What are four things you can’t live without?
My journal and a fountain pen; I might count them as one, as they always come together. Handwriting is something that gives me so much joy and energy that I’d choose it over anything else. They win over everything by a large measure.
Running shoes and a training watch; running is my preferred meditation device next to sitting (for which nothing is needed).
Those were no-brainers. Given the opportunity to choose a couple more, I’d be struggling to choose from many, none of which is really that important. So, there’s that. These four things: a journal, a fountain pen, running shoes, and a training watch.
What is your favorite television show?
‘The Office,’ the American adaptation. It’s a perfect satire of the hierarchy of the office space, and while businesses went paperless, their nature hasn’t changed. If anything, the archetypes presented in the series are more expressed in the new, digital office space of corporations.
If there’s a reason you haven’t seen the show yet (it’s quite old), toss that reason into the bin. Sorry, to the waste basket.
If you could be any character from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?
Why, Sun Wukong, of course! He’s one of my favorite tricksters, and the new release, ‘Prince of Blue Flowers,’ is a tribute to his adventures. He’s always full of energy, pathos, and confidence; he gets himself into trouble and has friends to help him get out of it. He has a monkey tail, after all. Imagine having a fifth hand; how would you like that? Even a third hand would come in handy often, I reckon.
What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?
If you like the story of ‘Prince of Blue Flowers,’ I have good news for you: the second installment of the series is on its way. It’ll hit the stores at the end of spring.
If you are more of a science-fiction fan—like myself—you’ll have to wait until autumn, when I expect the first of my science-fiction novels to be adapted into English. It’s a cyber-punk-themed detective comedy story of two partners: a self-consumed teenager and a manipulative ex-policeman. They hunt criminals in the future New York and for demons hiding inside them. It’s no surprise the novel is called ‘The Demons Within.’
What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
As one might rightfully guess, one of those is Wu Cheng’en, to whom ‘Journey to the West’ or ‘Adventures of the Monkey King’ is attributed. You’ll find a lot of references to this gem in the ‘Prince of Blue Flowers.’
From the Western world, I’d highlight Robert Asprin with his majestic ‘Myth Adventures’ series and Larry Niven with his ‘End of Magic.’ The former’s sense of humor can only be compared with Pratchett’s; the latter’s Clarkian view on laws of magic helped my world-building not once, not several, but many times.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
‘Ryū’ means ‘dragon’ in Japanese, and ‘Zhong’ can be translated from Chinese as ‘flute’. This amalgam of languages represents the fusion of cultures that characterises the writings of Ryū Zhong.
In their books, Ryū Zhong explore challenges that humanity might face as our technology gets more and more complicated to the level where it becomes magic. Such a shift would force people to look towards religion and reinterpret realities that today, we call fairy tales.
Ryū Zhong were lucky to be born and grow in Asia. Now they live in Amsterdam, study Dutch, and adapt their writings to English.
Links
https://anno-ruini.com — website for the book series
https://ryu.anno-ruini.com — Ryu’s personal blog
https://www.instagram.com/anno.ruini/— Instagram
https://twitter.com/anno_ruini— Twitter
Book in the Stores
https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Blue-Flowers-Adventures-Takuan/dp/B0BRC7BGB4/
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=L4unEAAAQBAJ&pli=1
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prince-of-blue-flowers-ryu-zhong/1143052777
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your post will be published after administrator approval.