Espresso Love (A Dystopian Japan Novel) #Wattys2014

Postscript: FAQ

I will include some dialogue, or answer questions I've received from authors and readers here.

Feel free to submit questions in the comments below or through PM or taka@textnovel.com

More to come!

A question about Espresso Love's title and cover:
The title, I honestly think, is misleading for the content within, playing itself as a simple romance. It was actually suggested by readers of mine long ago before I had started posting the novel, and it stuck because intuitively it felt like the right title. In a way, it has been a funnel, bringing in unsuspecting readers and slowly pushing them through layers of ideas and philosophies - and it seems to have worked well, even for those who were a bit surprised. Ultimately, it is an enjoyable surprise and a good change for some.
I think the concept of the title and the cover goes after the pursuit of minimalism and enigma to start with. It captures an essence of the novel which is the juxtaposition and convoluted paradoxes of life it confronts: things aren't as it seems, and there's more beneath a deceptive surface. The cup is also a very important recurring symbol in the novel, and harkens to Zen Buddhism and the empty cup, the idea presented at the end that the characters (or people) are intended to be vessels for something (beautiful or not), and also Jesus Christ in Gethsemane asking for the cup of wrath to be taken away. The contents in the cup to me personally represents the soul inside the shell of the body or our lives.
ESP in the title is for ESP (Extra-Sensory Perception)! Love, also an important theme addressed, to me, is about a metaphysical, unconditional, determined connection between two people and not something based on pure emotions or erotic lust. One day you may feel happy, the next, sad; one day in love, the next tempted with others. Such weak emotional connections are not all there is to the story. Resso ended up being fit in as a name of the coffee franchise and the plantation facility. In a sense, this company is something to be interpreted, but it stands in the middle so to speak, intrinsically neutral like technology, and up to the parties involved to influence its direction or implications. But some of these thoughts are in retrospect; most of the time, the creation process for me is subconscious, intuitive and a journey of discovery for the creator too!

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(Audio Transcript) MaajaWentz: I've been reading a couple of your novels and there's this repeating theme of conformity and routine - I was wondering if there are any autobiographical reasons for that?
T: I think there is. We all go through school for so many years of our lives and repeat the same schedules over and over again. And it continues on throughout work as well - nine-to-fives; that's sort of the life I really don't want to live. I'm an artist first and foremost. I love to be creative, and to be free. I guess it's the creative spirit in me. I think I have my values set on the more metaphysical aspects rather than materialism and trying to conform to the capitalist system. I feel there's the system that expects us to be workers in society for corporations, to earn money and you know, owning a house, having food on the table. All of which feeds the perpetual cycle. For me, my art and my personal journey is probably my first priority.
[I had once worked as a graphic and web designer, for about a year, which was a huge turning point in life. I felt like I was under the pressurized nozzle of the capitalist system channeling its force into a small start up business. I felt confined and used like a machine or a tool and was drained of life and soul. I would return home and soak in TV dramas and anime, trying to de-numb or numb myself. I would pick up my guitar and it would be silent. I would pick up my pen and it would be still. I always had been that good kid that would comply and respect authority and keep silent as much as I could. I would try to cooperate and collaborate with whatever situations I was in. But things were bottled up inside and the spirit of a rebel was there. And so through this work experience, I had learned to speak up, stand up firmly and then in the end, throw out a resignation letter and quit. It was the most liberating moment. From the depths of a valley and suddenly, I wrote five original J-pop rock songs and recorded them within a month to create my first EP album. And I went to Japan which I write about in my travel memoir. That work experience, ultimately fuelled Espresso Love, two years later, once I had gained enough distance from it.]