Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am from India. I had worked in the Software field for about 5 years. I quit my software job in the year 2018 and decided to pursue my passion for sports and writing. I along with some of my friends started a Sports based NGO (Non-Profit Organization) named Play2Discover. Through our NGO, we have been supporting underprivileged kids to excel in their sporting activities.
Along with sports training we have also been providing Life-Skill sessions to help them deal with the problems that they face in their lives. We have also been supporting kids to fulfil their academic requirements as we believe in the right balance of Sports and Education.
I am also a freelance writer. I have created a blog for our NGO and I have written a few posts on sports life-skill sessions. I have also written articles on a few sites that focus mainly on sports life-skill sessions and general/social issues. I have also been writing motivational speeches for my clients on freelancing platforms.
I have written 4 books so far. I have self-published 1 of them as an eBook. I will be publishing the other 3 books before the end of this year.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I have self-published an eBook titled “PLAY2DISCOVER: Improving Lives through Sports” on Amazon KDP. This eBook comprises 10 short stories which try to connect certain aspects of sports with real-life scenarios.
I have written blog posts and articles explaining about sports life-skill sessions that we conduct and how it creates an awareness and improves the mindset of individuals helping them solve the problems that they face in their personal, academic and professional lives.
However, I realized that when teachings are presented as stories with characters and plot twists, they will have a much bigger reach and impact when compared to articles and blog posts. This was my inspiration to write these short stories as I want people to realize the importance of sports which is not taken seriously in many countries, especially India.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a big fan of non-linear narration and that reflects in my writing as well. When a story conceives in my mind I usually try to develop it with a straight forward linear narration, but I end up drifting towards non-linear narration when I start writing or typing it. The concept of having 2-3 different sequences and then connecting those towards the end really excites me both as a reader and as a writer.
I also have this habit of having twists and turns in almost every story that I write. I like to surprise the readers. This is understandable for thriller concepts, but I am so obsessed with twists and turns that I also try to include it in stories with simple concepts. My first eBook falls in the self-help category and is meant to inspire. But I couldn’t stop myself from having twists and turns in these stories as well
I also like to end stories with unexpected endings. Surprise endings excite me more than the usual happy endings. Even if the ending is tragic it doesn’t stop me from proceeding with it, but I make sure that such endings are not forced and I make sure that it suits the storyline.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a reader, I am a big fan of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series but as a writer, the books that fall under the Historical Fiction genre have inspired me a lot. I have always been fascinated by the idea of taking up a real incident, real places, real things and then develop a fictional story around it. Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” is a big inspiration for me. And some of Ashwin Sanghi’s books like “Chanakya’s Chant” have also inspired me big time.
What are you working on now?
The book that I am currently working on comes under the Mystery Drama genre. I wanted to deviate from the genre of my first book and write a completely different one as I didn’t want to be labelled as a particular genre writer. Being a big fan of the Historical Fiction genre, I have tried to develop a fictional story around real places and some real incidents.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am just 1 book old. Being a first-time author, I do not have much knowledge about promotion and marketing, and I am trying to explore every possible option to get my work published across various platforms and help my content get a wider reach. I am still learning a lot of things. There are various promotion options for writers but very few free promotion services. I am looking for free promotions as it is a little difficult for me to shell out money at the moment for advertising my book. So for a new author like me, social media platforms are the best options. But this is definitely not enough.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you are passionate about writing but not able to proceed because of various reasons then just get started by writing short stories. Many have ideas in their mind but find it difficult to get started thinking of how to develop the story as a novel. Instead of doing that just start converting those ideas into a 2-5 page story. Write around 5-10 similar short stories and then club them into a book, an anthology.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always write for yourself and not for the market. The story, characters and style should be what you want to read and what you enjoy writing.
What are you reading now?
I am trying to publish 3 books. So I haven’t been able to read any book for a long time.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next is a Mystery Drama, and I am trying to get it self-published by the end of this month.
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?
I would like to take those books which I have not read. So it rules out all those books which I have already read. The books that I would like to bring with me are;
Angels and Demons
Inferno
Shiva Trilogy
Under Suspicion series
Author Websites and Profiles
Vinod Balan Website
Vinod Balan Amazon Profile
Vinod Balan’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
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