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L.L. Maurizi

Troubadour
Hello, everyone!
I'm new here. not only to this forum, but forums in general. i'm a relatively social person irl, but i tend to be more of a reader/lurker than an active participant online. I'm looking to change that for a number of reasons, but that's a story for another day :)
So! I'm italian (from Rome). I used to live in the US for a little less than 10 years, and 5 years ago i moved to Japan (Kyoto first, Tokyo now). I'm a historian (although on sabbatical now since i wanted to give myself more time to write).
I had experience writing historical journals, screenplays, short stories, and articles, but i always wanted to try my hand with novels. I focused on my first novel (a high-fantasy) for the better part of the past couple of years, although i probably achieved more in the past months than i did in the previous year.
Given the recent world events i found myself with more time on my hands, for better or for worse, and that gave me the opportunity to finish my book (which is now in the hands of an editor and some friends for a preliminary reading).

Because of this book, i looked for communities for me to join, not only to find feedback and connections, but also to find like-minded people, see what experienced, aspiring, and new writers are doing, exchange ideas, thoughts, critiques... well you know the reasons. you're probably here for the very same ones.
Aside from all this, i read a lot, play videogames, have two wonderful large dogs, and spend the rest of my free time restructuring an old farm-house in the outskirts of Tokyo i bought a year ago.

Thank you for reading! and thanks for having me here!
 

L.L. Maurizi

Troubadour
Hello!
Nice meeting you :)
I don't know for sure about any being for sale, although it is not unlikely (if not here, definitely around Japan).
Make sure that, before you look into it, you figure out the best way to get a visa, since property does not necessarily award you with one.
That said, things are likely to change in 2021 to promote more tourism, and reopening of borders to foreigners interested in living here.
 
I thought the 2020 Olympics would open things up.. and had plans to come over.. but you know how that turned out. Good to know they are thinking about reopening more seriously. I love the place, spent two weeks traveling about in January just before the world shut down. I have this vague dream of retiring on a bit of land, maybe near Kamakura or outside Kyoto a bit.. drink some sake and tend my garden and listen to the Cicada's hum. I was a big fan (still am) of Terayama Shuji... sort of the anti- Yukio Mishima

What is your book about?
 

L.L. Maurizi

Troubadour
That's a nice plan man!
yeah things changed a lot and quickly, but we'll re-adjust. kinda have to lol.

The book takes place in a fictional fantasy world and it focuses on the continent of Velorath, riddled by wars and intrigues among its many different peoples and races.
Here lives Uriel, one of 16 immensely powerful sorcerers called Radions who now tend to live hermit lives. A millennium earlier, a thousand of them brought war upon Velorath but were eventually crushed by a coalition of nations alongside a mysterious race called Helelii coming from a different continent.
Since then, their sorcery fell into legend and most people do not even believe they ever existed.
Uriel, apparently out of nowhere, decides to abandon his isolation to look for the other Radions. He is convinced that another war is about to befall Velorath, and the Radions alone can prevent it.
The journey will take him and an unlikely companionship across the continent, searching for more Radions, racing against time, as a mysterious enemy whom Uriel believes being a Helel, gathers forces to destroy Velorath.

I will admit i have not worked on a proper pitch quite yet. in fact, after i gain fully access to this forum, that will probably be one of the first things i will ask help with.

Thanks for asking!
 
the pitch is one of the hardest parts. How to encapsulate a whole book in a few sentences that excite but also inform - there are surely topic on this forum for it.. I am also pretty new but you have inspired me as my pitch for my own work is .. pretty weak.

Uriel is the Angel or unrelated and just named such?
 

L.L. Maurizi

Troubadour
Unrelated, just name, but damn good catch!
there's a lot of folklore/religion easter eggs from lots of cultures in the book. some more obvious then others
The nations and characters, including the ones belonging to imaginary races are to a certain extent inspired by non-fictional cultures and nations (contemporary and historical).
i thought it would make the reading fun and easier to relate to.
yeah man. the pitch is hard!
 
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