Interview with Anjaly Thomas, author of Almost Intrepid!!!

I got a wonderful opportunity to interview Anjaly Thomas. Do read it. You will enjoy.

            

1.       How was it, Anjaly, writing a travel book, a concept which is not much popular in India? And that too, by a woman, it’s not even thought of.

I absolutely loved writing Almost Intrepid, for me it was like going on those journeys all over again. Travel is getting popular in India, although backpacking is a rather new concept. When writing write my experiences, I realized just how little information there was about backpacking in general – forget backpacking for a single Indian woman. I thought it best to lead by example.

2.       Some of your descriptions are so wonderful that I wish I can go for traveling to some place with you. Am I allowed? If its yes, what would be your tips to me? 

As you read in the book, it is about (me) a solo Indian woman backpacking around the world, climbing mountains and trekking in jungles – but the one essential component is that (she) is always alone. So, I guess, joining me on a journey is a bit off the mark – plus you might end up hating the way I travel. 

3.       What is your feeling after being an author? What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life? 

Being an author is always a great feeling because you have breathed life into every word in the book. I have written other books before, like Lonely Planet guides etc, but this is special because it is my own experience – and I created each of those experiences.

It is true there are very few female travel writers, but let’s hope someone who has read Almost Intrepid will one day be inspired to write and travel as well. 

 4.       How much long did it take to write this book from the moment you started developing to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

When I sat down to write, it took me about 6 months from start to finish.  It was like cramming years of travel in 220 pages but I had as much fun writing it. Each page I wrote brought back smiles.

5.       How did you develop the confidence of publishing your photographs in almost every chapter? Was it to attract male readers like me? (just kidding)

I think the credit goes to my publishers (Konark, New Delhi) for taking a bold new step with this book.  There is only so much you can stretch your imagination when it comes to reading a travel book – but have one pic, you will see how it changes everything. So that’s what we did. I think it was a brilliant idea. Having a picture also shows the author just as any other normal person. You don’t need to imagine what it is to be like eating a tarantula – you just see it, smile and perhaps give it a try.

6.       Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

 I guess patience pays! I am not sure about how hard it is, but I can this for sure – if you have a good story, people are willing to read it.

7.       What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

Getting the love of readers, of course – I really would love to see more people backpacking, living it up and not sticking to an established method of traveling out of a suitcase.

8.       By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

Soon. I can’t tell you all that will be in it just yet – but it is definitely as interesting as the first. I’d say wait for it. Let me not kill your surprise for you.

The One You Cannot Have by Preeti Shenoy (Book Review- 4.9*/5)!!!

       There are few authors whom I pick without thinking twice. As soon as I come to know that they are out with their new book, I pre-order even if the book is not in my budget. Preeti Shenoy is one of those authors undoubtedly. Since her first book, I am in touch with all the 4 books that she has written till date. And seriously speaking, all the books are so perfectly written that I wish I could write even a bit of what she writes. I still don't understand why Preeti Shenoy's last 3 books didn't do better than "Life is what you make it" even when they were at par with the first successful novel by her. Well, talking about her latest 270-pages novel- "The One You Cannot Have", I must say that if ever there would be an IPL-auction-kind-of-a-thing, I will surely have Preeti Shenoy in my team even if I'll have to sell all my valuable assets. :-) If you will ask me to define this book, I would say, I started reading it with enthusiasm, then the book made me fall in love with it. As soon as I ended reading the last word of the book, I thought that's the zenith up to which I can love it but when I closed it and read the TITLE of the book again, it was then that love jumped levels high and I understood how the whole book rotated around the sole purpose of "The One You Cannot Have" and there's no limit up to which I love this book.
   

SYNOPSIS:-

How long does it take to heal a broken heart? Can you ever forget that one perfect relationship you had? Anjali knows who she wants, she wants Aman. Aman too knows who he wants, he wants Shruti. Shruti and Aman were once inseparable. Theirs was a love that would last forever and more. Then, out of the blue, Shruti left Aman. A devastated Aman moved abroad in the hope of forgetting Shruti and to heal. Shruti married Rishabh. Now Aman is back in India and looking for a fresh start. But he is still haunted by memories of his love. Can he ever break free from it? His head tells him to move on, to find love with Anjali, but his heart wont listen. No matter what he does, Shrutis shadow looms large. Can there be a happily-ever-after for any of them? A straight-from-the-heart modern-day romance of unrequited love, of complicated relationships and about moving on when you realise that there will always be the one you cannot have

About the Author:- 

Preeti Shenoy, is among the best-selling authors in India (Source Nielsen scan) weaves magic with her words and pictures. An extremely talented and versatile individual, her Twitter bio reads: “Best-selling Author, Artist specializing in pencil portraits, Poet, Yoga-Buff, Ex-basketball player, Blogger, Dobe-owner, Nature lover, Ted X speaker and a Mother."

       

  Coming to Preeti Shenoy, she has maintained the resistance that her writing style has. Right from the first sentence, you get a feeling that you are reading one of her best works. Every story of the authoress has characters that does bad with some or the other person but still, you can not point one among them and put all the blame on him/her. And that's the most interesting part about all the stories that she has written till date. She has given a totally new meaning to the "Love Story" book shelves in India. She has become a standard in the genre she writes in so much that any female author's book I read, I judge her on the scale of Preeti Shenoy and then, give the ratings. Hope the golden touch in her writings and imaginations stay.

          I love the concept of making every character speak in first person as it gives various dimensions to the story. Book starts with the introduction of all the characters and their current state of life. The great thing is that the same state continues till the anti-climax of the book(almost) but still it does not bore readers even for a second. I was shocked when Rishab suddenly asks Shruti about Aman. Deepika trying to woo Aman is so sensuously written that the writers who describe sex minutely in their book will be ashamed to know that there's a way of saying it all in an innocent yet horny way. I loved the 3-4 articles written by Anjali in her magazine. They are so catchy that it reminded me about the authoress being one of the regular bloggers among the writers herself. :-) I loved Shruti's character the most. The real fun in Anjali's story begins once when she is been ignored by Aman. Later on, I loved the whole scenario of Shruti and Aman's meeting which was kept so real and classy. I loved that in the climax no one gets ditched or isolated. 

          The view about men that the female characters of Preeti Shenoy states lets male know what all they should change in themselves. I appreciated the paragraph where it is mentioned that the problem with men is that they don't express themselves initially and later on, move on without even explaining the reason or trying once again for relationship to work. This is extremely right but largely unnoticed. Preeti's open take in the book about not forgetting the first love made me look in to my own life and relationship which scared me like hell. But the way she has given moral to this whole thing in the end is why this book will remain in my RECOMMENDING LIST for a long time. The only drawback I found was the first part of Anjali's story. Her character only gets alive in the book after 2nd part. Rest, everything is perfect. I give this book an undisputed 4.9/5. 

 Thanks a lot.

 ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!! 

Interview with Ravi V, author of The Exiled Prince!!!

I had a wonderful Interview session with the debutante author of THE EXILED PRINCE published by FINGERPRINTS. 

1.  Hello Mr. Ravi, what is your feeling after being an author?What’s your perspective about life now after achieving a rare flagship in your life?

 It is quite unique. By being an author, one sort of a commitment for life. It’s like being married to your true love.

As far as life’s perspective is concerned, I am unsure. Every day is a surprise, a decade ago when I began researching many of these epics and works, I had no idea of writing a book. But somewhere life had its plans.

 2. When you saw your first novel for sale on E-commerce websites and placed at a bookstore for the first time, what kind of thoughts dominated your mind?

It is indescribable. The path I had walked through made me think that this is not up to me and I wanted to give up. But some motive or other did keep me pushing through the journey and the day it all came alive and the book was in the stores, it was like I was born again.

The images from certain stores in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Bengaluru were soulful to me, each of those places were special.

 3. Before we head towards discussing your book, we would like to know in spite of being an author, what do you exactly do? And do you wish to continue with the job or come into full-time writing?

 I am an entrepreneur and a data consultant. I wish to pursue entrepreneurship in more areas of life now that the world of books and imagination has opened up.

 4.  What is your latest book- The Exiled Prince all about? And from where did this idea of rewriting Ramayana is your style occur to you?

 I have to say that the Crystal Guardian series is not the Ramayana, it is a mythological fiction that uses Ramayana as a vehicle to deliver its plot. When it is read as a casual reader, it will raise eyebrows on the narration or presentation or even the whole canvas of this magical time.

At the same time when the reader chooses to question the embedded plot, the canvas changes its course to show case a different line of story that is buried beneath the tale.

 It is not rewriting the Ramayana but repositioning a lateral plot inside the familiar characters using a different point of view.

 5. How much long did it take to write this book from the moment you started developing the story to start writing it till completing it finally with editing and all?

 Writing was relatively easy compared to the amount of time it took to understand mythology from a holistic view (not just the story of Rama). The study and research of several areas took more than 5 – 6 years and a lot of travel.

 6. Indian Publishing is too hard to deal with, was it easy for you to get a Publisher or did u wait for a long time to get your work published?

It took me close to a year to find a good publisher. Yes it is tough and I had been working with my agent for a while on this.

7. What are the Promotional strategies that you and your publisher have applied to promote/market your book?

Several, it’s a complete strategy that involved online and offline campaigns. From sample chapters to give aways and video trailers, we have pursued everything.

8. What exactly is your target from your Books- 1. Getting most copies sold out, 2. Getting the love of readers or 3. You just wrote it because you wanted to write a book once in your life, hence you have no targets?

The target is to get the story followed by all who would read a book. One of the main goals of the book was to have the younger generation look to Indian mythology as treasure coves of futuristic science. There were also other areas such as trying to throw light on the rural folklore and the parables that connect the great chain of stories together. 

9.  By when are you coming up with your next novel? And if possible, do give us an idea about what it would be.

The next book would be in the CG series as the crystal opens up its depth and the reasons. How and why the crystal is what it is will also be in the book.

Also, there are two series I have in plot already. One of them is a mythological thriller and the other is historical thriller based on the life of Mahmud of Ghazni. A few screenplays in mind too. 

10.   In the end, tell us in 5-7 lines, what speech will you give if you win a Major Award for the Best Indian Author for your books?

That is very context based, it would be in lieu of the award and the reason.

But in general I prefer talking about futuristic science and the betterment of women and young minds. I will also talk about how imagination can fuel the future of coming generations.