Blue Spruell's Blog

Love Japan? . . . Check out the perfect gift for Japan-fans.

TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan: Legend of Japan is an award-winning epic historical fantasy adventure in Old Japan for adults young and old.

Available from your favorite online bookseller.

#taronovel #japanesestories #japanlover #historicalfiction #fantasyfiction #independentpublishing #youngadultbooks #readingtime📖 #readingaroundtheworld #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #giftbooks #tistheseason

Grand Prize Winner, Dante Rossetti Book Awards
Outstanding Action Adventure Fiction, IAN Book of the Year
Gold Medal, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
Silver Medal, IBPA Benjamin Franklin Audiobook Awards
1st Place Fantasy, CIPA Evvy Awards
B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree

What do readers say?
“A real page-turner.”
“A one-sit read!”
“Enjoy a story like a child again!”
“An instant classic.”
“For readers of all ages!”

Available from online booksellers including Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/TARO-Legendary...Blue Spruell

TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan is the Grand Prize Winner of the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction, Chanticleer International Book Awards 2021

https://www.chantireviews.com/2022/07...

“This was the clear winner. It was the only audiobook I wanted to listen to again. It was spare but descriptive in all the right places, and very entertaining. The narrator did great work — character changes were well managed, and the performance was engaging throughout. To the author — thank you for writing this.”
TARO: Legend of Japan
- Judge, 2022 Benjamin Franklin Awards for Audiobook Fiction

TARO: Legend of Japan is a Benjamin Franklin Book Awards 2022 SIlver Medal Winner for Audiobook Fiction!

TARO: Legend of Japan

My talented daughter, Miya Outlaw, just received The Feathered Quill Silver Medal Award for her Book Cover Design of TARO!

https://featheredquill.com/author-bio...

TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan

I hope this finds you well. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported my debut novel, TARO.

To update you, TARO is officially a best-selling award-winner:

A B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
1st Place, 2021 CIPA Evvy Awards
Gold Medal, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards
And, as I write, the screenplay adapted from the novel is the #1 Script out of 571 animated feature projects on The Red List, an industry showcase of award-winning scripts.

Taro also received a number of stellar reviews:

“Engaging and fun samurai adventures with a captivating cast.” – Kirkus Reviews
“An exciting, magical coming-of-age adventure book that draws from Japanese folklore and history.” – BookLife by Publishers Weekly
“Taro is an extraordinary coming-of-age saga and highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of ancient legends retold. Highly recommended!” – Midwest Book Review

What readers have said:

“A real page-turner.”
“A one-sit read!”
“Enjoy a story like a child again!”
“An instant classic.”
“For readers of all ages!”

It’s hard to publish a book independently, so I’m very grateful for your support.
I’m not retiring from law practice or martial arts, but I would like to see my writing succeed –
If you need a holiday gift idea for someone who might enjoy a fun historical fantasy read for adults – young and old – please keep TARO in mind.

It’s available in ebook, audiobook, paperback and hardcover from your favorite online bookstore:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QQ6YQPN/
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B09BXM2ZNZ
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id156...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1139...
GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/taro-5

Best regards and best wishes!

Blue

TARO just received REVIEWER’S CHOICE from Midwest Book Review!

"Critique: Taro is a novel for all ages that transforms traditional Japanese folklore into a captivating historical fantasy. Set in the twilight of the 1500's, an era when samurai warlords battled one another relentlessly for power, Taro is the story of a young boy who loses his family to the ongoing conflict. A witch enchants Taro, and he befriends the animals of Mount Fuji while gaining supernatural powers. When Taro saves a powerful warlord's life, it is the beginning of a chain of events that pulls him into the bitter conflict with control of Japan as the prize. Wondrously written, with interwoven scenes of intense action and contemplative reflection, Taro is an extraordinary coming-of-age saga and highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of ancient legends retold. Highly recommended!"TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of JapanBlue Spruell

SO proud of my daughter Miya's debut illustration of TARO -

Miya Outlaw won the Bronze Medal for Book Cover Design in the Wishing Shelf International Book Awards!

3 cheers for the Olympian designer: Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan