War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory It is my pleasure to introduce Yayoi Winfrey, producer of the documentary series War Brides of Japan, a documentary*memory. Yayoi is an independent film producer and daughter of a Japanese war bride who married her African-American father. This five-films series is a monumental labor of love in memory of her mother spanning over eight years. Here, in her own words, is her story of how these films were created. By Yayoi Naito Winfrey In 2000, I was hanging out in Seattle with a Chinese American filmmaker who hailed from Honolulu. After I introduced him to my Japanese Mom, he turned to me and said, “We should make a film about your mother. She’s such a character!” I knew exactly what he meant. Even though my Mom had suffered through WWII during the intense firebombing of Tokyo, she had emerged strong enough to marry my father, an African American soldier and former enemy of her country. She was funny, creative and always had an interesting tale to tell. Unfortunately, the footage that we shot didn’t adequately tell her life story. Over the next few years, several other filmmakers also tackled the project, but each time we were unable to capture the essence of my Mom. Back then, we were filming on tape, but by 2012, the digital world was exploding. Thus, making and editing films—really videos—was so much easier. So, I created a 30-second promo about my Mom’s life as a war bride and entered it into a film festival in LA. I was shocked when it was selected as one of three finalists. However, I was unable to remove the logo of the software that I had used to create the promo, so I became disqualified. But the experience gave me the incentive to move forward because I saw that there were people who were actually interested in the subject of Japanese war brides—women who met and married military men occupying their country following WWII. When I lost my Mom later that year, I was unable to continue the project and set it aside until 2016. That’s when I acquired a Fiscal Sponsor and began fundraising. After we had enough for travel, I hit the road in September 2016 with a one-person crew (a camera/sound guy). Over 19 days, we interviewed some 34 participants located throughout three states, but one historian was not available at the time. So, in November 2016, we returned to California for several days. At the beginning of 2017, I was certain it would take me about six months to edit all that footage. But, as it turned out, I was so wrong. The entire process took nearly three years as I had over-interviewed in an effort to not leave anyone out. Other than three war brides, and a war bride husband, most of the interviewees are the adult children of war brides, and it was imperative that they had the opportunity to tell the world about their mothers. Eventually, I divided the film into five parts according to the similarity of the participants’ stories: [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Herstory Herstory is about two historians discussing The War Brides Act of 1945 and problems the Japanese women faced upon arrival in a strange country. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] The Brides The Brides features two women—one who married a white Marine and the other who married a black soldier–and how their experiences in a segregated America differed so much from each other’s. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] The Kids The Kids is in three parts—the first about a bride who was an entertainer, the next features adult children talking about their mothers while eating in a Japanese restaurant, and the third is about a woman who grieves the mother she recently lost. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] The Culture The Culture explores Japanese culture through three sections—a woman and her daughters who cook and make origami, a woman whose father was Mexican American (thus, shunned by Japanese Americans in their community), and a woman with a substantial collection of Japanese things. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Buddhist Friends Forever BFF’s, Buddhist Friends Forever showcases the impact of Buddhism on the brides, and how some lifelong friendships developed due to the women’s spiritual beliefs. [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Button_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] To view the documentary series’ Vimeo page: [siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Icon_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Visit Yayoi’s Docu*memory Website at: https://www.warbridesofjapan.com * * * You can also reach Yayoi at: Yayoi@warbridesofjapan.com
Shanghai Yesterday Chapter One
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Official Release Date: October 17, 2019 Pre-order available on Amazon Shanghai Yesterday Sneak Preview Chapter One Loose Sand Smoke billowed into the darkened sky. Still stunned, Clark ran to the platform where the local train had carried away Xu Hong-Lie only moments ago. The moon peered out from behind the gray clouds floating across the heavens above. Its faint rays could not defeat the arrival of night and he couldn’t see what was happening from afar. Clark swung around and grabbed the station agent’s arm. “What happened?” The man’s mouth dropped open. He was still gawking at the sight. “What happened?” Clark shouted. The station agent shook his head. “I don’t know.” Clark let go of the man. Pushing aside all the passengers and people roused by the explosions, he ran toward the station depot to the ticket window. Inside the depot, the station master cried out into the phone, “What? . . . What? The freight train to the Kailan Mines blew up? . . . Ay-yah! Disaster!” Clark’s eyes widened. A layer of sweat dripped down his back. The dynamite. Their plan. If the train exploded, how would the resistance fighters follow through with their plan to blow up the mines? “How many injured?” the station master asked the person on the other end of the line. “Did anyone die?” Clark moved closer and put his hand on the ticket counter. His heart hammered. “You don’t know yet?” The station master turned toward the wall. Clark shook his head. No. No. Xu Hong-Lie. His trusted, capable right hand. His most reliable friend. What happened to him? The station manager’s voice ebbed. Clark’s trembling hand fell from the ticket counter to his side. He took a shaky step backward and might have fallen if it weren’t for the stranger in a conductor’s uniform who called his name. “Young Master Yuan.” The stranger’s voice prompted him to focus. Instinctively, his fear for Hong Lie switched to fear for himself. Without answering the man, he stiffened his chest. How did the man know his name? “Come with me.” The stranger held out Clark’s small suitcase and the Agatha Christie novel which Clark had dropped when the train exploded. Subtly, he glanced about them and whispered, “Dai Li sent me.” Clark exhaled and his body eased, but he remained silent and stood still. Why should he believe this man? The man took a coin out of his pocket. He flashed it at Clark to show a split-second glimpse of a triangular symbol. Clark recognized the insignia. Wen-Ying wore the same one on her necklace. It was the secret sign of Tian Di Hui, the Heaven and Earth Society—the underground resistance group waging terroristic attacks against their enemy. Clark took his book and suitcase. “You have to leave now. Your train to Peking is arriving.” The man tossed his head away from the crowd. “Follow me.” He started toward the platform where Clark had been waiting earlier. Still not moving, Clark asked, “What about the explosion? What happened? What about . . . ” The man gave him a firm look to signal him to shush. “I don’t know. Even Dai Li doesn’t know yet. I received a call instructing me to make sure you get on your next train. You’re to check into your hotel as planned. When you arrive, someone will be in touch.” The train to Peking chugged on its track. The rumble of the engine grew until it drowned out the buzz of human voices. Clark gazed out ahead. The shriek of the train’s horn warned him to move. He took one more look at the scene behind him, then followed the man. They reached the platform and Clark stepped up into the car. The man stopped and muttered, “See you again.” He turned and hastened away. Clark made his way onto the train. Alone, he sat gripping his novel. The train pulled away from the station and he looked out the window into the black void. The train’s wheels clacking against the tracks thwacked his ears and he could not form a single coherent thought. * * * In his room at the Grand Hôtel des Wagons-Lits, Clark lay on the soft damask duvet covering the bed, trying to listen to music on the radio and calm himself. The sweet voice of singer Zhou Xuan crooned from the speaker across the room, but it failed to soothe his mind. He reached out to the nightstand and turned the knob to change the station. It was no use. The bouncy notes of Mozart’s “Little Night Music” ascending and soaring exasperated him even more. He felt like an ant in a burning wok, circling in search for an escape and unable to stay still. Why was there an explosion? Did the Japanese discover their plan? Where was Hong-Lie now? Was he dead or alive? What became of their plot to disable the Kailan Mines? He switched off the radio. Above the dresser, the gilded French clock showed the time to be one in the morning. He watched the second-hand tick for a while, then shifted from his side onto his back. If the country weren’t at war, he could easily fall into a deep, peaceful sleep on this opulent bed with these plush pillows under his head. The company that owned this hotel took pride in ensuring the same luxuries continued when their guests on the Orient Express arrived. What was happening next? He stared at the ceiling and clasped his hands under his head. The elegantly engraved golden telephone on the desk remained silent. The conductor at the Hai River station who urged him to get on the train—if he really were a conductor—told him someone would be in touch. He’d been lying here for over an hour. His shirt and pants were all wrinkled. A light knock on the door nearly stopped his heart. He bolted up from the bed and went to open the door. Instantly, his
Protected: A New Way Forward: Managing Your Email List with AWS (Part 3)
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Protected: A New Way Forward: Managing Your Email List with AWS (Part 2)
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How to Build an Authors Mailing List
How to Build an Author Mailing List This is a special blog post by my friend and fellow indie author C.M. Estopar (a/k/a Christine Michele). Christine is the author of the Kindred Souls fantasy series, the Island Book series, and the serial story The Devoted. She has some great tips to share with new indie authors on how to build a mailing list of readers, fans, and subscribers. An important reminder: Once you set up an email list, you become a custodian of your readers’ personal information (i.e., their email addresses). You have as much responsibility as business companies to safeguard your subscribers’ records. Do not give unauthorized access to anyone except when necessary and only to people you know and trust. Do not share your list with anyone without your subscribers’ explicit consent, and store their records in places that are reasonably protected from internet attacks. Also, be sure to have a sensible privacy policy, and comply with all applicable laws against SPAMs and for personal data protection, including the US Can-Spam Act, and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Author Mark Dawson hosted a very informative podcast episode on how the GDPR impacts indie authors. He also consulted with an IP attorney and shared the attorney’s advice with everyone in the indie writing community. You can listen to the podcast episode and obtain his PDF materials on GDPR here. And now, here’s Christine’s step-by-step guide on building an author’s mailing list: Building a mailing list can be seriously easy if you’re willing to put 30 minutes a week in! And I’m going to break it down into super easy steps that have worked for me and tons of others! 1. Lead Magnet/ Freebie Before you go about starting a list, we’ve got to talk about lead magnets. Basically, lead magnets are “samples” of your work that you give out for free in exchange for an email address. I say, “samples” because readers tend to expect full-length lead magnets in lieu of actual book samples. So, make sure you’ve got a prequel novella to your best selling series handy, or maybe a few short stories following your favorite protagonists. These lead magnets should be non-exclusive to Kindle Unlimited, lead right into your best selling series, and should be able to be read without the reader having to buy your series to understand what is going on. The lead magnet *leads” into your series. 2. Mailing List Host Next, you’ve got to choose your host! This should be the easiest step. Most hosts will host your list for free for up to 1,000 subscribers. Some you’ve got to start paying right out of the gate (looking at you Constant Contact). I recommend Mailerlite for its ease of use, awesome customer service, and cheap hosting cost (once your list hits 2,000 you need to start paying). 3a. Automation Before you have your subscribers you need to create a way for them to get to know you and introduce them into your sales funnel. Personally, I only have experience with MailChimp and Mailerlite–which both allow you to create automation for your email list for free. The main goal when creating your automation is getting the reader into your sales funnel. You might want to begin your chain of emails with an email that introduces you, your books, and maybe something a little cool about you. The second email in the chain should ask them if they received the freebie okay and how they’re liking it. From there, you might want to break your chain into two separate lists. One for subscribers who respond quite quickly to your emails and the other where subscribers are a bit more resistant or non-responsive. For the sake of keeping things short, these separate chains should empty into separate lists, one “responsive” and “non-responsive”. Once you have gathered a good amount of subscribers you can utilize these two lists separately or even drill them down into those who click vs. those who only open (and so on and so forth, there are so many options!). Having two lists allows you to split your new release emails and stagger the buying power of your audience. Something the Amazon algos love! 3b. Forms If you have a website, you will probably want to create an embedded form or pop-up form that is connected to the list that sends your new subscribers through an automation funnel. Forms are extremely straightforward and very easy to make and embed! You can also place these on your Facebook fan page. Make sure to make your forms GDPR compliant if you know some of your sign-ups will be from an EU IP address. 3c. Lead Pages This can also be attached to your website. Lead pages are similar to forms and just as useful! 4. Obtaining Subscribers. Bookfunnel, Instafreebie, and Facebook (if you’ve created a form or lead page) are three great ways of building your email list. You could also go through GDPR complaint giveaways like Ryan Zee or Litring. Be careful with giveaways though as you’re more apt to attract freebie seekers than people who actually want to pay for books. Bookfunnel is a great way to funnel your freebie to new readers in exchange for an email address. This service costs $100 annually, and the customer service on your end–as well as the reader’s end–is absolutely stellar. Bookfunnel can also be used as a way to safely distribute Advance Review Copies (ARCs) to your ARC team once you establish it. Instafreebie is extremely similar to Bookfunnel, but the service is cheaper and the customer service on the reader’s end is lax. To save time, I recommend Bookfunnel. Facebook is a bit more complex. Through the use of Facebook Ads you can link a reader that clicks on your ad to your lead page. Then, through your lead page, they will sign up for your freebie in exchange for your email address. If you plan to use Facebook Ads (which
Protected: Shanghai Story
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“Dunkirk”: Review from a WWII Author’s Perspective
Dunkirk is not a historical fiction movie. It is a war movie. With the weight of WWII history behind it, you might have gone into the theatre expecting a dramatized story filled with terrors of battles, personal conflicts, a stand-off between good and evil, perhaps even a dash of romance. But Christopher Nolan chose a different route. At its core, Dunkirk is a picture of war reenactment. It is an invitation for the audience to experience what it feels like at the moment when the enemy is closing in, and all you’ve got to hold on to is hope. Reenactment brings to mind badly produced TV footage complete with atrocious acting and cheaply designed costumes and sets. All that changed under Nolan’s masterful hand. Supported by a stellar cast and a blockbuster-size budget, Nolan gave us a sensory spectacle. The astounding, magnificent scenery of the expansive beaches and the sea. The precision sound of gunfire and weapons. The nerve-wracking background beats that remind you your very life is on the line. If Nolan had the technology, he would’ve let us smell the explosions and taste the oil in the ocean water too.
40 Recommended WWII Films (Non-English)
Last week we brought you the 40 Recommended WWII Films in English as picked by the authors of the Facebook Second World War Club. This week, as promised, we’re sharing with you our picks for non-English WWII films. (I really don’t want to call these “foreign films” because I have no idea who is reading this blog post, as far as the readers go, these movies might not be foreign at all.