An Interview with L.G. Bass Author of The Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh: Sign of the Qin What first attracted you to fantasy? My thirteen-year-old son, Ethan, introduced me to fantasy. He's the sort of reader who finds a favorite author and then reads all the books that writer ever wrote. Some of these enthusiasms last only a few weeks, but the names that have stayed on his shelves and remained part of his pantheon have also inspired me. When a child becomes a teen, a parent usually no longer gets the opportunity to read to him at night, but a wonderful way of staying in communication is to read what your son or daughter is reading and to talk about it. With fantasy, of course, reading the work of Clive Barker, Steven Brust, Terry Brooks, Eoin Colfer, Neil Gaimon, Terry Pratchett, Phillip Pullman, R.A. Salvatore gave me whole worlds to discuss with my son. In terms of writing fantasy, I think it was the vista of unlimited possibilities that drew me to it: As long as I followed my own logic, anything could happen. I've found that freedom a challenge and also great fun. Kung fu and the martial arts figure prominently in your story. How did you become interested in kung fu? Again, my children's interests have influenced my own. My son Adam, now seventeen, studied kung fu with a very gifted Vietnamese instructor, Linh Thai. Linh was a dedicated martial artist and took my son under his wing as his youngest kung fu "brother." He often came to our home for lessons and worked with Adam in our livingroom. After the sessions, we would sit around and talk. It was Linh who introduced me to the stories of the Monkey King and the original Marsh Chronicles as well as a sampling of kung fu films like The Thirty-sixth Chamber of Shaolin, The Dragon Gate Inn, The T'ai Chi Master and many others. How much of OUTLAWS OF MOONSHADOW MARSH have you taken from historical research? What inspired you to set your novel in medieval China? After reading The Marsh Chronicles, a novel published in medieval China about the lives of a courageous tribe of rebels who, like Robin Hood and his men, defended the poor against injustice, I realized there was a strong parallel between those tumultuous times and our own. I wrote the Prologue, describing the catastrophic fire at the ancient monastery soon after 9/11 when the smoke was still in the air. Yamu, Lord of the Dead, is no abstraction in our lives. We are looking for strong individuals with a steady sense of justice and personal integrity to lead us away from the brink of disaster. I think fantasy is so very popular right now partly because everyone can relate more than ever to the basic struggle between good and evil in a world that has the technology to self destruct. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings is an inspiring story for our times because one small hero enlists the goodness in himself and others to save the living universe against the corrupting forces of destruction. I hope SIGN OF THE QIN is ultimately a heartening tale to readers as well. The stakes have been raised so high in the world around us that the need to believe that we each have the power to save what's best about mankind by calling upon what's best in ourselves becomes more and more crucial. I felt the honor code of the martial artists who practiced kung fu as independent warriors, defending the defenseless in medieval China, was the framework I needed to tell my story. We often think of outlaws living in the woods. Robin Hood and his men lived in Sherwood Forest. How is it your outlaws are fishermen living in a marsh? OUTLAWS OF MOONSHADOW MARSH is in part inspired by a real band of brave men and women who were forced by the persecution of a harsh feudal government to flee their homes and hide out as fugitives in the marshes of Shandong Province during the Song Dynasty. However, in addition to the historical reference, I've always loved the marsh. I've never actually traveled in China, but reading The Marsh Chronicles strongly evoked my own memories of long walks through the Cape Cod marshes, my favorite spot in all the world. Although I live in a large city, part of me is Mother Gu, living in a fishing hut at the edge of a marsh, surrounded by salt water and the sounds of sea birds. How much does Monkey relate to the traditional trickster Monkey King of Chinese mythology and in what ways have you re-invented him? I've always appreciated the Monkey King in the classic Journey to the West for his irrepressible energy and sly sense of humor, but I also felt he was lacking in warmth. He never really loved anyone other than himself. I decided that in my story, Monkey would fall in love with a child (Prince Zong) and by knowing what it was like to love someone more than he loved himself -- he would finally stand a chance of earning the immortality that had eluded him through 99 lifetimes. Where do the demons come from? Although primarily inspired by Chinese mythology, the gods, spirits and demons in SIGN OF THE QIN draw upon the myths and legends of many nations. The Wahwee, for example, originates in Australia but I've taken liberties with the giant amphibian monster, fusing him with the Mesopotamian Huwawa from The Epic of Gilgamesh. I've also modified the Aborigine Bunyip, whose walrus-like appearance and repetitive roar is the only attribute it shares with its original model. The Kappa comes from Japan and its lore does in fact feature a bowl-like dent on the top of its head filled with fluid which is the secret of its power. The dangerous creature is also notorious for being courteous and is prone to bowing. On school visits, the Kappa seems to hold a special fascination to children and is often chosen as a subject for their drawings. I've taken great liberties with Malia as well, who, unlike her classic Greek counterpart, is psychologically half raven, half human, but physically, all bird. And Puk is entirely my own fabrication, based upon my favorite dog in our building, a giant mastiff who occasionally walks off the elevator into our apartment as if he owns the place and settles down for a visit. What would you say are the major themes of SIGN OF THE QIN? If I had to sum up a major theme of SIGN OF THE QIN in one sentence, I would say it's that love is the greatest power in the universe. Without it, no one is strong. The Starlord, Prince Zong, is motivated almost entirely by love. In search of his mother who has been sent into exile on the day of his birth, and his guardian Monkey who has been locked beneath the Mountain of the Five Elements, his quest to find those he loves leads him toward his destiny. Monkey, too must be loyal to his love for Zong in order to earn his immortality. The Tattooed Monk, who thinks he has lost the ability to love, learns to love again when he meets Silver Lotus. And even Puk and Malia, though demons, have the potential to save themselves through their devotion to the boy Kuan and the spy Day Rat respectively. Another related theme is stated in the first chapter: The birth of a Starlord is a miracle, but no more so than the birth of any other child. I think each of us has a destiny it's our privilege to discover in the time we have on earth. "We are here until we are somewhere else," says the Immortal Beggar. And while we are here, we each travel from and with our point of departure and we each have powers we need to unlock in order to live our lives well. Or again, to quote the Immortal Beggar: "It is a miracle to walk on water and fly through the sky, but the real miracle is to walk on earth." Many of the best fighters in your story are women. Why? I like to think that if I've lived other lives, one of them was as a woman warrior. I was drawn to studying t'ai chi about five years ago when I started writing SIGN OF THE QIN. I also took lessons in one of the sword forms I mention in my book. There is a great tradition of fighting women in the classic kung fu films which are, in part, the inspiration for characters like Silver Lotus and Golden Wings, strong women who express themselves through their martial abilities. One of the satisfactions of watching a fine kung fu film is the active part the women play in the high-tension battle scenes. The recent Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon reflects this tradition. Many of the old movies also revere mothers who in some cases, like Mother Gu, have legendary kung fu skills. What is it like to write a trilogy? Did you plan all three books at once? Do you know how it will all come out in the end? I have an idea of how it will all come out in the end but there is still a lot to be discovered along the way. When I first started the trilogy, I wrote a very long outline of over 50 pages in which I detailed much of the plot, but I found myself throwing most of the outline away when writing the actual first book. So now I'm more or less flying without a net, although I do know where I'm ultimately headed. Writing SIGN OF THE QIN has been immensely exciting. The characters have taken over. I'm sure they'll lead me into territory I've not yet imagined. Already, I've discovered in the process of writing SIGN OF THE QIN more than I ever first thought possible. How did you come up with the sayings for each chapter? I enjoy reading zen philosophy, sufi stories and koens and have kept a journal of these sayings and brief tales for many years. It was fun to choose the ones that best fit each chapter -- like a matching game. Sometimes, the true meaning of what had happened in a chapter did not come clear to me until I had selected the quote. What would you most want readers of SIGN OF THE QIN to come away with as a result of reading your book? I'd like readers to come away eager to read Book II -- and I'd want them to be asking the questions I'm now asking myself about what happens next. I'd very much like them to care about Monkey and Prince Zong, about the Tattooed Monk and Silver Lotus, about White Streak and Black Whirlwind and Chiko Chin, about Day Rat and Jade Mirror, about the dragon Chac and Malia and Puk and Mother Gu and Granny. I'd like them to be wondering about the mysteries of the Many Faces of Hung Wu and the Twelve Scrolls. But most of all, I'd feel satisfied if they come away from SIGN OF THE QIN feeling that they've read a good story.