500 words
from...is a series of guest posts from authors writing about Asia, or published
by Asia-based, or Asia-focused, publishing houses, in which they talk about
their latest books. Here UK-based Mike Stoner talks about his novel Jalan
Jalan, set in Indonesia. He initially self-published, but after Jalan Jalan was
noticed by the prestigious UK newspaper, the Guardian, and awarded its monthly
prize for the best self-published novel, it was picked up by the conventional
publisher, Tuttle, which specialises in books linking East and West.
Newbie is on the
run. From England. From the past. From memories of his dead girlfriend, Laura. He
knows little about distant Indonesia, but, after a five minute phone interview,
he takes a teaching job there. He soon finds it is as good a place as any to
reinvent himself: cheap beer; landscapes he finds exotic; a beautiful
Indonesian girlfriend; and a bunch of misfit mates all masquerading as English
teachers.
Jalan Jalan,
meaning just walking, or out for a stroll, is an Indonesian phrase that sums up
Newbie's quest to block out the pain of the past. But Laura won't leave him
alone: her ghost haunts him; her voice fills his head; her gaze follows him
everywhere. It will take a breakdown and an exorcism at the hands of an Indonesian
shaman to make Newbie realise that the events of the past might not always be
what they seem.
So: over to Mike…
I started
writing Jalan Jalan in England, when I was studying as a mature student for an
MA in Creative Writing, while also working full-time. I was a third of the way
through a dystopian book when I was advised by my course convener to write from
life experiences. This upset me a bit as I wanted to be a fiction writer and
completely make stuff up. However, I had previously lived in Indonesia, and once
I started rolling memories and experiences around my head I realised that there
was potential to nearly completely make stuff up from a few of my Indonesian
factual moments.
Although it had
been ten years since my time in Asia, the memories, scenery, smells, people and
experiences were still very vivid and fresh. It had been a year of mixed
emotions, wonderful and also sometimes difficult times. But due to the fact
that I was, at first, a stranger to everyone I met there, many of my inhibitions
and cares went out the window. So I decided to create a protagonist (Newbie)
who consciously tried to do what I had done subconsciously, to reinvent
himself. His reasons for doing so came about from remorse; this being something
else I wanted to explore. Everyone handles grief in different ways, and
Newbie’s way was to run away from it. However, grief is such a strong and relentless
emotion that it had to follow him there. Indonesia is a very spiritual country
and I heard many ghost stories while on North Sumatra. I wanted to add some of
this supernatural aspect to my story and involve a little shaman magic. I also tried to touch on what happens when
people are let loose from the constraints of Western society; some become
idiots, some become wiser, some just lose it, and some manage all three.
Having written
the book came the slog of getting it published. After sending it off everywhere and getting all the
rejections, I decided to self-publish. Any writer wants to be taken on by an
agent or publisher, and to self-publish for me was almost a sell-out to my
dream. But I have no regrets. Through Jalan Jalan winning the Guardian self-published
book of the month award I was contacted by a very decent bloke, the equivalent
of a completely free agent, Tim Hannigan*. He is the author of A Brief History
of Indonesia and someone who had faith in my book and gave me all the right
contacts in Asia; a part of the world I had never considered sending my book
to. Why I hadn’t, I don’t really know. Brainwashing that Britain is the only
place for new British writers? I’m really not sure. But anyway, thanks to Tim,
Tuttle took me on.
It’s amusing having
people I know guess which bits of the book are real and which aren’t. I try not
to let on. I’d just like to say that it is a work of fiction sprinkled with
bits and pieces of the author. Which I suppose is what most books are.
*For 500 words
from Tim Hannigan click here.
