Charles Kowalski & Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts Oct 07, 2019

Charles Kowalski is making a dramatic switch in his writing, from contemporary political thrillers to middle grade fantasy set in 17th century Japan. Simon Grey and the March of a Hundred Ghosts, published by Excalibur Books in Japan, where Charles lives today, was launched in August to terrific reviews. Simon Grey hoped that a long sea voyage would provide some relief from his "gift" of seeing ghosts everywhere on land. Instead, he finds that his ability draws him into the shadowy world of yokai, the spirits and monsters that roam Japan by night. Together with the mysterious Oyuki, daughter of an English sailor-turned-samurai, Simon must earn the yokai's trust and help, while staying one step ahead of the Shogun's guards and an evil sorcerer determined to discover the "secret" of Simon's powers. On the podcast, Charles talks about what inspired his decision to write middle grade fiction and tells us about the work and research that went into his setting and characters. Charles, who attended the Colorado Gold conference in September and who presented a workshop on the secrets of writing suspense and he gives us a quick overview of his approach.