Featured Interview With Author Tenkara Smart
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Tenkara Smart was born in Connecticut and raised in Southern California, where she worked for a leading running retailer and was an avid surfer, skier, and runner in her spare time. After marrying the love-of-her-life Aussie, they moved to Qatar and settled in Australia. Tenkara considers herself a foodie and travels the world to taste different foods. She enjoys kayaking, hiking, travelling with her husband, and visiting Japan as much as possible, as this is their favourite place, their favourite food, their favourite people, and, of course, their favourite drink – sake!
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always loved books. My favourite books growing up were The Chronicles of Narnia, and then, as I grew older, I fell in love with The Thorn Birds. I found my love for writing in college when I changed my major from Marine Biology to English Literature and Creative Writing. The more I read and listen to audio books, the more I appreciate the written word and the creative genius of so many amazing authors.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I lean towards Historical Fiction as my favourite genre, and I particularly love the writing of Ken Follett, Philippa Gregory, and Kristin Hannah. I do love just a good book, though, and some recent books I've loved are Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, and Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green. I love the creativity of these stories and the depth of the characters and sometimes I just think, 'How do authors come up with this stuff?'
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, His Name is Junsaku, is book two in my series, The Many Lives of Wolf, based on the idea of one soul reincarnating through many lifetimes. A significant character in my first book, She Named Me Wolf, is a central character in my second book, His Name is Junsaku. I enjoyed writing this book because I got to use my experiences travelling to Japan to create the settings and overall vibe of the book, and my husband, an accomplished martial artist and an 8-level black belt, helped with the martial arts training and fight scenes, so they are very authentic. Junsaku is a character who is hyper-focused on making his dreams a reality and becoming Japan's greatest samurai. When he sees a young woman disembarking a Dutch merchant ship, his heart says, 'There she is', and his life is forever changed. As Junsaku ages, a ghost cloaked in black haunts him, sharing ominous warnings that Junsaku ignores, and ultimately, Junsaku's struggle to balance his love for his family with his loyalty to the shogunate puts everything he loves at risk. My novel features two powerful female characters, one of whom becomes an outstanding martial artist despite being prohibited from studying martial arts with the boys in school. Overall, I'm super proud of this book, and as I wrote it, I felt like I was living in 17th-century Japan. I comp this book to Shogun and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue based on the writing style, the immersion into different eras, and the themes.
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