Now at NEXT CHAPTER CAMANA BAY — The Tales of the Swordsman by JF Lee
I am so excited to announce that my local bookstore, NEXT CHAPTER, on Grand Cayman, has my Tales of the Swordsman series in stock. Even better, it’s carrying ALL FOUR of the books of the series right now. :)
Here’s what it’s about:
A jaded swordsman, a fleeing girl, and a fated sword all come together in this story that blends legends of wandering heroes, LOL humor, found family, and classic martial arts action.
I am also super pleased to announce that I have a book signing at Next Chapter scheduled for the evening of April 19, 2024. Please come to this exclusive book signing, where I will be reading an excerpt from the series, signing books, and chatting about writing, wuxia, anime, and other cool stuff. :) There will be prizes and giveaways and all sorts of fun.
Sword of Sorrow Blade of Joy Excerpt
“Master swordsman?” the girl asked.
She sat down at the round table in the corner across from the gruff looking man. She flashed him a smile, unperturbed by his glare. “I want to hire you.”
“Go away,” he growled. It was mid-day, and the Jade Garden restaurant bustled with activity. The thin light of the overcast sky filtered through the wooden lattice windows. Unlit lanterns swayed gently overhead.
“You haven’t even heard my offer yet,” the girl said, struggling to be heard over the din of conversations, the clatter of dishes. She scooted her chair closer to the swordsman.
“I don’t have to hear it. I don’t work with kids.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“Girl, I’m eating,” he said, getting testy. “And I don’t like getting interrupted while I’m eating.”
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
The swordsman didn’t respond and reached for another dumpling. He eyed the girl as he chewed. She wasn’t quite a kid—she walked the fine line between adolescence and the beginning of womanhood. He placed her around fourteen years old. Her long, dark hair partially covered her hollow cheeks. She was petite and dressed in the grey and periwinkle robes of a serving girl at Madam Gu’s pleasure house. He had seen the type before. The young girls worked there until they were old enough to serve clients; that is, if they were lucky enough and pretty enough.
She stared at him with a piercing look. She was so young, but her eyes looked old. Another sob story. He didn’t have time for sob stories. I don’t need another quest, he thought.
Hot grease dripped onto his plate. He closed his eyes, enjoying the crispness of the dumpling skin—a taste of home long gone. With any luck, when he opened his eyes the girl would be gone.
“You’re Li Ming, the legendary swordsman,” the girl stated. So much for her leaving.
“Says who?”
“The innkeeper over there,” the girl replied, waving. Li Ming shot a glance at the innkeeper loitering on the other side of the restaurant. The man waved back to the girl but blanched when he saw Li Ming’s icy glare. She went on, oblivious. “He said, ‘Don’t be put off by that bum’s appearance just because he’s slouching and his clothes are threadbare. He’s a master swordsman and carries a legendary sword—a black jian1 with an ivory handle.’”
“A bum, eh?” Li Ming reached over to where the sword rested by his side, tugged the cloth covering over tighter to keep it concealed. He bristled at being called old. He wasn’t that old—scarcely in his mid-thirties—and gray barely streaked his temples. He was still considered young by many.
“Well, the description fit.”
“You’re not doing a good job of winning me over to your cause.”
“Does this help?” She said, pulling out a coin purse full of silver and setting it on the table.
“Idiot, don’t flash that kind of money around here.”
The girl tucked the pouch in her sleeve. She cleared her throat, attempting to sound more confident than she really was. She’s kind of pathetic, Li Ming thought.
“So, you have money. You got a name to go with that money?” He said between bites.
“Cui…Yin,” she said, stumbling on the name. “My name is Cui Yin.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s your name?”
“I want to hire a bodyguard,” she replied, ignoring his question.
“Any of these guys could be your bodyguard,” he said, gesturing around the room.
“Yeah, but I don’t want any of those guys. I want you—someone…honorable.”
“Honorable,” he said, chewing out the word. “You want a ‘legendary swordsman?’”
“That’s right.”
“You better have some legendary work for me. Are you some kind of legendary person?”
“You’re making fun of me,” she frowned. “I want to go to Zhong’shan. I need protection—someone to keep me safe.”
“Keeping a low profile? Where’d you get that money anyway? I hope you didn’t kill anyone I know for it.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” she said, looking away.
“I’m not going to take you to Zhong’shan. You should go back to work before Madam Gu starts looking for you.”
“I don’t work for her anymore,” the girl said, a flash of fear passing over her face. She could not fight the involuntary look over her shoulder. She shifted in her seat, and her eyes darted towards the open window.
“Look, kid. Here’s a tip. If you’re running away, you should change your outfit too.”
“I don’t have any other outfits to change into,” she mumbled. A runaway then. Around here in the city of Tu’men, Madam Gu ran a fine pleasure house that attracted the kind of clientele that exclusively barred commoners. She also didn’t like her property running away.
In short, this girl was trouble.
“How’d you even hear about me anyway? There are hundreds of people you could hire.”
“Su jiejie2 told me about an honorable swordsman that would do any job if the price was right.”
“Again, with the honor thing…” he muttered. “And where’s your Su jiejie? Couldn’t she take you to Zhong’shan?”
“She’s…” the girl trailed off, going silent, and a look of deep sadness fell across her face. Someone close then. He didn’t press the girl. “Please, sir.”
He reached for the dumplings again, snatching one with his chopsticks. He chewed, slowly contemplating the girl. “Why do you even want to go to Zhong’shan? That place is a hole in the middle of nowhere,” he said, a note of irritation entering his voice.
“I need to get out of the city.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’m in trouble.”
“Tell someone else.”
“I’m looking for my family!” she said, pounding the table. The plates clattered. A woman from the neighboring table looked over at the swordsman and shot the girl a dirty look. The girl blushed.
“Family,” he grunted. “Is that so?”
She nodded slightly, looking back out to the street. A thin frown. He knew that look too. Distant, thinking of people long lost. Family. He didn’t know what the word meant anymore. He wondered what kind of people she could have lost at her age. She seemed too young to have much in the way of personal tragedy, but the war had left its mark on nearly everyone.
“So, you want me to take you to a town in the middle of nowhere with the possibility that people are after you?”
“I’ll pay you well.”
“You’d better.”
“Does that mean you’re taking the job?”
“It means I’m thinking about it.”
“I’ll pay you more when we make it to the town.”
“I said I’m thinking about it. I don’t like babysitting.”
“I promise you won’t regret it,” she pulled the pouch of coins out from her sleeve again to hand to the swordsman.“My real name is Shu Yan.”
“Keep that tucked away safe. You can pay me later,” Li Ming said, holding out a hand to stop the girl.
“Yes, sir.”
“And none of this ‘sir’ crap either.”
“Yes…” she trailed off, unsure how to address him.
“There’s bandits, you know. And robbers. And criminals. And thugs.”
“I’ll…stay out of your way and let you do your legendary thing.”
“I’m already regretting this,” he grunted.
But her mood seemed to improve, and she settled into the chair across from him with confidence. Li Ming sighed. Babysitting. Fifteen years on the cold trail of his master’s murderer, and he was now babysitting. How had it come to this?
“Are you going to eat all those?” she said, eyeing the four remaining dumplings on his plate. “I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Yes,” he said, reaching for another dumpling.
But before his chopsticks reached the plate, the girl made her move. In a motion that was more surprising than swift, she snatched a dumpling from the plate and popped it into her mouth. The shrill laughter of a woman flirting with a merchant cut across the restaurant as though mocking the swordsman.
“Ok, you’re just a kid, so you may not know this: it’s a dangerous thing to come between a man and his dumplings,” Li Ming warned. “I wouldn’t—”
She grinned at him and snatched two more dumplings and shoved them into her mouth.
“What…what…” Li Ming sputtered. “You…you’re paying for more dumplings, you brat!”
