Questions for the Singaporean Straits Times
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1. Some basic facts to confirm: what is your age, and nationality?
2. How did you get the idea for Thursday Next and The Eyre Affair?
3. You've worked in the film business. What made you decide that you wanted to be a novelist? How did you find the time to write?
4. I was thrilled to come across your name as focus puller in the credits for Quills. What was it like working on that movie?
5. Why do you think it is necessary or a good idea to write a "literary whodunnit" ?
6. You're currently working on the sequel...What is it going to be about?
7. Have you got hate mail or reaction about toying with literary classics
8. You've been creating multiple worlds on the internet to contextualise The Eyre Affair's world. Why and how did you start doing that?
9. Are such websites good marketing tools for the book?
10. How many hits have there been on the websites already? Any other sorts of surfer feedback?
11. Future plans for your world of websites?
12. You also make memorabilia based on your books (e.g. Dodo road signs). Why do you do that? What are some of your favourite creations?
13. How have sales for The Eyre Affair been like so far? How's it doing on the bestseller lists?
14. Any word from Hodder about renewing your two book contract?
15. You work on short films. Tell me about some of your favourite film projects.
16. The Eyre Affair has been compared to the works of Terry Pratchett and Kurt Vonnegurt. What do you think of these comparisons?
17. Tell us more about your life. Are you married, where do you live, what are your hobbies, and who do you like reading?
18. The Eyre Affair is as much a romance story as a detective-thriller. How interested are you in these genres?
19. Do you write your books with the thought of filming them later?
20. Despite being a funny book, I get the feeling that there is a certain satiric quality to it all. What are some of the issues that you sometimes bury in your writing?
