Asayi—An Autistic Teen’s Journey to Topple a Shogun in Medieval Japan
By Sharon Curcio
There’s harrowing tension in being Asayi. But readers will be drawn to those who form Asayi’s circle to oppose a punitive regime. Court intrigues swirl, underbelly characters from different levels of society emerge, deceptions reign, yet truth emerges at the end. This work is not a simple “coming of age” drama. Layers of nuance unfold: the vulnerability of an autistic young woman in a merciless time period; political unrest, physical survival, secret identities, and finding one’s tribe and love. While this drama immerses one in a distant time and place, the injustices and revolts are just as real as today’s inequities and discontents.
The underdog(s) prevail in this drama as readers step through remarkable medieval Japan, replete with true to life characters, political and personal sagas, and the enduring Asian cultural icon: the ghost.
What inspired me to write “Asayi” is a course I took in Asian brush painting in my late twenties in New York City. I learned to paint Japanese characters, yet could not decipher their meanings. This sparked the idea of a character who was disabled yet a copyist who could not read what she was writing. Thus Asayi, whose autism (she presents as mute) would have made language acquisition very difficult.
As for the target market for this book, as a historical fiction it is my hope that “Asayi” garners interest from Asian women since the novel authentically presents the restrictive roles endured by women in the Medieval period. At this time Japanese culture also admired perfection and had little tolerance for the “defective” which impacts Asayi immensely. Of course the women in my novel take on agency which, if known, would have brought upon them either severe punishment or death.
In August of 2024 “Asayi” was awarded a Gold Star from Literary Titan. This surprised me, since the novella was only published in May, 2024, yet I am glad that “Asayi” was recognized as having literary merit.
Currently I am developing book two of the Asayi trilogy and the action moves to the theft of the Imperial Regalia from the Northern Court (ruled by the Ashikagas) by the Southern Court (ruled by the Emperor Hanazono). The Imperial Regalia imparts the mandate to rule and consists of an ancient sword, a multi-sided mirror, and assorted jewels. Legend has it that these were all gifts from the Sun Goddess 2,600 years ago.
I grew up in Western Pennsylvania, attended Carnegie-Mellon University for my B.A. and Washington University in St. Louis for an MBA. My career has spanned Wall St. to Madison Avenue in New York City, high school English education for over 28 years and work in Intelligence as a USAR Warrant Officer for over 23 years. In 1992 I moved to California and continued my military and education career here. Upon my retirement in 2018 I plunged into two screenplays with teens as heroes: “Asayi” and “Resonance.” The novel “Asayi” emerges from the earlier screenplay.
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Asayi-Autistic-Journey-Topple-Medieval/dp/B0D3LTHRRL
Author website :http://www.sharon-curcio.com
Youtube Book Trailer
