On September 24, 2011 KLB conducted an author chat with Sylvain Reynard on Twitter using the hashtag #SRGI. This is a list of all of the questions that were answered by Sylvain:
Q: I am dying for the next book. When will we see that?
A: The sequel is in progress and I don't have a release date yet. But soon hopefully
A: Gabriel's vulnerability is well hidden in most instances, but it's there. He thinks he deserves bad things
but of course he wants to be loved and he wants to have a good life. So the struggle is between his beliefs and his desires
Q: Will the sequel take off from the ending of the first book or will there be a time gap of some sort?
A: It isn't set yet so I can't say for sure. It won't be set until it heads to the printers
Q: What inspired you to write Gabriel Inferno?
A: I was inspired to tell a story of a man who wanted redemption but thought that he didn't deserve that and I had in mind Someone like Dante - who desired someone from afar with no hope of attaining her
Q: How has Gabriel'a Inferno affected you're personal life?
A: Well, publishing a book means I receive more email. ;) I've certainly met very nice people from around the world
Q: Speaking of the sequel, should we expect any changes or surprises with the published version?
A: I can't say what's in the sequel ... but I think you'll all be in for some (good) surprises ;)
Q: How much of you is your hero's character?
A: There is quite a bit of me in Gabriel - good and bad. Certainly the way he hides behind formality is a weakness of mine
Q: I'd love to know who/what was your inspiration for the character of Julia. I find her intriguing...
A: For Julia/Beatrice, I was inspired by an ideal type of woman - and Dante describes her in La Vita Nuova
But truthfully, she has some resemblance to an old friend. And that's all I can say about that :)
Q: How did you choose the names for GI-Gabriel, Julia, Rachel, Scott, Paul, Simon, etc
A: I chose Biblical names in keeping with the themes of Dante's Inferno - or names that sounded well
Q: Speaking of Dante how did you come across the Divine Comedy?For study purposes or else?
A: I came across Dante years ago and have been reading him ever since. He's a good chap but he won't friend me on Goodread
A: Being in Gabriel's head when he was cruel was difficult. I'm not perfect by any means but I don't like to hurt others
Q: Is anything you can share with us ,w/o giving to much away about The Professor
A: One thing I can say about the Professor is that he is sometimes unpredictable -but that's because he's a conflicted man
Q: Is there any part of your personality that you incorporated into Gabriel?
A: Yes, I'm fussy about some things. It's not my best trait . I like to think Gabriel is an extreme version of that. But when someone is unhappy, they try to control minutiae
Q: What role does music play in the life of Mr Emerson?
A: Music is very important for Gabriel. It's part of his life as a sensualist - he derives pleasure from it/it enhances others
Q: Share with us why you picked the Dave Matthews song for the love scene please.
A: Music muse asked a question,I've lost her address - but I choose Dave Matthews for the bedroom scene because of the rhythm & lyrics
Q: Hi SR! How would you describe your writing process?
A: My writing process is sporadic in that I write in whatever spare time I have. But I do try to write daily
Q: What do you think really attracts him to Julia besides the Dante connection.
A: This is an important question and it gets to the heart of how I view the world. I think kindness is beautiful. I think goodness is attractive. even if Julia was not physically pleasing, her character would make her beautiful (to those who can see)
Q: I liked the way things ended in GI. Why did you decide to write a sequel? Was that always your plan?
A: When I envisioned the storyr, it was very long. Too long for 1 book. so it was divided. but GI is a story in itself
Q: Evening, SR! (Sneaktweet here)! Did you confer with s/o (female) when trying to perfect Julia's *voice*?
A: To me, Julia's voice just is. But I can say that her sayings and mannerisms are features of my old friend ...
A: I've lost track of who was next. So let me answer a few rapid fire. My faith gives me hope. I didn't think the sex in the book was graphic but I hope it wasn't vulgar. That wasn't my intention.
A: No worries. I just wanted to say that I wasn't trying to write a book with a lot of sex in it (blushing) ;)
Q: If someone offers you to make a movie based on your book GI - would you agree for that?
A: If someone wanted to make a movie of GI I think I would be delighted ... @stephooch And the same could be said for FF But what I would really like is for @grlNyellowshoes to choreograph and perform an interpretative dance of the story
Q: Is there anything in the book you as SR is uncomfortable with but your characters "demanded" it?
A: There was a good deal in Gabriel's life that I was uncomfortable, especially his sexual escapades
Q: Hi Sr, Professor is a romantic and sweet man, is just a character or it's your personality
A: I think I will plead poetic license here ;)
A: One thing I wanted to say was how I view Julia's character. I know a lot of readers were frustrated with her - and I understand. But to me, her actions doesn't make sense unless you take into account her background with her parents and her beliefs. I think they explain a great deal. Which is why when I see her shy and reluctant to assert herself, I see her with compassion for an abused girl.
A: The title for the sequel isn't set yet although I have had a couple of ideas - open to suggestions here
A: Someone asked about writing context ... I can't write with music although I envision music in the scenes. I write listening to the sound of the words and the character voices so the sounds are important to me. But I think jazz is the best music to ... do things to.
A: I also wanted to mention that if you're interested in the story of Dante and Beatrice, read La Vita Nuova rather than Inferno
Q: Did you get any advice from females in your life about the fashion for Julia & other characters?
A; Well, I had to do a lot of research, some of which was online ... and some of which came from - ah- other sources
Q: Why did you decide to use a Pen name when you published?
A: Hi Miss Amy. Using a pen name enables me to write and then retreat back into my private life, where I am most comfortable
Q: Any ideas for a new novel after sequel to GI is completed?
A: Heather Huffman and I are talking about collaborating on a project together in support of World Vision - it's early stages yet
A: Someone asked about the death of Grace in Gabriel's Inferno - without giving it away, I thought it was essential for a couple of ... Sorry I should have said that last answer was for reasons, not least because all of us are affected by the loss of a loved one, and in may cases to cancer. I've started following a major Canadian cancer charity and an American one on twitter as a way of highlighting this.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you about writing the story? Did the characters "change direction" on you any time?
A: Yes, the characters changed direction more than once. Julia decided to speak up in that seminar, for one example
Q: How did you come to use an additional non-fanfic character (Katherine Picton) in the story?
A: Katherine Picton was partially based on Dorothy L. Sayers, who translated Dante. I think her English translation is great
A: To me the first part of the story always ended in Italy - it was the culmination of the journey of the two characters
Q: Professor love women shoes, why it's so important, I love shoes but what it's so important to him??
A: Yes the Professor admire's pretty shoes on a woman. All humans have quirks - this was one of his. Some would say that bowties are another. Not everyone liked the bow tie ;)
A: food or Scotch? ;) RT @sylvainreynard: A friend suggested I should post about food, too :)
Yes, I agree. One should include the drinks, too. A book club put together a drink list for each chapter
Q: Gabriel's Purgatorio? Ok, probably that's not a good one
A: I'm glad you mentioned that as well. Italian is another language I'm eager to have the book translated into
Q: Will there be just one more book or 2?
A: At the moment, only the sequel is planned
If you asked a question that wasn't answered at the chat, please email KLB at: klbvirtualevents@gmail.com and we will forward them to Sylvain to answer. A big thank you to Sylvain for agreeing to do this as well as participating in the chat. We love your book and can't wait to read the sequel!
Don't forget to check out the schedule for the Gabriel's Inferno Virtual Journey for your chance to win an ecopy of the book!
