ASK ANNE ATSUSA

JUST ... HOW? AND WHY?

I already thought about weird and funny stories when I was still in kindergarden. Making the people around me burst out in laughter and pee their pants makes me really happy. 

Maybe writing comes natural to me, but I think eating, sleeping and pooping regularly helps with maintaining a healty creative output.

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The best ideas always come to my mind when I drive around with my car, excercise at the gym or just sit on the toilet and stare at the wall. Showering and a bottle of good German beer also helps to get a brainwave.

But keep in mind: If you want to achieve something, you have to sacrifice time and dive in with full dedication. Even a stupid story needs a lot of research, reading and planning.

I wrote my first stories in elementary school, but never managed to step out of my comfort zone and release a story in a foreign language. Well, now it's time to change it!

YOU HAVEN'T REALLY EXPLAINED WHY YET!

Yeah, the legend of ASS! of BIKE!

Once upon a time my dear Nana Yaa shared a cycling manga named Yowamushi Pedal (by Wataru Watanabe) on social media and I fell in love instantly.

A couple of years later an anime was made out of it. When I saw the animation, my first thought was: "WHY? They just can't show moving cyclists without animating their backside properly!"

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From this time on I thought about writing a story about a pro-cyclist who just loves to watch other guys cycling.

This thought was buried deep within me - until fall 2016. When I was unemployed and depressed after graduation, the first episodes of "Yuri on ICE!!" aired. And I thought: "Those ****, they sure want to queer bait us again. Oh come on, I can't stand this, let me just write a light novel with wild passionate love for sports and ... other sports." 

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Yeah, so that's basically what happened. I wanted action and gay and gay and action.

This was the birth of ASS! of BIKE.

BUT SERIOUSLY ... ASS (!) OF BIKE?

I LOVE puns! ASS (!) of BIKE is the epitome of a bad pun. Ass is German and means ace. So basically, the title is bilingual and means ace of bike. 

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Maybe ASS also stands for Acetylsalicylsäure (acetylsalicylic acid, ASA) and is a hint on medication misuse in pro-cycling? 

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No, no, no! It's all about card games on bicycles!!

IS IT GOING TO BE A LONG RIDE?

The story will be completed after 21 chapters. I'm currently working on the fourth and final volume and I'm stuck on chapter 18. It's about the time trial in Marseilles and I want to make it as dramatic as possible.

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But I love my boys so much! I'm already thinking about a sequel named ASS! of Bike Gir∞ about the Giro d'Italia 2020. 

Sadly the Giro was postponed due to Covid-19, so let's hope it will take place in fall. I wanted to travel to Italy to get some live footage, but this year is a bit strange, right... 

Well, let's hope for the best and enjoy ASS! of BIKE at the Tour until then!

DO YOU ENJOY CYCLING, TOO?

I'd love to! I really want to! But I can't afford a gravel bike and stylish cycling clothes yet! That's why I go to the gym, do some spinning, close my eyes and imagine my own race. Sad story! (LOL)

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If you want to make my dream of owning a gravel bike come true, please subscribe on Tapas and tell all of your friends about ASS! of BIKE.

THANK YOU!!

CAN YOU RECOMMEND A "SOUNDTRACK"?

Sure I can! ASS! of BIKE's soundtrack might contain electric dance music by electronic music producers PIXL (Nemanja Brenjo) from Australia and Nhato (Tatsuya Fukumuro) from Japan. Check them out on Spotify!
Even a metalhead like me sometimes enjoys mad electronic music!