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Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A deep and unsettling desire to see the world from a more fairer, compassionate and cooperating lens than the current competitive, exploitative and self-boasting lens that seems drive a lot of public policy, social welfare and personal philosophy schools.
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Q: Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book, titled "Silver Lining of the Ninth Cloud" is the story of an ambitious and brilliant software engineer, Praneeta Upadhyay, whose life is upended after she lands her dream job and the inciting series of incidents stems from a toxic work culture at her new workplace which quite sooner, snowballs into an existential crisis for her. The rest of it is the story of how she chooses to confront and deal with the crisis and how does she emerge out of it, if at all she does.
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Q: How do you create your characters?
This is a tricky one. Well, let us see. I think it would be prudent to say that I don't create my characters, rather they occur to me.
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Q: What does your typical writing day look like?
Over time and the hard way, I have learned that the more you plan, the more you fail. So, I don't plan much except that I try to create a window of 2-3 hours during which I know that I can write without any interruption. Some days I succeed, some days I don't, but I still make it a point to write something every day, even if it just one paragraph. At the worst, I try to read something.
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Q: What has been the most rewarding part of being an indie author?
The freedom to express myself the way I see fit, free from the restrictions of any kind of obligation. To be able to steer and tell my stories that fit my vision and to be able to create an aspirational world view.
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Q: What’s one challenge you’ve faced in your writing journey?
I wouldn't say it is a challenge. It's rather a characteristic and an inescapable aspect of publishing a book, which is to find readers. Generationally, we are seeing a decline in the reading habits of people, so that makes the situation tougher, but it also motivates us to write better and encapsulating stories that can engage readers.
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Q: Do you have any favorite writing tools or apps?
I use word to write, have always done so.
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Q: What advice would you give to new or aspiring indie authors?
Do not write to please anyone except yourself. If you enjoy your own writing, others will too.
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Q: How do you handle book promotion as an indie author?
This is an ongoing requirement as an indie author. One can try and keep promoting on social media and use some tools like Amazon Ads, Coupon Codes, Giveaways, Reviews to continuously talk about the work. Attending book fairs and listing your book on online book clubs and reading clubs can also help. There are some book promoters who conduct author interviews. Talking about your writing journey, challenges, style and aspirations can help attract readers.
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Q: What’s next for you? Are you working on a new book?
I am currently working on developing two new books. One of them is a novel and will be taking a significant amount of time to write but the process is underway. Second one is an anthology of some stories that I had already written. Now, those stories are being tailored to fit the anthology. One of the stories is almost ready, while the second one is getting prepared. So, it looks like a busy writing spree for the next few months or up to next one year also.
