Welcome to The Question House, where all questions come to roost. This facility is easy to use; just click on the question you want answering and you will be taken, as if by magic, to the interview that contains it. (you may wish to use your browser's 'search' facility to hunt for a keyword, such as 'Penguin' or 'film' or 'genre') Alternatively, you may want to just view a single article, in which case go to the Fforde Questionarium. Last updated: 8th Nov 2006.

316: How did the last good book you read end up in your hands, and why did you read it? 315: What's the most overused word about your fiction? 314: What CD's are you listening to? Who are your favourite musicians? 313: What's the best cure for writer's block? 312: Who are your favourite heroes in fiction? 311: Introduce one other author you think people should read, and suggest a good place to start. 310: Which literary character do you most identify with? 309: One book you wish you had written, and why. 308: Which painting, or other piece of art, best describes you? 307: When I sat down, my intent was to write a good book; and as far as the tenuity of my understanding would hold out--a wise, aye, and a discreet--taking care only, as I went along, to put into it all the wit and the judgment (be it more or less) which the great Author and Bestower of them had thought fit originally to give me--so that, as your worships see--'tis just as God pleases. Do you remember / recognize this quotation and could you have written that? 306: You ve often been asked about genre blending, the Thursday Next books overlapping many genres (science-fiction, fantasy, whodunnits, uchrony ). In what section are your books generally to be found in libraries and bookshops? Did you ever hear about them being found in curious sections? 305: Now that you ve reached a certain level of success, don t you think it would be a good commercial idea to re-issue old English classics that aren t read anymore presenting them as spin-offs from Thursday Next s adventures in order to boost their sales? 304: If you could use the Prose Portal, what book would you hate finding yourself in and why? 303: Your books are a windfall for literary analysts and scholars, since they provide a rich and curious example of intertextuality (a theory about the interconnection of texts and the relationship between one or more texts that quote from or allude to one another). Have you ever had contacts with University people interested in your work? Has any scholar begun analysing your prose and do you like the idea? 302: Did you ever consider the possibility that someone could write fiction using Thursday Next s world, just as you use other novel s worlds? What would your reaction be? 301: What is most surprising comparison you ve ever read or heard about your writing? Have you ever been compared to people you still can t understand why you were compared to? 300: Your website is particularly surprising. Few author websites are as rich as yours (special features, extra material, resources for journalists ), and it seems to be an ever-expanding network of texts and pages, which reminded me of Borges s library of Babel (an ever-expanding library containing every books ever written), which itself reminded me of your Great Library. Is that pure coincidence or is idea of ever-expanding collection of pages, plots and ideas a kind of obsession? 299: Have you ever given thought to the Mad Hatter s famous unanswered riddle, Why is a raven like a writing-desk? and do you have any answer to it? 298: I'd like to finish with a French tradition: In France we have a very famous literary journalist, Bernard Pivot, who used to have a tv show called Apostrophe . At the end of each show he would ask his guests to answer the same questions, which form what is now called Le questionnaire de Pivot (Pivot s questionnaire). Would you mind letting me pretend I'm Bernard Pivot and answer those questions? Here they are: What is your favourite word? 297: What is the word you hate most? 296: What is your favourite swearword? 295: What is your favourite drug? 294: What is your favourite sound or noise? 293: What is the one you hate most? 292: What would you like to reincarnate in? 291: If God exists, what would you like him to tell you when you meet him after death? 290: Rumor has it that the translation of your Thursday Next books into German isn 't the best to be. A student of English literature told, me, that your translator has missed same of the less known reminiscences you included. Have you heard anything about that, do you have any influence whatsoever about the foreign books re to appearances and / or translations? 289: The English books contained special advertisements you made up to amuse your reader - and yourself? The first two German editions missed these ads, the third book has at least some of these included. Have you any idea, why the publisher decided to cut the ads? 288: Your Thursday Next books show us a British Empire that once ago was overrun by German forces. Now it has regained strength and is in the middle of an ongoing war with the armys of the Russian Czar. What happened to Germany, will you in times to come tell us about the occupation if Britain by German forces, have you any connection to Germany? 287: How do react when you go on a signing or reading sessions abroad and at home, and hundreds of readers come to your reading? Are you satisfied, is it at least a bit scary, are you proud that you achieved such a large following? 286: Your web presence by which you communicate with fans is more extensive than most. Does this level of interaction with your audience feed into your writing? 285: Does the fact that your work is considered 'speculative fiction' limit its audience any? Are you writing for the masses or for a select few? 284: Does being the 'Thursday Next guy' make it difficult to break out into other projects? 283: Since your second book, you've been pretty much writing 'under contract'. How does this compare to writing the first one? 282: What's Swindon got that Slough hasn't got? 281: Your latest book 'The Big Over Easy' is a departure from your Thursday Next series. Did you deliberately set out to take a break from that character and the literary detective series? 280: Where and how did you dream up the idea of a criminal investigation into Humpty Dumpty's demise? 279: What other nursery rhymes will Jack and Mary be investigating? 278: Did Jill deliberately push jack down the hill? 277: The title is redolent of Chandler and Dashiel Hammet. Are you a fan of detective fiction and film noir or does it simply lend itself well to pastiche? 276: Have we seen the last of Thursday Next? 275: How do you explain the huge success of the literary detective, particularly overseas? Is it because this is a unique character and premise? 274: Would you like living in Thursday Next s world? 273: Why did you choose such strange name for your heroin? 272: And why do you choose Jane Eyre instead of Cathy Earnshaw or Elizabeth Bennet? 271: If you could change the plot of Jane Eyre as Archeron Hades does, what would you do? 270: Thursday resemble to Jane Eyre? If yes: in what? 269: How much your writing had filched from movies? 268: You are noted for your popular Thursday Next work, which chronicles the literary detective Thursday. The series is not one that can be pinned down to one genre category. Can you please tell describe to readers who may not have yet jumped into this series, what the premise of the Thursday Next series is? 267: Your have a new book coming out in July, The Big Over Easy: a nursery crime . This novel, if I am correct, takes place in the same setting as your Thursday Next work, but doesn t feature Thursday. What can we expect from this work, and would you consider it an accessible start off point for new readers? 266: I mentioned before your work is not easily categorized. It a times is called one, all, of a combination of a fantasy, alternate history, mystery, satirical/parody, and you come from a film background. With all that in mind, what or who influences your writing? 265: What can you we expect from you in the future? Any plans for any work outside of this series? 264: You have and maintain an expansive website. How important do you think the web contemporary authors, and how, if at all, do you feel has it helped you? 263: As already mentioned you did work in film industry. Is there any news on a possible adaptation, and also I saw a comment on your site, which reflect your adamant stipulation of total control of any such production. Is this motivated by things you have seen occur in prior adaptations? Ursula Leguin was in the news earlier this year, voicing her displeasure with the Sci-Fi channel adaptation of her Earth Sea work. Is it due to avoid similar circumstance or another altogether? 262: Can you please recommend authors or individual works that you admire, regardless of genre, contemporary or not. 261: Before being published you had a long & successful career behind camera on some famous films. Can you tell us about that? 260: The Eyre Affair was not your first book, and not the first to be rejected by a publisher either! What made you keep writing, and how did you feel when your book was finally published? 259: What has been the response around the world to a fairly unusual set of books? 258: Is there one author who has been a great influence on your work? (Sorry, I know you've been asked this a million times, but it's one people alway"s want to know....) 257: You maintain an extensive website which introduces readers to BookWorld and entertains fans. How important is reader feedback to you? 256: What are the burdens, responsibilities and advantages of creating a series with popular characters and the odd famous literary figure? And are there any literary figures who are just too 'untouchable'? 255: There is a great deal of satire in your books about modern life in the UK (or perhaps just in Wales). Why do you think your books have been so popular around the world despite this? And will you be buying shares in Goliath Corporation? 254: What's next for Thursday Next? 253: Jean-Claude Vantroyen of 'Le Soir' asks: "Jane Eyre and Martin Chuzzlewit are not well know by the Frenchspeaking readers. Do you mind the loss of complicity outside Great-Britain? Or, next time, will Thursday go into French novels, like Flaubert's Madame Bovary or Hugo' Les Misérables?" 252: Can you name a couple of books that to you perfectly capture the art and essence of writing? 251: How important are short stories and what do they add to the writer's arsenal? 250: Do you find ideas develop more during or prior to writing? 249: Do you need to set yourself challenges to progress your work or is writing enough of a challenge in itself? 248: Are you happy with your writing style or do you wish you could draw on elements of other writers' styles at times? 247: When did you realise your writing style had taken shape or is it something that will always develop and change? 246: What's your most satisfying piece of work and why? 245: Where do you see your writing going over the next year? Any major changes or are there things to resolve before you move on? 244: Are there any current authors that you admire for pushing the boundaries with their writing? 243: Is there one book you wish you'd written? 242: Caroline Godsell asks the 'mauve bedroom' question. 241: Becky and Sarah, outraged Gone with the Wind fans, ask me to clear up a few Tara problems. 240: Laura wants to know the story behind the term: "mad as pants". 239: Daniell526 asks about wombats. 238: 'Talpianna'asks me to explain about 'Leigh Delamere.' 237. Some basic facts to confirm: what is your age, and nationality? 236. How did you get the idea for Thursday Next and The Eyre Affair? 235. 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? 234. I was thrilled to come across your name as focus puller in the credits for Quills. What was it like working on that movie? 232. Why do you think it is necessary or a good idea to write a "literary whodunnit" ? 231. You're currently working on the sequel...What is it going to be about? 230. Have you got hate mail or reaction about toying with literary classics 229. You've been creating multiple worlds on the internet to contextualise The Eyre Affair's world. Why and how did you start doing that? 228. Are such websites good marketing tools for the book? 227. How many hits have there been on the websites already? Any other sorts of surfer feedback? 226. Future plans for your world of websites? 225. 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? 224. How have sales for The Eyre Affair been like so far? How's it doing on the bestseller lists? 223. Any word from Hodder about renewing your two book contract? 222. You work on short films. Tell me about some of your favourite film projects. 221. The Eyre Affair has been compared to the works of Terry Pratchett and Kurt Vonnegurt. What do you think of these comparisons? 220. Tell us more about your life. Are you married, where do you live, what are your hobbies, and who do you like reading? 219. The Eyre Affair is as much a romance story as a detective-thriller. How interested are you in these genres? 218. Do you write your books with the thought of filming them later? 217. 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? 216: General question: can you share any fine stories from the trip you took from rejection to acceptance? (Prize comments from editors or agents, general observations . . .) 215: How did you get through 76 rejections? Did you just file them away, or destroy them, or did you hang them up like Fitzgerald used to do? 214: How long did the publishing of the book take? 213: Did you ever think of giving up the fight? 212: Did one agent submit the book 76 times, or did you go through a few agents or self-submissions? 211: Did you ever alter the book based on comments in a rejection? 210: What different spellings of your name have you seen and which was your favourite? 209: When and how did you transition yourself out of a working life as a film professional and into a full-time writer? 208: Based on what you've seen in your professional life and in the bookstores, what (in your opinion) is it that publishers think we like to read? 207: Followup: Based on what you've seen of most readers, are they right? 206: What difference (if any) do you see between general UK and US fiction reading habits? 205: If Oprah picked your book for her book club, how would you react? 204: Based on your insider knowledge of the film business, would you like your book to be made into a movie? Would you want to write the screenplay? 203: Did you read Harry Potter and If so, were you inspired by J.K. Rowling's success story (or did you secretly think it was a big corporate fairy-tale)? 202: Who is your favourite current author? 201: Are there any current authors who really appall you? (Not just fiction here.) 200: Now that you are a famous author, do you feel self-conscious at all when shopping for books? 199: Are there any books you would be too embarrassed to be seen examining in a public place? 198: Do you get any strange fan mail? 197: As you travel around America in the midst of the Enron scandal, what thoughts do you have about your own Goliath corporation? (Especially as I see you will be in Houston on February 11th.) 196: What's the strangest thing you've seen on the trip so far? 195: You give your readers a lot of credit. Did you ever have any concerns about how people might handle the many literary references in the novel, or did you always have faith that the book would find its audience? 194: You operate in the back hallways of some famous works. What other books do you see great possibilities in investigating? (Without giving anything away, of course.) 193: What literary "continuity problems" are some of your favorites? 192: When you were growing up, was there anyone in particular who encouraged you in creative pursuits, such as film and writing? 191: How did you get your start in the film business? 190: So, you're getting ready to head off on a U.S. book tour. Any worries about flying in the current heightened security climate? Are there any places you are especially looking forward to visiting in the States? 189: I'd like to talk about your first book, The Eyre Affair, which has just been released in the United States. What was your inspiration for the book? 188: Although many writers resist the idea of being categorised, bookstores and publicists generally insist upon it. Although I see it as mainstream satire, or perhaps a detective thriller, in the United States this book could be placed in the sf section of the big chains, because of the alternate history and time travel aspects of the story, which Americans tend to associate solely with sf or fantasy books, although this is changing. (Even romance novels here are always labelled as "futuristic" or "paranormal" if they include those elements.) What genre do you see yourself writing in? Do you think the British are more accepting of the sf elements in what is really a detective novel or thriller? I think of Terry Pratchett, for example, as primarily a satirist - the genre of his books is really incidental. 187: What did you most love about the film industry? 186: One of the very funny plot points is the continuing argument over the authorship of Shakespeare's plays - and the resolution of the question is quite funny. What's your opinion on this all- important issue - Did Shakespeare write his own plays? 185: In the book, the villain kidnaps Jane Eyre and Thursday Next actually steps into the world of Jane Eyre. Did you feel any trepidation putting words into the mouths of such characters as Jane and Rochester? 184: The lead of the book is Thursday Next. What was the greatest challenge in creating Thursday? 183: Thursday has a rather complicated love life. When you start a series with a single heroine, do you have any concerns about foreclosing future plot opportunities if she gets married? 182: A very entertaining character in the book is Thursday's Uncle Mycroft, who is quite the mad scientist. How did you create the character of Mycroft? 181: The Great Britain in which Thursday lives differs from our world in a number of aspects: not the least of which is the general public's zeal for great literature (I especially liked the Will-Speak machines that quote Shakespeare on command). Do you find that the popular culture of television, MTV and the like has almost extinguished young people's love of great literature? Will the love of great books endure in the age of high technology and lowbrow entertainment? 180: The Goliath Corporation is certainly quite scary, perhaps because there is a grain of truth in its depiction. When reading a book of this type, it is tempting to read into the work the author's own views about society and life in general. What opinions of yours about our modern society are really reflected in 'The Eyre Affair'? 179: The world of SpecOps is a complex and shadowy one, full of conspiracies, double games, secrets and spies. Do you have a fondness for spy novels? Would you have made a good spy, do you think? 178: The very nature of Thursday's job will lead her to experience different times and places (some real, some imaginary). As a writer, how do you keep it all straight? Do you use outlines, or have a system for which you can reference plot points in future books in the series? (You know how picky dedicated fans can be about these things!) 177: As one reads the book, it is quite easy to visualise the scenes and the characters. Do you consider yourself a very visual person? Do you visualise your scenes before you write them? 176: The dialogue in the book is fast-paced, and very funny. How did you hone your ear for dialogue? 175: After reading 'The Eyre Affair', I felt like rereading 'Jane Eyre'. What will I feel like rereading after the next book in the series -- 'Lost in a Good Book' - would it be 'Great Expectations?' (The rumour is that Miss Havisham makes an appearance.) What is it about Great Expectations and Miss Havisham that you find compelling? 174: What is your opinion of ebooks? Will print books even be in existence (except as a collectors' items) in twenty years? 173: What is your advice to those who are thinking of starting a writing career in their thirties or forties? 172: What are your pet peeves in life? 171: When you're not writing, what are your favourite ways to relax and have fun? 170: Who are you most like; Maeve Binchy, William Burroughs or Tom Clancy? 169: What is the worst book you have ever read? 168: If you weren't a best selling writer, what would you have ended up as? 167: What was the last book that you bought 166: Have you ever submitted a really nasty review of a rivals book anonymously to an Internet site? What about a really good review of your own book, anonymously to an Internet site? 165: What character out of all your books do you most identify with 164: Sex. Can you write it, or are you just fumbling in the dark? 163: At school, were you a jock, a bookworm or a nerd? 162: How many Thursday Next novels can you see yourself writi 161: Was Douglas Adams a big influence on your style of humour? 160: What soundtrack is playing in your head when you write? 159: The pictures you slip into some copies of your books have become a cult collectable. What is the thinking behind them? 158: Have you ever read a Booker winner? 157: Is Harry Potter the savior of the book trade, or a speccy kid that gets on your nerves? 156: If you could change the plot of any book, what would you do? 155: If your latest book got made into a film, who would you cast as the lead? 154: What should be the punishment for people who break the spines of their books? 153: Do you ever sneak into bookshops and rearrange displays in your favour? 152: Censorship? Is there any reason good enough for banning a book? 151: Who is Thursday going to meet next time out? Is there an element of wish-fulfilment for yourself when you introduce her to classic literary figures? 150: Were you concerned that The Eyre Affair would be difficult to market because its eclectic nature? 149: What motivated you to pick first-person narrative? 148: Your work reminds me a bit of Grant Morrison's. Are you a reader of his work? 147: Did the plot of The Eyre Affair come first, or the character of Thursday Next? 146: Do you write from an outline or just let the story un-spool, as it will? 145: Did you originally intend the world(s) of Thursday Next as ongoing, or did Thursday's universe end up demanding it? 144: What makes a cinematographer want to become a writer? 143: When writing, do you miss the excitement of a movie set? 142: The Eyre Affair has multiple levels in its storytelling - how did you know when to stop the story from expanding where it did? 141: Were you concerned at all about how your work would be received by American audiences? 140: In works like The Eyre Affair, where the plotting is especially complex, dialogue can become a casualty, with lines between characters becoming interchangeable. How did you manage to retain the unique voices of your characters? 139: Can someone who has not read Jane Eyre still enjoy The Eyre Affair? 138: How did you know you had a passion for writing rather than more a love of reading? 137: Your first book started as a script, went to short stories, then became a novel - will readers see any of your short fiction in print? 136: Why did you make Acheron Hades the third most evil person in the world? Why not higher or lower in the rankings of evildom? 135: Do you have any plans for stories outside Thursday's world? 134: Has there been any interest by filmmakers to bring Thursday to the big screen? 133: You steered away from Jane Eyre having too much dialogue in The Eyre Affair, but in Lost In A Good Book, you take more liberties with Miss Havisham of Great Expectations and the Cheshire cat. Were you apprehensive of how you would go about this? 132: What other literary figures will you cover in the next two Thursday Next novels? 131: Ron Hogan asked you if you could step into any book, which would it be? You answered him (The Little Prince) but said you'd have to think about it in case someone asks. I'm asking 130: Which would you rather attend to promote your book, a Romance Con, a Sci-Fi con, or a Mystery Con? 129: An ego surf of your name turned up 3,700 hits. How does it feel to have an international following? Did you expect it for such a "literary" work? 128: You've been compared to Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Monty Python. Have any of these people influenced your writing and sense of the absurd? 127: In your book signings and interactions with your reading public, do you find that you attract academia who have an in depth knowledge of the literature that you satirize? 126: Would you consider having Thursday involved with an American classic? Which book would you consider and why? 125: Coming from film, which movie comes closest to the spirit of your novels? 124: Your novels remind me of fan fiction. Have you ever indulged in fan fiction? What characters would you write about? Do you consider fan fiction a legitimate form of literature? 123: What books are currently cluttering your bedside table? 122: Has anyone ever tried to correct you on any historical or literary fact in your books? 121: Neanderthals, time travel, Goliath, an endless Crimean War: What came first? What was the imaginative seed from which The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book grew? 120: You do a fine job of rehabilitating Miss Havisham. Was she fun to (re)write? 119: You have described your writing style as "mnemonic"-in your stories, you supplement invention with reminding people of what they already know. How did you develop this style? 118: I would really like to read something by Daphne Farquitt. Any possibility you might include excerpts from her work in future novels? Any chance that Thursday Next might find herself inside a Farquitt romance? 117: Fictional characters jump out of their books and into Thursday's world from time to time. Now that Thursday is a character in a book herself, has she paid a visit to our world? 116: You've done a lot of interviews since The Eyre Affair came out, and you've been asked the same questions many times [particularly about how you market your books, which strikes me as rather odd]. Is there a question no interviewer has ever asked that you'd really like to answer? 115: Planning a trip to Australia? (specifically Mt Beau Brummel, Queensland, but anywhere within a 2000km radius will suffice) (Vanessa) 114: Why 1985? Did something life-changing happen to you in 1985 for you to choose to set the books then? (Carla) 113: Is Elmo, the Abyssinian cat, ever going to appear elsewhere, or do I have to wander around in the Well of Lost Plots to find him? (Minsky the cat) 112: I really admire your ability to handle book-jumping and time travel in the same story, since it does create a very open-ended virtual universe. Do you ever find it gets confusing to write, or does it just come naturally? (Sarah) 111: When you're writing, do you listen to music, and if so, what kind of stuff? Also, how do you take your tea/coffee? (Fuzz) 110: What do you think of obsessive fans who know the books better than you? (Carla) 109: Are you ever tempted to put in a load of really obscure references to give Jon a headache? (PSD) 108: What was your favourite birthday present? (either for yourself or bought by you for someone else) 107: What is your favourite book? 106: Which Star Wars character would you be given the chance? 105: Are you now going to resurrect and publish your previously unpublished novels? 104: How do you keep calm when interviewers ask really inane questions - ones that show that they haven't read the book and/or haven't read many books at all it seems?! 103: How about if there was enough demand after the five books hopefully when (not if) they are published, would you then go on and write one of Millon de Floss' essays/novels? Or would you try and pad the TN books out into another couple of stories as with the Hitch Hikers Guide trilogy in five parts? (Charles) 102: What kind of reaction did you get when getting the Porsche sprayed? (Adam) 101: How often do you read the Ffphorum? and 100: other than your own, what's your favourite website? (both Dave) 99: Why haven't you mentioned Chippenham yet? It's smack bang in the middle of Thursday country, you can't avoid it. (Lycanthra Pod) 98: Is there any book that you hold in such a sacred regard that you wouldn't let Thursday go into it and 'mess around', as it were, with the story? Not that she means to, but you know how she is... (Sarah B) 97: Do you see yourself always writing in this genre (whatever genre it is), or do you have ambitions to write in other fields – an account of your adventures in the film industry, for instance? 96: Speaking of films, if TEA and/or LIAGB were to be made into movies, who would you love to see in the main roles? Especially Thursday, Acheron, and Jack Schitt? (And Twila suggests that you write the screenplays as well! Even if it means we have to wait a little longer between books <gasp!… i think she's on her own there>. 95: How did you get into flying? Do you get to fly much these days? 94: We don't know of many writers (all right, we don't know of any.) who have such a fan-oriented website. Is this part of some deep-laid marketing plot, or is it just because it’s fun? And if the latter, is it fun? 93: Is there anywhere you really want to go that you haven't been to yet? 92: What does 'bobbilicious' actually mean? 91: What's the strangest question anybody has emailed you? 90: Are you ever tempted to move all your books to better positions in bookshops? 89: If there was to be a hideous nanomachine that was either going to eat books or airplanes, which would it have to be? 88: How are your bookshelves organised? 87: And, finally (phew), do you have any message for your, er, adoring fans out there? (Other than sign up for Whatever Next now’ obviously). 86: What was the book that most influenced your life -- and why? 85: What are your ten favorite books -- and why? 84: Favorite films? 83: Favorite music? 82: If you had a book club, what would it be reading -- and why? 81: What are your favorite books to give -- and get -- as gifts? 80: Who are your favorite writers, and what makes their writing special? 79: What are you working on now? 78: Give us three "Good to Know" facts about you. Be creative. Tell us about your first job, the inspiration for your writing, any fun details that would enliven your page. 77: What else do you want your readers to know? Consider here your likes and dislikes, your interests and hobbies, your favorite ways to unwind -- whatever comes to mind. 76: The Thursday Next series blends so many elements--humour, mystery, alternate reality, time travel, literary allusions, romance, and more. When you talk to people who haven't read the books what elements do you think are the most descriptive of the series? 75: In previous interviews you've said that finding the right publisher was tough, and freedom to take your story in virtually any direction is great fun. What do you think has been the biggest advantage, and the biggest disadvantage, for you as a writer of a cross genre work? 74: What do you like best about writing stories with a continuing main character? And what's the downside? Have you considered using the Nextian universe in projects featuring any other main character? 73: You've included many characters from literature in the series as significant secondary characters. Who is your favourite so far? Is there any character (from the public domain, of course) you'd really like to include in future books? Any character you think it wouldn't be a good idea to include? If so, why? 72: What did you like best about introducing the generics (characters in training)? What do you think they added to the book? 71: What was your favourite part about setting the bulk of this volume of the series in the Well of Lost Plots, as opposed to the primarily "real" world setting (with excursions to fictional settings) of THE EYRE AFFAIR and LOST IN A GOOD BOOK? 70: Readers are always interested in how authors decide what to write. Is there anything from your personal experiences that inspired any of your choices of settings or situations to explore in the Thursday Next series? 69: What were the greatest literary influences on you as a writer? Monty Python? Charles Dickens? Film Noir? The Bröntes? Shakespeare? 68: What would you say are the biggest differences between the alternate England Thursday lives in and the one where you live? What are biggest differences readers will see between literature as she knows (and experiences) it, and what is (hopefully) familiar to us? 67: What do you like best about linking past and present, and factual and fictional elements in the series? Is it the chance to play with characters and situations from some of your favourite (or least favourite) books? 66: Since you use both, how would you compare and contrast foreshadowing and time travel as literary techniques? 65: How do you think your experience in the film industry has influenced your writing most? 64: How would you describe the role of the Goliath Corporation in the Thursday Next series? What do you think is the biggest difference between the menace of an evil corporation and an evil individual in fact and fiction? 63: The galley mentioned you're working on another Thursday Next book, coming in March 2005. Can you tell us anything more about it? 62: Would you like to hear from readers? If so, how would you like them to contact you, through your publisher, your website, or by some other method? 1. The Great Library takes the concept of the universal library (a repository of all knowledge) to its ultimate extreme. How did this concept develop as you created the Nextian universe, and how did you decide that a library was the natural setting for not only the storage of books but their creation as well? 61: The giveaway TNU055 reveals that the famous Trinity College long room is the model for the physical arrangement of the Great Library. What is it about the layout of the long room that inspired you, and have you had any particularly memorable experiences in libraries that have influenced your writing? 60: The Well of Lost Plots is a particularly vivid world within the world of the Great Library. Are there elements of libraries you have visited that inspired such a feeling of vastness? 59: How did you decide to make the Cheshire Cat the Librarian of the Great Library? Does he have certain qualities that seem, well, "librarianish" to you? 58: Your work as a writer encompasses not only your published works, but also the giveaways and web pages that supplement your books. Do you have a complete collection of all of the materials (including all of the web pages) that you have created for the TN books? Is it conceivable that anyone else could amass a similar collection? If a library were attempting to comprehensively collect your work, would you consider it important for them to preserve your website as well? (The issue of collecting and preserving electronic and internet resources is a big issue in libraries at the moment, as evidenced by recent efforts at the British Library to extend the legal deposit requirement to include non-print resources, such as websites). 57: The Well of Lost Plots is a particularly vivid setting within The Great Library where the raw materials of novels are stored as they are formed into texts. The Well lies within the twenty-six sub-basement levels of The Great Library and features shops and storefronts selling plot devices, characters, and grammatical situations. Where did the inspiration for The Well come from? Do you feel as though libraries as a whole operate as a sort of Well of Lost Plots, where the collective identity of a culture is not only preserved but renewed as well? In essence, does the concept of The Well of Lost Plots reveal your thoughts on the role libraries play in society? 56: Thursday Next seems to be descended from a long line of British crime stoppers like Sherlock Holmes and James Bond and her name is a clear homage to G. K. Chesterton's classic, The Man Who Was Thursday. Who are your favourite fictional detectives and how, if at all, did they shape Thursday Next? 55: You worked in the film industry for 19 years before becoming a full-time writer. In our society, film is a more popular and lucrative medium than books, but in the world of The Eyre Affair, the novel is king. Having had a finger in each pie, would you prefer to live in Thursday's world or ours? Did your work in film affect the narrative of the novel? 54: What are your favourite classic novels? 53: What other classics can we look forward to reading the backstories of in Thursday's future? 52: Why did you choose Jane Eyre for Thursday's first jump into literature? 51: The Eyre Affair has been described as a sort of Harry Potter for adults. Why do you think fantasy and magic tales are enjoying so much popularity right now? Why do adults find the stories so satisfying? 50: The Tie seller in Victoria says, "There are two schools of thought about the resilience of time. The first is that time is highly volatile, with every small event altering the possible outcome of the earth's future. The other view is that time is rigid, and no matter how hard you try, it will always spring back toward a determined present." Which do you think is more likely? 49: If time travel were a reality, do you think it would be possible for people to visit other eras responsibly? 48: If you could travel in time, when would you want to visit and why? 47: Acheron Hades may be the third-most evil man on earth, but he's also a charming, seductive adversary with some of the best lines in the book. If Acheron Hades is only the third-most evil man on earth, who are second and first, and will Thursday get to face them? 46: Acheron Hades isn't the only personification of evil in The Eyre Affair. Just as evil, and much more insidious, is the English Government's indentured servitude to the Goliath Corporation and Goliath's willingness to sacrifice human lives for wartime financial gain. Why did you choose a corporation as the other major villain in the story? Do you think a relationship like the one between England's government and the Goliath corporation could exist in real life? 45: The Eyre Affair was a great success, and I'm sure your fans will make a success of its follow-up, Lost in a Good Book. If you could retire now and live in any book, which book would you like to spend the rest of your days living in? 44 Discussion Questions 43: It seems that quite a few contemporary British authors have been using classic English literature as the building ground for new modern versions of the original stories. Here I think of the sci-fi writer Jeff Noon (who wrote a cyberpunk version of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland called Automated Alice) and the comic writer Alan Moore (who wrote the graphic novel The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in which he gathered a hodge-podge of literary figures from English 19th century fiction). And of course all the Jasper Fforde-books about Thursday Next. I would like to ask if you have any idea, why such literary remixing and recycling is a big thing in Britain right now? And if you don't, then why you have chosen this path? 42: One of the major events in TN3 is the upgrade of the number of possible plots from 8 to 32. I find that to be a trademark Jasper Fforde-joke. But is there not also a great deal of truth to the claim that there only exist 8 possible plots? And doesn't the TN-books support this notion in the ever present toying with - and mixing of - conventional stories and genres? 41: You once gave a very straightforward definition of your own writings. You said: I write silly stories. But am I wrong when I also sense a shred of seriousness lurking beneath the surface? Here I am especially thinking of the satire played upon modern society. 40: People have compared your books to those by Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and JK Rowling among others. Even though I find these comparisons quite true, I myself was hunted by very different ghosts while reading your books. To me the TN-books seem to belong between Andy Warhols famous reproductions and the Schwarzenegger-movie The Last Action Hero (except that movie was never really any fun). Does this make any sense to you? 39: Last time we were in contact you told me that the Danish Prince Hamlet will make an appearance in the, yet to be published, TN4. Could you be a little more specific about what will happen in TN4 in general, and especially about the role of the Danish prince? 38. Jasper, if you look in the mirror and into your own soul, what would you see? 37. If you had a time machine like H.G. Wells' to which time(s) and place(s) you would travel and what would you you do there? 36. What do you think are the most difficult and most enjoyable things about writing? 35. What is the thing that makes a book very special for you? 34: What are you currently reading? 33: In a single sentence, how would you describe The Eyre Affair? 32: It's an incredibly inventive novel. Is your background creative? 31: You have been involved in blockbusters like Mask of Zorro, Goldeneye, Entrapment, and The Saint. What was your particular role in these productions? 30: Has this experience had any bearing on your writing The Eyre Affair, or any influence on the style of the book? 29: The Eyre Affair has been described as Lewis Carroll writing a detective story; you create an entire world recognisable yet distinctly different from our everyday reality. Was this a place conceived over time or invented as you wrote? 28: Why does the story take place in 1985 and (largely) in Swindon? 27: The literary references are obviously very important to the plot; not only is the heroine of Jane Eyre kidnapped in the main strand, there's also the hunt for genuine Shakespeare plays and the manuscript of Martin Chuzzlewit being held to ransom. What's the background to this? 26: You also take a radically revisionist version of history in the novel, i.e. the Crimean War is still raging and Wales is a republic. Have you a particular interest in the historical? 25: Your main character is a 36 year old literary detective Thursday Next. Why did you choose a female lead? 10: Is The Eyre Affair the beginning of a series? 24)Can you tell me about the way you've set out to engage and interact the reader? Did you see us in the role of the player on the other side of the board? Or was the process much more intuitive than that? 23) To what extent are your small but significant reality shifts satirical in intent? Were you consciously commenting on the artificial divisions between high and low art? Or were you taking an amusing idea for a walk? This question applies to the material on the Goliath Corporation too Ð were you taking a conscious sideswipe at the way we live now? 22) Why do you think so many contemporary writers* are willing to credit their readers with the intelligence to cope with a rich and allusive narrative, while many critics seem to prefer fiction that conforms to their expectations of a specific genre? *There's you, Michael Moorcock, Charles Palliser, Iain Banks, Tibor Fischer, Lawrence Norfolk and Peter Ackroyd to name just a few. 21) Influences. Who are the writers, filmmakers and other artists who have informed your development as a writer? 20) Genre blending. Did you plan to mix the Chandleresque detective elements, sci-fi tropes and alternate history elements from the start? Or did these elements emerge as an essential way of taking the narrative forward? Or are you drawn to these exotic blends of literary ingredients? 19) Conspiracies. Why are conspiracies such a durable and popular literary and cinematic motif and what led you to explore the conspiracy theme? Has comedy become the most popular mode for dealing with conspiracies? 18) The alternate history is an enduringly popular form which readers never seem to tire of. Why are we all so fascinated by the idea of paths not taken? What drew you to this theme? 17) Can you tell me more about your new book at this stage? And can you tell me about anything other current or future projects Ð literary or cinematic? 16: You used to work in the Movie Industry as a Focus Puller. What the f*** do they do? 15: Where does Thursday come from? 14: Were you hoping that your books would encourage readers to read more classics? 13: Which school did you go to? 12: Did you have a university degree, or what? 11: In the Well of lost plots, who actually pays for everything? 10: Is there any trick you can reveal to find inspiration? 9: You said you would go into 'The Little Prince' if given the chance. Why? 8: Film in the offing? 7: What are your thoughts on contemporary crime fiction? 6: Which authors or books have influenced your work? How have they influenced you? 5: What one book has changed you as a reader or a writer? Why? 4: Which of your favourite literary characters inspired or influenced the character of Thursday Next? 3: Many reviewers have tried to classify the genre(s) of Lost In a Good Book. How would you describe this novel? 2: Much of Lost In a Good Book's success is its development of literary characters outside their original plotlines. How do you choose which characters will play a part in Thursday's stories? 1: Unlike many novels published today, Lost In a Good Book has a clever, light hearted quality that challenges the reader with literary allusions and wordplay. How is this different from other novels written today? Why do you think this quality is important in what you write and what we read?