Shikoku
David Tepfer
…an island in Japan, where bicycles, food and love mix for high adventure.
A retired professor-poet and a young doctor-jazz singer cycle Shikoku in the Seto Inland Sea. Their wanderings unite them emotionally and physically, and help them to overcome past tragedies and to discover new lives in themselves and each other. They are aided by bicycles, cherry blossoms, wild coastlines, hot spring bathing and Japanese cuisine. They discuss love, life, art and religion. The usual conflict between good and evil is subdued, and while the love story is the motive force, it is not the only intrigue. Shikoku is a “novelogue,” not only because their adventures take place through cycling, but also because the characters undertake a voyage to a better life.
Interview
What is your favourite thing about writing books?
Inhabiting other lives.
Who is your favourite character in your book and why?
Sara is my favourite. I’m in love with her. She is a tribute to my wife.
What is your favourite drink to consume while writing?
Tea.
Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing?
Checking my email.
How did you research your book?
Went there. Did it. Lived it.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I write instinctively. I describe what I see and record what I hear. I’m definitely not a plotter, but I have the feeling that the story is performed. I just need to connect to it in a remote place. When I connect, the story writes itself.
If you could live in any fictional world, which would you choose and why?
I live in a fictional world. We all do.
If you could befriend any fictional character, who would you choose and why?
Genji from The Tale of Genji, because his life and times were so different from mine.
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
Publication Date: 26th January 2021
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age: Adult
Reviewer: N/A
Source: N/A
