Ink

Warui:

“Bad,” sometimes used as an apology

Yamero:

“Stop”

Yatta:

“I did it!” or as a general “Yay!”

Yosh(i):

“Good” or “Okay”

Youkai:

A demon

Yuu Tomohiro desu ga...:

“My name is Yuu Tomohiro…”

Zabuton:

A cushion used for sitting on the floor

Zenzen:

“Not at all”

I am so grateful to everyone who put their heart, soul and energy into making Ink a reality. Without all of you, this book would never have become everything I had hoped it to be.

Mary Sheldon, this book would not exist without you. The passion and conviction with which you live your life and ad-vocate for reading are an inspiration to me. You are a spark of color in this life, a vibrant example of what the world should and can be. I continue to aspire to the faith you place in me, for the world is changed because of you.

Thank you to my family at Harlequin TEEN, to Natashya Wilson for believing in Katie and Tomo from the start, to Adam Wilson for my first fan mail, to Giselle Regus for your hard work behind the scenes, to the digital and sales teams and copy editors, and to those who inspire me—Debbie Soares, Amy Jones, Erin Craig and Lisa Wray. Thank you to Gigi Lau for the gorgeous cover, and for taking so much care in breathing life into the book of my heart.

To my fantastic editor, T.S. Ferguson. TiduS, you have loved my world and characters as your own, and your thoughtful and brilliant advice allowed me to take the story to a level I didn’t know was possible. Your wit and kindness continue to inspire me, and I’m so fortunate to have you as my editor and friend. I look forward to the great things we will accomplish together.

Thank you to my agent, Melissa Jeglinski, for your advice, confidence and support. I am so grateful to you for your hard work and passion, and for saying what I need to hear when I need to hear it. Thank you for believing in me, and in Ink.

Without my family’s support, I could never have reached this point. Thank you, Mum and Dad, for always believing in my writing and in me. Kevin and Emily, thank you for those trips to the park so I could meet my deadlines, and for the long plot discussions you were always willing to have with me. Thank you, Nathan Conquergood, for reading my early novels and doing book reports on them in school, and Bridget Ball, for passing around a petition at school to publish my book. I so appreciate your enthusiasm and faith in my work.

Thank you, Mio Matsui, for making sure Tomohiro speaks like a real Japanese teen. Thank you, Harumi Sugino and the Hasegawa family, Nobuko, Yoko and all my friends in Japan.

Because you opened your arms to me, I can now share that love through Ink. ?? ??????????

Thank you to Caroline Schmeing and Diana Jardine, who read every piece of fan fiction, every full notebook passed under the table in class. To Terry Lim, Clelie Rich and Wal-ter Davies for cheerleading every step of the way. To Alex Neary for my beautiful author photo, and my fellow Lucky 13s for their support. To Nerdfighteria for being a haven where I am understood.

And finally to my readers. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. Wherever you may go in life— itterasshai.

Q.

Q What inspired you to write Ink and why did you choose to set the story in Japan?

A. I lived on exchange in Osaka during my time in high school. Even after I returned from the exchange, the culture and mythology stayed an integral part of my interests. I wanted to make the experience of living in Japan accessible to anyone. At the same time, I was devouring piles of YA books. While watching Japanese dramas for language practice, the two interests merged in my head.

Ink is also inspired by my study of the history of writing. Ancient Chinese characters were originally written down to communicate with the gods. And in ancient Egypt, the snake hieroglyphs on tomb walls were often sliced through the middle by paint or a chisel to pre-vent them from becoming real snakes in the afterworld. I started wondering what would happen if what we wrote and drew came to life in such a dangerous way, and then I realized that the Tomohiro I’d envisioned would do just that.

Q.

Q How did you come up with the Kami and their abilities to control ink and make drawings come to life?

A. Something I really enjoy about multicultural YAs are the new and sometimes unfamiliar mythologies the authors draw on for their books. I’ve always found the myths of the kami fascinating because the spirits’ reactions and sense of justice are so different from our modern-day thinking. The kami were unpredictable and dangerous, perfect for a darker paranormal. I thought about how the emperors claimed lineage to Amaterasu and how they were forced to deny this divinity during World War Two.

And combining that with kanji characters’ original use as a way to interact with the spiritual world, I started wondering what would have happened if Amaterasu was real. What if the emperors really were descended from her? And what if kanji still held some sort of power? And, like Jun, I wanted to blur the lines between whether that power was being used for right or wrong, just like in the old myths.

Q.

Q What artistic abilities, if any, do you have, and what would you create if you could make your creations come to life?

A. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw, but my sketching skills are lacking! I find other ways to express myself through art—I make costumes. Other than writing, my main hobby is cosplay, which is a Japanese term that combines costume with play. I make elaborate costumes from scratch, learning a little of everything along the way, includ-ing sewing, props, armor, wig-styling—you name it! When the costume is complete, I usually enter competitions and perform onstage. I’ve won a few awards so far, but what I like best is the community and all the wonderful people I meet through cosplay.

If I could make my sketches come to life, though, I’d want to make impossible things, things that aren’t and should be. I’d be tempted to sketch a dragon of my own that I could ride around on—a friendly one, of course!

Q.

Q What do you think are the best qualities of your main characters?

A. I think Katie’s best quality is her bravery. Here she is without her mom, in a country she doesn’t fully understand, and she’s doing her best to keep moving forward.

Even when Yuki gives her the option to speak English, Katie keeps trying to speak Japanese, to push herself and rise to the challenge. She knows there’s more to Tomohiro, too, and won’t let anything stop her from reaching the truth. I also admire that she’s a kindhearted person and a loyal friend who does the right thing simply because it’s right.

For Tomohiro, I think it’s his perseverance. Despite the struggle with his Kami power, he keeps fighting. He doesn’t want to be a monster. He’s living under a dark shadow and yet he wants to do good with his life. He wants