Author Questionnaire - Tom Tuohy

QUESTIONS:

·         What is the title of your book? Watching the Thais

·         What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A book that shows something new to both old hand expats and new visitors to Thailand.

·         What genre does your book fall under? S E Asian history, travel, culture, cross-cultural communication.

·         Where did the idea come from for the book? Several years ago when I was living in Bangkok and trying to get to grips with living in such a strange place, so different to where I’d been brought up - London.

·         How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? The book was written over a period of about 7 years.

·         Who or what inspired you to write this book? The sheer number of expats visiting, rising year on year, and the equal amount of ignorance of Thai culture that I saw.

·         Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Already published by a UK publisher through a UK Arts Council website, and in Thailand self published. I rejected a traditional publishing offer from Bangkok Books in 2007.

·         What other works would you compare this book to within your genre? There are many but “Mai Pen Rai Means Never Mind” stands out as does “Working with the Thais” Henry Holmes, Suchada Tangtongtavy.

·         What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a
movie rendition? This book is non fiction.

·         What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? The book answers a lot of questions that foreigners often ask about living in Thailand: why are Thais always smiling? Why do they not ever want to take responsibility for their actions? Why do they always seem to be in a group? Why are they so friendly? I also explain the history of their customs and festivals and why they always seem to be so superstitious and love ghost stories.