Interview Session with Nida Ahmed

Hello fellow readers,

Today I am going to introduce you guys with Nida Ahmed. She is the author of a brand new novel named ‘We Decided on Forever’ which happens to be her debut work. She is a really hopeful and optimistic soul. It was a pleasure talking to her. I am doing a pre release interview so that you get to know what she is coming up.

Sur:  When did writing happened to you? 
Nida: Well, I am not sure. May be when I saw people giving up their hopes so easily or may be when I noticed people back down before the miracle happens.
Sur: Who inspired you to write this book? 
Nida: Life. Emotions.
  Wet eyes.
  Untold stories.
Sur: The title and the cover is amazing. What is the hidden story behind the title? 
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Nida: “We Decided On Forever” is   all about True Love.
Its not about the party, or the ring or about anything materialistic.
But, the person you are with, you have truly decided on forever with that person.
Sur:According to you, which is the toughest genre to write about? Opine your thoughts on it.
Nida: Though every genre has it uniqueness and inculcates an emotion within itself. But to me…its a Comedy; because even if you are skilled at adding the jokes, not everyone finds the same things funny as humor is subjective.
Sur: What is important for a book to be successful and why?
Nida:I think “A compelling Topic”
The concept itself must turn heads. You should have a fresh idea. It sparks interest, it compels people to want to read more. Also, there should be emotional connection established between characters and readers, simply because we humans, are relational beings. We thrive off of relationship with other people.
This should be one of the top writing priorities.
P.S- The book is available on Amazon. Grab your copies now.

Conversation with Sapan Saxena

Hello Lovelies,

Today we have Sapan Saxena, author of UNNS- The Captivation. He is an amazing person to interact with. This book is his second novel, first one being Finders, Keepers. Apart from this, he is a great cook and a die hard fan of Shahrukh Khan.

Sur:Tell us something more beside your bio mentioned on social sites.

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Sapan: That I am a great singer when I am in my bathroom? OK, jokes apart, I am a good dancer as well and have won many prizes in my college. In fact, I did a little jig on SRK’s Jabra Fan and SRK himself shared it on Twitter from his official account. Also I like cooking a lot, and Hyderabadi Biryani is my specialty. My wife has no complaints except that the kitchen is a mess afterwards.
Sur: When did you realise that you have thoughts of being a writer, even though you are a software engineer?

Sapan: So, that’s a great question, in fact. My father accidently gave me the idea of my first book. I thought the idea was interesting enough to be converted into a book. But still, the social stigma was very much there. My wife was very helpful in pulling me out of the social stigma. Every time I would doubt, she would just say, you can write such complex algorithms, why cant you write a book.

Sur: What inspired you to write this book?

Sapan: To be honest, UNNS was supposed to be my last book. Well, if not last, at least after 4-5 books as I believed I was not ready to handle romance. I could write another mystery, a thriller like my first book. But then, I moved to Nashua during winters and it was snow all around. Somehow I had imagined the last part of my book in hut blocked by snow. This pumped me up and I wrote UNNS.

Sur: I really loved the names, Atharva and Meher Qasim. Are these characters fictional or you have met someone whom you wanted to write about?
Sapan: I usually like to keep the names of my characters inspire by people I know, or my friends. But Atharva and Meher Qasim just clicked. There are other characters like Shruti, Shobhit, Dev, Sasha and I know people with these names.
Sur: This book has a potential of being converted into a movie under crime or detective thriller. So, do you have any plans for that?

Sapan: Yeah, only if SRK agrees to play the lead. Anyways, just kidding. I am trying to take one step at a time. So, right now, too focused on marketing of the book, but anything which comes would be a decent surprise.

Sur:How was your experience with the publishing industry?

Sapan:I have been fortunate to meet some really nice and hardworking people here. The experience overall has been a positive. To break into a new industry leaving behind my comfort zone was tough, but the people here are creative and very enthusiastic. But like any other industry, this has some black sheep as well. Just be aware of them and you are fine.

Sur:Which genre makes you more comfortable?

Sapan:Well if you ask me, I am most comfortable in thriller/mystery/suspense genre. If I add a pinch of mythology to that, I am back into my comfort zone. That said, I have tried to shape up UNNS like a thriller/mystery in spite of it being a romance based on Sufi-styles seven stages of love.

Sur:Is there any genre which you master your skills in it?

Sapan:Mythology and Indian history is something I can easily claim I master my skills in them. I am not generally a fan of mythological or historical fiction, but I like touching those topics in any forum or my literary work. In fact, even in UNNS, you will quite notice how history tidbits keep popping their heads time and again.

Sur:What are your thoughts about the detective stories. Is there any author that inspired you?

Sapan:Well, a friend of mine, Dev Ashish once quoted, “Simplify. Then amplify.” For a good detective story, as per me, there should be a very simple and basic emotion, be it love, revenge, anger, greed, and then it needs to have layers of complexities, which should be revealed to the reader one by one. The shock value is always recommended and the pace should match up with mystery quotient of the book. I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. How he would use the simplest of idea and knowledge to analyze hints which would be too normal or obvious to an otherwise semi-attentive eye.

Sur:What matters for a book to be a bestseller? Good Marketing or a Good writing?

Sapan:So my viewpoint may not necessarily echo with others, but having a stable job has its own perks. I can afford to take risks and not bow down to the whims of the market. For that reason, writing is always important. I mean you can invest in a good marketing anyways. Good writing always guarantees that your book has the potential to reach there.

Sur:Why you chose an Indian publisher beside of being living in a foreign land?

Sapan:Well firstly the context and the theme of the book was something I found more relatable to India. And then, I already had worked with some people from the industry, so was on a familiar territory. Fortunately, Inspire India came along and decided to publish it. So, it all fell into the right slots thankfully.

Sur:Your choice and profession are totally opposite. How you manage both the things side by side?

Sapan:Well a lot of people ask that question.
See, my theory is “lack of time is just a state of mind”. I mean you can complain, but if you really want to do something, you will find out time.
I get a lot of support from my wife. She manages a lot on her own while I am busy writing.
Software is a very demanding industry, but if there is work, that takes priority over everything else. If the load is lesser, time to write!

Sur:How far your relations helped you in your growth?

Sapan:The recent trailer of Injustce 2 has a line. “Nobody wins it all by themselves. Not even Batman.” So, that’s true. Friends and family are your basic support system. They have always helped, supported in anyway they can in my journey as an author till now. For that reason, I have a big big list of acknowledgements in my books.

Sur:Please tell us in brief about UNNS-The Captivation.

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Sapan:So, UNNS is a romantic espionage thriller. UNNS is largely inspired by the Sufi themed 7 stages of love. UNNS, in fact of the 2nd stage of love. It’s the story of Atharva Rathod and Meher Qasim who fall in love when they are in school, and separate and then meet again. But this time, Atharva is carrying a secret. Will their secret consume their love, or destiny has planned a surprise for them? Contrary to what a lot of people believed and have asked me, its not a Hindu-Muslim love story, per se.

Sur:Your message for the budding writers.

Sapan:Invest your time in writing great stories. Blog, and build an audience early in the day. Network and try to make a positive use of social media. Writing a book is a tough job, if you are thinking about it, just do it. If you have done it, pat yourself and work on a marketing plan. Always remember, everyone remembers a good story, so write it for them.

You can also read the review of the book here.

 

 

Candid Session with Anuradha Prasad

Hello lovelies,

I am back with an interesting interview with Anuradha Prasad. She is the author of Coming Back Home. So, lets get started :

Sur: Please tell us something about yourself?

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Anu: Firstly,I want to thank you for this interview.  Coming to your question,  I am a post grad in English literature and a Phd holder in the same. I am an artist, columnist, academician an author and a fitness buff. Recently I developed a penchant for traveling too. I love to soak in the culture of a new place and interact with the locals.

Sur :When did writing made its beautiful appearance in your life?

Anu: At the tender age of 7. I used to write poetry after school hours. Naturally, at that age I did not know that poems were the finest creation of art with words. It was a natural process and I am very proud of it. One regret is someone should have published them for me. Who knows it could have become popular like the diary of Anne Frank!

Sur: Coming back Home is an excellent title. How did it strike you?

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Anu: Before writing books I have written thousands of features with catchy titles for leading Newspapers. Based on the emotion of the story also I come up with a suitable title.

 

Sur: What is important to you? Fame or good readership?

Anu: I believe  good readership means a lot of fame. So good readership.

Sur: What would be your advise to the upcoming authors?

Anu: According to me , before entering any field one should be clear about why he/she wants to be in it. Is it for money, recognition, passion, great talent so on.  Its the same with writing. Develop a style that is individualistic. Do not give up easily. Don’t expect anything. Having said all this, once you start to write, the field will tell you if you are meant for it or not.  How? Your work will get published and then recognition should follow.  Don’t lose heart initially if your intention is clear .

Also I feel one should be really blessed with the talent to write.  If you are great at writing but not getting recognition its still ok. But if you are recognized but a bad writer it is humiliating . A beautiful book and talent will be eventually get recognition.  Its like I am ugly but want to become an actor and also that I am ugly and a bad actor but a recognized one. Every field has its demands. Assessing your capabilities are important. Recognition should always come to the deserving not vice-versa. Over a period of say two years of consistent trials if non of the above is happening then its time to quit.

Sur: What is the biggest surprise as a writer for you?

Anu: I look back and think that once I used to dive deep into the works of renowned writers of the world and today I am writing books myself. I used to wonder at times how these people are able to write so much. Today I am doing the same. This is a real surprise.

Check review of the book here.

 

 

 

Interview with Vandana Shanker

Hello Lovelies,

I am back with an interview session. Today we have Vandana Shanker, who is the author of 1857 Dust of Ages.

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When did writing happened to you?

It is difficult to put down a specific moment or a time period that writing happened to me. I wrote poems and short stories in schools but being a writer was never a serious goal. It was during the time I was pursuing my research in literature, that I became familiar with this very interesting and dynamic field of fan writing and I dabbled there. From there on, it became a part of leisure activities. But 1857 Dust of Ages was the first attempt at serious writing, and it took nearly a year and half of disciplined writing to complete the book. So serious writing is fairly recent.

 
What made you choose Historical topic?

As I was pursuing my research at IIT Delhi, a friend of mine was writing a thesis on 1857 novels. She had lots of British novelists in her list and not a single India. It was the first time we became aware this gap. Not many Indian fiction writers of have explored the 1857. As we read, I became more fascinated and wanted to write a story from an Indian perspective, especially an Indian warrior woman’s perspectives because the first stories I heard of 1857 were of women like Lakshmi Bai, Hazrat Mahal and it is very different from the Indian woman I found in British literature.

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What type of genres you generally like and why?

Of course, the historical. A book well-grounded in history is the most fascinating read for me. Then come the spy thrillers, romances and mysteries. Some years ago, I was completely obsessed by fantasy fiction, but a PhD in the genre cured me of that.

 

How was your experience with your publishers?

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That’s a trick question, isn’t it?J. The experience has been mixed. My earlier book which was a very formulaic romance found a publisher and was published in a jiffy. It was an interesting experience. But for Dust of Ages, I did not want to get into compromising on things that traditional publishing asks of you – the length, insertion and deletion of scenes and endless waiting etc. So I decided to keep it free of such demands and self-publishing gave me that freedom. So yes, the experience with the publishers has been a mixed. But I would say we are lucky that today we have the option of going indie.

When can we expect your other works?

Second and third instalments of Dust of Ages are already out on Amazon. Last two parts release in March. Once that is done, perhaps another historical next year.

 

A Heartwarming Session with Sameer Kumar

Hello lovelies,

It is been a while since I updated any interview. So, here it is.. Today I am interviewing Sameer Kumar, the author of The Origin of Martin Krooger. Lets get connected :

When did writing entered your life?

It entered in class 5 when I wrote a small story and showed it to a friend. She said its very bad.That increased my determination to write something worthwhile.

What all struggles you faced while writing The Origin of Martin Krooger?

I was poor at english so I never had faith on my work. Additionally ,  I have never read a novel so did not know what a novel demands. Study was the first priority at home so got very less time to write. People laughed that I thought of becoming an engineer but became a writer. Apparently , Job matters more than these in the social world.

From where you got the idea of Martin Krooger?

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When I used to study in school ,  pogo channel aired children movies . Also cartoon network aired many movies. We as children were given to watch tv only while we ate. So after the food,  I was left to imagine the later phase of cartoon. Then I thought why not to write one and martin Krooger took birth.

It is not a cake walk to find a publisher? How you landed up with Half Baked Beans?

Honestly , I did not expect any publisher liking my work because of the genre. Its fantasy. There are very fewFantasy publishers in India. I sent my piece to all publishers but with failure. Then through Facebook, I came across Their Ad and the rest is history.

How was your experience with Half Baked Beans? What have you learnt from them?

The world is cruel for first time authors. Hbb made my first step very smooth and gave me chance to learn all that was Needed to get into the market.

Is there any genre which you haven’t tried, but want to? Why you want to try that genre?

This novel is a culmination of romance , thrill,  SciFi and fantasy. I would love to write a detective piece because I feel deeply involved in a good detective story.

How did your audience took your book?

So far I am honoured with the response. I still remember my first reviewer was Sarath Babu. I was so scared that day because it was the first time someone was critically examining my piece. When he gave me a 5 star I was like , did he give a 5 star to me. Literally, I celebrated that day with chicken dun biryani and a coke.

Where do you see yourself in next 5 years?

I won’t lie but surely a bench mark maker. I have tried a western fantasy in india. I know it will rock. If 5 years given to me well I will have a name which debutant authors will look up to.

How far you agree to this that role models are important in life? Do you have any role model?

I agree and disagree.  I have no role model in writing. I have never read any piece. Most of my works are like movies because I have watched many . My role models are my life,  my father,  mother, my love, and M. S. DHONI.

Any special message for the readers?

My message is simple and clear. 90%of people will laugh at you. They have been sent on earth to laugh at others and they are doing their job with utmost respect. You have been sent o earth to live ur dreams. Are you following ur dream with Utmost respect ?

Author’s Bio

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My name is Sameer Kumar. I am manager at Tata Steel from 8 am to 6 pm and then I am an author. I have done Mechanical engineering from Bit Sindri. I did my schooling at The Pentecostal Assembly School. My hobbies are to watch movies,  eat and make new friends. My favorite films are The wolf of wall street and YES man. These movies Have really shaped my life. I love to appreciate live. Its just one but we don’t understand it.My aim to be famous so that when I walk on street people ask me for selfies. Well,  I know that’s premature for a writer But it’s the child inside me that wants this and I want to keep him alive. I love spending time with my family because That’s a God gift.Last but not the least I love living.

P.S – Review of The Origin of Martin Krooger- /2017/02/08/book-review-of-the-origin-of-martin-krooger/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A story with Novoneel Chakraborty

We all know that Novoneel Chakraborty’s upcoming novel ‘Black Suits You’ is soon going to hit the markets. And before that, his Stranger Series took away the hearts of the readers especially that Stranger. I took this interview much before when the new book was under editing stage.The interview tookplace over telephone and I must say he conversation skills are amazing. I would like to thank my dear friend, Manvi Singh who always convert the audios into written format. She is a soul sister and I can rely on her.Lets start the interview then :

1. When did you realise that okay, this is it, this is what I’ll do, like, writing is you and those words give in relief?

The thing is, I was always a reader and not even in my distant world did I think that I’d write a book one day, since being an author was never my aim, but that curious element in me made me really upbeat about what I’d do after my college ends, though I was pretty sure that a nine to five job was certainly not my thing, and as I was pondering about my future, a character in my head started knocking, like it did not let me concentrate on anything else around me so I decided to pen it down in order to get it out of my head so I may focus on my studies but the moment I jotted my first short story, another set of characters kicked in and I wrote down a complete set of 25 stories only for myself and that’s when I realised okay, that’s my real calling.

2. What is the genre of novels you usually feel comfortable to write?
Okay, I never really sit down with a pre planned planner that this is how the story will be since even I never know how will I lead the story I am writing, but as I wrote down my first novel, A Thing Beyond Forever I realised that I’m not someone who could write a story without any twists and turns that’s how in my second novel I realised that I’m pretty good at writing romantic thrillers, like that’s something which comes naturally to me.

3. How would you define yourself as a writer, introvert or extrovert?
As a person I’m pretty introvert but probably as a writer I am an extrovert since my characters are usually bold and that’s maybe because of how I am, so I make a way to discover and explore through them. So, I too intend to live the extrovert side of me since in real life I do not do so.

4. Are you a believer of destiny? Have you ever mentioned this concept in any of your books so far?
I am a strong believer of destiny but so far I don’t think that I have actually taken it as a theme in any of my stories though it has been a part of many of them since my own beliefs do reflect back in my story and obviously, when we strongly believe in something, that belief surely comes down as an expression, consciously or unconsciously.

5. What was the thought process behind your first book, A Thing Beyond Forever?
Since that book is all about reincarnation, what excited me was the fact that what if I come back one day after I’ve died and that too into a completely different, fun version of myself. Past life and after life, all these concepts actually excite me and that’s why I feel that there can be a possibility of them.

6. So, what triggered the idea behind the famous Stranger Series?
Okay, so I did have this title with me since a long time, Marry Me, Stranger and it was an apt title for a book but I had no idea of what should be the book all about, but then there is this friend of mine who usually calls up to confide though I don’t know her personally but she kept me wondering as to why would someone confide into a stranger, someone he/she do not know personally.

7. Are any of your books reflect in your personal life?
As creative people, we all tend to observe our surroundings and the people we have all around us, be it friends, family or ourselves for that matter and basically that’s where we get a gist of what it will be all about but basically, I just use a part of it and then give a fictional dab to it so on an average I won’t say that any of the books are based on my life.

8. What was the experience while bagging your first publisher? What all difficulties did you face?
Basically, when it all started, I was kind of ignorant and when you’re ignorant you turn confident too, because you don’t know what will be served to you at that point of time. Since I was young back then, so one tends to be a bit bull headed that whatever comes my way, I’ll surely live upto it.

9. Is there a genre you haven’t written but wish to write?
It’s the Children’s books because the amount of imagination which one needs to put in and the kind of interest one has to develop in a child for that matter is kind of challenging.

10. Is there a particular pattern you use in order to publish your books, like the time gap between two books?
It actually depends on the story since there have been books I’ve written in a year or a book I’ve written in one and a half years so it completely depends on the story as in how much time it demands out of me. But being professional, I guess, six to seven months is what my publishers demand from me.

11. Do you face writer’s block?
Not really, I usually prefer cooking up everything in my head first and then get down to write usually. Like, I jot down points in my diary as and when required and then get down to frame it well, but even when there is a time when you cannot really think of a lead in particular, one should take a break and observe and introspect about things.

12. Have you ever climbed out of your comfort zone in order to write a book?
Umm, yes I have, specially my third book, How About A Sin Tonight did bring me out of my comfort zone since building up on five distinctive characters in the same book is really a tough job but in the end that book actually helped me evolve as a writer.

13. A message for the budding writers and of course, readers.
To the readers, I’d say that it’s better to read things which interests you, and not certainly the ones which are hyped because I’ve encountered a large section of readers who read things just because they are hyped.
To the budding writers, you definitely need to read a lot, because it’s only then that they’ll be able to play with the narratives and build up a character well and the other piece of advice would be, always question your experiences. Whatever you, or anyone around you may experience, one should always question it, because that gives you a chance to build in new characters.

About the Author

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Novoneel Chakraborty is an Indian author of fiction. His specialty lies in romantic thrillers that he writes along with philosophy mixed with it. His first book “A Thing beyond forever” released in 2008 and won the national bestseller tag in just a few months of its release.

He followed it up with “That kiss in the rain” and then wrote the book that won him the biggest applause, “How about a sin tonight?” He went on to write commercial bestsellers like “Ex” and then “The Stranger Trilogy”. The first two books of the trilogy- “Marry Me, Stranger” and “All Yours, Stranger” have won many hearts. His recent release is “Forget Me Not, Stranger”, the final installment of the trilogy. His next book, “Black Suits You,” a psycho-sexual thriller is scheduled to release on 15th November, 2016. Apart from writing books, he is a scriptwriter for television.

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Pre- order your copies of Black Suits you from Pustakmandi-https://www.pustakmandi.com/Black-Suits-You-Novoneel-Chakraborty

Candid Session with Aparna Sinha

Hello lovelies,

Today I would introduce you guys with the author of Ashvamedha, Aparna Sinha. I have updated the review of this novel and trust me guys, this book deserves a recognition in film industry as this would create a hype there.

Lets start the session:

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  1. What was the idea behind writing this novel ‘Ashvamedha’?

Ans: The misuse of power and innate virtue of human being to control, cannot be overlooked; often my husband and I would discuss on theme of power and how every man is manipulated by someone more powerful; how things are twisted in the name of politics and how much it affects the people, at large. On one such discussion, my husband came with the idea which clicked. The idea remained latent for two years, and then I wrote a story around it

  1. Why you chose the title ‘Ashvamedha’ for this novel?

Ans: Ashvamedha or Ashvamedha Yagna (horse sacrifice) was an ancient vedic ritual, performed by a king for the general prosperity of the kingdom and to establish sovereignty over neighboring provinces. In the ritual the king’s horse, along with his army, was made to wander in neighboring kingdoms, for one year. If the horse returns back after one year without being captured or killed by enemy kingdom, it  would be sacrificed and the king will be named undisputed ruler (The yagna in detail is mentioned in yajur veda)

In this novel, Ashwin Jamwal was made a powerful man only so he can be sacrificed in the end and Hades, the master manipulator, will claim the ultimate authority, hence the title

3.What all research you did in your novel?

Ans: Lot of research and validation was required, since the story is spread in 25 years.

I had to validate political scene dating back to mid nineties (when student political parties were burgeoning and movements were catching up)

Research on Bio weapons- expert advice by Dr. Sashwat Srivastava ; on future economies of the world; India’s geopolitical position (current and future predictions); Energy reserve and crisis; India from bridging nation to super power. Technology advancement and its growth; global secret agencies and operations (previous and current) etc are the topics I researched – by reading numerous international papers and journals

  1. How important this novel for you?

Ans:. I have put my heart and soul in the novel, which I wrote when I was in lot of pain, physically and emotionally- this book not only helped me recuperate fast; it made me a stronger person, it gave me a new identity.  It is very important to me.

  1. how close are you to your characters and who is favourite character?

Ans: I have practically lived each character before putting it down on paper. I also hyperventilated with Hades, in real life. To say one character is my favorite is unfair- Each character is my favorite. Even the ones like ‘AK Nandi’

  1. Who is inspiration behind writing Ashvamedha?

Ans: As I mentioned the idea was there but I never had time to weave a story around it; so you can say my husband was the inspiration- my friend Raghav pushed me to write a book when I left the job; my mother always inspired me to write something (in every call she will ask- did you write anything new?)

  1. Mostly people avoid writing about politics, so how come you took up this daring step?

Ans: Politics is ubiquitous. You cannot ignore the struggle for power and manipulations even at smaller level, as small as maids in the house or among relatives; the need to control is ingrained.  Politics at country level (or global politics) generated interests among young population after advancement of technology and spread of social media. Young people are now aware of political arena across globe and are actively voicing their opinions.

Politics is now becoming interesting to younger generation, now they can relate to political fiction, hence the book.

       8.Do you want to try any other genre, what that would be?

Ans: I think I will stick to Crime and thriller genre, but may be one day I will write a witty memoir on female independent thinker

9.Is any part of the novel related to you?

Ans: Some character struggle with self; some quirks are related, but not the part. I have used the locations I have travelled so I can present it better

10.When can we expect your other novel?

Ans: Cannot give you the date, but I hope soon 🙂

About Author

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Aparna Sinha wrote her first poem when she was seven, which she recited on All India Radio.  Since then, her literary work and industry specific articles have been published in various mediums, including reputed business magazines across Asia.

Equipped with a Master’s in management, when she was forced to quit her lucrative job because of a chronic disease, she focused on her sole passion – writing

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Ashvamedha/

Twitter handle: aparna326

About Publisher:

Srishti Publishers & Distributors: With more than three hundred and fifty titles to boast of, Srishti Publishers was set up with the objective of creating a unique set of books that provide unmatched reading pleasure to people across the country. The core objective of our company is to provide a platform to first-time writers. Some of the current crop of bestselling authors like Preeti Shenoy, Durjoy Dutta, Ravinder Singh, Sudeep Nagarkar, etc., published their first work of fiction with Srishti

About Book

Ashvamedha: The Game of Power

“You have to dethrone a powerful man to become the most powerful. I was itching to defeat the single most powerful person, but there wasn’t any. I was left with only one choice — to create one.”

Little does Ashwin Jamwal know that the last twenty-five years of his life have been controlled by a master manipulator, who wanted to make him the most powerful man on earth, though for a reason! Ashwin steps up to take oath as the youngest Prime Minister of India and is unknowingly thrown into a vortex of power and authority as the entire world is threatened by a faceless enemy — Hades.

The world starts to look up to Ashwin as the savior, but he was just a pawn, reared only to be sacrificed in the end.

A story of greed, lies, deceptions, manipulations and corruption, Ashvamedha is a thriller revolving around the infamous game of power in a maddening bid to seek absolute control.

Amazon Link:  http://amzn.to/2bfDaiS

Also read the review :/2016/10/03/book-review-of-ashvamedha-the-game-of-power/

Interactive Session with Zuko

Hello Lovelies,

Today we have Zuko whose Figmented Reality got released recently and I am going to interview him on my blog. He is a dyslexic and would enlighten us about it along with some sneak peak of his book.

Lets get started then:

Tell us about yourself?

I was born in Dombivli,Mumbai. I was there till was 9. Then I moved to Chennai after that. I was officially diagnosed as Dyslexic when I was  9-19. I finished my schooling in Chennai and after that did my under-graduation in Mechanical with Spl.in Energy from Vellore Institute of Technology-University. After that, I worked for a company in Kochi where I started writing and finished my book. Now I am in business with my father.

So you are dyslexic? Tell us more about it?

If you had seen Taare Zameen Par, I could call it my childhood biography. He is into art and I was into Maths back then, and ended up being a writer. I was diagnosed at very early age with Dyslexia as I used to write 7 asL or b as d and vice versa. In my mind what I was writing was d but in the book it was b. My mind was faster than my hands could write and so if I wanted to write “I AM NOT INTERESTED”, I end up writing “I AM INTERESTED” because in my mind, I had already written the word NOT but my hands couldn’t keep up. I am in Business now and I read twice every mail, before I send out and also ask my father to read once before I send it because in Business a word can mean a whole lot.

What all problems you faced while going through dyslexia?

The problems I faced were very little to the things my parents had go through. As Seinfield says “Kids are candy moronic brains” and that is true. The feeling was more of helpness rather anything. It wasn’t that I am choosing to write like Mirror. There were times in exam where I would solve the problem in the ROUGH COLOUMN and get the answer say 375 and then I would write ANSWER : 357 . It wasn’t something I was choosing to do but it was involuntary. There were teachers who would give me marks based on the rough coloumn work but there were some who wanted the right answer, and not the right concept.

You write under a pen name Zuko.Please tell us the story behind taking up this name?

I have become tired of explaining Zuko, because it was name I had since I was in first year of college in my Facebook profile. Zuko is a character in the series AVATAR:THE LAST AIRBENDER. In a way I could relate to him. He tries his best to convince his kingdom(mainly his father) that he could be the next king that he starts going into the wrong path and finally decides that the path he is going isn’t the same. I could relate myself to him because I wanted to prove to the world that I am not a useless person and I am still trying to prove and I don’t think I will never stop.

What was the thought process of writing this book?

The book was emotionally draining for me because I had to be in the shoes of the characters to start thinking like them. To think like an addict, to think like a killer etc. it wasn’t easy, it took some emotional burden but I felt I was more matured at Chapter 24 than I was in Chapter 1. I think it reflected on my writing too.

 

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Why you took up a psychological topic as your career background says you are a marketing person?

I don’t know where the fascination of psychology started. I am really fascinated by the human brain and its workings especially on the topic of addictions. I started watching documentaries on human mind, narcissism, serial killers and taken youtube classes on Psychology. It is still my fascination and I would like to a full fledged course in Psychology someday.

Who inspired you for writing this book?

Dr.Nikhil Chandwani and my jealousy towards him. He is junior to me, writer of 4 books, a PhD, has company & a private coal mine by the age of 23 and for him to say that I was a better writer than him, motivated me to start writing Figmented Reality. After the first chapter, I sent it to him and he said to me to complete the book. He used to message me daily evening asking me to write. Once I was in the flow, I took time out of my schedule to write for 1 hour or 1000 words. It was unnecessary for him to do that but he still did.

Siddharth’s character is the most complex one. Can you tell is it inspired from a real character or is it fictional?

I think, no character, be it in book(I have read very few) or a movie(I have seen a lot) is fully fictional. There is always a bit of someone in the characters portrayed. Characters are inspired by someone or the other.

What is your future plans regarding writing?

My passion has always been BUSINESS. I do take time out to write. I have written poems published in my blog www.zukosid.blogspot.com . I am already half way through my second book and quarter in my third, and two in my mind a concept.

Will you take up the same genre or something different? The readers want to know.

Second book is a crime novel, partly sequel of first. Third is on dreams and a pure fiction which I am writing with one of my friend, he is an author too. Third is on religion, which I need to be sensitive on, so I am thinking on how to make it as sensitive as possible which is in the concept stage. Fourth is law drama which I have just started thinking couple of days back. I hope it all becomes a book. It ain’t easy to convert concept to a 30,000 word book.

About the Author

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Siddharth Sabari is a blogger and writer from Chennai. Born in Mumbai and he spent half of his schooling days in Mumbai and half in Chennai. As a child, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and found it difficult to cope with language in his early years. Inspite of his difficulites, and with support of his mother, he passed out from Vellore Institute of Technology in 2013 as a Mechanical Engineer with specalization with Energy, and worked for a public limited company for two years before joining business with his father in Chennai. He was awarded the First Indian Dyslexic Writer by K L University Vijayawada. He can be contacted at [email protected] or at https: //www.facebook.com/siddusab

Also Read the book Review: /2016/08/05/book-review-of-figmented-reality/

 

Candid Talk with Sharmishtha Shenoy

Hello Readers,

Today I would like to invite Sharmishtha SHenoy, the author of Vikram Rana Investigates to my blog for an interview. She is an amazing lady. I had a word with her personally and late on I sent her the questions. She is a hard working woman and is really inspiring. Lets start with the session:

What was the thought process while writing this book?

I first made the outline chapter wise. Then started writing. I already had planned where to add the twists and turns. Of course after beta readings, editors reviews I further added/modified.

Why a particular region was focussed in your novel?

I am inspired here by Saatyaji Ray who had based his stories in different settings like Kolkata, Bangalore, Darjeeling etc.

I set my novel in Hyderabad, as I have lived in Hyderabad for past 20 years. aknow the city quite well.
When did you feel you should write about crime?

I love a good murder mystery. Right from my teenage years I was drawn to murder mystery stories. You might think that a loving mom like me would steer clear of murder. But you would be totally wrong. I have raised my child while reading about victims being stabbed, hung, bludgeoned, gassed and generally disposed of  in unpleasant ways. I just love mystery novels. But why does this genre appeal to me so much? Whether I am trying to solve a crime or attempting to take down the villain myself I love mysteries because of the high stakes tension and suspense.
 Have you tried any other genre than crime?

No – this is my debut novel. But I have written short stories which have been published in e-fiction magazine, Kolaj. I also won the first prize (cash prize of 50 euro) for a story competition by Typotic.com

About The Author and her Book

 

 

 
VIKRAM RANA INVESTIGATES
BY
SHARMISHTHA SHENOY
 
BLURB
 
Vikram Rana Murder Mysteries set in Hyderabad…… 
 
The Mysterious Affair of the Lohia Mansion 
 
When the glamourous socialite Richa Lohia is poisoned in her mansion in Jubilee Hills, her brother-in-law hires his mate, ex-cop Vikram Rana, to solve this murder. This is Vikram’s first case and he, along with Inspector Gopi Reddy, must solve the case even if they face opposition from the richest and powerful family in Hyderabad, who would stop at nothing to defend themselves. 
 
The Sonia Sinha Case 
 
When property developer Krishna Dhavala is stabbed to death in Necklace Road, everyone suspects Mrs. Dhavala to be the murderer of her alcoholic and abusive husband. But is that really the case? Vikram Rana and Inspector Reddy have a tough time uncovering the murderer and Vikram himself almost dies trying to solve this case. Experience the mystery along with the duo as they fight their way through the maze of lies, deceit and greed. 
 
Read an excerpt…

 

From “The Mysterious Affair of the Lohia Mansion”

“Kinshuk sprang out of bed and followed his uncle, Rohan along the passage to his mother Richa’s bedroom.

Rohan’s wife, Kiara joined them along with Richa’s personal maid Lakshmi and two more servants. Everyone seemed to be in a state of awestricken fear.

Kinshuk turned to his uncle, ‘What should we do? Father is not here.’

Never had Kinshuk’s weak nature been more apparent, Rohan thought in distaste. Rohan rattled the handle of his sister-in-law Richa’s door violently, but with no effect. The whole household was aroused by now. The most alarming sounds were audible from the interior of the locked bedroom. Clearly something must be done.”

What could have been going on the room? What triggered it?

Mrs Lohia was lying in her bed having seizures. In her agony she must have overturned the bedside table. As they entered, her limbs relaxed and she fell back on her pillow.

“I cannot see properly” she complained. Rohan and Kinshuk looked at each other helplessly. A strangled cry from the bed startled them. A fresh bout of pain had seized Richa. The seizures were terrible to behold. At that moment dr Agnihotri pushed his way into the room authoritatively. At the same instant, Richa cried “Rohan…. Rohan” then she fell back on the pillows motionless. 

Why was Richa killed? Why did she take Rohan’s name?

From the Sonia Sinha case:

“He reached the meeting place at 8 pm sharp. The headlights of his car revealed a woman in a burqa waiting by the roadside. She waved her hand. Krishna stopped the car and she got in. As she removed her veil, Krishna started in surprise. At the same time another man got into the back of his car. Confused, Krishna looked at the man. Then his eyes widened in fear.”

Whom did Krishna see? Who was the woman in burqa?

Grab your copy @
 
 
About the author
 
 
Sharmishtha Shenoy
 
Sharmishtha Shenoy loves writing murder mysteries, the kind of books that she herself likes to read. Her favorite authors are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. She also likes the work of Satyajit Ray – especially the Feluda Series. She was born in Calcutta and has done her post-graduation from University of Reading, Great Britain. She lives in Hyderabad.
 
You can stalk her @
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Also Read my review of her book : /2016/08/22/book-review-of-vikram-rana-investigates/

Candid Session with Sudeep Nagarkar

Hello readers,

Today I am going to interview the heart throb of many girls, Sudeep Nagarkar( our Romance King). It took me months to get a proper interview session with him since he was extremely busy with his latest release She Swiped Right Into my Heart. He couldn’t send me a written interview though yet we had a telephonic interview and I must say he was very patient while answering all the questions. It was an amazing experience. The other person I want to thank is Manvi Singh akka Maisha who was with me in this experience. She was the one who linked me with SUdeep Sir and she only converted the recordings into written form as I was stuck with other engagements. A huge hug to you girl..:) So, lets start then ..:)

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  1. When did you realise you wanted be a writer?

    When life threw challenges back at me, and engineering was a ruckus I started penning down my thoughts. In the initial years, it was just me and my diary who knew about my words, soon it spread to my dear ones and that’s when one of them suggested me to go ahead and get it published, that’s how it happened. Somethings never come planned, this is one of them for me. When I started liking my pen more than my computer screen with some IT statistics, I knew this is what I was to be, this is what I’ll be happy in.
    At that time, I had no clue what a bestseller is, I had no clue what one needs to do to be a bestseller.

  2. How you felt when your first published book was in your hand?

    Frankly speaking, I was scared. Since I was in my last year of engineering and my eighth semester exams were on my head, I had no idea what to do and what to prioritise. In addition to that, I had fuming parents who had no clue with what I was doing, plus, the most difficult task was to convince them that the book is a fiction and not a true story, but yes, all’s well that ends well and that has been one of the most memorable moment of my life.
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  3. Since your novels are mostly based on romance, and you’re the present day Romance King, why do you think this genre so special to you?

    You cannot specifically call me the “Romance King” since my stories do have some other important elements and messages to send across to my readers. Every time I’ve tried that there should be something new in the book, for example the new book, She Swiped Right Into My Heart, I’ve tried to punch across the trending LGBT issue which is another stigma to our society because I feel they should be granted with their own rights and justice should be provided to this section of our society since humans are humans and nothing can change that fact. Even in the last book, You’re Trending In My Dreams, I perfectly told people that no women is weak and that’s how they should be treated, i.e. equal.

  4. Would you like to try some other genre?

    For I’d probably need more experience to that because for example a mythological writer might need a lot research work before penning down a book which probably isn’t my thing. I don’t say that I’m a good writer, but yes, I’d say I’m a good storyteller who portrays the reality to the world quite fictionally.

  5. So, tell me something about your recent release, She Swiped Right Into My Heart?

    Technically, the book covers up two major aspects, one is as I told you is LGBT and second is about the major thing which we all do face at some point or the other is our fight to be accepted in our peer group. So, it’s about these three distinct lives who are to emerge from their own personal dilemmas. The title tells a different story, but basically it’s not a love story. Rest, you should definitely read if you haven’t. 😉

  6. What all research work did you do for this novel?

    Okay, since this book has a girl who had acceptance issues, I really had to look into one such being who’d make me get the feel of how it is to be bullied so I did meet one of my friends who had faced this, to know the gist of how it feels to be bullied and also, I had to know a lot about the LGBT groups by them itself so that’s what I did.

  7. Did you refer to any other novels regarding this topic?

    I never really believed in the theoretical part of the LGBT issue. I wanted to put in life into my words so I preferred interacting with actual people who were a part of this group so I may understand their psyche about what’s happening with them and around them.

  8. So far, what has been your struggles to be where you are today?

    Technically everybody has their own set of struggles, there are some who are struggling to get a publisher and sometimes even living up with the quality of writing is also a big task in hand and since I’ve taken writing as a full time job, I guess now I have more time to focus on this aspect of my writing, i.e. the expression of my words and the most important thing is to follow deadlines which is the major task in the whole process.

  9. Do you think publishers these days are exploiting the authors?If yes, then what could be possibly done to stop them?

    I don’t think so that they are exploiting the authors since in my case, they were one of the pillars of success. They helped me reach where I am today and probably that’s the accurate job of a publisher. They’re the ones who suggest me that I should at least publish a book in a year because I have seen authors publishing a new book in a gap of 5- 6 months and probably, it do effect the sales of the previous book, so the publishers who are really exploiting authors, ain’t called to be publishers itself, according to me.
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  10. What is important for a book, good writing or good marketing?

    I guess, the mixture of both is equally important in today’s world as we cannot eliminate any of the two factors and it’s not only about books but movies also, as they also require equal amount of marketing and the same amount of effort in acting and direction of the movie because once the movies or the books is in hand of the reader then probably the reader or the spectator might get disappointed which would effect his sales for the next thing which he endorse.

P.S. Also read my book review of the Book ‘She Swiped Right into mY Heart

/2016/06/12/she-swiped-right-into-my-heart-a-special-review/