Interview: Author Nilesh Rathod

Image Courtesy-http://www.nileshrathod.in/

The other day, we interviewed the multi-talented Nilesh Rathod, the author of the recently released 'Destiny of Shattered Dreams'.

·      Can you tell us something about yourself?

-          Born in Bangalore, brought up in Pune… I pursued my graduation in commerce and I ama Chartered Financial Analyst by education.I co-founded Ensemble Infrastructure India Limited in the year 2002 which, now employs over 2000 personnel. It has successfully delivered thousands of contracts including offices, hotels, hospitals and retail spaces.

·         Rupa has published many best-selling authors from Chetan Bhagat to Ravi Subramanian. Can you tell us briefly about your experience with your publisher?

-          They’ve been extremely co-operative and it has been an amazing experience working with Rupa.

            These days there are many desi authors writing in English.What do you think is your biggest USP when compared to your contemporaries?

-          English has been a primary language for Indians since the British era. However, of late the spread of language a lot of new authors are emerging and some of them have transcended borders when it comes to their quality of writing. Authors like Jhumpa Lahiri, Amitav Ghosh bring pride to us.

Writing is a creative art and doesn’t often need to follow a USP. In my opinion most genuine authors who know their trait simply write and their USP’s are cultivated by readers’ responses. Destiny of Shattered Dreams is a story of a middle class boy who pursues his dreams and gets caught in the embroil of modern day politics. The story is his take away of life as we live it today.

           When do you write and have you ever experienced writer's block?

-          I am going through one. I wrote my first novel within a month of starting to pen it, I spent double that time to just write the headers for the sub-plots, but once I got to writing, I was done within a month. I am a lazy researcher too; on the contrary research beyond a point is a road block to creativity. My first way to deal with a writer's block is to take a break, may be a day or two or even a week. I keep thinking and re-thinking about the scenarios without really penning them down. If I do get a break through, I start again. Reading another book or two within that break can help erase the block sometimes. And if nothing works, I simply force my way through the story, it might read bland or may sound timid when you do that, but remember it’s a small part of the story and there is always an edit option.

            Apart from writing,what are your other hobbies?

-          I love to read books..!

c   Amitav Ghosh,Salman Rushdie,Chetan  Bhagat;who is your favorite among these three Indian writers? Which one do you think is his best work till date?

-          Salman Rushdie..! MidNights Children is the best I feel

·     Indian Writing in English has truly come of age. What is your take on the future of the English language Fiction market in India?

-          India is a country that widely uses the language while, fiction books are pure entertainers. It shall evolve with time and grow further with increasing competition.   

     

      We are also living in an era when every author blogger wants to be a published author.Do you think this as a healthy trend?

-          Ya... Why not..? If there writing styles are better than the existing ones, I definitely think it’s worth giving a shot.

      Okay, one last question.I know it’s a little dumb to ask this,but still... You want to be remembered as a bestselling author or as an award winning one?

-          For now I’d want to be a bestseller. Maybe when the next book hits the market, I’d aim at becoming an award winning writer J But, more than anything else I’m happy to see my novel being loved by the readers..

 -nikhimenon

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Book Trailer: Destiny Of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod

Here is the trailer of Nilesh Rathod's latest Novel,'Destiny Of Shattered Dreams'.Looks Promising!

-nikhimenon

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Guest Post by Best Selling Author 'Thomas M.D. Brooke'

      Here in this guest post,eminent writer 'Thomas M.D.Brooke' shares with us the inspiration behind his recent best-selling work,'Roman Mask'.Read on...!

Turning a negative into a positive – the inspiration behind Roman Mask

                     It was an October night, and I was returning home from a night out with a few friends in my local pub in London, when something happened that changed my life dramatically.  The nights were closing in, so it was already dark by the time I left the pub, but I was in a good mood.   I’d recently returned from a trip to Pompeii , so I’d been telling everyone of my excitement at walking through the Roman streets, marvelling at the murals and depictions on the well preserved houses, and laughing about the seedier aspects of the ancient city – the brothels and street graffiti that had also survived the great volcanic eruption of AD 79.

                It was probably because I was so preoccupied with these thoughts, that I didn’t see the guy who came out of an alcove and wrapped an arm around my neck.  My first thought was, ‘Am I being mugged?  Who’s going to mug me??’ – I’m a big guy, over six feet tall and I keep myself in pretty good shape, so I’d always thought the chance of this happening in Londonwere pretty remote.  But I was wrong.

                When the second guy came out from behind a car, then the third from behind a bush I knew I was in trouble.  This was no ordinary street robbery; these guys were out for blood, and the three of them surrounded me and between them punched, kicked, and smashed me to the ground, beating me to an inch of my life.

                Afterwards, as I tried to hobble home – one of them had crushed my foot, to prevent me from getting up – another passer-by saw me covered in blood and called an ambulance.  I was lucky, I got to live another day.  And within a few weeks, my bruises healed, and I began to walk without a limp, all physical signs of my encounter disappeared.  But that was just the start of my nightmare.

                I was completely unprepared for the mental-trauma that such an incident inflicts on you.  That winter was torture for me.  After any night out, I was terrified to go home; I found I was scared of the dark, constantly thinking that people would jump out of the shadows at me.  I’d never previously been a heavy drinker, but over that winter I found I needed to drink a lot just to give me the courage to walk home.  I could have called a taxi, but then people would wonder why I was taking a cab for such a small journey – this became another all-encompassing fear:  that others would find out about my terror.   This might seem irrational, but at the time, that fear was almost as great as being mugged again.

                Those first six months were very difficult, but then as the nights started getting lighter, an idea came to me.  After visiting Pompeii I’d been searching for a character to be a lead in a novel set in ancient Rome – someone who fully embraced the entirety of Rome, its seedier aspects as much as itsmagnificence.  Why not put my experiences to good use, rather than having it a weight bearing me down, let it be something that produces something positive.  At the time, the news on the television was full of stories of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress and it made me think how soldiers dealt with such issues in the ancient world.  My experiences had shown me the power that traumatic events can play on the mind, and I quite simply didn’t believe anyone who claimed that in the ancient world such a thing was not a concern because life was different back then.   The human mind was biologically exactly the same then as it is now, and just as fallible to conditions we now diagnose and understand the importance of.

                So I came up with the character Cassius, a great soldier, but someone who’d been affected by a terrible battle a few years before in the forests of Germany.   I knew from my own experiences how easy it was to fall into a trap of blaming yourself for your own perceived weakness, and I knew how living a lie to hide that same weakness can become a part of life.  I then started my novel in Rome so I could show Cassius being seduced by the many vices of that ancient city – something that is all too easy under such circumstances.  I then returnedCassius to Germany where he learns to understand and come to terms with his fears, just as I did whilst writing my novel.  The novel culminates in the Teutoburg forest and one of the most dramatic and historically significant battles of the ancient world.  Cassius needs to draw on all his courage and strength in the midst of that terrible event.

                I’m now pleased that I encountered those three men, that fateful night in October.  It was a terrible experience, but it gave me something so much more – I wouldn’t change it for anything.

'Roman Mask' can be bought online through the following links 1,2,3.

-nikhimenon

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Interview: Kate Langdon, Author of 'Making Lemonade'

        Kate Langdon,is the author of the recently released novel,'Making Lemonade',which is already making waves. She is a writer of contemporary, intelligent, and humorous chick-lit.Her characters are loveable and real characters.Prior to becoming an author, Kate has been a journalism student, a tennis coach, a writer for television commercials, a burger bar owner, and an event manager. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with her partner and young son.In this short e-mail interview,she tells us about her future plans,her inspiration and a lot of other interesting stuff.

• On her Journey as an author- I began writing a short story about a loveable yet haphazard female character and things snowballed from there, before I knew what was happening it was longer than a short story and I was writing my first novel, That Slippery Slope…not something I had intentionally set out to do. When it was finished I took a chance and sent the manuscript off to major NZ publishing houses, it was subsequently published by HarperCollins and things progressed from there.

•  On her inspirations- I’ve enjoyed various forms of writing since I was a child, poems and short stories, and I was an avid reader as a kid, always with my head stuck inside a book. I had an amazing English teacher all through high school who really inspired me and made me fall in love with many of the great authors. (English was the only subject I was any good at at school!) However, novel writing was something I stumbled across by chance, when I was 24 and desperately waiting for the next Marian Keyes novel to be released.

• On 'Making Lemonade'- Making Lemonade is my third novel and my inspiration really came from being in my mid-thirties and wanting to write about relatable female characters of a similar age who are, for various reasons, at a low point or tumultuous crossroads in their lives. They’re forced to pick themselves back up off the floor and think about what it is they really want for themselves, and their lives going forward. They’re also forced to reflect on the dreams of their youth, discovering that although things may not have turned out as they had planned, being happy within themselves is all that really matters.

'Making Lemonade' is published by Harper Collins and is available in amazon.

-nikhimenon

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'Indie authors have the opportunity to take control of the start of their careers!'

In the first part of the interview Ekta had told us about her journey as a writer and how hard it is to play the dual role of a homemaker and a writer.In this concluding part,she tells us about her favourite books,future plans and the prospects of indie publishing.Read on!

They say we are currently in the golden age of Indie Publishing.Madam,what is your take on that?

---I agree 100 percent! Now more than ever indie authors have the opportunity to take control of the start of their careers.Many people don’t realize that when a person gets published by a traditional publishing company, that new author doesn’t have much say in many things regarding his/her book. For example, if an author’s book becomes popular his/her editor may dictate that the next book be written in a particular way. The editor is trying to help the author capitalize on what made that person popular in the first place, but readers usually read a variety of things. They don’t mind if their favorite authors experiment a little bit. A traditional publishing company is often uncomfortable with experimentation, sometimes stifling a writer’s creativity in favor of a secure investment: what sold once will probably sell again.

In indie publishing authors have complete control. If a person wants to start his/her career with a YA novel and then try a romance next, no one will come in and say the author can’t do it.That doesn’t necessarily mean switching genres right away is a good idea, but at least the author can give it a try.The difference in control also applies to the amount of money the author gets paid—in other words, the traditional publishing company gets the majority of the money and the author gets a minimal cut. In indie publishing the author gets to keep most of the money. I say “most” because a smart indie author will hire a professional editor, a professional graphic designer for the cover and a professional formatter for the interior. A smart indie author will pay these professionals and then gets to keep the rest of the money.There are many things that complicate the pursuit of indie publishing, but it gives thousands of talented writers the opportunity to share their stories with readers. At the end of the day, that’s only a good thing.

 Yourfavourite author?genre?

---This is like asking a mother which child is her favorite! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed books by JhumpaLahiri, John Grisham, Mary Higgins Clark, some Nicholas Sparks. As you can see I enjoy women’s fiction, mysteries, and even love stories (not romance novels; there’s definitely a difference!) I LOVE fiction about World War II and the bravery—and depravity—of that time period.

Recently I’ve started enjoying middle grade and YA novels—The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, the Mister Max books by Cynthia Voigt, among others.

Although I’m not an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader, I have a warm spot in my heart for the Wheel of Time series by the late Robert Jordan. A close friend introduced me to the series when I was in high school, and despite the fact that it’s a fantasy series I think anyone who loves to read would enjoy it. At its core the series is about a group of friends who are trying to find out who they are meant to become and how their relationships with one another change in the process. Anyone can relate to that.

   

These days there are quite a number of desi authors writing in English. What do you think is your biggest USP when compared to your contemporaries?

---Although I grew up bilingual, because I was born in the States English is my first language. If I compare myself to desi writers authors who were born and raised in India (and I say this with the utmost of humility and meaning no offense to those writers), I know I have an advantage because I’m writing in my native language. When I add to that my experience with spelling competitions, I feel like I have a deep knowledge of words that I can apply to my work.There are many desi writers like me who were born in this country and who have had a wide exposure to words like I did. While we can relate to one another in terms of culture and the immigrant experience, I like to think that my particular upbringing, personality quirks and ideas about the world make my stories stand out.

Which author would you say you really look up to?

---This is a tough question to answer. I think I like JhumpaLahiri’s approach to her work, in the sense that she doesn’t let a schedule or a contract dictate how often she writes. For her fans it’s agonizing waiting for every one of her books to come out, but when it does we realize why. In order to write the way she does, a writer has to expend effort and energy and—most importantly—take time. Despite all the advice to indie authors that they should publish frequently, I think it’s still important—crucial, even—to take that kind of care of your work.

What are your top five favourite novels that you would recommend to all bookworms?

--- (Again, it’s hard for me to pick my top favorites, but here are books I would recommend without a second thought.)

1. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (a sci-fi-cum-historical fiction tale set in the future in England as well as simultaneously in the fourteenth century during the time of the Black Plague; it’s brilliant!)

2. The Book of Answers by C.Y. Gopinath (a satire on the political situation of India that captures in the most subtle ways the country’s current state; again, brilliant!)

3.All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (set in France during World War II, it tells the story of a blind girl and what kind of affect the war has on her family; this one will break your heart and take your breath away all at the same time.)

4. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (I couldn’t stop laughing throughout this entire book. A widower decides he wants to commit suicide because he can’t live without his late wife anymore, but little things keep getting in his way and keep postponing the suicide. Anyone who enjoyed the Pixar movie Up will love this one.)

5. Wish by Beth Bracken & Kay Fraser; illustrated by Odessa Sawyer (The story is simplistic, because this is a YA book, but the illustrations are so lush readers will feel themselves sinking into the pictures.)

In India,bookworms still prefer paperbacks to e-books.Madam,when can we expect a paperback version of your books?

---Because I’m only releasing a pair of stories at a time, it isn’t cost effective to release two stories as a book; it would be too short. But I’ve strongly considered the possibility, when I’ve published enough stories, to put all of them in a collection and release that as a paperback. If I do decide to pursue that course, fans of the stories will know well in advance—I will definitely keep everyone up to date on the course that Prairie Sky Publishing will take!

---Thank you so much!

(As told to nikhimenon)

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Interview With Author Ekta R Garg

 'The traditional publishing company gets the majority of the money and the author gets a minimal cut. In indie publishing the author gets to keep most of the money'

'I began reading at the age of 4 and always felt happiest in my free time when I had a book in my hand'

'Short stories have a hard time attracting attention; some people call them the weaker sister of the novel'

'It’s hard to find an audience with so many people in the same field'

Ekta .R.Garg rose to fame with her innovative 'Stories In Pairs' series.In this candid interview, conducted via e-mail in parts,she speaks about her inspiration,future plans and the benefits of being an indie publisher.Read the first part of the interview here.

In the acknowledgement section of 'Two for the Heart', you have revealed that your love for writing started during your school days. Can you elaborate a bit on that?

I began reading at the age of 4 and always felt happiest in my free time when I had a book in my hand. At the age of 8 I started writing poetry and short narratives for fun. I just found the whole idea of trying to express myself in the written word in a creative way so interesting. 

Soon after that I began competing in spelling competitions, which drew me all the way into the world of words. When you study to compete, especially when you’re studying hard because you want to win, you spend many hours reading these words and finding out what they mean. My hours of study and practicing spelling complemented the writing I was doing.

In the sixth grade our teacher gave us a writing assignment. She wanted each student to create an original story and said we could make it about four or five pages long. This was in the time when we hand wrote everything—no one was using computers in my school yet—so writing a story was quite an involved process.

I thoroughly enjoyed crafting the story and created a mystery with a pair of twins as the main characters. The girls go on a vacation and find a missing treasure. I actually wanted to turn it into a series at some point.

I enjoyed writing the story so much that I took a risk: I wrote a story 20 pages long. I felt a little nervous, because I didn’t want to get penalized for going over the limit. Instead my teacher gave me a high score and wrote “Interesting story! Maybe a budding author here!” in the margin of the last page.

That comment stayed with me and still makes me smile. I really think my teacher planted a seed that stayed and has now started bearing fruit.

You are also a publisher. What do you think is the biggest challenge for budding writers?

---Definitely getting discovered. One of the down sides of indie publishing is that thousands of writers have started competing for the attention of readers who have many other things demanding their time. It’s hard to find an audience with so many people in the same field. But it’s also oddly comforting; an indie author can just think, “I’m not doing this alone; I’m not the only person experiencing these hardships.”

What is the inspiration behind stories in pairs? As in, what made you come up with this brilliant idea of penning down stories sharing a common theme and a link?

---I have dedicated serious time and effort in the last three or four years to studying the publishing industry. When I made the decision in the summer of 2014 to begin indie publishing, I already knew I would face stiff competition from the thousands of other writers who had gone before me. In order to stand out from the crowd, I knew I had to do something just different enough to pique people’s curiosity.

I started with the idea of short stories. As the mother of two young children, I don’t have the time and energy to devote to a full-fledged novel. But because I’ve been conducting my own writing workshop for the last two years I knew I could handle developing and writing short stories.But short stories have a hard time attracting attention; some people call them the weaker sister of the novel, although I don’t agree with that assessment at all. It takes just as much skill, craft and art to construct a compelling short story as it does a novel.Getting people to acknowledge that and understand it is a different matter.

I knew I would have to find a way to make my stories stand out. So I kept brainstorming ideas and decided to start publishing stories in pairs. But I wanted to make them special and thought I should find a way to make them connect. 

That connection also helps emphasize the larger idea behind Stories in Pairs: that we all have a story to share, and our own stories connect with other people’s stories. We never know how or when those stories will intersect or how big of an impact our stories will have on others. But no one can deny that those connections can and will happen.

 In the second story of the first book (Remembrance), Dr. Pooja Mehra is making a brief appearance. Can we expect her character to make a comeback in your future stories also?

---I don’t have any plans for her to appear in upcoming stories, but I definitely won’t rule it out. You never know where and when characters will appear in future stories!

You are playing the dual role of an author and a publisher. Which role do you enjoy playing the most? Why?

---No guesses about it: definitely writer! I love creating stories and characters and finding a compelling way to share those stories with readers. Now that I’ve begun publishing my own work, I know the probability of a growing audience is real.

Having said that, however, I find the challenges of being a publisher interesting. I won’t lie: I’ve definitely wished more than once for the big budget and big team of a traditional publishing house. But I also find an immense satisfaction in accomplishing each task, big or small, by myself. And because I’ve read so much about how the industry works and how other indie authors have succeeded, I already know where to go for answers to my questions. There’s enough comfort in that fact to allow me to be intrigued by this new role.

(The second part of this interview will be published tomorrow)

-nikhimenon

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Interview with Doctor-turned- Writer Deepal Kripal

          Earlier this week,we chatted with Doctor-turned-Author,Deepak Kripal.He has authored 'The Devil's Tale:An impossible journey',published by Leadstart Publishers.In this candid interview,he tells us about his debut work,future plans,his journey as a writer and his other interests in life.

   1.Can you tell us something about yourself?
Well, that is quite a difficult question! Let me put it like this. I am a doctor by profession, one who realized that writing goes much beyond prescriptions.

                    2..You are a doctor by profession. From Robin Cook to Anirban Bose, we have had quite a number of doctors- turned- authors. Instead of choosing a 'safe genre' like a medical thriller or a desi romance novel, what made you pen this rather weird tale about animals and their struggle for existence?

You couldn’t have phrased it well by calling it ‘weird’! Well, the honest answer to it would be that I didn’t get the chance to choose. That is because this project was not planned in any way; it just happened. I would have written my debut novel at least 5 years down the lane as far as my plan was concerned. But when the idea of this story happened to me, I had to pen it down. And I quite liked the term you used in the question, ‘safe genre’!

·            3.These days there are many desi authors writing in English. What do you think is your biggest USP when compared to your contemporaries?

My USP will always be my stories. I want to tell some stories which may not be ‘safe’ but will be different. I want to take the reader to the places and situations he has never been to. I am somebody who was brought up with a lot of bedtime stories. So I was always hungry for some exciting and never heard stories. Now, I plan to quench my hunger by creating some of them.

·           4. Leadstart has published many best sellers like 'Asura-the tale of the vanquished'. Can you tell us briefly about your experience with your publishers, Leadstart group?

Leadstart has been quite supportive to me. It has guided me through the entire process, and I never felt like a novice thanks to the warm atmosphere I was put into. I have only good things to say about it. And there is nothing I can say to thank it enough for what it has given me.

·          5.When do you write and have you ever experienced writer's block?

I have just started my journey, so I guess it’s too early for me to have a writer’s block! I write only when it is pouring out of me naturally. I never force myself to write. I have, at times, tried to write compulsorily, only to realize that it doesn’t happen that way; not with me anyway!

·        6.  Apart from writing, what are your hobbies?

I love to read, travel, watching movies, and cricket of course. But nothing beats spending time with my beautiful friends.

·       7. Chetan Bhagat, Amitav Ghosh, Salman Rushdie-Who is your favourite among these three Indian writers? Which one do you think is his best work till date?

Well, all the three are unique in their own right. I don’t particularly like to compare different authors, or anybody for that matter. As far as my favourite is concerned, I loved ‘Sea of Poppies’ by Amitav Ghosh.

·      8.Future plans on the professional front?

As I told you, I want to tell some exciting stories which are not only different but interesting and meaningful also.

·      9. I know it's a dumb question to ask, but still.....Ten years from now, where do you think you will be? In a multi speciality hospital managing a really busy O.P.D. or in the comforts of your home, sipping a cup of hot coffee typing the chapters of your latest thriller?

Haha, well, it is a dumb question indeed! Let me put it like that. I wouldn’t really mind the comforts of home to start with. A hot cup of coffee is never a bad prospect to anyone, home or away. And regarding typing my latest thriller; oh come on, give it to me!

- (as told to nikhimenon)

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