Author Interview : Namrata Gupta
Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the the author of 'A Silent Promise' and 'The Full Circle : Stumbling Upon A Sinful Mystery'.
Let's Start!
1)Tell me something about yourself.
I am the author of two published books, namely, A Silent Promise and The Full Circle: Stumbling Upon A Sinful Mystery. I’ve also written a Kindle Short Story titled One Wedding, Three Murders. I am a Science student turned thriller writer while working as a Deputy Manager at an MNC. I love travelling and exploring new places. Well, life has been fun till now.
2)Did you always want to become a writer?
I loved writing since I was a kid. I used to write poems and articles for national newspapers and school magazines. I loved English Literature. So I would say that it was the love for Literature and flights of fantasy, which writing allows you to have, that made me a writer. More than wanting to become a writer, it was this love that made me a writer.
3)As your book, A Silent Promise, completes 4 years this September, how do you feel? And what is the book about?
It feels great! I have received a lot of love from the readers for the book. It is extremely overwhelming when audience can literally feel what you express through words. Book anniversaries bring a lot of joy to life. And the fact that the book is still being loved after all these years is an achievement for me as an author.
A Silent Promise is about the journey of an eighteen year old college fresher, Avantika Sareen, who has faced a lot of emotional trouble in the past and is initially unable to keep up with it. Through a series of trials and tribulations, happiness and sorrows, unexpected events and mundane conversations, she regains a sense of who she is and what it means to be alive. She is betrayed by one of college friends, which comes as a shock to her and reinforces her belief that she is doomed when it comes to relationships. She engages in an absorbing journey of self-introspection.
Avantika comes across a person in her life who makes her see what life is in the true sense, in her professor, Keith Joseph. Keith Joseph suffers from a minor leg difficulty, which makes him walk with a limp. Avantika finds an unusual companion in him, who makes her realize that there is much greater happiness and sadness in the world than her own. Amidst all this, she is troubled by a nightmare which comes to haunt her over and over. She wishes it away, but cannot. Finally, on the day she experiences some of the most beautiful moments of her life, destiny lays bare a cruel plan. Avantika is left to question humanity, raises questions on the notions prevalent in society to turn them upside down and eventually seeks solace in fulfilling the promise she has made to Keith.
4)What inspired you to write this book?
Platonic love with purest emotions combined with the wild spirit of breaking free from existing social norms and patterns which come in the way of free love. The idea of finding oneself again after feeling that everything has been lost and life doesn’t have any meaning anymore, like in the case of Avantika from the book, made me write the book. Soul connections happen regardless of the boundaries that the physical world contains.
Avantika fulfils the promise she has made to Keith in her heart and his life purpose ultimately becomes hers. That’s the beauty of love. Unsaid words, deeply felt emotions, spiritual connection, shared life goals and raw emotions are what makes love the best feeling ever.
5)Both of your books are different from each other. Which genre you enjoyed writing the most?
Well, I can’t choose one genre. Both of them are unique in their own way. A Silent Promise has Romance as its genre. Romance brings out a lot of deep, latent, unexpressed, raw and heart touching emotions from my core, which serves as catharsis for me as well. Wounds have to be laid bare to get healed, isn’t it? It is a genre which is written straight from the heart.
And The Full Circle: Stumbling Upon A Sinful Mystery is a Romance Thriller. Writing my second book involved a lot of brainstorming. The book captures the story of a traveller, who on his journey to finding a ‘home’, ‘home’ in the spiritual sense of the word, becomes a part of various stories and helps people in his own way. Figuring out what he could help them with, creating different narratives around those situations and weaving them into the main narrative, was challenging for me, but at the same time it gave me immense satisfaction as a writer to have been able to do justice to such a task. Developing the characters of ‘The Full Circle’ required efforts. Zinnia’s is a complex character. She has had her own struggles to fight with. She is tough yet soft. She exhibits motherly care yet is a young girl at heart. This range in her character had to be charted out carefully. In the same manner, Jacqueline and Aditya too have had their own past. For Jacqueline, an entire emotional journey had to be given a closure and her character had to be reformed from an emotionally distraught girl to an empowered one. Aditya had to be showcased with fine degrees of empathy, understanding, maturity and kindness. All of this had to be done with precision.
6)Describe A Silent Promise in one line.
Soul feeding Platonic love with purest emotions in a rebellious setting, wanting to break free from existing social norms.
7)Are you planning other books ? How soon can your readers expect your next book ?
Yes, I am planning to write a Romance Tragedy and I am hoping it to be released by next year.
8)How has your journey as an author been so far?
I wrote my first book, A Silent Promise (2015), while I was pursuing my graduation from Hans Raj College, Delhi University. Being new to the field, finding an appropriate publishing house for my first book became a task. But once I did my homework for the first book, doing the same things for my second book seemed relatively easier. My second book, The Full Circle.. Stumbling Upon A Sinful Mystery got released last year itself.
It has been going great since the release of my first book. I was invited as a speaker to Literature Festivals, college events and book reading sessions. People around me acknowledge my efforts and are impressed by how far I have come till now. I get a lot of appreciation amongst different circles. Readers reach out to me regarding my books and I get overwhelmed by reading their responses to my stories. It is amazing how a work of fiction can move people so much.
I believe that I still have miles to go. I have to write a lot of books. I am motivated to do that every time I receive a mail regarding my work. I have to reach out to more people, influence more lives and inspire more people to create a better world for themselves. There are still a lot of stories waiting to be told. I like to experiment with different ideas so I would try that repetition of story lines never becomes a part of my books.
9)Who is your favorite Indian and foreign author?
Amitav Ghosh is my favorite Indian author. I love the Bronte Sisters as foreign authors.
10)Any message for your readers?
It’s your love that keeps me going. I’ll always strive to give my best so that I don’t disappoint you. Thank you so much for all the messages and appreciating my work. I’m always open to feedbacks from all of you. Just a ping away.
Thanks for reading.
