first question,
i am wondering on how you come up with the concept of Jack and whether his personality is based on a woman’s preception of men, interviewing different mens and combine some of their elements or based on someone in real life?

second question,
will this story be easier if it is a MtF transformation?

third question,
.. crap, i forgot.

anywyas, thanks~

So here’s a question for you regarding Jack’s memories and sensations during Jill’s phase–or rather, a theory you can either refute or confirm: The way I understand it now is that Jack doesn’t necessarily experience what Jill is doing while she’s doing it. When Jill sees Ramie undress, for example, Jack doesn’t immediately feel a little thrill about it. It’s only after Jack wakes up at the beginning of his phase that he can scan Jill’s memories and find the moment when she saw Ramie in a bra. Right? After spending a childhood reading Animorphs (in which an alien can invade a person’s mind and take over their body while the person is still conscious of what’s going on and can even converse with the alien in their head), it’s hard for me to grasp the concept that only Jack or only Jill can exist at one time, not both together. They share a body, but not simultaneously; they take turns with it.

Really, then, I guess the question I’m leading to is why does Jill eventually kiss Ramie (after feeling awkward around her for so long)? Is it just a case of “muscle memory” in which her body and emotions are responding certain ways to previously conditioned stimuli (from when Jack kissed Ramie), or is it actually that Jack is beginning to “invade” Jill’s mind during her phase? Can Jack and Jill both be conscious at the same time?

And I guess I’ll tag on a couple more questions while I’m at it:

How long is Jill’s hair at the beginning of the book? Did Jack compromise with Jill on a fairly unisex look or does he have to endure a long, flowing, “girlie” look? (Are the cover photos accurate as to how you imagine the characters?)

What are Jack’s feelings toward his parents? Does he really feel like their son, or does he see himself more as a house guest? Does he love them? Do they love him? (Or does Richard, anyway?)

I feel like these are questions I can answer myself, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on them. I could ask even more questions about all kinds of little bitty details, but that would probably get tiresome. I’d also like to ask some things about the sequel, but then I feel like that’d be unfair of me, so I’ll just have to wait and read it in August! I don’t want to spoil it for myself, anyway.

Thanks again!

Did you always plan to write a sequel and possibly turn it into a series or did the success of Cycler make you want to do it?

Thanks.

Josh H