For My Readers

I guess it goes without saying that the Fated Blades demand a lot of research. That’s what you sign yourself up for when you write books that span seven hundred years of Japanese history. In the course of writing these stories I’ve run across some handy web sites, and here are a few I think my readers might be interested in. 

A Chronology of Japanese History, clickable by era

Samurai Archives, a wiki on Japanese military history

Japanese Castle Explorer, exactly what it sounds like

Walk the Tokaido, an interactive map of the Tokaido road

Japanese Armor, exactly what it sounds like

ARMA, overflowing with information about sword combat

Sword etiquette, courtesy of the Japanese Sword Society of Hawaii

The traditional Japanese time system, replete with Zodiac animals