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Episodes
Creating Handmade Books and Writing Fiction in Kanazawa, Japan 金沢市
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
Wednesday Mar 11, 2020
The Bookbinder Stopan webpage. He also has a YouTube Channel.
Bookbinding
In bookbinding I have sold one 2020 Schedule with about 14 pages. One page per month as the client requested plus 12 Photos. The Schedule is personalized with those photos. If you would like a personalized anything, be it a 2020 or 2021 Schedule or a lined or blank Notebook, contact me.
Fiction
In Fiction, two items: First, Book One of the Fear Trilogy is a hair's breadth away from being finished. Second, I have farmed out two books to beta readers (The Priests of Hiroshima and Abacus Longing). Third, I hope to have a short story available as a present if you sign up for my newsletter. Fourth, I have proofread and edited four novels which I hope to have available soon.
I am proofreading the fifth novel, The Year Without Days, now. When it is finished, ebooks will be uploaded for your reading pleasure. If you would like a Real Book, contact me.
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Tuesday Feb 18, 2020
Videos to learn about the Caterpillar stitch for bookbinding: Caterpillar Stitch with Kristi Warren & Caterpillar Stitch with Mike
Bookbinding
I learned the basics of the caterpillar stitch (from the two YouTube videos linked to above) and used it to repair a pair of torn jeans. I shall do better on my next attempt which I hope will be a book cover.
I printed out another 2020 schedule and still have four books to case in by the end of February/middle of March.
Sadly, I am moving my studio from this place to a smaller place in the next few months. The smaller place is also free, so that’s a strong motivator.
Fiction
I wrote a bunch on Book Two of the Fear Trilogy: Fear the Dead. It is suspenseful, driving, and, I hope, powerful. I suspect it will be finished by February 29th, right on schedule. Next, I outlined Book Three: The Sound of Fear. This is due to be finished by the end of March.
Similarly, for some inexplicable reason, I started another trilogy. Even before outlining my second trilogy: The Vengeance Trilogy, I wrote a few pages and an outline of The Byzantine Zombie Trilogy Book One: Death in Constantinople. Perhaps Constantinople should be my second trilogy, eh?
Finally, I proofread four of the five books in The Japanese Pentalogy and am finishing the fifth book: The Year Without Days as I type.
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Watch the Bookbinders Chronicle on YouTube for easy-to-understand Bookbinding tutorials.
Bookbinding
Rather than actually do any bookbinding work, I came up with some problems: aligning and improving. I need to align snaps on a shirt to use as a book cover. The shirt might be a tad too thick but the biggest problem is aligning the snaps.
Second, I looked at a book I made about a year ago and it looks very weather-beaten. Perhaps because of the book cloth I used, perhaps because the book board is too thin. I need to improve both of those so that the books I make will stand up to time.
Third, I have four books that need to be cased in in the next couple three weeks.
Fiction
I created deadlines for my fiction. Starting with my Fear Trilogy and ending with a new trilogy. The Fear Trilogy should be finished by the end of February and I seem to be on track to finish. The new trilogy is penciled in to finish by the end of September. Can I do it?
In the last couple of weeks I have edited, proofread, and written on the books I want to publish on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Scribd.
What have I actually done? I’ve edited & proofread novels in the Japanese Pentalogy: Botchan’s Bartender, Tokyo Tunnel Girl, The Nuns of Nañao, and Giapan. One more to go: The Year Without Days. These are scheduled to be finished by the end of February.
After the Japanese Pentalogy I do two more things. First, I rush into my Calvado Quintet which I hope to finish by the middle of May. Second, I edit & proofread my Oregon Murder Mystery by mid-July. Third, I outline, write, proofread, edit, and upload my Vengeance Trilogy by the end of September.
Bookbinders Chronicles on YouTube
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Sunday Feb 02, 2020
Three books await casing in and I finished two novels!
Bookbinding
I have two 2020 Schedules sitting on my desk waiting to be cased in. One is actually a coptic binding. It's covers are all ready, I need just sew it up. The other is a codex and it needs covers made. The third book I have sitting around waiting for me is an A6 blank notebook.
Fiction
I set a deadline and met it! Amazing. I finished Fear Itself last week and this morning I finished Botchan’s Bartender, the first book of my Japan Pentalogy. Now the entire pentalogy is finished! Although all five need proofreading which will inevitably lead to changes. However! However, I have new deadlines!
The entire Japan Pentalogy is scheduled to be proofread and published by the end of February. Fortunately, it's a leap year so I have one extra day. I will add some information about them in the next episode.
The five books are:
Botchan’s Bartender,
The Tokyo Tunnel Girl,
The Nuns of Nanao,
Giapan,
The Year Without Days.
Links to invaluable book arts centers:
San Francisco Center for the Book
Center for Book Arts (New York)
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
Sunday Jan 26, 2020
A new YouTube episode at TDGB 33 Casing in a Notebook for your viewing pleasure.
Bookbinding
Nothing! I have accomplished nothing in bookbinding this week. I did print two 2020 schedules and a small A5-size notebook but I have not sewn, glued, or cased anything in. An unproductive week, alas.
Fiction
I set a deadline for Fear Itself and it appears I may meet that deadline. The deadline to finish is the end of this month. I am inches — Inches, I say! — away from finishing it. I need merely sit my butt on a chair and type.
After I finish Fear Itself I need to outline and start writing — with Passion and Speed! — Fear the Dead which is Book Two in the Fear Trilogy. My deadline for Fear the Dead is the penultimate day of February (the 28th this year). Wish me luck.
Sunday Jan 19, 2020
Sunday Jan 19, 2020
Bookbinding
I cased in a 105-page, A6-size, blank notebook with a bookmark, and rounded corners. Primarily to see if I could case in rounded corners. I was 50% successful which is better than abject failure, don't you think? Yes, me, too.
The cover is from an old kimono and is the last of the kimono-esque book cloth I have. I need to make more. I have a few (maybe three) kimono so I lack not the cloth; merely the time and motivation. Now that I'm out of kimono backcloth, perhaps motivation just slapped me upside the head.
Fiction
I have set a deadline for myself for the alien war trilogy book one: Fear Itself. The new deadline and, more importantly, one I am working hard to make, is January 31st. The book will be finished by then. (Or not?) Then on to Books Two and Three.
Another book I wish to finish, Botchan’s Bartender, has been assigned the deadline of February 14 Valentine’s Day. It is a murder mystery but character-driven with several inter-twining love stories, failed love stories, and one deadly love story. Plus, a woman with a dark past who wishes to keep it secret.
Check out my YouTube channel for brief and, hopefully, concise how-to videos and other less structured videos.
A new one about Casing in the Blank Notebook above will be up by the end of next week. (Hopefully)
Monday Jan 13, 2020
Monday Jan 13, 2020
Casing in Two Notebooks
In the last week I cased in two notebooks. Notebook 1 is 110-pages of blank sheets with page numbers. The notebook itself has headbands and a bookmark. It is slightly larger than A5, in fact, it is half an 81/2 x 11 size sheet (US letter size). I slapped on a red cover with a black spine.
The client seems happy with it so I am happy with it. The client wants to use it in their travels over the next few months as a journal, hence the blank pages.
Notebook 2 is the A5 in size, also with 110 pages but with graph paper. Included are headbands and a bookmark. It is half bound book meaning. of course, that its corners and spine have a different backcloth from the rest of the book. This one sports a kimono-esque cover which I made by tearing apart a kimono.
Both of these notebooks have nice endpapers that I purchased in Tokyo on a long-ago trip to that fair city and dropped in on the world, probably, famous, Ito-Ya. Tons of paper and supplies.
Writing
Yes! I have been writing. Did a bunch of revisions on Fear Itself and Botchan’s Bartender. And, as always, I hope to finish them before the turn of the century.
Check out my latest video about the Link Stitch cleverly titled Link Stitch.
Monday Jan 06, 2020
Monday Jan 06, 2020
2020! A New Year!
(And great vision as well)
Still working.
On binding books, on writing novels, on producing podcasts, on making videos.
• This week: Sewing, gluing, adding mull & the spine piece to two blank notebooks. One has graph paper, one has blank paper; one is A5, one is B5; both have seven signatures of five folios each, and a bookmark.
Also, a video is up on YouTube: TDGB 32 Link Stitch. It runs about three minutes. A still from the video is at left.
• Next week: casing in the two blank notebooks. Plus printing out two Schedules for 2020; they start in April so I must finish them before the end of March or earlier, of course. These are Personalized Schedules — the clients have sent me 13 jpeg photos to be included in their schedules.
You, too, can order a Personalized Schedule or a Personalized Notebook with photos of your choice. They make great gifts! Check out the 手作り本販売 page. (or click on the link.)
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
Tuesday Dec 24, 2019
A five-minute audio clip of Fear Zero included: Caution, not for the faint-hearted or young. Starts at 4:20.
Bookbinding
Not much accomplished this week. I set up a couple of books on InDesign to prepare them to print out at my earliest convenience. I have not worked at the bench all week, though. I shall in the coming two weeks, however, have more time and do some actual bookbinding.
Fiction
I wrote a lot on Fear Itself adding three chapters. I wrote a lot on another unfinished novel: Botchan’s Bartender, the first book of the Japan Pentalogy yet the last one to be finished.
Goals for 2020: Make the Japan Pentalogy available for you good readers. Also, the make the Fear Trilogy (Fear Zero, Fear Itself, Fear the Dead, and The Sound of Fear) available as well.
Tedorigawa Bookmakers On Apple Podcasts
Novels Available for Your Reading Pleasure! Plus, you help support my podcast.
Fear Zero
A 10-year-old Matt McKenzie is thrown in prison for murdering his mother. Can he survive sadistic guards, violent inmates, loneliness, and fear? When he’s 16, he could be released. How will the six years of fear, pain, and violence change him? Will he be able to find a job or a place to live? Will he fight for survival on the streets? The odds are against him.
This is the prelude to The Fear Trilogy, a dystopian future war novel which follows McKenzie from war to peace and back to war through power-hungry politicians, conspiracies, and intrigue.
Available at 
iBooks • Kobo • Barnes & Noble • Scribd
Check out my Oregon Coast Murder Duet on the Fiction For Sale Page!
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Available at:
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Available at:
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Two murders in the same town. Separated by 20 years. How are the suspects, witnesses, and victims related? |
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Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Wednesday Dec 18, 2019
Bookbinding
I cased in three books this week. The first one was a blank notebook with graph paper. The book was titled This Is Blank, a book I mentioned in episodes 227 and 225, below. This time I made a few changes (words, mostly) and bound it differently.
The second book was one-ninth of Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. I made a complete set of all nine volumes of Tristram Shandy some time ago and I am going to apply what I learned about bookbinding to a new set. Or I may make it into one volume or both. If I make another set I only have eight-ninths to go. I bound this one differently as well.
The third book was one of my unfinished novels in the Japan Pentalogy titled Botchan’s Bartender. It is the only unfinished novel in the Japan Pentalogy series. By binding it I hope to read it, make corrections, edit it, and be inspired enough to finish it. As the other two books, this one used a different technique.
The different technique is one I learned from a YouTube video by Jacqueline Poutasse. It involves gluing the spine piece to a piece of paper, measuring accurately, and adding the cover pieces. This aligns the covers and spine very nicely. Also, I measured the spine gap more accurately as well. In order to have the crease on the covers of the completed book, I have been experimenting with the spine gap. It has gradually gotten larger. On Botchan’s Bartender the gap is 10 mm. On the other two, the gap is 6 mm.
This new (for me) technique also seems to be faster. Less guessing, I guess?
Fiction
This week in Fiction can be summed up nicely with: I wrote three chapters in Fear Itself. I can add, I also sped up the plot, incorporated more conspiracy, and made it darker and a touch more violent (both physical and emotional.)
Tedorigawa Bookmakers On Apple Podcasts
Novels Available for Your Reading Pleasure! Plus, you help support my podcast.
Fear Zero
A 10-year-old Matt McKenzie is thrown in prison for murdering his mother. Can he survive sadistic guards, violent inmates, loneliness, and fear? When he’s 16, he could be released. How will the six years of fear, pain, and violence change him? Will he be able to find a job or a place to live? Will he fight for survival on the streets? The odds are against him.
This is the prelude to The Fear Trilogy, a dystopian future war novel which follows McKenzie from war to peace and back to war through power-hungry politicians, conspiracies, and intrigue.
Available at iBooks • Kobo • Barnes & Noble • Scribd
Check out my Oregon Coast Murder Duet on the Fiction For Sale Page!
|
Available at:
|
|
Available at:
|
|
Two murders in the same town. Separated by 20 years. How are the suspects, witnesses, and victims related? |
|