Welcome

I am Odessa Silver, a fantasy author from the UK.
For the majority I write fantasy short stories, although from time to time the genre slips a little depending on what inspires me. My inspiration right now is all about Japan, which I hope to visit someday. I am also learning Japanese.I'm currently writing Tales of Yamato, a collection of historical fantasy short stories. It explores Japan in the Muromachi period (1300-1800s) with magic, Shinto gods, and yokai. This is planned to be published late 2024.Yokai are akin to Western supernatural beings, however are so much more. Some are quite well known such as kitsune, oni, kappa, and shinigami. You can learn more about yokai here.

We are all stars shining bright in the sky, trying to catch the attention of others. I am a little star, with many stories buried deep inside. All throughout my life I have always returned to writing, no matter how far I strayed away. And now, I am sharing them all with you.My writing is like many constellations, each star a story, and each constellation a different world. One day I'll write enough to fill the sky with my worlds.

Subscription

I am eager for everyone to read my stories, and I share most of my stories for free. All of them can be found on Ream, a subscription platform made just for authors and reader, by authors. This is also where I post first and you can read stories earlier than everyone else. Each tier gives different benefits and all of them help support me to keep writing and creating.I have the followers option too, where you can follow me for free and you'll get insights into all kinds of things, including my thoughts on stories and about writing. This is also how you can read Tanuki Troubles, Not Quite Dead Enough, and the first two chapters of Unbound by the Sea for free.On Substack you'll find all my articles about my writing and topics that appear in my stories which I wish to share more information on, such as Japanese culture, specific yokai, gods, and how I approach writing a different culture to my own. Here is where you will also find my monthly newsletter.

Stories

Tales of Yamato

Tales of Yamato is an anthology of short stories set in the Muromachi period (1300-1800s) in Japan. It has magic, Shinto gods, and yokai.
Follow various people as they live their lives, trying to survive another day, from humans, to yokai, to gods. Young or old, everyone has a story to tell, a life to lead, and a hope to follow. And not even gods can predict the future...Tales of Yamato is planned to be published in late 2024.Here are the stories from Tales of Yamato so far.

I have many Japanese terms in my stories, some which might be unfamiliar. To help, I have a glossary on my substack.

Unbound by the Sea

Unbound by the Sea is a queer Fantasy-Romance novel set in the Asian-inspired country of Mokuratasu-ji. Follow Yuna as she fights between her feelings and her need for adventure. Temptations are high when new opportunities arise, and home suddenly doesn't quite feel like home anymore.I am currently working on. You can read what I have so far following the link below.

Other Stories

Find my stories in these anthologies

Articles

I write articles all about the topics seen in my stories, as well in an in depth look at characters, yokai, and gods.

About Writing

About Japan

About Characters

About Me

Even as a child I have always enjoyed fantasy, and so there was no doubt I'd end up writing fantasy. I've written stories since I was around eight years old, and despite stopping writing so many times, I have always found my way back. This time I am doing it and sticking at it!I daydream most of the day, and always have done, and this is where ideas manifest and grow.Annoyingly, I'm chronically ill and deal with pain, fatigue, and I'm easily distracted. Writing is one of my escapes (the other being the fandoms I am in). I can't write as fast as some, but I do my best and hope my readers will enjoy each story.I live in the UK with my bengal cat Phoebe, who is my editing buddy... although her idea of editing is stopping me from moving and giving her all the loves!