Author Story Article Release
Hello author, on behalf of all the readers, we would like to discuss something about you and of course, your book as well. This conversation will help reader to know more about you and your debut book. Please give answers in brief.
Most welcome to Criticspace Journals, Author. We heartily congratulate you for being a published author. It’s really a great achievement. First thing, we would like to know about your basic info as a person, daily life, career so far and anything you would like to share about you with your readers.
Your Answer: I am a man of science, law and public administration. I have done Bachelor and Master of Science in the subject of Biology (Zoology). I have also done Bachelor of Law from Gujarat University. Further I have done Diploma in the faculty of Information Technology and P.G. Diploma in Clinical Research. Before writing a debut novel I have cracked some competitive exams of state and central government, that part of life is still going on and will go on till reaching the goal. Public Administration is the field in which I am so much interested. Politics was a field of my deep interest during the studies. I have contested two times for university elections and I have won with majority for the student wing of National Party both the time. I can proudly say that I have won both the elections because I had a lot of loyal and honest female voters. I am very much thankful to all of them for getting me fame at University politics, those girls used to make me feel like I was a King of my college. But that was a past, now I don’t belong to any kind of politics. It doesn’t mean that I am not interested anymore in politics, I am still a keen political observer. This is not a platform to talk about it but still I want to say that Indian politics lost the standard in some previous years.
I have represented Gujarat state at National level NCC and I think that inspired me a lot to write my debut novel. I started my story with that camp. I am a little bit good shooter too and have played at State level rifle shooting championship recently. I was so active and so interested in cultural activities and in sports too. That is the only why I used to earn the awards and medals every year during college days. I am fond of travelling. Actually I am in love with the cities I’ve never been and with the people I’ve never met. I like to know about the different cultures. Fulfilling this wanderlust, I have travelled most of the states and parts of the great India except southern part. That is the reason that some readers say that, “Way to the next birth” appears to be a travelogue too on some occasions.
And what to say about “how I am as a person”… I am an honesty loving person and never afraid of speaking truth. Friends say that I’ve got a very funny nature, that I can make anyone smile in any situation, that I can create a double meaning joke at anything. I wish that no one should be sad. I want people to be happy when they are with me at least and that is the why I find the fun everywhere. It is little bit changed now but I try to be the same.
That’s really great; please tell us something about your journey of becoming an author. When you actually started writing and how was the circumstance? Did any person or situation influenced you to write your debut book or was it your childhood hobby of writing?
Your Answer: Well, I’ve never even thought that I will be an author someday. I never had any relation with literature or language except once when I recited the poem for my college at youth festival of university. Writing had not even a distantly figured in various hobbies of mine but who has gained control over the time, circumstances and situations? These circumstances and situations inspired me or to tell the truth, actually forced me to write because your words only help you when you have no one to listen, when people leaves you with no reason. I felt the emotions I wrote in my book at that level that I literally cried every night while writing the feeling of the characters of this novel, this story. This is not just a book but a plant that I grew up shedding my tears. The characters themselves motivated and influenced me to become an author. I think it is just because of them I am honoured with this interview and some past interviews and attentions.
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly? Be descriptive please so that our visitors know about you little more.
Your Answer: I think absolutely No, because one needs to feel it before expressing it to the readers. You have to feel something to the deepest point of your heart and soul before expressing it to the people. What happens if you write without feeling emotions is that when even you can’t feel, how will you make your readers to feel? The most important part of writing is to make your readers to feel the emotions you wrote whether it is a happy moment or sad moment.
How do you come up with the titles to your books?
Your Answer: “Way to the next birth” is my first book. There is a female lead character named Ruhani and according to the storyline she believes in seven life philosophy or the reincarnation/rebirth. I think that became the reason behind the title of my book. I never believed this kind of filmy dramas but when even one “character” believes, writer’s heart itself convinces him to believe.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Your Answer: Honesty. Readers don’t like reading the “Masala material” as we see in films. They want something which is real, which they can relate with themselves while reading. Readers are so intelligent as they can understand everything whether you are faking or you are expressing yourself. I am lucky enough that I got the kind of readers who can even imagine a picture like a movie while reading me. They can see the fun, love, romance, feelings and emotions of the characters in front of them like they are seeing it in real. That is a good writing in my opinion.
What comes first, the plot or characters? How do you develop your plot and characters?
Your Answer: Characters. I am not more experienced with writing as I just wrote my first book. I am still learning how to write. But according to me, the characters come first when you even think to write something. Plot itself develops when you have characters.
Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you?
Your Answer: Yeah I am there. They can interact with me on my FB profile id “rakesh.chavda3” or on my official FB page “ www.facebook.com/RRakesHchavda/ “
Please tell the reader something about your book. What is your message to those readers who have still not read the book. Why they should pick it up for reading?
Your Answer: First of all I would like to mention the names of two beautiful states of India which have the international border with Pakistan, those are Gujarat and Jammu-Kashmir. Why I mention them? We know that both these states remain in news at everyday in India, JK for its situation and Gujarat for becoming a centre of national politics nowadays.
I didn’t know before publishing “way to the next birth” that this is the first book in India which relates both these beautiful states, No one till the day wrote combining both these states. It was a different level of joy when someone from Jammu told me about it when I was there to release my book.
“Way to the next birth” talks about a life of a person who has never faced a failure but the day comes when someone makes him to feel that a bunch of his success is nothing in front of one failure he got at the end. He cannot get himself out from that when he comes to know the reality of double faced world. Further it talks about patriotism, NCC, people’s behaviour with the Army personnel in JK, Indian people’s mindset, social evils, culture and festivals of both the states etc. Somewhere it seems a travelogue too. It is a story which starts with a national level NCC camp where the cadets from all over the country have participated. Actually starting with an NCC camp is also a unique idea because NCC plays a big role in maintaining the unity and discipline through the cadets in our country still I think no one has written about it. Readers can see the social evils run by the educated illiterates of our country. They are the stigmas in the name of humanity. It makes a reader to think that India is still living in other world. There is a particular hypocrisy and discrimination in most of the people here. People are different inside and they show different outside. According to the readers who have read it, there are the narrations full of child like pure emotions which is rare to find today. Just because of the readers, “Way to the next birth” was listed in Top 5 bestselling novels of India by a web platform “Bittertips” in March 2018.
There are the characters like Akshita, Saroj, Ajay, Ruhani from JK and Saurabh, Kinnari, Rima, Kinjal from Gujarat who make this story more interesting.
And yes, the most important thing we would like to hear from you is what is your message to those new writers who have not yet started their journey of becoming an author? You have been their source of motivation, please convey your thoughts with them.
Your Answer: Be so real while writing because the readers like to read which they see around them. Do not need to add the unwanted drama because they can catch it all so wisely. Believe me that it feels so amazing when a reader finds you on social media and tells you that he or she completed your book (which is having more than 330 pages) in just a single day or in two days or in a week only. It is not so easy to make someone interested in your words and emotions. At last, Mistakes happen but it doesn’t matter when your readers appreciate your honesty ignoring your mistakes. Your mistakes become “creative freedom” when readers love to read you.
THE BELOW SECTIONS CONTAINS SOME IDEAS FOR INJECTING A BIT OF FUN INTO YOUR INTERVIEW
Would you rather
Would you rather be in a room full of snakes or a room full of spiders?
Your Answer:
Snakes. I would like to be in a room full of snakes but they all should be non-venomous.
Would you rather have an endless summer or an endless winter?
Your Answer: Endless winter
Would you rather have constant nagging pain or a constant itch?
Your Answer:
Nagging pain just because I want to see how it feels at the highest level of pain. I would also like to get myself out of it. Won’t it be the best ever experience and lesson to life?
Would you rather always be an hour early or be constantly twenty minutes late?
Your Answer:
Only 20 minutes?
Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in a un-haunted cottage?
Your Answer:
I want to see the ghosts once if they exist so I would like to live in a haunted mansion. I have some special task for them if they can take it.
Either Or
Tea or coffee
Your Answer: Tea
Hot or cold
Your Answer: Hot
Movie or book
Your Answer: I can enjoy both
Coke or Pepsi
Your Answer: No one
Morning person or Night owl
Your Answer: Night owl
Social Media or book
Your Answer: Book
Paperback or ebook
Your Answer: Paperback
All the best for your future and this book too! Thanks for answering my questions.