Interview with Manya V Kasi

Hello everyone today we have Manya V Kasi , the author of India’s most unlikely bride. I am really honored to have her interview. Without fussing much about my blog let me proceed with her answers.

1. Where are you from?

I have been living in San Francisco from the past 12 years, but I am originally from Hyderabad, India.

2. When did you start writing?

I have been writing since I was a little girl.  However, I have publishedmy book on Amazon for the first time only a few months ago.

3. What is your debut novel?

My debut novel is named “India’s Most Unlikely Bride”

4. What inspired you to write the plot?

Topics like verbal abuse within marriage or male child preference in a family are not discussed that openly. We know they exist, we even see them happening around us, sometimes from too close for comfort.  But we often look the other way, since they do not usually leave behind any physical pain or scars on the victim.I wanted to write a story about a woman who has gone through those issues.I had obsessively researched various articles on these topics.  My phone is filled with notes and bookmarks on consequences of verbal abuse and howvictims usually cope. Some of the statistics around the world were unbelievable. It also gave me a new found understanding towards victims who have stayed through years of abusive marriage.Soon I drafted a story to address some of the social issues without being too obtrusive to the core romance storyline.

5. Other than writing what is your profession?
I work in the Information Technology sector.

6. Name your favorite writers and books .

I am an avid reader who has several favorite writers and books in various genres. 🙂 The ones I can name on top of my head are: Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell ;Outlander by Diana Gabaldon;The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins;Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead ;Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella

7. Which is your favorite vacation spot?

I don’t have a favorite. I love vacationing atany place that helps me relax wth an enjoyable company. 🙂

8.  What do you think writers should keep in mind before sketching out acharacter?

Characters should drive the story. Writers should know their characters pretty well. They could be based a little bit on someone they know or sometimes they could also be based a little bit on the writers itself. That would help in knowing the characters motivations, what drives them and howthey would react to certain circumstances.It is very important to have empathy towards all the characters in the story.

9. Tell us about your future projects.

I’m currently working on a new adult novel.

10. Any suggestions for newbie authors.

Don’t give up on writing or be discouraged by bad reviews. Continue writing with the same passion. Nothing or no one can stop you from doing what you love to do the best.

Thanks for joining us today in this interview and I also wish Manya a bright future with her writing works.

Interview with the author of Emancipation

Hello readers of Seeking Romance. How are you guys doing?  I think you are doing great because with our books and blogs lying next to us we can never feel depressed.
Anyways today I would like to present the author of Emancipation -A town tale ,Mr.  Suddhabrata Deb Roy.  My heart warming thanks to Mr.Deb Roy to have granted us this interview.

The session begins here: –

1.When did you first start writing?

Ans- I wrote my first story in KG, so i guess, I started writing a longtime ago.

2. Who was your inspiration a family member, or friend or someone else?
You would want to give the credit?

Ans- Books… Yes, the basic inspirations were books and the stories inside me. I used to read a lot of books when I was a kid(even now, I read a lot,its like the only thing which has not changed in all these years) .The thirst for seeing a book with my name printed on it drives me.

3. We heard that you wrote your first novel after passing your senior Secondary exams.  So what was it about?

Ans- It was a novella, not a novel. It was about the corrupt practices which go on unabated in the sports authorities in the small towns.

4. How many novels have you written till date?

Ans- 4 to be exact, three in print, including the latest and one e-book available in Kindle format.

5. Which is your favorite genre in writing?

Ans- Urban fiction. I would love to work on comic books though someday in the future.

6. I read your last book it was a young adult romance called Emancipation.How do you think is it different from other books of the Same genre?

Ans- It is not a romance, it is an urban fiction. It is about  a young guy from a small town who gets trapped in all the ‘wary’ things that happensthere. The main USP of the book is the Raw and Life like description of what goes in and around in those small little ‘nudgy’ towns of India. Those are towns, where, the fruits of capitalism , may it be in terms of the westernization of mentality ( which is at times good and at times bad) , or in terms of technical development, have not yet made their foray into the lives of common people, and the book is all about those people living inthose towns only.

7. What is your favorite hobby (except writing)?

Ans- Reading…

8. You are student of engineering now.  So how much of your time canYou impart for your writing purpose?

Ans- It’s quite irregular. Sometimes, I write on for days, while at othertimes, I don’t write a single word for days.

9. Give us an insight of your favorite character from any of your novels.

Ans- Tanmay from EMANCIPATION-A TOWN TALE, he is passionate, fiery and knows what he wants to do. The fact that he could throw away the luxuries and chase his dreams was the best part of the novel.

10. In future would you like to take writing as your career permanently?
Ans- I will be glad to…

Again we would like to thank you Suddhabrata for spending some of your precious time with us.  Finally best of luck for your future.

Interview with the Inspirer

Its been more than a month that I took his interview and as always he has given me the inspiration of patience. This person he has taught me along with many other bloggers,  a lot of things regarding blogging to our daily lives,  unaware though. I am honored to present his interview today,  he’s none other than our Success Inspiring blogging friend Mr.Ngobesing Romanus. Let’s see what he has to say.

My questions for him: –

1.When did you decide to become a writer?

ANSWER:Let me first of all thank you for this interview. I feel honored tobe interviewed by a vibrant blogger like you. I like your assertiveness. Toanswer your question, I started writing when I was a little boy in college.I loved the language courses and literature in school.That enabled me todo well in them. When I read great novels by great writers I thought Icould also write something that could be read and liked by others. Then Istarted writing. When I got encouragement from my teachers and classmates I continued.

2. I heard you were related to the mass media earlier. Can you pleaseshare with us the experience.

ANSWER: I have worked with the Mass Media for many years. I started off my working life as a school teacher and later on I moved to broadcasting.This came after University in 1981. I started broadcasting with theofficial state Radio which later became Radio-Television. I have notstopped broadcasting ever since. I have enjoyed doing it all through. WhatI have done best has been to educate, motivate and inspire people through my radio programs to become the best persons that they can become; to bringout the best in themselves and achieve their dreams.

4. What are you working on at the minute?

ANSWER: I am working on my blog. I have lots of things I want to share with the world. I have unpublished works. Publishing in my country is so difficult. I am very optimistic that my works will get to a wider audience in future even this blog will grow.

5.Where did you grow up? Did the place have any influence on your writing?

ANSWER: I started in my village where I was born. Later, I moved to mynation’s capital where I did university studies; got into journalism school and later started working.  These places shaped me in many ways. Of course,you know that family and friends, and teachers all have an influence ineveryone’s life. I am no exception. In my nation’s capital I strengthened my knowledge of French and I am happy about that. My university friends encouraged me to take up broadcasting which has made me what I am.

6.What books have influenced most of your life?

ANSWER: Self-help books have influenced me the most; books which have helped me to bring out the best in me; books that motivate and inspire me.The very first was “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman VincentPeale. It’s a master piece. It continues to help millions of people the world over. After that I read many other books like”Think and Grow Rich”by Napoleon Hill. This is a man who has transformed many lives. The motivational books I have read are countless. They have made me what I am.

7.Which was your debut novel?

ANSWER: My debut novel it titled “A Loving Woman in Tears”. It is the storyof a woman who ran into so many problems in her marriage because of an irresponsible husband. I hate when men are not responsible and make theirwives suffer in their marital homes. I believe that the home should be aplace of love, peace and comfort not a place of violence. I am very muchagainst domestic violence. For more than a quarter of a century with my spouse, holding hands has never crossed our minds.

8.How much research do you do before writing?

ANSWER: There are some subjects that need more research than others. I have accumulated a lot of ideas over the years. I write on many topics fairly easily because I have worked on them over the years. But each time I am notsure of a topic I must do research. I believe in good preparation if you want to do a good job and research is part of preparation for the writer. A writer who does not do enough research before writing will be shallow. I always tell my friends that a mind that feeds only on itself will soon wither or dry off. We must know what others have thought and said aboutwhat we want to talk about. Knowledge is best built on knowledge.

9. Name any 4 of your favorite authors.

ANSWER: I already mentioned Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon hill, Jack Canfield, and Catherine Ponder.  In the area of novel,drama and poetry I have different names. But you asked only four otherwise in motivational writing I could mention Someone like Robert Schuller, Og Mandino, A.C.Williams.

.10. What are your plans this year?

ANSWER: My plans are to take my blog to a higher level. I want to reach one hundred thousand page views and at least three hundred visitors a day. I am looking forward to the day my blog will go viral.

11. When did you start blogging?

ANSWER: I started blogging on Blogger in October 2012. I did not find iteasy so I decided to try Word Press  in 2014. When I saw I was making ahead-way, I imported my Blogger content but my stats did not come with the posts. Actually I consider this blog to be in its second year. In a few months it shall be fully two years.

Thank you again very much for having me as your guest. I enjoy working withyoung people. You are so full of talent and vibrancy. You are also doing agreat job; and your
writings are good. Keep on. Let only the universe beyour limit.

Seeking Romance is thankful to as well Sir for having given us some of your precious time. We wish you lots of success ahead.

©Paramita

A rising star -Prachy

I know its been long since I published any interviews,actually I had been a little busy with my field trip studying the Karbi tribes. I’ll tell you people about them some other day .
Today we have Prachi Percy Sharma along with us. She gave me her interview two weeks ago but due to critical circumstances I couldn’t make it up to you.

Here are the few questions that I asked her..

1. When did you first start writing and were your parents co-operative with it?

I first started scribbling in a notebook when I was in the eighth grade. My parents didn’t understand at first. They came on board much later. 

2.How long does it take for you to write a book?

It depends on my situation and priorities. It takes me a minimum of a month and a maximum of four months to finish a first draft. 

3.What was your debut novel?

My debut novel is a crime thriller titled A Predator in Paradise. It’s a serialized e-novel published by Cosyreading. 

4.Do you have any suggestions for newbie authors to become a better author?

I’m a debut author myself so I hardly think I’m qualified to advice others. But I would say this: Do not jump into publication without honing your writing and storytelling skills. 

5.How do you publish your books -self or traditional?

Traditional publishing.

6.How long did it take for your books to be published?

One was accepted within a week. Another took eight months. One took just three weeks to be accepted. 

7.Books of which genre hold your interest?

I read across genres, but since I’m a crime writer mainly, I would say crime novels by Sir Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Michael Conelly, John Grisham, Erle Stanley Gardner, Thomas Harris and Steig Larsson have influenced my writing. Literary fiction by authors like Naipaul, Steinbeck, Toni Morrison, Nadine Gordimer and Gabriel Marquez has helped me with prose and style.

8.Name any 6 books which are your favorite.

The Hannibal trilogy by Thomas Harris, Millenium Series by Steig Larsson, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez and To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. 

9.What are your plannings this year?

This year, apart from releasing two books, I’m planning to finish an erotic suspense trilogy, one crime novel set in Mumbai and another set in Boston. 

10.What genre are your books?.

I mostly write in the crime/mystery genre

11.How do you develop your plots and characters?

I have no fixed process. I just write a rough outline of the idea in my brain and then I go with it. The characters develop with the plot. 

12.Give us an insight into one of your favorite character from any one of your novel.

My favorite character is Mia Santos, from one of my upcoming novels. She’s a feminist, an author and editor of a feminist magazine. She’s tough, independent, smart, intelligent and determined. She doesn’t back down from a challenge and when challenged, gives it as good as she gets. 

Thanks for having me here.

We thank you too Miss Prachi for sparing some of your moments for us. Wishing you luck. May God bless you.

©Paramita

An evening with Anirban

Hello everyone tonight we have Anirban Nanda. Thanks Mr. Nanda giving us some of your precious time.

1. Where did u grow up?

I grew up in Haldia, a small town near Kolkata.

2. When did you decide to become a writer?

From childhood, I always got drawn to comics (Tintin, Nonte-Fonte, Hada Voda, Batul the great are my favorites), fairy tales (Thakumar Jhuli),short-stories, novels etc. But I was a typical engineer (was among thetoppers of my class), doing engineering projects and everything. And in my leisure, I used to write poems, mostly in Bengali. Last year I got a chance to publish a short-story and it was liked by many. From then on, I have written more stories, read 42, explored more and I don’t know when I secretly started loving this whole thing. And this is how I decided to become a writer.

3. What was the first story written by you?

It was about a person and his extreme love for his smartphone titled ‘Im-mobile’. I wrote that when I was in 2nd year of my engineering course.It was partly inspired from ‘Ajantric’ (not mechanical) by Subodh Ghosh.

4. Do you have a specific time to write or how is your day structured?

I follow the most unplanned routine. Perks of student-life :D. I read whatever I feel like reading. I work on multiple stories at the same time and so I write whenever I get the feel for writing.

5.Have you written any other novels in collaboration with other writers?

No, I have not had the fortune yet to write anovel or contribute in anovel. But I have contributed few short stories in few best-selling anthologies.

6. Is there a message in your novel or storythat you hope readers will grasp?

Always. That’s the whole point of writing stories. You convey a message indirectly via stories. The messages are quite known to everyone (tell the truth, follow honesty, help women, be just, be sympathetic etc) but it’s the way of telling what attracts me.

7.  Which books have most influenced your life?

‘Chander Pahar’ by Bolaichand Mukhopadhyay was the first novel I read and this book was the reason of my sudden falling in love with stories. Then the next book would be ‘A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man’ by James Joyce which has changed my view of writing. I am more affected by short stories than novels. Few stories I recommend everyone to read: Franz Kafka’s stories (The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, The Hunger Artist, Blumfeld: an Elderly Bachelor, The Great wall of China, Report to an Academy), Ryunoshuke Akutagawa’s stories (Rashomon, Green Onions, HorseLegs, The Story of a Head That Fell Off), Rabindranath Tagore’s stories and James Joyce’s Dubliners (all of them).

8.Which is the most difficult part of writing a book /story?

I believe it is making the readers feel for the characters and get them involved with the story. When a writer becomes a master in those two areas,nothing can stop his/her book from becoming a bestseller.

9.Why did you particularly choose Lagaan as your story?

Readomania came up with an interesting theme for writing stories i.e. what would happen if you write the story after the end of your favorite movie? Lagaan is one of my favorite movies. It gave me everything a writer needs to build a story: intriguing context, unexplored characters, and an incomplete end. (Link to the story is here )

10.How difficult was it to keep the characters intact and yet go with the flow?
Yes, it was tricky. Firstly, in the movie, the characters were alreadydeveloped and so I couldn’t change them. Also, I had to link the previous story (which was about winning a cricket match) with the new one. So yes,it was tricky, I’d say.

11. What are your plans this year?

This year, I plan to read 100 books and write all the story ideas (19 to20) that I couldn’t write last year. Also, as I am a plotter, I’ll plot and develop all the characters for my first novel.

12.Name any 5 of your favorite authors.
1. Franz Kafka
2. James Joyce
3. Ryunoshuke Akutagawa
4. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
5. J.M. Coetzee

13.Any 4 favorite books.

1. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
2. To the Lighthouse.
3. Midnight’s Children
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude

14. Tell me about your stories published in‘Defiant Dreams’ and
‘When TheySpoke’.

Defiant Dreams is an amazon rank #5 anthology by Incredible Women of India in collaboration with Readomania on everyday women, their struggles, their extraordinary stories of their ordinary lives. My story ‘Amlanation’ in it is about acid attack and its effect onboth the convict and the victim.When they spoke  is an amazon rank #1 anthology themed on personification.
In this book, you’ll find 29 stories told by 29 inanimate objects. My story in it is about child abuse told through a veryignorable item.You can find stories/reviews by me here.

©Paramita

Few facts about Sukhmani Gandhi

Sukhmani

So, today we have Sukhmani Gandhi along with us, the author of The Shadow Of the Dark Soul.
I am very thankful to her for sparing her precious time for this interview.
Let’s see what she shares with us.
1.Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Kanpur which is a city in Uttar Pradesh.

2.When did you first started writing and were your parents co
-operative with it?

Well, when I started writing they were happy seeing me indulging towards something different however they weren’t very happy with the idea of me working on the Nirbhaya case because they were worried about the socio-political responses. However, today when they see my work being appreciated I guess they are at peace.

3.How long does it take you to write a book?

It took my around 6 months to finish my manuscript.

4. What is your choice career or besides being an author what else is
your profession?

Well, I still haven’t made that decision. I like taking life the way it comes to me and explore all my possibilities. For, now I am focusing on my graduation and my masters.

5.Is ‘The shadow of the dark soul ‘ your debut work as an author?

Though I have a blog and few of my articles have been published but this is my first novel.

6. In ‘The shadow of the dark soul ‘ you mentioned changes,  how long
do you suppose we can change the mindset of people who get their girls
locked up out of fear while the convict roams free?

I think the need to be reminded of the story when a man feared that the moment he would step out of his house he would die and the painting falls on his head and he dies in his own house.
We live in a patriarchal society but now the times are changing and people need to change. Today, if just one family understand that women and men are not to be treated superior or inferior rather both work parallel to each other. I guess then change would come soon.

7. How long did it take for your novella to get published?

It took my approximately 3 months.

8. Till now what is the response you received from the readers
regarding your novella?  Did it meet your satisfaction?

Well, Being a debut writer one faces a lot of challenges amongst those famous leads or names it’s difficult to find people would read your novel.
However, when I wrote my book it was not about the fact that I wanted to be the best seller. I just wanted to give a positive and naïve way to look at things.
I guess I have been lucky enough to receive a very positive response from all my readers and I once again would like to thank them for showing trust in my work and promise the same in future.
A writer is complete only because of its readers and I guess I have reached that level of satisfaction.

9. How long did it take for your manuscript to be accepted by the publishers?

I was happy with the response I received from Cypher Publishers and  Miss Devika Menon they responded to my manuscript in about a month.

10. Name any five of your favorite authors.

Nicholas Sparks, Rabindranath Tagore,Paulo Coelho. Daniel Steel.

11.What do you think makes a good story?

Well, there is no recipe to a good story. I believe a story in which a person can connect to the fictional characters and seem a glimpse of him in them that’s the time a story automatically becomes good.

©Paramita