Author Interview : Nitin Sharma

Author Interview : Nitin Sharma

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'Mysterious 4.30 am'

Let's start!

MDT Tell something about yourself to our readers.

NITIN  Born on 19th Oct - 1986, I belong to a small city of Rajasthan - Dholpur and used to give maximum of my time in dreaming to become a man of real value. In my childhood, I used to be a different person who would always remain aloof from the mates of my class and from everyone, would always try to sketch the meaningful path of my life with the pencil of my thoughts. I have started giving words to my thoughts when I was studying in my 10th Std. There are quite a lot of reasons why I chose to become a writer & out of all those beautiful reasons - The one reason is, because it is one of the most beautiful ways you can give message to your lovely readers.

And this is how my journey began as a writer.

I am on the path to explore the boundaries of human's imagination and to explore the qualities which make you an inborn human.

MDT What is 'Mysterious 4.30 am' about?

NITIN It's a story...a story of a beautiful and caring couple. The story revolves around Love, Understanding, Patience & Sacrifice. It gives lots of beautiul messages to all of us like - One should not lose his/her temper easily while you are in Love because incidents come on a regular basis which incite you to speak loud and wrong, but then love is above all these things which makes you a silent person instead of a violent person. It also gives a message of maintaining respect from your side, don't hurt your partner's feelings, try to do whatever you can do for your love to make him/her feel special.

If one is searching to read something based on pure love, then this Novel might be a choice which definitely will give a feel different to my reader and I hope that it will satiate his/her hunger for reading too.

The story contains 5 songs which are written inside the book and have been uploaded there on www.reverbnation.com where one can easily search the songs by typing my name there in the search window. All the songs are connected to the story and this is how this Novel became India's first Musical Love story.

I hope my readers would enjoy reading while listening to these songs.

MDT What prompted you to write this love story with such mysterious title?

NITIN The rejection I got in love prompted me to write this story and the title of the story is connected to the climax of the story, that's why the name 'Mysterious 4:30 A.M. was kept.

Reading the whole story is the only way to know more about the title - (Ha ha ha ha - He giggles).

MDT Describe this book in one line.

NITIN An immortal saga of Shilpi Sanghi and Harsh Vardhan Singhania.

MDT What is your writing process like?

NITIN If you are writing a story then first of all it is necessary to have a beautiful storyline without which you can't go ahead, and then, division of the story into the different plots is necessary. It makes your work easy and gives you a overview of what you are going to write, makes you aware of the mistakes if you have done any during compilation of the story. This is the best way to work over a story.

MDT What do you like to do when you're not writing?

NITIN Listening to the music, singing songs, writing quotes and reading Novels are all those things which I do when I don't write as all these things inspire me to do something more energetically big, different and lively in my life and more importantly inspire me to achieve the goal for which I opened my eyes here. As much as I read, I see a new person within my soul. Gradually I am turning into the unexplored version of me, I am turning into  a new person, I am turning into a new and silent human.

MDT What does your family think of your writing?

NITIN My family is very happy about me as they have watched me growing in this sector from a seed to a sapling, but still I have not turned into a big tree, I have to cover a long journey ahead in this sector. I hope they would really like to see me turning into a Big tree.

MDT What's your reaction towards negative feedback?

NITIN Nothing ! A writer must always give value to his/her readers and reviewers. You may not necessarily get good reviews everytime. Likewise a writer, a reader too possesses a different set of mind with different equation and he/she may not necessarily think the manner your harbour thoughts for your story, Sometimes it may be different and distinct. Every negative feedback or review is not actually a negative thing, at the deep side of the thoughts, it is also a positive thing as it gives you beautiful suggestions which you can apply in your next story. So, I think it all depends on you as how you want to take the negative feedback - In a negative way or in a totally new way.

MDT What are your future plans? How soon can your readers expect your next book?

NITIN I have completed my upcoming book 'Mystery unveiled when - A common yet uncommon Love story' and I was about to launch it this year, but due to the precarious and pestilential situation going around us, I can't say something right now, but yeah I will try to bring it to the platform as soon as everything comes back to the normal state.

MDT What advice do you have for writers.

NITIN Give time to read books, develop the habit of reading and motivate others to read as many books as one can. It is the only thing which can turn yourself into more than just a human by making you silently aware of what you are and what more best you still have to do. It enhances your knowledge, develops peace within, Makes you more a calm person, intellectual person, gave you dimensions to run your mind and compels you to explore the unexplored world.

It is one of the best feelings in the world as it teaches many things and that too in the most beautiful manner.

Thanks for reading.

Author Interview : Sourabh Mukherjee

Author Interview : Sourabh Mukherjee

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'The Colors Of Passion'

Let's start!

1) Tell me something about yourself. 

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I have never really written for a purpose – it is just something I love to do. In my early childhood, I would spend hours writing, as well as making illustrations for my own stories. A number of my poems were published in children’s magazines back in the day. I continued to write through my teenage and later in college.

I kept writing in office magazines for a couple of years, but the demands of my career as an Information Technology professional and my travels across the world soon left me with very little time and creative energy to write fiction.

However, as I travelled across the world, I grew as a person getting to observe people from widely varying cultural backgrounds and to study their emotions, their thoughts, their behaviour from various perspectives. And stories began to grow all over again.

I won the Golden Pen Award in the Monsoon Romance Contest 2014, conducted by Sulekha.com and judged by an eminent panel of literary luminaries. That was when I decided to take my writing more seriously.

My debut novel In the Shadows of Death was published by Srishti Publishers in the winter of 2015. This was followed by The Colours of Passion in 2017, and The Sinners in 2019. I have also written three collections of short stories - Romance Shorts (2016), Beyond 22 Yards (2018), It's All About Love (2018), and a textbook Big Data Simplified (2019)

In my day job, I work in a Senior Leadership role in a global technology firm.

2) What is 'The Colours of Passion : unravelling dark secrets behind the limelight' about? 

In "The Colours of Passion", I wanted to talk about how our society has certain pre-conceived notions about human relationships. Any relationship that does not conform to acceptable definitions is quickly dismissed as immoral, illicit, or even illegal. This has been the case with same-sex relationships in our country for a very long time. While the constitutional hurdle has now been cleared, has our mindset really changed? Is the society really open to same-sex relationships? Love, at the end of the day, is love. What we need to realize is that, love and passion come in a variety of colours - it cannot be painted in only one shade.

Secondly, the book aims to unravel the dark secrets behind the limelight. I have heard stories of betrayal, conspiracy, heartbreak from my acquaintances in the entertainment and fashion industries, and I felt that, these would be the perfect ingredients for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. 

  In that sense, "The Colours of Passion" has been truly hailed as India's first alternate sexuality thriller. It was long-listed in WordToScreen 2018, conducted by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI). It was also ranked by MyBookPick.com among top Indian thrillers in 2017, and was among Top 10 New Arrivals in Starmark outlets across India in the month of its release. It was also among Amazon bestsellers for several months post-release.  

3) What prompted you to write murder mystery? 

‘The Colours of Passion’ is a fast paced thriller set in the ‘new’ Kolkata. It provides an authentic view of the glamour industry - movies and fashion. It talks about the trials and tribulations the people we adore on screen go through in reality. And the story deals with the extremely relevant social issue of same-sex relationhips at its core.

4) Where do you get your ideas from? 

I love following the journeys of celebrities - Indian and International - from humble beginnings, often from nondescript backgrounds, to dizzying heights of fame, and observing how those journeys change them. Not only in the way they look and carry themselves, but also in their outlook, their opinions, their consciousness of social responsibilities and in some cases, their insecurities and what those insecurities often lead them to. 

The attitude of the Indian society towards same-sex relationships, and its adverse impacts, has also been a subject of keen interest for me.

5) What is your writing process like? 

I honestly don't have a well-defined writing process. When I am in the process of writing, I actually let the sights and the sounds in my mind take over. It, therefore, becomes extremely important for me to be in the ‘appropriate’ frame of mind to write, irrespective of the time of the day or my surroundings. I need to be in those situations myself. 

6) What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I am a voracious reader. I also watch movies and travel a lot. 

7) What are your future plans? How soon can your readers expect your next book?

My third book "The Sinners" is already out. It unravels in a world of corporate conspiracy, illicit relationships and ruthless seduction games.

8) What advice do you have for writers and readers?

I would like to tell budding writers that, it is important to create real, identifiable characters in a story – unless of course one is writing a fantasy or a superhero story. Correct use of the language is essential. An author should ensure that a story progresses at a uniform pace – a story that slows down after an energetic start is a big letdown. Finally, it is not about the length but always about the impact of a story. I have read 1-page stories that have left me thinking for days.

As for readers, I would want them to continue reading, in spite of all the distractions and alternate channels of consuming stories that surround us today.

Thanks for reading.

Book Review : Kaalkoot

Book Review : Kaalkoot

Title - Kaalkoot - The Lost Himalayan Secret
Author - S. Venkatesh
Publisher - Tree Shade Books
Genre - thriller/fiction
Pages - 335
Format - paperback

Blurb -
*KaalKoot brings together a forgotten Himalayan legend, an internationalconspiracy and nail-biting suspense in a gripping thriller. *

January 1944 - Holed up in a Himalayan hideout, freedom fighter Manohar Rai has to take a chilling decision – one that could mean life or death for millions of people. His only hope is a mysterious young man, who goes into hiding hours before Manohar is shot dead in cold blood.

June 2018 - A forgotten legend from the upper reaches of the Himalayas is rearing its ominous head. The world will be brought to its knees. KaalKoot will strike again.

Only three people have a clue about the horrors that are about the unfold. The only hope for survival lies buried deep in the remotest corner of Himalayas. But a terrible fate awaits those who seek it.
Is it already too late? Is KaalKoot – the primordial plague – unstoppable?

Plot - The story starts in 1944 when the Britishers wanted to destroy Indian civilization through a biochemical weapon Kaalkoot, a deadly poison. But a young boy hide it somewhere in Himalayan region. Then the story moves in the year 2018 when the professor Bhabani founds that Kaalkoot will destroy the whole earth which is now in the wrong hands. With the help of a secret agent Damini, she tries to stop them by finding an antidote which was once discovered by a freedom fighter Manohar.
Will they be able to save millions of people?
Grab the book to find out.

Review -

1) The cover of the book is eye -catcy and the title of the book is totally apt.
2) The plot of the story is interesting and engaging with lots of twist and turns. It is a perfect blend of history, crime, spy and thrill which is very well narrated by the author.
3) The language used by the author is simple, lucid and rich in vocabulary.
4) The characters are very well developed and described by the author. Each and every character has been given equal importance. I liked the character of Sam the most.
5) The writing style of the author is commendable. One can visualize the scenes clearly.
6) Hats off to the author for his imagination.
7) First part of the book is somewhat boring.  Overall, a fast paced thriller.

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Rating - 4.45/5

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I recommend this book to all thriller lovers out there. 

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About the author -

Venkatesh wears many hats. In his roles as private equity investor, executive coach, business leader, entrepreneur and Board member, he has helped businesses thrive and grow. He has spent a significant part of his professional life in the stock markets with Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan and continues to be an avid investor.

Venkatesh has been keenly interested in Eastern philosophy and mysticism right from his college days at IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta.

Thanks for reading.