Afterword

 

 

 

Afterword

 

HELLO everyone! This is the author, Fuurou. I mainly write web novels and post them on the Internet.

So You Want to Live the Slow Life? A Guide to Life in the Beastly Wilds began as one such web novel, but I was given the wonderful opportunity to publish it as a light novel. This edition contains edited chapters from the original online version, as well as some brand new content.

I wrote this story because I wanted to explore what my ideal “slow life” might look like. I actually preserve food myself as a hobby (I absolutely love it), so I wanted to include that too. All the recipes I describe in the book are things I’ve actually made at least once in real life. I prepare my smoked meats the same way that Mikura does. Even the stovetop smoker that appears in the story is the same one I use at home.

The house where the story is set is also based on a house at which I spent my summers as a child, but that house belonged to my great-grandma. To tell you the truth, it wasn’t as deep in the forest as Mikura’s; in fact, it wasn’t very far from the sea. My great-grandma ran a vegetable shop, so the layout of the house was also different to accommodate that. But I kept her home firmly in mind when I was writing and did my best to try and capture the same atmosphere.

After my great-grandma passed away, the house went too. Now it exists only in my memories. But those are very clear and distinct. In writing this book, I wanted to offer my readers some small taste of my time there.

The main character Mikura, on the other hand, bears no resemblance to me whatsoever. He’s a very upstanding young man and a good guy all around. I’m sure he’ll get into all sorts of interesting situations as things move forward. If you enjoyed his story even a little, I honestly couldn’t be happier. I’ll be working hard on future chapters so that you can all continue enjoying the story as it progresses.

I sincerely hope we meet again, and with any luck, I’ll get the chance to share a few more of my thoughts with you in the afterword of a future volume.

That’s all from me for now.

Fuurou — Spring 2021