Top Story: 5.September 2006

Elements of Nature - An Interview with Steve Zio, author of Hot Springs

This month, I have pleasure to introduce you to Steve Zio, author of  the recently published Hot Springs iNovel.

Getting up early, Steve starts up his PowerBook and does some editing while it's still quiet in the house. He listens to the Beatles and reads the back of cereal boxes while eating breakfast. He loves Japan. As indicated by his choice of music, Steve really does come across as a man of the 60's, with an air of clarity and idealism you rarely find in today's busy world. There is something innocent and true about him and, despite his career achievements, he remains modest and down to earth - like a good samurai should be. Exchanging e-mail with him reminded me how we, too, should remain innocent and listen to the elements of nature that inhabit our inner self.

Thank you, Steve, for granting me this interview. Soon, I will review of  the iNovel, Hot Springs. In the meantime, check out the www.hotspringsnovel.com

Hot Springs [ASIN:1552785645 McArthur & Company $24,95] Paperback is available in Amazon.

I was born at 7pm on a spring day in 1957, the year of the rooster - therefore I'm now 49 years old. I live in the small town of Sidney, on the Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. I spent the long Labour Day holiday weekend by painting my back deck/veranda and visiting with some friends who were here from Taiwan. I also went sailing on my boat, a 13-meter sloop that I share with two friends. The weather was perfect.

I've been wanting to write a novel since I was 16. I actually finished one when I was about 24 but, to tell the truth, although the story was reasonable (about a Canadian photographer who discovers a secret from the war in the mountains of Fukushima Prefecture), the writing is terrible. Just junk! So, I put it away and didn't come back to the novel form for 20 years.

I kept writing, though, just a lot of different kinds. First, I've done a lot of translation work, including translating over 100 documentaries about World Heritage sites from Japanese to English. I also translated a book on the history of Japanese management and edited one on the Japanese medical system (Diverse Perspectives, published by Global Oriental). I've also co-authored 16 children's books and written five ESL textbooks.

You see, when I was in Japan, I worked for Oxford University Press and that's partially how I came up with the idea of an iNovel. Oxford, as you probably know, publishes a lot of educational books and these kinds of books - recently, anyway - use a lot of web references. So, I thought, why not use a similar idea for my iNovel (which is a combination of a regular book plus a website which uses multimedia like music, paintings, photos, poetry, links, etc. to give added color and depth to the story and characters)?

Also, I wanted to find a way to get my original music and my wife's painting out into the world so the iNovel idea was a good way to do that. Finally, I've always been fascinated by the Kurosawa film, Rashomon, and how it shows the same story from different viewpoints and perspectives. If you combine all those factors - my work experience, my passion for music and painting, and my interest in varied viewpoints - then, voila, that's how the iNovel was born.

Tell me about Jason, the protagonist of the Hot Springs iNovel

Jason is a 30-year-old web developer who - like most of us, I think - has a love/hate relationship with technology. Although Jason has worked hard to become what he is (and he's good at his job), he also realizes that there's a lot wrong with it, too - spam, pop-ups, pornography, viruses, dehumanization, etc. So, after breaking up with his girlfriend in Vancouver, he decides to move back to small Hot Springs Island where his father runs a small, hot springs hotel. Jason is musical, a romantic, and probably a little too sensitive for his own good. As a result, he feels things deeply and finds himself drawn on a quest which takes him to England and then Japan. Jason is a searcher - but, then, aren't we all?

How were your previous assignments? Did you enjoy them? What kinds of jobs have you held besides novelist?

I've had a number of different careers and have loved them all - albeit to different degrees. But, I suspect I might have a desire to experience lots of different things which has led me to all my jobs - either that or I have a short attention span (lol).

So, here's a list of jobs I've had: student, delivery boy, paper boy, hospital cleaner, messenger, library assistant, tutor, ESL materials developer, musician, ESL teacher, university lecturer, school director, marketer, teacher trainer, sales rep, marketing manager, publisher, translator, textbook writer, songwriter, freelance journalist, educational consultant - and probably a few more :)

What is most important to you in life?

Great question and one we should think to ask ourselves every day. We must remember that life is short and, as such, to hold those we love close to us, to be thankful for our good health and to kind to those who aren't so lucky. To remember that time is the currency of our lives and we must spend it wisely with the experiences that we buy. To stay optimistic and positive because it is good for both us and for those around us. To laugh, laugh, laugh. And to try and dance more...

When was your first trip to Japan and what were your feelings and impressions at that time?

I arrived in Japan in September 1981. It was incredibly hot, I wasn't feeling very well, and I couldn't believe all the armed police at Narita. It took ages, I thought, to get into Tokyo and, after staying at my Japanese friend's house, it seemed very small and backed onto the Yamanote Line, the Keihin Kyuko Line, the Keihin Tohoku Line and the Shinkansen. In other words, it was very noisy.

I really wondered if I had made the right move to come here and even thought about going back in a month instead of my planned year. I ended up living in Japan for 15 years. So, that's a good argument for not trusting your first impressions. During all my time in Japan I traveled a lot, even making it to all 47 prefectures. My other impressions of Japan - my second  home - usually revolve around the kindness and underlying innocence of its people. The diligence, honesty, and curiosity of Japanese people I find endearing to this day and that's what keeps me returning.

How has the cooperation been with your publisher?

Hot Springs has been published in Canada by McArthur & Company, Canada's second largest domestic fiction publisher. The owner, Kim McArthur, is one of the most dynamic, interesting, and charismatic people you could ever meet. She's been voted Canada's Entrepreneur of the Year as well as Toronto Businesswoman of the Year and she's also hilarious and great fun. I love her and thank her for helping me with my career. Hot Springs has also been picked up by an American publisher called National Book Network and will be on sale from January. We are in negotiations for a Japanese edition with the agent, Tuttle Mori.

What's your typical day like? How do you end and begin it? 

I like to get up early and write when the house is still quiet. I try and get in 1,000 words a day during the first draft stage. If I am editing, then I usually spent a couple of hours or more doing that. Then, if possible, I exercise (swimming, walking, hiking, going to the gym, playing tennis). I also run an educational consulting company and I often have meetings or work about that. I usually get to bed around midnight and read for an hour. I can't sleep without reading - I usually go through about 2 or 3 books a week. 

What do you do when you get writer's block?

I just drop it and do something else. I have learned to trust that, given time, the creative juices will start flowing again. My most creative time is in the morning and my eyes have just opened. I love the stage between sleep and waking. The subconscious mind comes alive then.

Your wife, Kimiko, is a talented artist. How did you meet? What is it like to do creative work with someone as close as your wife?

We met at a picnic in Yoyogi Park - she was a friend of one of my students when I taught in Tokyo. Working with Kimiko is fine and easy - but you may have to ask her if she feels the same about me :) Really, she is a very easy person to get along with - unlike me....

What's your dream for next five years?

Professionally, my dream is to be able to write novels full-time and I hope that happens. I would also like to live in Europe again (I lived in London as a student) and to travel to see my friends all over the world more than I do now.

Some say we all represent some particular element of nature. Which element would be yours?

Definitely, water. The symbols and motifs of my book, Hot Springs, include hot springs, the ocean, and rivers. Wherever, I go, water draws me to it. Water is life itself.

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