SAKURA BLUE - a work of contemporary fantasy.

A Book Bazaar! What a wonderful idea!

...sorry, had to get that out of the way first. I was so happy to find this forum and discover that I'm far from alone.

Here's the product description for Sakura Blue:

Said to hold enough power to dominate humanity, the Seven Relics of the Buddha were first hidden by a secretive brotherhood of seven monks who called themselves "the Temple." Their mission was simple: guard the Relics until they were needed to save humanity.

Thirteen hundred years passed. The Temple's membership swelled with Disciples. Elders came and went, adding their wisdom to the Relics. In that time, countless wars, famines, and disasters struck. Controversy within the Temple swirled. Yet the Relics remained hidden, the location of each known only to its guardian Elder.

Then, five years ago, rebels within the Temple rose up and hunted down the seven Elders, seeking the Relics for their own twisted ends. But the rebellion was fruitless. The Elders died mute. No one else knew where the Relics were. The Temple fell into civil war. Hundreds of Disciples died. The bloody hunt for the Relics continues to this day.

Joshua Grey, a Japanese-American orphan and former Disciple once known as "The Angel of Death," wants out. After years of rage-fueled vengeance over the deaths of his friends and fiancé, Joshua withdrew from the world and spends his days in penance on an isolated Texas farm. He thinks he's found finally peace.

But when his old mentor appears on his doorstep with a dying command, Joshua is thrown into a global race to find the Sakura Blue, one of the Seven Relics and the key to an ancient ritual that will save his mentor's soul... and possibly his own.

Finding himself working with a mysterious woman pursuing her own agenda, Joshua must defeat a twisted sociopath hell-bent on vengeance. It quickly becomes the deadliest mission of his life. And to succeed, he must remain true to the Buddha's teachings. That means no more killing.

Ever.

The story trots around the world, from rural Texas and the back alleys of Geneva to a quiet west Irish fishing village and the frenetic streets of Tokyo. I've visited every location in the book and tried to capture the atmosphere and geography of each place through the eyes of my characters. I'm hopeful that it will find an audience that will, eventually, want to read the second book in the series (presently in the works).

Thank you. See you on the boards!