‘I write about relationships’

When did you decide that you wanted to write a book (Hold My Hand), were there events or people who influenced that decision?

It’s a book I have been wanting to write for long and had written parts of it in some form or the other. I always ended up absorbing the texts into other books that I wrote. I wanted to write about a relationship that isn’t centered around how the people in question look or how they are perceived by people around them. The book explores how people can be truly themselves and not worry about what they think makes them vulnerable or misfits or outcastes.

Chick-lit written by men or lad-lit - is that where you can place your books? and why write about ‘love’ and not gadgets or spies?

I write about relationships. It’s not just romantic love so I place it nowhere. And relationships come easy to me since I think I’m introspective and read a lot into what people do. Though I did go through a phase where I read a Robert Ludlum or a James Patterson or a Clive Cussler every few days I’m no longer a big thriller fan. Young Adult Fiction interests me and that’s why I write in that genre. But that’s not to say I will not experiment with other themes. I’m trying to put together a fantasy novel, but I’m not sure how that will end.

How easy (or difficult) is it to write about love?

It’s a bit of both. It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing from your own perspective and that’s not how you treat a book about relationships; just like real life. So adding other perspectives needs an understanding of what other people go through. A lot of it though comes from reading other books. It’s important to be sympathetic and empathetic towards people not only in real life, but also to fictional characters.

How did the first book Of Course I Love you come about? How has the journey been since.

When you see so many cars driving on the road, gawking at them all day long, you want to have one of yours too. Being a voracious reader, devouring tens of books every week, I wanted to write one, too, play a bigger part in the writer-reader conversation. The journey has been rewarding and humbling. I derive an unhealthy amount of pleasure from writing and it’s great that I can do it for a living. Sometimes it does get unnerving. I’m really excited and jittery about Hold My Hand because after Of Course I Love You, it’s the first time I have tried writing a funny book.

Do you plan to explore other themes besides love, relationships et al?

I have an 80,000 word strong manuscript named Freak, a psychological thriller sitting in my folder for over two years. I go back to it, tweak it and then hide it again. I really want to finish it and see it in print someday, but I don’t want to rush it. Also I’m midway through a fantasy book, and like Freak I don’t know how that will turn out. Earlier, I wrote Till the Last Breath, which isn’t really about love in its strictest sense. So I’m ready to experiment but I won’t go ahead with something I’m not totally convinced about. Even Hold My Hand, my latest book isn’t just a love story; I would like to believe it’s a lot more than that.

What’s next?

My next book Hold My Hand is commissioned by the tourism ministry of Hong Kong. They felt if I set my next book there, it might be a good way of promoting Hong Kong as a holiday destination among the younger crowd in India. I spent 10-15 days there on invitation from Tourism Board and wrote a story set in several places there.

Any plans to turn these books into movies?

There are talks and some of the books are being turned into scripts but nothing is final yet.

Your first two books were written in collaboration - is it tough to co-author a book or does it make things easier?

It’s a bit of both. It’s easier because you stop second guessing yourself and ask for direction from somebody who has equal stake in the book. It’s tough because you should be willing to squash your ego and be ready to have unquestionable faith in your co-author. There are other matters, of meeting deadlines from your co author and keeping pace, which also need to be taken care of.

And then going solo - tougher or easier?

Being solo gives you the freedom to write about concepts and things that you deeply care about. It might not appeal to a larger audience and there’s no one to tell you that. I enjoy both forms of writing: with a coauthor or alone. But of late I have started enjoying writing alone a little more. I like the freedom it allows me.

Some pointers you would give to wannabe authors?

There’s just one trick to writing better: read. That’s not restrictive to reading only what you like. Also you need to write a lot. That’s the only way to learn. It’s important to respect other authors and learn from them.