Interview with Joel Huan, the author of Over Mount Fuji
Tell us about yourself first.
I'm a graduate with a commerce degree, but find novel writing far more creative and exciting. I began
seeking out knowledge just the same as novelist John Gardner said, ‘Fiction seeks out truth.’
When did you start writing?
Well, that was about ten or eleven years ago. I started to moonlight when I was working full time as an accountant for the hotel industry. But accounting work is boring . . .
What genres have you written?
sort of science fiction but with a literary hint. Perhaps you might not be aware of a strange sound in the South Pacific call the bloop. I am a research writer, and I have being rather intrigued by this mysterious phenomenon, but I write this mystery in fiction.
Is Over Mount Fuji your first book?
for fiction, yes.
Tell us about your book. What is it about?
The book is sort of science fiction, but extrapolates a very unique reason for a researched phenomena of deep ocean earthquakes, ship disappearances, volcanic eruptions, and the mysterious bloop sound in the South Pacific Ocean. You might like to watch the video below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M3Rpy3tv50&feature=related
What inspired you to write this book?
A long story. We had all thought that knowledge could only be learned from textbooks or from other works of texts, and nothing from fiction. But then again, we had unknowingly set our minds squarely in the box. We need to break into the unthinkable. Sometimes it requires only a small effort; sometimes some sheer imaginations beyond the ordinary are needed.
Take for example, in the field of science fiction. A science fiction writer would need to accumulate vast amount of knowledge in order to write another work of science fiction. The writer must be able to think hard through the various problems to make his or her fiction cohesive to work. Heinlein was one of the greats of hard science fiction; he wanted to be scientifically accurate. And Destination Moon seems a serious attempt to present a realistic version of how we might reach the moon, filmed nearly a decade before any human being could achieve orbit.
For sure we wouldn’t be able to know all the technical details, or how precisely things will come to pass. As Arthur Clark claimed, “No one can predict the future,” but he couldn’t resist drawing up timelines for what he called “possible futures.” Yes, about all the possibilities out there. Of course most fiction writers would never be compared to Arthur C. Clark or Heinlein, but then again, fiction writing is elaborate, tedious and complex, but the general consensus is the same: that fiction explores the minds, explode our imagination and open a range of possibilities that cannot be expressed in textbooks.
It is precisely this reason that Over Mount Fuji is written.
Who is the publisher of your book?
Youwriteon -- It is a new upstart publisher based in London, and is partially financed by the British Arts Council.
Where is it on sale?
both in Amazon and Barnesandnoble
What are the major challenges that you have faced in your career?
finding time to work and then write whenever I am free. While members of my accounting profession would be taking more courses and networking to further their careers, I was alone working on my writing.
Has the Internet helped you in your writing career?
How?
Well, some of my research were done via the internet, but most information were not there. I still need to research the libraries and crack my head and imagination to create a scenario that is suitable to the theme and ideas I wish to expound.
What do you advise new writers to do?
Be aware that novel writing doesn't pay, and you must be able to enjoy long hours alone. Often I rose up in the middle of the night to jot down a few points before going back to sleep. So be willing and able to sacrifice before jumping into it.
Thank you!
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