Unfortunately I got sidetracked by the sudden approval from my collaborator to release my "unofficial" (ish) version of Soulbound so I didn't get nearly as much done on My World With You as I wanted. I still have more than enough to go forward with the conclusion of Kasumi's adventures and intend to do so beginning Saturday.
For those who haven't read either of the first two books, it is not strictly necessary. I do recommend it, but I will work hard to make sure I explain things well enough so that the book will make sense. Or, I suppose if you wanted, you could always look on the Amazon site for My Winter With You where a helpful reviewer was kind enough to give away the ending of Book 2.
There are also characters that will appear in My World With You from my previous books, Kunoichi and Reaver's Song. All of my books and characters share the same universe since I've always been a huge fan of that sort of interconnectedness. (I'd love to make a Visual Novel one day to expand the medium even further, but I have no skills and even less time available, but still something to look into at some point, perhaps). Again, it is not necessary to have read those two books to understand My World With You, but doing so provides a certain amount of context which I couldn't put into this book given the entire novel, like the other two, is told exclusively from Kasumi's point of view.
The pacing of this book is probably going to be even slower than the other two. I have a lot of things to say, a lot of feelings and thoughts and emotions to explore and feel I owe it to my poor protagonist to give her the time she needs to do all those things. Unlike books like Reaver's Song and my new one, Soulbound, the Tottori novels are not high adventure affairs and I enjoy my time exploring Kasumi's headspace so please be aware lest you think of this as a high action novel! Now, a brief catchup is in order, I think!
At the conclusion of Book Two Kasumi leaves the town of Tottori for Tokyo and an uncertain future. Having lost her family, her friends, and her girlfriend she is determined to bury the past and move confidently into the future with her head held high and an acknowledgement of her baser instincts being a part of who she is. She doesn't want to be a player, but she's not entirely against the idea, either.
6 years have passed since that fateful day and not much has gone the way she expected. Her aunt, Nanami, ended up finally finding a significant other after many fruitless starts and stops. Her aunt ended up falling in love with Koemi Tanaka, one of the members of the world famous band Kunoichi.
Kasumi finished high school in Tokyo without making many friends and ended up going to college, also in Tokyo, where she studied art and graphic design. Deciding a complete break with her life in Tottori was in order she asked Koemi to adopt her and left the name Fujimura behind and became Kasumi Tanaka.
She continued her Karate and is now a Rokudan or 6th dan rank. She received her Shihan license and took a job as an instructor at a local dojo to supplement her other income as a freelance artist.
After graduating from college and with middling grades Kasumi took a job as a digital artist for a pornographic video game company. She managed to purchase an apartment of her own in Tokyo. She has no pets and few friends. She has left a trail of bad relationships behind her, unable or unwilling to commit to anyone in a meaningful way for any length of time.
As for her friends from Tottori and her family, she has had no contact with any since leaving. She lives a solitary life and has convinced herself that doing so is for the best. However, situations change and Kasumi may find her solitary existence unsustainable, whether she wants it to be or not.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to presenting to you Book 3 of the Tottori Chronicles: My World With You!
Yours,
Katsu
