1.Firstly, I would like to begin with the most basic question, how did your journey with the pen begin?Ans : I started writing the book way back in 2010, to distract myself from the girl I loved and lost. Though I had a good job, loving family and caring friends, there was some emptiness inside me and I was craving to do something to move on with life. It was then I started writing an unusual book on placements and interviews which I felt would help thousands of engineering students.
The line from my book – “When you are not happy, make the world around you happy. It might not give you immense happiness. But it will take away your sadness” – summarizes the essence. So, that’s how it all began.
2.When did you first consider yourself a writer, far from a blogger?
Ans : I don’t consider myself a writer.
3.What inspired you to write your first book?
Ans : Love
4.What books have highly influenced your life?
Ans : I am not an avid reader. But I love ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho and 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. Lost count of the number of times I read the two books.
5.If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Ans : Umm.. Err..
6.Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Ans : It may sound a little weird but I don’t really know a lot of authors, let alone new ones. I myself am very new to this world of publishing and I hope that someday, someone says my name when asked this question :P
7.If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Ans : Yes, I would probably lessen the intensity of emotions portrayed in the first five pages of the book. I’ve been getting a few mails from readers saying the first few pages brought tears in their eyes. I’d prefer making people smile, rather than making them cry. Nevertheless, though the book begins with a sad account, the rest of the book is fun and entertaining(And informative as well)
8.Can you share a little of your current work with us?
Ans : I am thinking to write love story of a guy-next-door. It’d be about a guy’s heart and girls’ mind. But I am not sure if I'd be disciplined enough to sit down and write another book. Only time can tell.
9.Do you have to travel much concerning your books?
Ans : No and Yes. Travelling to places – No. Travelling in imagination – Yes.
10. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Ans : The hardest part was to interlace information with entertainment, thereby making the book ‘infotaining.’ I had to do lot of homework for that.
Another tough part was the experiment of mixing genres. Though the book is a non-fiction self-help book, it’s written like a novel. That is what is the USP of the book. It was quite difficult to weave so much information in the form of a story and to ensure seamless transition from one topic to another. Only recently, I came to know that this style of writing is categorized as ‘Narrative non-fiction’ or ‘Creative non-fiction’.
11.Do you have any advice for other writers?
Ans : Honestly, I am too ordinary a guy to give any advice.
12.Finally, do you have anything specific that you want to say to our readers (The TeenMag)?
Ans : Life moves on. But don’t just let it pass you by.
-Akhil Ramesh
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