Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in India, I am a family lawyer and a writer. I developed a love for reading and writing at a very early age when my English teacher introduced him to the magical worlds of Shakespeare and Galsworthy. The first English novel that I ever read was Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. My English teacher had given me a assignment to prepare a book report on Robinson Crusoe. However, it was the play called Loyalties written by Nobel laureate Sir John Galsworthy which attracted me to amazing world of literature.
Growing up in a predominantly Hindi country, I was always encouraged by my father to read English books and newspapers. Hence, most of my summer holidays were full of reading English literature which I strongly believe improved by linguistic abilities in English. Every summer was spent with the writings of wonderful writers such as Harold Robbins and Paulo Coelho to name a few.
However, it was the writings of the legendary Sir P.G. Wodehouse that inspired me to take up writing. I was absolutely fascinated by some of his incredible works such as The Golden Bat and Ice in the Bedroom. The more I read Sir Wodehouse’s works, the more I was driven towards writing which led to the publication of my debut book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The World Belongs To Animals is a children’s picture book written in rhyme.
The idea for this book came when, I along with my wife, visited some of the most spectacular forests and wildlife regions across the world such as the Amazon rain forest and the wilderness of Patagonia in Argentina. We were absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of these places and came to learn about the various conservation projects which are running for the protection of the eye-catching species inhabiting these regions.
However, despite the laudable efforts of the conservationists, the animals are still struggling to fight the battle against extinction. Climate change, deforestation, poaching and habitat loss are few of the contributing factors which are proving to be detrimental to the efforts by the animal conservation activists round the globe. Well some of the animals seems to have benefited from the conservation efforts, there continues to be far more animal species whose numbers are dwindling at a rapid pace in the wild. More and more species are living under the increased threat of disappearing from the wild.
Concerned by the plight of the animals, we decided to develop this book to reintroduce some of the animals to young readers and to create an early consciousness among them towards the protection of animals. We wanted to make an attempt to appeal to the kids that animal survival is extremely important for the balance of our nature and environment. We created the book in rhyme so as to attract the kids towards conservation of animals. Animals are mostly well loved but there is a very special way in which a kid loves an animal. For a kid, an animal is not only a source of imagination but also a cherished friend. We hope that this book can engage children towards the protection of animals which the animals desperately need.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
To be honest, I have quite a few. For me, writing can come at any hour of the day. It rarely matters whether it is the middle of night, if an idea pops up in my head, I would often be in a hurry to make a note of it in a peace of paper.
My family often jokes with me that I have a friendship with pen and paper. I am often more comfortable writing in a piece of paper than typing it out in a computer or a laptop. I love to make rhymes and I earlier used to do it on the special occasions such as the birthday of a close friend but I believe writing rhymes have grown on me and whenever I am travelling, I always keep a pen and paper on hand to scribble my thoughts.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As mentioned earlier, the writings of Sir P.G. Wodehouse have had the biggest influence on me partly because I grew up in the same sort of environment that Sir Wodehouse used to write about. I was fortunate to study in a school where I met some lovely people who continue to be my friends to this day. His books such as the Golden Bat is a tribute to high school friendship, something I have am very fond of.
Apart from Sir Wodehouse, who is the greatest literary comic genius, I was heavily inspired by Sir John Galsworthy’s “Loyalties”. Ever since I read it for the first time at the beginning of this century, I still vividly remember the dialogues and all the scenes in the play. I still have a copy of it from my school days and I have revisited it many times over. Every time I read it, it is like I am reading it for the first time.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working upon two separate projects. The first project is another child re’s picture book, which has already been picked up by a traditional publisher and the other one is my attempt at a full length novel about life in a residential school, which as is obvious by now, is inspired by the books of Sir Wodehouse.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Well so far I have been incredibly supported, coached and mentored by the publicity department of my Publisher. I have developed my own website complete with the information and the trailer of the book.
Given the current difficult circumstances where it is next to impossible to speak personally with local bookstores, social media is being highly relied upon. I feel Instagram is currently a better medium than Facebook or Twitter, though if am honest, I am afraid to see I am yet to get the best hang of social media. I don’t want to spam the news feeds. as they are called, of my friends. Maybe I already have!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
One has to have an open mind about criticism. Criticism is a healthy part of any writing process. We all write our books with lots of love and tons of personal emotions. We all tend to become attached to our books and our characters and this kind of personal writing is very essential for putting thoughts to paper.
Hence, criticism enables us to gain perspective of our work as seen in the eyes of others. Most manuscripts need to be drafted again and again before it becomes a polished product. Writing query letters and receiving rejections from publishers is all part of the process which ultimately make us better writers.
We must never lose belief in our product and there are publishers out there who want to hear from a new voice and are ready to help them by providing them an ideal platform. We just need to have perseverance.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
My father once advised me that worrying about the end result will go a long way in taking the fun of something we are pursuing. I have always wondered at his advise. How can I write without bearing in mind whether the book is marketable and whether it would sell? But now that my first book is published, I have realized that perhaps my father was write all along. Worrying about the success of the book will often work towards taking the enjoyment out of writing. A manuscript is bet written when the author really has a good time writing about it. The rest can work out on its own.
What are you reading now?
I am currently in the midst of reading Sir Wodehouse’s A Damsel in Distress. There is a aura of allure surrounding early literature. The way the authors used to write at that time made a huge contribution in shaping the society and dare I say civilization.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Next for me is to develop my very first novel. I think I have written a fair bit of it and I certainly aim to finish it sometime this year. Current circumstances have definitely given me more time to write which would be difficult under normal circumstances.
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?
Definitely Sir Galsworthy’s Loyalties, which is like an oxygen for me. If I were to be marooned on an island, apart from Loyalties and Sir Wodehouse’s The Golden Bat and Ice in the Bedroom, I would also prefer Mario Puzo’s The Family.
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