Now that the zombies have been left behind, it's time to tackle the idea of another apocalypse: a massive earthquake. This week's book is a YA fantasy called The Darker Coin. Here's what it's about: Every night, Clara Yamada wakes up in the witching hour with terrible images spinning through her head about the big earthquake that’s predicted to hit San Francisco sooner rather than later. A minor shake scares her silly, and she turns to her Japanese grandmother and asks for advice about how to settle her fears. After hearing her grandmother’s stories about the protective spirits in her hometown of Hatsukaichi in Japan, Clara decides, with the help of her two best friends, to summon one of the hidden spirits, the kami, to help save San Francisco. To her surprise, her offering is accepted and her effort works. But she finds out that she’s summoned more than she’s bargained for. Kami have two souls, one destructive and one helpful. Has Clara actually summoned the spirit who will cause the Big One to happen? Growing up in California - and living through the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake with my family home a mile from the earthquake's epicenter - gives me a very Californian perspective on what the geological event is all about. For people living in an earthquake zone, they're just an unpleasant part of life. I know others who are very afraid of them, and for good reason since they can be deadly and destructive. Not to discount any of that, but if you live in an earthquake zone, you have to just keep on plugging away at your life and your work and hope the Big One doesn't actually happen. So, I know a healthy fear of earthquakes is completely understandable, and it'll be interesting to write about Clara's journey in the book. I'll be back on Sunday with an excerpt from it. See you then!
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