are now an endangered species. Possessed by the demon Kurai, Kokawa Taku has sworn to eradicate all those whom he deems inferior.
Determined to free Taku from the demon’s corruption Thane seeks help from Taku’s sire, Takata Koji. Thane’s search for answers takes him to Hong Kong where he learns the devastating truth. That in order to save Taku, Thane may have to kill him.
Refusing to accept this, Thane makes a decision that places the fate of all vampires in the balance. However Thane is unaware of the betrayal around him and that his actions will either save Taku or destroy him.
Release Date: Monday 4th November 2019
Saying Goodbye (to book characters)
One of the hardest parts for me as an author is saying goodbye to characters. Whether they die on the page or the novel comes to an end, I find it sad and sometimes very difficult. Due to this completing a novel always brings about mixed emotions for me especially when the character has been with me for a long time.
My oldest character is my vampire Taku Kokawa. I originally created him in 2005 as another character’s antagonist/occasional lover and have been writing stories about him since then. So that’s 14 years and the majority of my adult life dedicated to one character. And as silly as it might sound, he’s become a part of me. In some shape or form, Taku is as much a part of my day as my family, friends, cat and work colleagues are. He is always there and it will be really strange when there comes a time that this ends.
So needless to say I am partly dreading the day that I finally complete his story. Of course another part of me is going to be proud of my work and achievement, and will not be able to wait to share my finish novel with everyone. But I’m honestly not going to be surprised if I shed a couple of tears over it too!
As I have mentioned, my sequel to Demon’s Blood is currently with my proof-reader, however this is not the final end that I am referring too. There is another novel in the works and the Demon’s Blood universe is ever expanding as new characters appear to shape and change that world. With this in mind I know that Taku will be with me for a few more years yet. I just wanted to touch on a subject that I know affects many authors and readers, and would love to hear stories of your beloved characters and what they mean to you.
Demon’s Blood Storyboard on Pinterest!
I’ve just started using Pinterest for my novels and have created this storyboard for my novel Demon’s Blood. It’ll provide some insight into my ideas, characters and settings for the story as well as the Demon’s Blood universe as a whole. Please do check it out 🙂
IAC 2018: New Release – Never Change
My latest release is a short story called Never Change which is set in my Demon’s Blood universe.
After making the decision to become a vampire so that he could remain with his lover in Nagasaki, Thane finds himself struggling with having to kill humans for their blood. When the two of them stumble across a dying man Taku pressures Thane into feeding, not realising just how much their actions would disturb his fragile lover.
Never Change can either be read as a stand-alone story or as part of the Demon’s Blood universe as a whole. It can also serve as an introduction to the two main characters as it is set before the first novel, Demon’s Blood.
Excerpt
Purchase: Amazon US / UK
Purchase Demon’s Blood for $0.99 on Amazon.com!
To celebrate the release of Never Change, Demon’s Blood will be available to purchase for $0.99 on Amazon.com until 8th December 2018!
Click here to purchase!
Demon’s Blood by Shari Sakurai
Immortal blood is precious and Kokawa Taku’s makes him especially unique.
After vampire hunters force them to flee Tokyo, Taku and his lover, Thane, try to make a new life for themselves in England. But three months later Thane is still tormented by nightmares of the fire that almost cost them their lives. This leads to carelessness and the discovery of one of his victims.
When faced with threats from all sides Taku tries his best to protect them although his actions are met with disapproval and anger from Thane. Unknown to his lover, Taku is also struggling to keep hidden the truth of what really happened three months ago.
However, it is only a matter of time before Taku’s past and bloodline catches up with him.
Never Change is now available on Amazon Kindle!
Never Change is now available to purchase on Amazon Kindle.
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Thane’s arms curved around his back and he felt the younger vampire trembling as he rested his head on Taku’s shoulder. So easily broken, Taku often forgot what it had been like in the beginning. For him things had been different, he reminded himself. He had already known what it felt like to take a life.
With Nagasaki in the grip of a bitter winter, two vampires struggle to hunt in the challenging conditions. When an opportunity to feed from a dying man presents itself, Taku insists that they take advantage of it. Yet his newly turned lover is left feeling devastated by their actions. Seeing Thane so distraught is more than Taku can bear and so he makes a decision to shield Thane as much as he can from the darker side to their existence. However his desire to protect Thane might one day cost him everything.
Never Change is a short story set in the Demon’s Blood universe.
Excerpt
Shari Sakurai 