FAQs

Q1. Where did you get the idea for a WebNovel?
A. As with most ideas, it's impossible to recall the exact genesis, although I'll give it a shot. I'd been thinking a long time about how the world wide web was changing how we read, what I think of as our new literacy, and how it would affect our reading and our literature. Google has definitely changed my life, for one, and the theme of how computer technology affects the modern person and society at large became part of that mish-mash jungle that eventually gave way to the WebNovel idea. I've also written some EFL (English as a Foreign Language) textbooks and, these days, almost all of them have a web component. I'd also been surfing some online books (a different kind of WebNovel, see below) but duly recognized that the book itself as an effective platform or medium is far from dead - it just needed some additional web aspect, updating if you will - that's if that doesn't sound too pompous.

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Q2. What was the inspiration behind this book?
A. There were a number. I've been wanting to write a novel since I was a teenager and actually started one and got about 700 longhand pages in when I was in my early twenties. Although the basic idea behind that project was workable (about a photographer in Japan who discovers strange goings-on in a small, secretive mountain village) it's generally ghastly. Just trying to read my handwriting gives me a headache - not to mention the abysmal writing. But, as to Hot Springs, there were two major sparks. First was a reading of Intimate Behavior, by Desmond Morris (of The Human Zoo and Manwatching, fame). I'd been thinking about writing a book on non-verbal communication and was in the research phase when I came across this title. I read it and it was one of those gob-smacking kinds of books for me. I pondered over the role importance of touch and physical contact in child development and to the human psyche in general. Shortly after, I was in Japan, in a hot springs in Kyushu, and everything just seemed to start clicking. A combination of diverse ideas falling into place, as it were. Japanese hot springs, you see, are very intimate places in a country where physical distance and personal space (beyond childhood, anyway), are generally seen in a different light than in the West. Touching is rare. I remember looking out from the outdoor deck of the onsen across the ocean and the characters and story seem to meet like the horizon between sea and sky. That was the nucleus.

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Q3. What other WebNovel writing is out there?
A. A lot and probably even more than I'm aware of. Of those I'm familiar with, I'm intrigued with the idea from David Diamond and Michael Betcherman. They're both mystery writers and they collaborated on a project called The Daughters of Freya. Readers subscribe and then get about 100 e-mails over three weeks that help unravel a cult mystery. Cool or what? Stephen King is of course famous for delivering some of his stuff solely online (as is Dave Eggers) but I'm more interested in projects that make use of the web for purposes other than distribution. As you might suspect, sci-fi and Goth are probably best represented, although one could make a strong case for the recently ubiquitous Blog. There are some clever multi-media offerings but none, to my knowledge, have a regular book to go with them. If you're into romance, you might consider ordering a customized novel online from Kathy Newbern and J.S. Fletcher. For around $50 they offer customized novels with titles like "Awake, My Love" and "Island of Love." Fill out some forms on their Web site and the customized romance novel incorporates more than 20 details about a couple, including names, hometowns, occupations and eye color. There are quite a few online collaboration projects (Japan has one interesting going, I believe) but, generally speaking, the Web is being used more as a delivery platform rather than taking advantage of the multimedia opportunities (Blogs excepted). Finally, although not marketed as a WebNovel, the website for Hunger's Brides (Paul Anderson) is remarkable and the combination of book and site are very close to what I hope to achieve. What a creation... Truly.

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Q4. What merits has your style of WebNovel got over a regular novel?
A. Well, I'd like to think that Hot Springs is both a regular novel and a website so it's not a question of thing over another. But, in how they differ, I've listed most of the WebNovel characteristics on this site's homepage. I fail to mention, however, that the opportunity for constant updates (if I decide to add more to this book) and interaction with readers are other features that the Net makes possible. Frankly, I suspect that I'm just beginning to explore all the possibilities. Aren't we all?

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Q5. What are some of your favorite hot springs?
A. Every one - although I tend to prefer the natural ones (or at least ones that make an effort to appear natural). I'm less big on the swimming pool thing but I'll take any hot springs I can get. At some later point, I'll make a list and include some links here or elsewhere on the site. Suffice it to say that most are in Japan and there's a spectacular one in Taiwan that will require a little story and another in BC (Hot Springs Cove) that has some personal memories that I'll also write up when I get to it.

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Q6. Who did the paintings by Kiriko?
A. Hmmm. I waffle because I wonder about revealing this painter's identity. Why? Because, as you might have guessed, one of the things I'm trying to accomplish with Hot Springs is to blur the lines about where reality and this work of fiction cross. So, maybe there really is a Japanese painter named Kiriko, maybe not. For the time being, anyway, maybe this can be our little secret.

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Q7. Who wrote and recorded the songs supposedly written by Jason?
A. Blush. Me. The author. And you'll notice that, unlike the Kiriko example (see question immediately above), I'm quite happy to reveal who wrote the songs in this case... Anyway, I started playing the electric bass when I was 16 (so I could play in a band with my drummer and guitarist friends) and then took up the guitar later. I'm self-taught on all instruments but it's most obvious on my piano playing. I work with a small Tascam analog 8-track which I mix onto my PC using software called Pinnacle Clean Plus 4.0. My instruments consist of a Morris acoustic/electric, a Yamaha acoustic guitar, a sister-Yamaha 12-string acoustic, a 1972 Gibson EBS bass (my pride and joy), a fake Fender Jazz Bass, an Epiphone electric guitar, and a Korg music work station.

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Q8. Who designed this website?
A. The original design (what you see here) was done by the author on Microsoft Front Page. Since my design and development skills aren't at Jason's level, however, the final product will have to be farmed out.

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Q9. Are the places and settings in Hot Springs real?
A. Some are, some aren't, as you've probably guessed. Hot Springs Island is based on one of the Southern Gulf Islands in BC (which, some suggest is a real place, others that it's more lotus land than real territory...). Bath, of course, is Bath. And, finally, Kurokawa Onsen is a real place as is the Ryokan Sanga (a great place to visit, by the way).

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Q10. Why have you got a FAQ on here?
A. Because I couldn't resist using the line: "I actually do give a FAQ ."

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