With excitement and enthusiasm that is bubbling over, I’m pleased to announce the newest title in the Japan Series:
Japanese Ghost in America.
Having envisioned a ghost from Japan visiting Minnesota since 2009, it is with joy and satisfaction that I announce this work has finally come to fruition.
The Japan Series “Mysterious Stories Related to Japan” grew a lot during the past three years.
In 2020 Daniel O’Brien added another manuscript with the tentative title “Resolution”. Jimmy finds himself going from a pilgrimage in Japan to an exploration of medieval Europe in O’Brien’s newest novel, albeit in the editing stage.
In 2017, not only was the editing for Japanese Ghost in America completed, but also, the next book Pilgrimage was completed by Daniel in the Nanowrimo National Novel Writing Month of November 2017.
Pilgrimage is in the editing stages now…
Synopsis: Japanese Ghost in America
Jimmy, an introspective and world-traveled social studies teacher, lives a quiet life working in a Minnesota high school. Having lived in Japan for several decades—a country that he considers his second home—he is caught off-guard by the ancient and unfinished legacy that has followed him back across the Pacific. As the sun sets, Jimmy begins to see strange events in his home: a disembodied hand in the moonlight, then the full apparition of a Japanese woman in traditional kimono. Despite being separated by the boundaries of time and space, life and death, Jimmy and the mysterious woman discover a karmic connection. Together, they search for the root of her eternal restlessness in the hopes of attaining her redemption. Jimmy must unravel her past to discover how their destinies are intertwined, and how they might heal one another.
Reviews:
*Beautifully described.” Literature and history high school teacher.
*My husband came downstairs at 2am to tell me to go to bed. I couldn’t put down. Academic Counselor High School in Minnesota.
*O’Brien’s Japanese Ghost in America is not only a gripping and suspenseful read, but offers more on many levels. Ghost story—romance—cultural history—Buddhist spirituality: all keep the fascinated reader racing from first page to last. Jimmy and a most unusual Ghost journey together toward redemption, as their interwoven characters interact through revelation and recognition. And along the way, we are treated to O’Brien’s deep and sensitive knowledge of Japan, creating a graphically realistic context. A masterpiece, destined to become a classic! —Laurel Means, Author, Editor, & Reviewer for English Studies, Comparative Literature, and other journals.
*This intriguing story was born from Daniel O’Brien’s years of study of Japanese language, history, and culture. His writing reflects his deep knowledge about and sincere respect for Japan and the Japanese people. The reader will be absorbed in a journey where Jimmy, a protagonist, and a Japanese ghost seek their own “redemption” together. —Michiko Todokoro Buchanan, Ph.D., Director of Japanese Language Program Department of Asian Languages and Literature,
University of Minnesota
https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000037506009
Cover Art: Unknown artist, Japanese, 17th century, Lady from the “Visiting Kawachi” Episode of the Tales of Ise, second half 17th century Hanging scroll; Ink and color on paper Minneapolis Institute of Art, Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation 2015.79.99 Photo: Minneapolis Institute of Art (with Gratitude from the author)
Also available at other online retailers: Amazon, Ingram and available as an ebook, too!
https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000037506009