Red Blinds the Foolish

Red Blinds the Foolish, by Est Em, coming in December 208

I was keeping this under my hat, but now that Deux (Aurora) has announced it and it is available for pre-ordering on Amazon, I suppose I can report that I am doing the translation for Est Em’s second English-language publication. Literally. At this very moment. It was due Friday, but a cold set me back, and Monday’s my new deadline. So before getting back to work I’ll just make a quick plug.

Red Blinds the Foolish is brilliant, beautiful stuff, whether you like yaoi/BL or not. I am having a blast translating it, though I may have spent more time studying up on the corrida de toros than I really needed to. Est Em’s enthusiasm (fanaticism?) for the toros is infectious, and I didn’t want to screw it up. It’s set to hit bookstores in December.

I couldn’t help laughing when I first saw the cover of the Japanese edition, though. (See the image above.) Est Em confessed to me that the placement of the bullhorns was intentional, but she was hoping only the more jaded viewer (and I suppose I’m one of them) would notice.

As I have boasted elsewhere, Est Em is a former student of mine and one of my best friends. I’m really proud of her. She’s had three paperbacks published in two years, and, if I’m not mistaken, has two more on the way. I don’t know where she gets all her energy from, but I wish she would give me just 2 or 3% of it.

Seduce Me After the Show, by Est Em, May 2008

If you haven’t checked it out already, I also strongly recommend her first translated volume, Seduce Me After the Show. I did not get in on that one early enough to do the translation, but I’m credited as the “supervising translator,” which means I corrected and revised the translation Deux/Aurora had commissioned. I did completely re-translate “Twilight Cicadas,” though, so if you hate the way that was translated, now you know who to blame.

Est Em is going to be appearing in a prominent non-BL magazine in the near future, and her fanbase is sure to grow.

End of plug. Now back to work.