I’m in overdrive at the moment, getting ready for my annual trip to Cambodia and the kids of Anjali House. As chance would have it, I’ve been offered the perfect way to get myself into the Cambodian feel, namely to write about a new novel, set in the ancient history of the Angkor civilisation. Temple of a Thousand Faces is the sixth novel by acclaimed novelist, John Shors, who specialises in writing about exotic places. He has set this book in 1177, when Prince Jayavar is the leader of the Cambodian people and must fight off the violent invasion by Indravarman, the leader of the Chams. Indravarman establishes himself and his huge army in Angkor Wat, while Jayavar, his bride, Ajadevi, and the remiander of his people must hide out in the jungles of Angkor plotting their revenge.
This is an historical novel filled with engaging characters caught within a tale of romance, heartbreak and torn allegiances. For me, it was a perfect way to get my head out of dreary, wintry London, and into that world which I have grown to love. But as you know, my Cambodian-inspired fiction is firmly set in the present day, and so I was eager to ask John some questions about his inspiration:
Me: Temple of a Thousand Faces is your sixth novel, John, and you have written about places from India to Vietnam to Thailand and beyond. This novel is set in ancient Cambodia. I was wondering how you choose the places you write about. Do the novels grow out of your travels, out of an interest in a specific location’s history, or does the story line come to you first?
John: I have been fortunate to spend a chunk of my life in SE Asia. I love that part of the world, and am enamored by its history, cultures, and people. Sometimes, after visiting a very special place, I immediately become inspired to write a novel about it. Of course, a great deal of research is necessary to bring a foreign location to life on the page, but I enjoy that pursuit. As a reader, my favorite novels are the ones that expose me to unfamiliar people and places. Those are the kinds of books that I’m also interesting in writing.
Me: My own writings about Cambodia are firmly set in post-Khmer Rouge, present times. Your novel is historical. Could you talk a bit about historical fiction and why you have chosen to set your stories in the past rather than the present?
John: The temple of Angkor Wat is one of the most beautiful sights that I have ever beheld. I wanted to try and reincarnate this sight on the pages of a novel. Once I made that decision, I had to determine which moment of Angkor Wat’s thousand-year-old history I would focus on. I elected to go far back in time to a point when that civilization was under great duress from its enemies. Its people were beaten, but managed to rise up and reclaim their kingdom. I was also inspired by the leaders of this empire, who were by all accounts, extraordinary people.
Me: You and I both use our writing to support charities in the places we write about. This use of literature for social change is something I am talking about more and more as I travel around with my books. Could you discuss the connection between your work and your charitable support? Do you think your training as a writer has helped lead you to this work in any way?
John: First of all, congratulations on your charitable endeavors. My hat goes off to you. For me, it’s important that some good comes out of each of my novels. These works, after all, shouldn’t benefit only my family, but a wide array of people. With each of my novels, I’ve partnered with a charity located in the country that I’ve written about. These partnerships have experienced some triumphs. For instance, through the success of my third novel, Dragon House, we raised enough money to buy complete sets of school books for 1,500 homeless children in Vietnam. I hope to achieve a similar outcome in Cambodia from the success of Temple of a Thousand Faces.
Thanks to John for taking time out from his busy book promotion tour to answer these questions. I already feel transported to that amazing city of Angkor and its temples. To think, I’ll actually be there in just a few days! I hope you’ll come with me as I blog about the trip, the kids, the research I’ll be doing for the final novel in my Cambodian trilogy, and whatever surprises await. And to start, read John’s gripping novel which sets the scene for what Cambodia once was a thousand years ago, and what it’s all about today.
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| I took this at the temples last year |
Oooh I am sooo going to have to buy that book!! I adored all the temples at Angkor when we visited and it is a place I would LOVE to go back to!
Thanks to both of you for sharing your thoughts and for sharing the fruits of your labours with others (and I don’t just mean the readers of your books). As someone who works in the Charity sector and did a lot of work in the slums of Thailand I know just what a big difference having that support makes!
C x