Interview With Author Vanitha Vaidialingam
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am now 65 years of age. I am a retired civil servant with 23 years of dedicated service to the Government of India in various managerial roles. Following my government tenure, I engaged in contractual collaborations with several private firms to assist the Indian Government in building their technological framework.
Currently, I spend my time writing books for Young Adults and children. I was awarded the Golden Book Award by Wings Publication International for my book “Close Encounters of the Mystical Kind”—an autobiographical work detailing my personal mystical experiences.
My husband, also a retired civil servant since 2017, shares my commitment to public service. He too, has contributed to the literary world with published collections of poems in Tamil.
Our two accomplished daughters have established themselves in their respective lives and are very successful in their careers. Currently, we revel in the joy of being grandparents to a delightful grandson, with another grandchild on the way.
Beyond our personal pursuits, we actively invest our time in imparting valuable life skills to underprivileged children from nearby slums. My writing is an extension of this. Over the years, we have successfully taught more than 100 children Spoken English and Basics of Computers. Our emphasis has been on teaching these children moral values and instilling in them the self-confidence necessary for their societal ascent. Our dedication extends beyond our individual achievements, as we strive to shape a brighter future for the younger generation.
I have written 13 books to date. I engage in diverse writing genres, including fiction, non-fiction, and technical works. My audience ranges from young adults to little children. Among my literary creations, you’ll find “The War Within,” a compilation of short stories, and “Close Encounters of the Mystical Kind,” an autobiographical piece. Catering specifically to children, I’ve penned fiction titles such as “Toby Finds a Home,” “The Brave Rabbit,” “The Adventures of Obe and Elwin,” and “Playing in the Rain.”
In addition to narrative works, I’ve ventured into creating activity books and coloring books tailored for children. On the technical front, I’ve authored two books on computer software: “MS Word Practice Exercises” and “Excel Practice Exercises,” with the latter gaining significant popularity in the United States.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is a children’s book titled “Playing in the Rain”. It was inspired by my grandson, who loves playing in rain puddles with his friends. The character Tommy is modelled closely on my grandson. Like him, Tommy asks endless questions!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I consider myself a spontaneous writer, lacking a systematic approach. I don’t engage in making notes, outlining plots, or defining characters in advance. When inspiration strikes, I dive right into writing, allowing the book to organically take shape over a few hours or a day. The story, characters, and even illustrations seem to effortlessly materialize onto the paper.
Following this burst of creativity, a significant amount of time is dedicated to the editing process. I meticulously refine the pictures, tweak the story and characters, working to give the manuscript a cohesive form. This refining stage typically spans about a month, sometimes longer. I choose to publish when I sense that no further improvements can be made.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read a lot, but I cannot specifically say that any single author influenced me the most in the creation of most of my books. The case is different with my autobiographical book. In that book I consciously tried hard to keep the narration flowing and simple in the style of Paramahamsa Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of an Yogi”.
What are you working on now?
As I said, I work on a number of books in parallel.
Non-fiction: “Practical Hinduism” and “Secret of the Upanishads”–these require intense attention, research and a specific elevated mood.
Fiction–“Cofee Bytes–a Collection of short stories”. I look around me to find the most suitable characters and events and weave them into my stories.
Children’s Book–“Tina and Tony go camping”–I like to illustrate them myself so it takes time.
Tech books–Practice Exercises for Web development.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have not been promoting my books at all. I assumed that I can just write them and put them out there and readers will find them. I have slowly come to realize that it does not work that way. I must direct my readers attention toward them. In January 2004, I entered the social media with an intent to market and promote my books. I am not very good at it yet. I am still finding my way. But surprisingly, the moment I entered the market to promote my books, organic sales picked up. I am impressed and excited!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Market and promote your books. Readers will not find them otherwise.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In one of the YouTube videos, the anchor said joining Facebook groups that help you promote your books, is one of the best things you can do. I think that was a wonderful tip. I have joined several now. I am not sure how much it is going to help my conversion rate yet, but I enjoy interacting with like-minded people. It is a pleasure to work with these groups. I am learning so much from them and they are helping me as much as, I feel, I am helping them.
What are you reading now?
Girin Babu, Some Tea? by A.K. Sharma
What’s next for you as a writer?
Writing and more writing and of course lots of marketing, promoting and all that hard work. I would like to have my readers leave me reviews as it will help me grow as a writer and correct all the newbie mistakes that I am making.
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?
As many of the Harry Potter volumes that I can lay my hands on! I love J.K. Rowlings writing. It is fluid, smooth, attention riveting and the plots are well thought out and has perfectly welded parts.
Author Websites and Profiles
Vanitha Vaidialingam Amazon Profile
Vanitha Vaidialingam’s Social Media Links
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