*** Special Feature - June 2016 ***
Quick Recap:
1st July - Introducing the Author
8th July - Guest Post - My Journey to get published by Rahul Saini
15th July - 2 Excerpts
22nd July - Guest Post - Career Choices
Interview with the Author:
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
I think it was something I wanted ever since I was a kid. This thought was always playing at the back of my mind. During the summer break after my 1st year at college, I actually sat down to write a novel. It was a sci-fi / humour. I never finished it, though. The first serious thought for a story that turned into a published novel happened when I took up my first job as an architect after I finished my studies.
What inspires you to write?
Everything around me, actually – the people, the places, the history, the songs, the art and the beauty and the ugliness of the world we live in.
What kind of research goes into your book?
It depends on the story. At times it’s people’s behavior and psychology. At times it is facts and history. At times it is understanding of my own thoughts and my own mind.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a very dark satire. It is very brutal and sexual and explores some really dark and ugly places of human mind. The thrust of the story is to make people think and change the way they look at their world.
How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
I have been teaching for over five years now and I have been observing the behavior of my students and my colleges closely all this time – whom they like, whom they fall in love with, whom they fight with, the nature of their relationships, what they think about their education and studies and what they want to out of their lives. All these observations led me to this story.
Please share three interesting facts about the characters in your book.
a) Generally there is one character in my stories who always stands up for what is right.
b) He/she is under confident and clumsy but charming in his/her own ways.
c) There are always strong female characters. (I feel women, for that matter, females of all species, are very magical beings.)
If you could pick any famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
Haruki Murakami or Roald Dahl! I would love to know what they think about my Writing.
Have you read any books that have inspired you to improve or change yourself in any way?
His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama’s writing has really helped me as a person, I think.
Name three things that you believe are important to character development?
Detail, detail and detail. And when I say detail I mean the detail of not only the physical appearance but, more so, the mind of the character.
Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to get over it?
I talk to people, I travel, I sit in moving vehicles. All this makes me help my mind run.
What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most?
The conception and the writing of the first draft. I find it exciting as hell! Rest of the job can be really painful at times.
Do you know the ending of your books before you finish writing them?
Generally but not always.
What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
There are a couple of them that I can recall right now actually -
a) The best to write good stuff is to rewrite.
b) The hardest part of writing is sitting down and writing!
c) You can not become a good writer if you do not read like a maniac.
d) You can’t force yourself to conceive a story. It has its own ways of magically penetrating your mind.
e) Writing becomes effective when it expresses feelings and when it makes the reader really feel those feelings.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Shut up and sit down and write. Finish your first draft and after that be big enough to see the flaws. Work on it and rewrite it as many times as it needs. If you don’t have enough patience, don’t get into it. And most of all, write only if you have something to say. Writing comes with a lot of responsibility. It’s a power that must never be misused. Be aware of your thoughts and understand well if you want to say them out loud or not.
Anything else that you would like to share with your readers?
Please read good books. Read the books that make you think. As junk food deteriorates your health, junk books deteriorate your mind.
About the Author:
Rahul Saini is the bestselling author of five hugely popular books – Those small Lil’ Things, Just like in the Movies, The Orange Hangover and most recently Paperback Dreams and Just For You, which created a lot of buzz and raised many questions about the current scenario of the publishing industry in India. The collective sale figure of his books is more than 5 lac copies. All his books have featured in various bestselling lists across the nation. His books have strong comic tones and present the up-beat stories that portray the fun loving, free spirited and the outgoing character of today’s youth. Apart from being light entertainers, his books carry relevant social messages. His first book has also been translated into Hindi which won the award for the best translation by the Federation of Indian Printers and Publishers. Trained as an architect from Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon, apart from being a novelist, he is a keen photographer and an artist and has had successful art shows. He is into film making and script writing as well. Currently he is working as a visiting faculty member for an art and design program at a prestigious university in India.
Contact the Author:
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About the Book:
How low will you stoop to fulfil your dreams? Jeet Roy, a college Casanova, has published a book by unfair means. All he wants is to earn loads of money and have hot girls chase after him wherever he goes! Rohit Sehdev, a one-book-old popular fiction writer is furious when he finds out that his publisher has cheated him out of his royalties. Karun Ahuja is a highly ambitious schoolboy who wants to win the heart his lady love by writing a novel about it and he doesn't mind playing dirty to get to the top.
Ruthlessly exploiting these ambitious young men is their unscrupulous publisher. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, Paperback Dreams is the story of a new breed of young writers who will do anything to get famous, fast.
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When you love someone, what's there to prove? Everything! It looks like life is teaching Rohit a lesson. His publishing deals, his relationships, even his job - nothing seems to be working out. To make matters worse, Karan is still trying his best to ruin him as a writer. But when Nisha leaves him, it's the ultimate blow. To win her back Rohit must prove he loves her enough to do things that matter to her: like helping Tara find a publisher. As Rohit takes control of his life, he begins to find things slowly changing for the better for him too. But will Nisha be happy with that? Will she come back to him? Just for You is an adorable, bittersweet story about love and its responsibilities.
The central character – Rohit, an author, rebels against his inner self and struggles to settle with his unbalanced life while Karun, another (very) young author leaves no stone unturned to ruin his reputation as a writer because of his revelry and jealousy towards him. Rohit suffers the ultimate blow when is his girlfriend, Nisha leaves him. In order to gather the ripped shreds of his life, Rohit tries to win Nisha back by doing the things that would matter to her the most, in turn bringing his life back on track (or not)! Meanwhile, Karun keeps trying his best to ruin his career anyway!
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Giveaway:
- 3 Copies of Paperback Dreams
- 3 Copies of Just for You
a Rafflecopter giveaway
