Fascinating are her words and the universe’s she creates!

One of the most renowned authors in an industry cluttered with NC content, Jittirain’s novels are characterized by slow burn romance which evokes nostalgia. As GMMTV’s mainstay author, most of her works have been adapted and recreated by the tech giant (2gether, Fish Upon the Sky, Theory of Love, Vice Versa & You Are My Favorite). She has literally and figuratively launched quite a few ships (Bright-Win, Pond-Phuwin & Gawin-Krist) and will most probably continue to do so in the future. In the midst of her busy schedule, we sat down for an intriguing conversation with the novelist. Her answers were akin to peeling off layers after layers of thought-provoking concepts and mindful conceptualization. Join us as we offer you a glimpse into her colorful & vivid world, something beyond our imagination!

1) One of the most successful authors in the Thai BL industry, how does it feel to your see your works being recreated into series?

Initially, I would feel excited and eagerly await the series being adapted from my novel because I wanted to see the scenes that resemble those in the novel. However, later on, I started to enjoy watching scenes in the series that differ significantly. These differences are actually a good thing as they provide new perspectives that the scriptwriters and directors want to present. I get to witness performances, look for reasons behind certain scene changes, and ultimately, how it affects or influences my feelings. This, indeed, is the feeling that I always eagerly anticipate.

2) Let’s start this interview with talking about your very first adaptation “Theory of Love”. The show’s unprecedented success was attributed to the lead pairing and the succinct storytelling. What are your thoughts?

I completely agree. It’s undeniable that OffGun being cast as the main characters in ‘Theory of Love’ has made the imagery in the novel stand out more prominently and become much more talked about. Furthermore, the editing and filming of the series trailer at the GMMTV event were so intriguing that they became a topic of discussion. For this, I would like to extend my credit to the entire team.

As for the series, thanks to OffGun’s acting skills and the contributions of supporting actors like White and Mike, along with the scenes, locations, the beauty of the imagery, and the direction, this series has become the one that I love excessively. I am excited to watch it every week.

It’s truly remarkable that ever since the cast (for the series adapted from my novel) was announced, the external appearance of OffGun perfectly matched Kai-Third’s from the novel. It’s stunning.

I vividly remember Gun as a highly talented actor. He excels in every role he plays. One of his films I like the most, ‘The Blue Hour,’ is very close to my heart. Therefore, when he joined the cast of this series, I never had any doubts. He can cry at the touch of a button, laugh freely, and play every role effortlessly. In “Theory of Love”, where the protagonist must navigate through sadness and love alone, then quickly switch to laughing and joking with friends, Gun performs exceptionally well.

I used to tell Off that my novels often feature protagonists who have a tan complexion and are muscular. However, “Theory of Love” seems to be the only story where he looks just like Off, just like copy and paste. He’s handsome, with eyes that shine, tall and charming. Off is everything. The character Kai is not complicated; he loves whoever he loves and if he doesn’t, he says so. But during a period of confusion, Kai suddenly becomes more complex. I remember the beach scene that Off played. He was Kai, conveying the whirlwind emotions of sadness and confusion so well that I had to re-watch it. He’s skilled, and most importantly, He looks handsome no matter what look he depicts.

3) This was followed by “2gether the Series” which became a worldwide phenomenon. The show heralded Bright Vachirawit & Win Metawin into stardom. Do you think both actors recreated the characters in the same way you had conceptualized them?

Indeed, the physical characteristics of both couples are quite different from Sarawat and Tine in the novel version. However, in the scenes where they are in front of the camera, it made me feel like ‘this is Sarawat and Tine.’ Bright particularly embodies Sarawat perfectly. He’s confident but playful, with a charismatic charm. Everything that Sarawat owns, Bright has it all. As for Win, he interpreted Tine differently. He doesn’t have to be cheerful all the time; it comes naturally to him. What Win presents as Tine’s image is truly well-executed.

4) “2gether the Series” was rather a simple romance between two college going students, how did it get extended to a sequel and a movie. How did you work with the screenwriters on this premise?

Due to the success of ‘2gether’ in its first season, combined with the strong connection between the readers, viewers, and the characters, I decided to write a special volume. Although the story line wasn’t as intense, it focuses more on narrating the events that the characters encounter at different times. The writing team and GMMTV saw the potential in this special episode and decided to convert it into a sequel, hence the creation of ‘Still 2gether’.

At this point, I would like to express my gratitude to the producers, directors, and the scriptwriting team for being able to weave together the situations in the special episode, where the timeline is not continuous, and for creating a second series that has a continuous and interesting story.

As for the film, I believe it was meant to feature the most beautiful ending of Sarawat-Tine’s love. The team gathered important scenes from all seasons for everyone to watch, culminating in a scene that I have never seen before. This becomes a memorable conclusion for ‘2gether.’ At that moment, I cried heavily because of the overwhelming emotions.

If asked about my involvement in the sequel, I would say not much. My main role is akin to that of a viewer eagerly anticipating when the series will air each week. While I may offer consultation on certain aspects of the script, the majority of the scriptwriting team is already very skilled.

5) Your adaptations are rather popular for launching rookie actors into stardom. Phuwin Tangsakyuen & Pond Naravit are another example of the same. Was their acting on par with the characters you created in “Fish Upon The Sky”?

I have always admired Phuwin as an actor. He is talented, versatile, and able to adapt himself to the role effortlessly. He’s like Pi, the character I wrote in the novel, almost as if he was taken straight out of it. Whether its physical appearance or personality traits that he tried to interpret and convey, he did it convincingly. Moreover, since the series has a sitcom-like format with some exaggerated elements, actors have to overplay their roles a bit, but I was never worried about Phuwin’s acting. He always nails it.

Pond is a newcomer to acting, and when I first saw him, he didn’t quite resemble Mork in the novel. However, believe it or not, Pond is another person I can confidently say is charming. In the role of a hot young man with a unique identity, his charm was indescribable. This made the character Mork, portrayed by Pond, a pleasant surprise for me.

6) You became famous writing college romances. Your next novels “Vice Versa” & “You Are My Favorite” have fantasy elements. Why this sudden deviation from the norm? What made you choose this genre instead?

I am someone who loves watching movies very much. In fact, every year, I go in and out of movie theaters several times. The genres I enjoy the most is thriller, horror, fantasy and Sci-fi. Interestingly, romance movies are the ones I watch the least among all genres.

Likewise, I’m not particularly fond of reading romance novels. However, I find that I can write them well because I’ve gained a lot of experiences from people around me, which I can convey through my writing.

So why did I choose fantasy? As I have mentioned, I’ve been interested in fantasy for a long time. In the past, I’ve attempted writing pertaining to this genre but that was never completed. I was simply afraid that I wouldn’t do it well. However, one day, I decided to try writing a story based on my interests. It may not be as intricate as the fantasy works I’ve attempted in the past, but I wanted to adapt it to fit the current world, incorporating elements of love and relationships. And that’s how I ended up with a novel that everyone is reading today.

7) The concept of “Alternate Universe” is quite difficult to envision, what did you have in mind when you sat down to write “Vice Versa”?

I miss Theory of Love.

During that time, I was a university student, experiencing student life. In the story, the protagonist was part of the HOD gang, so it felt like a film student making a short film before graduation. However, by the time I was writing Vice Versa, I had already graduated from university for several years. I had learned a lot about the world, experienced both sweetness and bitterness, hopefulness and disappointment. Therefore, I wanted to present the image of someone who had graduated from film school and was pursuing their dreams in real life.

Now, writing the same old scenes can feel repetitive, so I decided to incorporate the “Alternate Universe” concept to add some excitement to the novel. Moreover, during that time, both the novel and film industries were buzzing with excitement over “Alternate Universe”. This trend was evident in the flourishing of superhero universes. Therefore, I decided to experiment with the trend and incorporate it into my work. From the bottom of my heart, I can say that ‘Vice Versa’ is the story I am most proud of.

8) Time Travel romances are becoming popular these days, was that the reason for choosing this subject as the premise for “You Are My Favorite”. Did Krist Perawat & Gawin Caskey (Be My Favorite) live upto the dreamscape you had envisaged?

There are many movies and books that deal with the concept of the butterfly effect, but the one that impressed me the most and made me go back to watch it repeatedly is the movie ‘About Time.’ It tells the story of human relationships using time travel as a tool to advance the plot. I felt deeply moved by the film as it introduced me to people, taught me about happiness to the point of smiling widely, and made me cry almost to the point of death when sadness visited.

Those feelings inspired “Be My Favorite”. I wanted to write something that makes readers feel warmhearted when they read it. The relationships of the characters in the story are like that. Slowly but surely, they found their “Happily Ever After” before coming to an end.

Krist is one of the actors I have always admired, ever since he starred in his first series, like SOTUS. His return to Boys Love series was something I never expected, but I was overwhelmingly happy about it. In the series, his character Kawi is different from the novel in every way. In the novel, he’s uncomplicated, cheerful, and sees the world positively. However, in the series, Kawi is one of those who views the world negatively, is influenced by the society and his surroundings. I have to say I was excited to see the transformation of Kawi in this version that I was not familiar with, but it helps me understand why he has to act that way. The script is exceptionally well-written, and Krist portrays all those emotions well throughout. I cried, sympathized, and wanted him to be hopeful. The feeling while watching “Be My Favourite” was no different from watching “About Time”. Krist did an amazing job.

When I saw Gawin in the role of Pisaeng, I thought, “This is Pisaeng that I wrote.” He’s like a figment of my imagination. His gentle face, mischievous nature, yet caring attitude, his portrayal kept immersed me for many days. I was engrossed in every scene he appeared in, even when he was acting with Krist. I felt he was excessively adorable. After the series ended, I received a video from him expressing gratitude, and if given the chance, he’d like to work together again. For me, he’s always Pisaeng, and in the future, he can play any role because of his talent.

9) Are any other of your novels in the process of being adapted into TV series? If yes, please share more details about them?

I will have two more series in the planning stages and another movie that I co-wrote. I think everyone will see them in April. As for the movies, they will start shooting around May. By the end of the year, we will probably see those movies in theaters.

10) What are you working on right now? Talk to us about your future BL novels?

I’ve just finished writing a novel titled “Romantic Not Comedy”. It’s a story that expanded from a movie script of the “Friend Credits” gang in the Vice Versa series. It took quite a lot of energy to write, so I’m currently on a long break. However, there are still four more stories in the stockpile that I plan to write. I’m not sure if I’ll finish them within the next two years, but I hope everyone will continue to follow me. Thank you very much.

The BL Xpress would like to thank Ms. Jittirain for this opportunity!