Thomas Q&A English Version | 托马斯答读者问英文完整版

2014-10-31 16:04:24

A quick message from the Netherlands
Q1 loversophia :What inspired you when writing HEX? T: I wanted to write a terrifyingly scary novel. So I came up with this idea of a contemporary small Dutch town, which is haunted day and night by a medieval witch whose eyes are sewn shut. The town is virtually quarantined by its elders to prevent her curse from exploding. That was cool, but not very original. So then I came up with the idea that everybody in town is simply used to the witch, and even a bit bored. Whenever she appears in a house, people just use a towel or blanket to cover her, so they don’t have to look at her all day. That idea really made the story come alive and was the inspiration for the whole book. Although the idea was more funny than scary, it turns dark very fast: when the town's teenagers break the rules and go viral with the haunting, they send the town spiraling into the dark, medieval practices of the past and everything goes horribly wrong... Q2 cc猫: Would you kill a character in your novel, just out of your personal preference? T: I’ve actually done that in HEX. I’ve commited the author’s greatest sin: to kill one of the main characters halfway the book. I’m not going to tell you who it is (you’ll have to read for yourself, when the book comes out), but it was the most sweet and likeable character of the book and many, many fans were in complete shock. But I did it for a good reason – when you read it, you’re in for a surprise! So yeah – I’m kinda mean as a writer. *evil grin* Q3 Iris Xu: Which character would you like to play in your HEX TV series, if possible? And why? T: I think it’s a very bad idea to have me act in the series [laughs]. I’m a very bad actor. I would want to have a little cameo, though. And I probably want to die in a horrible way on screen. Last summer, there were stage shows based on HEX in Holland. That was spectacular: a cast of over 100 actors, fire effects, horses, sheep and even wolves on stage. At closing night, I could act along in a little cameo, as one of the witch’s bastard sons. That was SO much fun! Q4 Amber: Hi Thomas who likes writing in the swimming pool, I have three questions for you: 1. Is it true that loving swimming somehow inspires you in writing? For example, does the inspiration of The Day the Earth Turned Upside Down come from the view you see the world from under the pool? 2. HEX is very popular, have you ever thought of writing HEX Volume 2? 3. J. K. Rowling is regarded as the most popular fantasy writer, do you think you and J. K. share any similarities? T: Hi Amber who likes asking many questions, 1. That’s an interesting observation! Actually, no, the idea came when I was doing handstands on my couch in front of the window (why? I don’t know), so I saw the world upside down, and I wondered: how would I move around if all gravity turned upside down and all the houses and trees were hanging from the Earth’s surface? How would I go and visit someone who I really love? But you’re right. I love the scene where the guy dives into the lake and the world flips upwards again, simply by means of perspective. That tells you a lot about life in general. 2. Nope, I love standalone novels. I’ve never written a series. Maybe I will in the future, but I just love the form of a standalone novel! When the book is done, it’s done. 3. J.K. is great! Although she tends to write more for young adult audiences than I do. And her works sets at least partly in alternate fantasy worlds, whereas mine always set in the world as we know it… in which I then introduce fantastic, bizarre or scary elements. Q5 PBB : What matters most when putting imagination into words? T: I think it is different for any author, but what matters most to me when I bring a story, a scene or a character to life, is that it touches upon the reader’s heart and emotions. It doesn’t matter what emotions. I want to make my reader laugh, or cry, or scared to death. Because the stories that make us laugh or cry or scared to death, are the stories we remember for the rest of our lives. Q6 Raye: What do you think of adding elements of high technology or super high-tech in fantasy or horror novels? T: To be honest, I’m not very interested in high technology. There are great writers around who write fantastic Science Fiction or Techno-Thrillers, but I personally like human stories that focus on the bizarre, surprising and sometimes scary things that life has to offer. So I rather leave technology to the people who are good at that! Q7 桃小侠: Do you want to know more about China and add some Chinese culture in your future books? T: Defenitely! I love exploring cultures that are new to me, because every culture has its own stories and myths and legends. I have an aunt who lives in northern Thailand, and I’ve visited her many times, slowly getting to know Thai culture. It was great inspiration and I wrote a story about it that you can read on Douban: The Ink Readers of Doi Saket. That’s the one that got nominated for both the Hugo and the World Fantasy Award. So, yes – I’d like to explore many other cultures and write about them. I’ve never visited China, though, and I’d first have to come over for a while to be able to write about it. Q8 蔡玉: Do you have any plan to come to China? When? T: The obvious next question! I’d love to. My stories are doing well in China, so I have good hopes that my novel HEX (and the new novels that I’m working on now) will come out in Chinese as well. When that happens, I’ll definitely want to come over to promote the book, sign it for all of you and see something of your amazing country! Q9 明天明天后天: How did you get the idea about writing about a boy without a shadow? Does it just pop into your mind? T: One day I wondered: what would a mirror feel? People are looking at it and only see themselves, not the mirror for what it actually is. And people mostly look ugly in mirrors, because we don’t like what we see: a pimple, a wrinkle, hair all mixed-up… what if the mirror takes all these ugly looks personally? I knew there was a great story, so I came up with a boy, completely made from mirroring glass. Of course, as a contrast, I needed a friend who had no reflection, no shadow, who doesn’t see himself in the mirroring boy. I thought that was a great symbol for our struggle to find our identities. The boy without a shadow of course became the narrator. Q10 香橡皮: Last year when I translated the sample of The Boy Who Cast No Shadow, I read through its English version, and was moved to tears. What I want to ask you is, in the middle of the night, do you have those depressing moments sometimes? T: Thank you for such a great compliment! That’s the most beautiful thing someone can say about my writing. I’m glad my words could do that to you. The last time I felt depressed, was when my previous relationship broke. Yeah, then I cried in bed for nights and nights in a row. The heartache lasted for months. But usually, I’m a happy guy. I do get moved to tears by movies, stories or books every now and then. You need that as a writer, to be able to evoke these emotions yourself. Q11 娪: Each time you try something new, or meet a new challenge, do you fear the failure before you get started? T: Sure, who doesn’t? Although I’m usually very self-confident and like to plunge into new things. But every once in a while I get terrified before I start writing on a new book. Like right now, I’m starting my first new novel since the success of HEX, and feel the need to make it even better. Maybe this is why I like to do scary stuff like ice climbing and cliff jumping. Did you ever stand on a cliff 30 feet above the ocean and just dove right in? Try it, it’s very liberating! I look for thrills in life and if I conquer those, I always tell myself that writing the new book must be peanuts. Ha… I wish it worked like that. Q12 斯蒂芬: Do mountain climbing, rock music and travel bring you different life experiences and inspire you in writing? Have you ever come up with sort of new ideas after doing those cool things? T: They all inspire me in different ways. Playing rock'n roll on my guitar is like an instant energy shot, after hours of writing. Mountaineering is more a meditative, transcending experience: it makes my head empty, it’s just me and the mountain. And traveling broadens your perspective on the world. I love to do all these things and they all contribute to the quality of my life. Q13 RhymeLi : How do you balance writing novels with your other hobbies? T: As a writer, you spend a lot of time pretty much on your own, at home. It’s a blessing and a curse. It gives perfect freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want. If I make it late at night, I can stay in bed next morning. However, you’re literally on your own, with a deadline often months away. You really have to show the discipline to work hard. So when I’m working on a book, I start writing at breakfast and work all day long, sometimes even until late at night. I really live a book. Of course I take time to work out, play guitar, see friends, but during the writing process, I’m much of a loner. I balance it out by taking fun vacations and hang out with friends when the book is done. Q14 我我我是我 : What do you usually do when you get stuck in writing a novel? T: Usually I take a walk in the woods. Whenever I do that, my mind runs free and I start getting ideas instantaneously. Usually that solves it. I also have a very close buddy with whom I always brainstorm. He’s good fun and comes up with these crazy and bizarre solutions to impossible problems. He’s a hero. Q15 佳依211 : So many horror & fantasy novels you've written, did anything weird (either horrible or supernatural) happen or did you ever experience any in your real life? T: I’ve once had an encounter with what I think might have been a ghost. I never like stories from people who tell they saw a ghost, because they always make me feel the same: yeah, sure, but I wasn’t there, so how can I tell you’re not fooling me, or yourself? So I’m not going to tell you what happened, except that there was another person there who saw and experienced exactly the same thing. It wasn’t a frightening or disturbing experience, but it was strange, and it confirmed my believes that the world is filled with things we can’t explain. Q16 简恩: Among all the novels in the world, which character do you like most? And why? T: I feel much sympathy for Louis Creed, the doctor and father in Stephen King’s novel Pet Sematary. It’s King’s darkest and most scary novel. In it, Creed finds a graveyard that brings deceased pets back to life. When his son is killed in an accident, he’s confronted with the choice: if you have the power, would you bring back a loved one from the dead? Even if you know that it can never be something natural or good? Overcome by grief, he of course makes the human choice to do just that. I know I would do the same. It all goes horribly wrong and Louis goes completely insane. But don’t we all? I thought in all his shortcomings, he was a profoundly human character. Q17 椰椰: What is your favorite rock band? And which song of the band you like it best? T: I love The Baseballs! Three guys from Germany who take modern pop songs and turn them into fifties-style rock'n roll, like Elvis Presley. You probably know their song “Umbrella” (here’s a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URxzu8EFBVY). It first was a Rihanna R&B song, but they showed her how to do it right.<(▰˘◡˘▰)> Personally, I love their rock ‘n roll versions of “Never Ever” and “Chasing Cars”. Q18 华夫宅宅: Can you introduce your favorite traditional holiday in the Netherlands? T: Obviously: ‘Sinterklaas’. It’s Holland’s most traditional custom. Every year in the end of November, an old, bearded man in a red dress comes on a boat from Spain, to stay for a few weeks in our country. He brings hundreds of “Zwarte Pieten”, black fantasy-figure-like assistants, who secretly at night climb our roofs and throw presents through our chimneys (legend has it that they’re black because of the ashes in the chimneys). Children who are good will be rewarded with presents. Children who are bad will be hit with with sticks and put in a sack and taken back to Spain, where they’ll probably be eaten. I knows this all sounds very strange, but it’s the best time of the year, with lots of presents and excitement for everybody. Q19 尹东: So good-looking as you are, with such popular writings, what would you do if a very bad-looking female reader would like to marry you at all cost? T: It depends how much money she would offer. ^^ Haha, no, kidding of course. But thanks for the sweet compliment. Of course, the noble thing would be to say that looks don’t matter, but when you’re young, everybody is attracted to good looks. Luckily, “good looks” can mean many different things. I believe there is someone to love for everybody. I’ve never dated a reader, though… do you think I should?◕∀◕ Q20 换名字了: Question 1:do you pay the bill when you go out with your girlfriend? I am just curious weather "let's go dutch" really happens between lovers or couples. Question 2: what makes dutch people laugh and cry?abstract description or specific example as you wish.(Even better should you give us some typical dutch jokes) Question 3: Would you mind to share the best dream you've had so far? btw, I don’t mind if you say it's a wet dream, but please in detail, thanks! 1. Ha! It’s funny that when you’re from The Netherlands, you don’t realize how people from other countries perceive you. Yeah, “going Dutch” is a normal thing to do here, even between lovers and couples. Personally, I’m more of a romantic. When I take my date out to dinner, I usually pay. Most Dutch guys who do that, however, do it purely for practical reasons: because their dates are out of money. 2. Dutch humor might come across as insulting, not only at the expenses of others but also toward ourselves. Dutch humor can be very provocative, aggressive and often politically incorrect. Foreigners might find us blunt, but we don’t mean it seriously. Personally, I love black humor, but then, I have an evil soul… What we cry about? I guess what everybody cries about: the loss of a loved one. 3. The most awkward dream I’ve had was split in two. I had killed somebody in my dream (I don’t remember who or why) and I buried the body in my mother’s garden, to get rid of it. It was a relief: I could continue my life without being caught and put behind bars. So I woke up. I forgot about the dream. Months passed by. About a half year later, I had a completely different dream in which my mother called me up that she had construction people come in to rebuild her garden, with a big machine that would dig big holes. And I panicked. I was like: Fuck! That’s where I’ve hidden the body! So I ran (in my dream) to my mom’s garden, dug it up and reburied it in a nearby park. I guess it’s still there, in some dark corner of my mind. When I woke up, I thought: ‘Man. My brain works in strange ways.’ This also happened to be the best wet dream I’ve ever had. No - that was a Dutch joke.