Award-winning author Blue Spruell chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his book “TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan.”
Spruell lived and worked in Japan for several years before returning to Atlanta. A trial lawyer and certified mediator, he runs The Outlaw Firm, specializing in family law and civil litigation. In his “spare” time, he teaches Japanese martial arts at Peachtree Aikikai. His debut novel, Tarō, a historical fantasy adventure is an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree and 2021 CIPA Book Award Winner.
Book description
To save an empire from the ruthless warlord who killed his parents, a young samurai must summon the courage to face his past and seize his destiny.
Award-winning author Blue Spruell reimagines classic Japanese folklore in a historical fantasy adventure of warlords, swords & mythical beasts from old Japan – an engaging tale for adults young and old – Banzai.
Lost in the mists of Mount Fuji . . . but no one can escape destiny. . . .Orphaned by a rival warlord and bewitched by a ghost, young Taro must reclaim his birthright and find his destiny as the legendary boy samurai and hero of Japan.
Accompanied by Tanuki, his shape-shifting badger sidekick, Tarō embarks on a quest of self-discovery and revenge, falls for Kamehime, the teenage samurai daughter of a powerful warlord, and ultimately becomes embroiled in the political struggle for the imperial throne. Along the way, Tarō and his allies face fearsome yōkai, the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls of Japanese folklore.
Taro is an epic adventure full of warlords, swords & mythical beasts from old Japan, What was the inspiration for this amazing read? You also teach Japanese martial arts, was this a factor in choosing to write this story?
The inspiration was three Japanese folk tales and, of course, my love for Japanese folklore and history. The folk tales – Kin Taro (Golden Boy), Urashima Taro (Island Boy), and Momo Taro (Peach Boy) – all center around a hero named Taro, a nickname for the eldest son in a family, although each tale is separate and distinct from the others.
Then, it occurred to me to set this mashup of Japanese heroes in the most volatile and interesting period in Japanese history, Sengoku Jidai, the age of the country at war. It just so happens that one of the warlords from this period, Takeda Shingen, who I chose as a model for the young hero, before he assumed his elder name, his family nickname was Taro. And yes, of course, my fascination with martial arts went hand in hand with writing the story.
Taro, your protagonist, engages readers from the very beginning and keeps them on the journey with him the entire way. What is one of your keys to developing dynamic characters like Taro?
Ultimately, I think developing characters requires lots of writing and rewriting until the character truly comes to life on the page. The hero is often the hardest to write because we think we know the hero so well that just being the hero will carry the character. Then, after a few drafts, you realize your supporting characters are carrying your hero – and it’s not a victory carriage.
At least, that’s what I’ve found. It helps to think of your character as not perfect unless that’s actually the hero’s flaw. If not, think of another flaw because nobody’s perfect and you need relatable characters, especially the hero or anti-hero. You want the reader to identify, in some way, with your hero and the hero’s journey, so it helps to write a hero that readers can recognize, parallels in themselves or others, so the reader will root for the hero the entire way as you say.
Since your book is set in Old Japan if you could teleport back into time, what period would you visit and why?
This question makes me think of Michael Crichton’s Timeline. Of course, I’ve never met him, or Ridley Scott, but I suspect they both love the medieval ages as much as I do – and for me that includes the medieval ages in Japan. 16th century Japan is fascinating to me and very similar to the 100 Years’ War in France and England, full of political intrigue and knights in shining armor and samurai and castles.
Look at the success of Renaissance Fairs and Medieval Times’ dinner shows and you know I’m not alone. But like Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, time travel has its consequences for fish out of water. Yes, I’d love to see those knights and samurai and castles, but I also see myself being run through with a sword. I’ll stick to visiting the vestiges of those histories – and writing about them.
Of all the characters in Taro which one is your favorite and why?
Tanuki, without a doubt. He’s Falstaff to Taro’s Henry, the Id to Taro’s Ego, a mischievous, lecherous, bibulous, jolly bon vivant racoon-dog who lives for the day, with shape-shifting powers to boot! Carpe diem is his call to arms, and among all the yokai – the supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore – I think tanuki are the most fun and fascinating.
Besides being a talented writer, you also run The Outlaw Firm, specializing in family law and civil litigation. How did you manage to find the time to write such an intriguing book while running a successful law practice?
Well, luckily but also sadly, the pandemic had a hand in it. I had the idea for this story a few years ago but little time to apply myself to it. Trial practice is especially demanding on my time, but with the courts shut down and many of my cases in limbo – and a little more lost sleep – I managed to churn out a decent draft in 5 months.
I say “decent” because there’s much more I could have written – and much, much more I’d like to revise. But as they say, publish or perish, so I managed to publish it in three more months. Otherwise, I feared the story would have perished, or at least languished, once the courts and cases adjusted to the new abnormal and I found my time was indeed running out.
It may be a bit soon to ask, but I am going to go for it – do you have another book in the works you can tell us about?
I do! All I can say is that it’s set in Japan again, but the premise is a little different from Taro. This one’s a murder mystery thriller. Wish me luck and time to write it.
“TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
