Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks for having me here. I am Savio, the author of Spirit Raiders. I am a resident of Mumbai, India, and writing happens to be one of my hobbies. Being a hobby it comes rather naturally and something I have fun doing. My dad, wife, and daughter are the ones filling my home with lots of love, joy, and laughter. In fact, my wife was the only one who knew about my book, initially. Everyone else came to know about it a lot later. I also have a day job back in India, which brings forth its own set of fun and excitement. So, that’s about me.
Till date I have published one book and three are there in the pipeline.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Spirit Raiders is my latest book and it took some time to put the story line together. Now, that it is up, I am quite happy with what has been created.
Sci-fi was something I always loved and to write something on those lines was something which came naturally. The only thing that I promised myself was that the storyline would be something that the world has not seen. Read the book till the end and you will understand the different kind of sci-fi this book is.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual would be relative. For that, I would first have to understand what usual is (laughs). There is one habit, though, which I personally felt was unusual and that was something I tried when I wasn’t feeling inspired enough to write. So, the habit was going to some noisy coffee shop and attempting to write in the bang & clang and all possible noises. I did get some honest writing done, so no complaints.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is quite difficult to answer and I don’t know if at all I will do justice talking about the authors and the influences. But to put this in perspective, my writing is quite simple with easy sentence formation. I am sure there are many authors who do the same and in that sense, I am in a league of many.
What are you working on now?
Right now I am working on a sequel to Spirit Raiders and one other book. Both of the mentioned books are in the sci-fi space and will be through with them by this year.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Marketing and promotion have a number of levers when it comes to book visibility. One medium which worked for one book, may not take off at all for another. However, a new medium altogether just shoots off for a new book. That said, like most traditional and new age methods, I use facebook, twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, Smashwords and few other platforms.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes. For new authors, here is one thing that you need to keep in mind. There will be too many noises around and even our own internal judgment which will keep on comparing, keep on suggesting, and keep on confusing. These are the precise ones which should be ignored and you should go out and write your story. Once the story is there on paper then that is when you rationalize parts or aspects of your book. If you start doing it anytime before completing the book, I assure you, you will not reach the end. Even if you reach the end, chances are that you will not be happy about it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice that I had received was from a friend, who is also an author, and writes in the non-fiction space. He told me that I should not even get to formatting, proof-reading or any such aspects before I complete the book the first time over. Every single time I do any of the mentioned points, chances are that I will miss the plot, or over-correct, or change the flow completely. So, never do that mistake. I think it has worked for me. Now when I merge the points under the advice I received and the advice I give, you will see that there is concurrence in the thought process.
What are you reading now?
I am reading “A course in Miracles” by Helen Schucman. I don’t read much of sci-fi books but watch a lot of sci-fi movies. From a reading perspective, therefore, I read a lot of self-help and spiritual books as compared to sci-fi.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Get my books to few more geographies as compared to their current availability. For example, my books are not available in the Middle East, although, many have written to be about the same. I am trying new avenues to check if my books can be made available in the Middle East.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Here are the ones that I would bring:
Ask and It is Given – Esther and Jerry Hicks
A Course in Miracles – Helen Schucman
Power of Deliberate Intent – Esther and Jerry Hicks
Spirit Raiders – Savio Dawson. I think I will be looking at ways to improve the book than reading it (laughs).
Author Websites and Profiles
Savio Dawson Website
Savio Dawson Amazon Profile
Savio Dawson Author Profile on Smashwords
Savio Dawson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account