• Can you tell us something about yourself?
I am a dreamer who dreams the impossible, an analyst who plans to convert a dream to a reality, a storyteller who wants to make a little difference, by her stories, and a Childfree by Choice. Did I miss, that I love cats?
• How is your book different from others?
Though my book promises time-travel, a journey through time to a politically charged India of 50 CE, ridden with conspiracy and thrill to the palaces in Garvpundir and Jodhgarh, it also tugs at the heart of few fundamental questions that we are after to ask or even acknowledge. The setup may be in medieval India with its societal structure, but those characters are timeless, they are present in every age, just like Brutus, Anthony or Lolita is.
• Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
From daily conversation a thought gets planted, then dream takes over providing me with the structure. It’s true, my dreams are full-fledged. Then begins the hard work of doing the research, which could be about a specific time, era, or process.
• What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?
The surprising thing that I learned while creating my book is – that how easy it is to be carried in the flow, ignore the details, which would lead to plot holes. To beat it, you need to have a detailed view of the approach, the arcs, and minute details.
• What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
On weekdays, I write between 8:00 am to 10:00 am. Then again, I go back to writing from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. On weekends, I start by 7:30 am and continue to 8:30 pm with only 2-3 breaks in between.
• What do you think makes a good story?
A simple story can be very effective and timeless, like Lord of the Rings, Hobbit or Little Women. And what I think makes a difference is attention to details, a lot of research and thought process given, a little difference in treatment of the theme, a subtle and not so apparent thought that keeps nagging in the mind even after completing the book, and last but most important one is the way characters are built and developed over the course of the story.
• What is your writing process like?
Once something as a concept sticks, I let is simmered a little, then I go to my drawing board (in my case Microsoft One Note), there, I list down the main arcs, the main characters, and a very high-level outline of the story. Then I create an outline of chapters and its content. Finally, a list of reference material needed for each character, situation, etc. However, these tools are directional. As the story progress, I keep visiting them and updating them.
• What advice do you have for writers?
Please don’t settle for shortcuts in writing. If you are writing a fantasy novel, you should know your universe at the back of the hand. Maybe you will need 2% of the research that you have put in, but the distinct flavor it gets is not lost to the readers. Research everything that you have used in your novel lest some references come incorrectly. Like somebody in 1950 wearing lycra.
• How did this story occur to you?
Oh, if I give you the story of that evening as to how this story occurred, I would be giving away the climax. Let’s hold on to this for some time.
• What is the book all about?
Heir – End of Innocence is a political thriller. Characters are interweaved in a saga that runs for four generations and involves two kingdoms. It is a novel, written from the perspective of a woman who wants to fulfill sexual pleasure as much as men of her era did. She was not ready to sacrifice her happiness and accept a loveless life as a dictum of fate. The story follows the politics and conspiracies in two kingdoms that changed the life of Padmakishori as she tries to secure her amorous way of life, intertwined with lives and decisions, and memories. The heir has politics of lust & lust of politics.
