Kevin missal completed his graduation from Faith Academy, currently studying History Hon. from St. Stephen’s College. His latest release “karma” created a buzz amongst the readers.
it gives me immense pleasure to interview mr.kevin missal. I thank anuj sir for this opportunity. His Book KARMA was really thrilling. I cant express with words how much I loved it. Short, precise and spine chilling.
Let’s see the author’s cut on the book.
Sayan: Tell us something about your first book. What was the inspiration or instinct that made you write the script?
Kevin : first book was in fact inspired from Percy Jackson, Pendragon, Harry Potter etc. It was about this fourteen year old boy who fights evil and it dealt with Christian, Egyptian and Aztec Mythology.
Sayan: A lot of people these days argue about the fact that self publishing is just a waste of money. What is your approach to this motion as an author?
Kevin: Well self publishing is nice if you know how to market or at least have the money to market. But it’s best when it comes to having full control over your destiny. With traditional, you hand over your precious to a bunch of strangers who you only talk through mails. But yes, self publishing has a big drawback and that is visibility. It is only visible as much as you are capable of making it visible. So there are pros and cons and there is no right answer for this.
Sayan: Your book ‘KARMA’ was quite popular. Do you like to write on horror and thriller genres?
Kevin: Thriller is my forte. Horror was inspired from “It” and “Shining” by Stephen King. I loved those books more than anything King has written. Though I would like to delve more into mass market genres like Romance, YA and erotica.
Sayan: Tell us some common traps for aspiring writers.
Kevin: They tell more than they show. Their grammar is poor. They over-describe a situation. They have poor unrealistic dialogues. They use message languages sometimes. There is no rhythm to the sentences or to the structure. They should follow the three act structure which is like the basic rule of every manuscript. Their characters are caricatures and outlandish and sometimes they just don’t have a good idea.
Sayan: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
Kevin: It made me aware that I was a bad writer then.
Sayan: Have you ever gone through a writer’s block? How do you cope up with it?
Kevin I surround myself with good books that I read fast.
Sayan: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Kevin I just keep watching documentaries, YOUTUBE videos and read variety of books and newspapers.
Sayan: How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader
Kevin : don’t. I just write what I like.
Sayan: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Kevin: It’s not difficult. It’s simple. Take inspiration from your friends.
Sayan: Lastly, a reflective one-if you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a writer as an adult, what would you do?
Kevin: Read more and more and more. There’s no limit to reading and nothing can make you a better writer than a good book can.
INTERVIEWED BY-
SAYAN BASAK
KOLKATA
