On interviewing debut authors

 

I have interviewed a lot of debut authors on my blog. They have spanned various genres: self-help, thrillers, non-fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, among others. 

They have been from various professions, while some of them have written books that suit their profession (see: Shama Patel, a psychiatrist who wrote 21 ways of being happy) while some others have taken a plunge from professions like medicine into writing a fiction piece with a cat and a dog as the protagonists. (Deepal Kripal who wrote The Devil's Gate)

Being an aspiring author and an avid reader, it has always piqued my interest to know what makes the authors take the call, and finally have the transition from their profession into the field of writing.

Here's what I found: they seek inspiration from whichever source they can: it can be their own profession, it can be their workplace, the eccentric people they work with, their own fertile imagination, or a gap in the published market they want to tap. 

So, RV Raman penned Fraudster, a thriller/crime fiction which was a product of his experiences in the corporate sector, as he remarks, "The corporate world is a fertile ground for stories – both inspirational and fictional. It has a fascinating interplay of every emotion one can think of, and every kind of conflict. Fiction, after all, is about emotive conflict. I saw an untapped potential for crime fiction there, and decided to give it a go."

 I have observed that all these authors share one common thread: they had been looking for inspiration, which means that they already knew they would write one day. Just like you and me, they had an itch to write, they just needed the right idea and plot. Saurabh Garg, author of The Nidhi Kapoor Story, confirms my belief, "There was no epiphany per se. But, there was this inkling that I had for almost ten years that I want to write a book. And rather than just one blinding flash of lightening striking my head from up above, a lot of things came together to make this book possible."

During one such interview, an amusing concept of an alter-ego comes up. I had seen so many authors with professional jobs in the corporate sector, which means that they obviously did not get much time from their work deadlines and other pre-occupations. I was naturally curious to know how they managed to go through the herculean and emotionally taxing task of writing and getting published. In her response, Shikha Kumar, author of the romance novel He FIXED the match, she fixed him, told me, "We all have an alter-ego which we at times even keep away from the world with fear of being mocked up. But I decided to embark an journey in unknown terrain with just one funda “I have nothing to lose”. Time management was certainly a challenge, but when the self-drive is so insanely lethal I think even odds starts working in your favor."

These were all lessons in writing, marketing and taking the plunge. However, there has been one very very important lesson I learnt in all my formal/informal conversations with the authors : never give up. I realised that all the authors were writing about the subject that was dear to them, that they felt the most passionate about: Lee Van ham wrote about the environment because that is where his mind belongs. Someone descended into a fictional world because because it was his/her escape just like it was the readers'. 

Yet another positive soul wrote a book on happiness because that's her goal in life: making more and more people happy.

You don't write for the sake of it. You write because you feel.

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Author Spotlight and Interview: Saurabh Garg

Saurabh Garg has authored a murder-mystery with a twist. It has Bollywood, it has pets, it has police at work, it has an investigative journalist, it has life, it has strife. This is how we review it:

A lot of thought, research and plotting has gone into scripting this masterpiece. Honestly, coming from a debut author, this is an expert writing.

(Read full review here)

Interview

Congratulations on getting published. So, tell our readers about that moment of epiphany when you realized that you are going to write this book?

Thank you!

There was no epiphany per se. But, there was this inkling that I had for almost ten years that I want to write a book. And rather than just one blinding flash of lightening striking my head from up above, a lot of things came together to make this book possible.

One was my hectic job. Even though it was as exciting as they come, it was sapping. Two was this short story that I had written that I thought I could extend into a book. Three was this friend who told me that he's starting a business and needs my help. Four was my then-girlfriend who was in Mumbai and wanted me to move to Mumbai. Five was the eternal question, "if not now, then when!"

So these things came together, conspired (as Coelho would say) and made me work on the book!


It has been an observation that everything in the book was quite thoroughly researched: the descriptions of Mumbai, the details about legal system so on and so forth. How tedious was this part?

Very!

But most it was done using two tools - Google and Wikipedia. And it took a lot of time and effort to do so. Plus a lot of bandwidth and coffee. Good to see that people are appreciating it.

Even though it was tedious, I enjoyed it. Probably because I am very curious as an individual. The research for book helped me feed my curiosity.

For my next book, I am currently reading about Navrasa - the nine emotions. And I am reading the Geeta. And about the Bombay of the 70s! Let's see what comes out of this concoction.


How difficult was the writing process? And what was the most exciting part- etching the plot, sketching the characters or proofreading it?

Proofreading. Definitely.

Because while I was sketching the characters, I was, sort of, playing God. I could give all sorts of shades and hues to the characters. I could create good, evil, interesting, boring, funny, drab and all other sort of people. I know there are a lot of things that I can't do in real life. But I could get my characters to do those.

Talking of the plot, t I don't really work on a plot per se. I start with a theme. I work on characters. I think about locations. And then I throw them all together in a blender. And then I let fate decide the outcome. I could get lucky with things and get a pot boiler that everyone wants to read. Or may be get something that even I would be ashamed to put my name to. I work hard and then hope like hell that I get lucky.

Proofreading is boring because you know the story. You can't make changes. You can't add things. You can't twist the story again. You can't play God. All you can do is find your mistakes and cringe over those. You can spot inconsistencies and whine about those. And the mistakes, the typos, the inconsistencies don't seem to end ever. Even after 8943 revisions!


Was there any instance in the novel where you made the story an outlet for your repressed feelings: good or bad?

Haha :) Tough question. You expect me to be honest with this one?

Few things did come from my real experiences. Most characters are inspired by real people - just that I don't really know more of them. For example, Nishant Kapoor is loosely inspired on one of the leading actors of the yesteryears. Rujuta is inspired by a friend's girlfriend. Prakash's bald head is inspired by mine. So on and so forth.

The story, the plot however is original. As they say, correlation to any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.


This one is an off-beat question: Rujuta and Prakash both had a personal story of their own, but the stories were left incomplete. Why the cliffhanger? We get it that the end of the story doesn't mean the end of their lives, but leaving your readers pondering about these facts, you seem to have acquired the status of John Green already!
Jokes apart, will characters from the book ever make a comeback and reprise their role for a sequel of sorts?

Thanks for mentioning John Green and me in the same line. You made my day!

And yeah, a sequel, a reprise may happen. But the characters have to get a case worthy of their time and attention.

I am toying with the idea because a lot of people who've read the book have told me that they want to read more about the characters. So, along with Navrasa, Mumbai in the 70s, I may throw in characters from #tnks back in the blender. Let's see how the story writes itself.


 How does it feel in the post-published phase? where do plan to go from here: probably experimenting with genres or churning more racy reads?

Despite the cliché, trust me, life is still the same. No one has sent me love letters. Or hate mails for that matter. I dont get stopped to ask for autographs. That million-dollar movie deal is still a distant dream. I haven't been invited to give motivational talks. My mother can't remember the name of my first book. #sgMS hasn't responded to my rather public proposal. I haven't been sued by anyone for throwing mud at their legacy.

So, life is still the same.

However a lot of good things have happened. People seem to have liked the book. Lot more than what I had expected. Most readers have been tolerant of typos and grammatical errors. Some have sent letters and I have made few new friends. So, life has been good.

In terms of writing, I am trying to convert the book in to a screenplay. A friend recommended that I write a love story - only because it sells! I may give it a shot. You think I must?

Apart from that I am working on my next. Hope to release it in Nov of 2015. But then, I cant really predict the future. Lets see what's in store in 2015. I am really looking forward to it.

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Book Review: The Nidhi Kapoor Story by Saurabh Garg

About the Book:

Two dogs and a cat are butchered at the home of Nidhi Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actress. Left behind is a mysterious letter threatening Nidhi and her family.

Nishant Kapoor, Nidhi’s father and a superstar of the yesteryears is confined to a retirement facility in the hills. Tormenting him are his recurring dreams of someone trying to hurt him and his family.

A film set where Nidhi Kapoor is shooting for her much anticipated film goes up in flames. Trapped inside are Nidhi and her sister, Payal.

ACP Prakash Mohile is forced to take up the investigation. Rujuta Singh, a photojournalist chronicling the lives of policemen in Mumbai and shadowing Prakash, gets embroiled in the case.

Unwarranted incidents continue to happen and in absence of any real clues or motive, Prakash and Rujuta are forced to dig deeper in the past of the Kapoors. They unknowingly stumble onto a violent tale of lies, betrayal, treachery, infidelity and murder.

Time is running out fast and the unknown assailant is adamant on taking away from Nidhi everything that she holds dear - her career, her home, her reputation, her family and her life. With each move, he seems to be getting close. The answers however continue to elude Prakash and Rujuta.
What is it in their past that Kapoors are hiding from the world?
What grudge does the assailant hold against the Kapoors?
And, can they save Nidhi?

About the Author:

Curious marketeer by the day, Saurabh Garg is a storyteller by the night. The Nidhi Kapoor story is his first full-length story.

Apart from writing, Saurabh is passionate about startups, travel and poker. When he is not working on creating characters and plots for his upcoming stories, he likes to meet and talk to other interesting people and ask them stupid questions that often don't have answers.

Saurabh maintains a very elaborate bucket list. The item on top of his list is to visit every country in the world. So far, he's been to 15.

Originally from Delhi and based out of Mumbai, he went to Delhi university and MDI Gurgaon for his undergrad and postgrad respectively.

My Review:

Without any circumlocution, let me tell the prospective readers: this is the most well-crafted story of the contemporary times. The mystery is huge, yet palatable, the thrill is unvarying and consistent, the plot line is well thought-out. There have been so many points to admire about this book, I am compelled to enumerate them, so not to leave out any.

A lot of thought, research and plotting has gone into scripting this masterpiece. Honestly, coming from a debut author, this is an expert writing.
The characters have been etched with a precision such that their idiosyncrasies and behaviours are believable. Every character has a story. Right from the photojournalist Rujuta to the startlet Nidhi Kapoor.

The descriptions- of the city Mumbai, of the police and journalism profession- have been thoroughly entertaining and so apt. Add to it a cherry on top in the form of spicy bites of Bollywood, and you have the perfect entertaining read.
And then, there's more to it: the pace is so correct, it is a page turner. What else makes it a page-turner? The manner in which it unfolds. It is not a typical chronological sequence that the events follow, rather it unravels pivotal pints at the crucial time. Timing again is apparently a forte of the author. This works to intensify and amplify the thrill with which the reader reads, and then remains glued.
I don't know if it is just me, but I really could not find anything in the book that made it seem like the first book of an author: it could give John Grisham a run for his readers. No, seriously. This novel, only re-instates that the thrillers scene has finally arrived in India.

My Judgement:

It is a page-turner, an entertainer, and a well-crafted plot: all packed in one. Revel in its completeness, go grab your copy now, because you definitely don't want to miss the next bestseller on the block.

I thank the author for providing me with a review copy!
you can also like the facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/TheNidhiKapoorStory