Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Ananta Govinda and so far I have written 3 books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Mirror of Desire. It is an elegant weave of fantasy, philosophy, romance, and adventure, chronicling a voyage through a world of earthly duality into the realms beyond time. In the allegorical storyline of the Mirror of Desire trilogy, white and black wizards compete for access to the mysterious land of the Pyramid. I wanted to show those two colors are the range of the spectrum, indeed they cannot exist without each other.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
My favorite writing time is at dawn, I feel most inspired then. My friend has a beautiful vacation house that he lets me use sometimes in Oregon. It is located on a hilltop overlooking the valley, and the view is magical, especially in the early morning when the fog rolls over the hills down to the valley.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I was very much influenced by Eastern wisdom and practical philosophy. As I dove into the ancient Sanskrit texts things started opening up in a different light, The Bhagavad-Gita As It Is really influenced me deeply and made me reevaluate everything. The Bhagavad Gita and Vedic wisdom were putting everything back together, there were no loopholes, everything was solid and consistent.
What are you working on now?
Working on the Mirror of Desire media show and 360′ immersive experience.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Since I don’t have a large budget I have to make do with what is available. Besides my own website, I try to create a strong social media presence, gather book reviews on Amazon which turned out to be quite a success since the book is trending number 1 in fantasy & science fiction and has a lot of good reviews on Amazon. I also try to promote as much as possible on forums and websites like Goodreads, which have a strong book reading community.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Go deep inside yourself and write from the heart.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Just the good old plain and simple – be yourself.
What are you reading now?
American Veda by Phil Goldberg
What’s next for you as a writer?
Probably starting on the second book of this trilogy – “Self-Writing Book”.
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?
Bhagavad Gita
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama
The Mahabharata
Author Websites and Profiles
Ananta Govinda Website
Ananta Govinda Amazon Profile
Ananta Govinda’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account