The Literature Times: Welcome to The Literature Times, author. Congratulations on the release of your book. What responses are you getting from your readers? Please share your experience with this book.
Author: Thank you for the incredible opportunity. I have received overwhelming response from everyone I know. I have been working on this book for a while now. So, everyone is excited that it’s finally here. I hope everyone find the story engaging and impactful.
The Literature Times: What encourages you to become an Author?
Author: I have wanted to become an author since childhood. I believe that words have the power to touch every soul. Words have the power to change the world. I wanted to write about the things I deeply care about. Now I am grateful that I have gotten the chance to bring my first book into the world. I couldn’t wish for a better way to start my journey as an author.
The Literature Times: What are your favorite topics of writing? Please tell us something about your interest areas in the literature.
Author: I’m passionate about psychology, cultures and philosophies around the world, and nature. These are the areas into which I want to dive deep. I love to read literary works that explore them.
I speak about social, cultural, add inter-personal aspects of human life. So, I’m also interested in non-fictional works that deal with them.
As a lover of nature, poetry flows through when in its lap. I write about human bonds, conflicts, and the embrace of nature in my poems.
The Literature Times: We were hoping you could tell us about some of those writers who had inspired you and whom you follow!
Author: Books were my world, and they still are. I grew up reading Charles Dickens, Tolstoy, and other Classics. They introduced me to the true nature of being and of human psyche.
There have been authors like John Steinbeck, George Orwell, and Viktor Frankl who showed me the dim realities of life and the ways to survive them.
But a writer who is closest to my heart is Jane Austen. Her writings truly shaped me to be the woman and writer I am today.
The Literature Times: The titles seem different and catchy; how you decided it? Please let us know the story behind it.
Author: I’m aware that it’s not easy for me to come up with a name for anything. The title was developed through a constant mental process that ran in the back of my mind for three years. I finished the whole story before I found a name for it!
This book deals with drugs and intoxication. They often come in ziplock bags. The closed plastic bag also represents entrapment, suffocation, and stagnation that the characters feel in this story.
So, this title has the figurative meaning of depending and feeling trapped in ziplock bags.
The Literature Times: What are your achievements so far? Tell us something about your writing career.
Author: Publishing this book is my greatest achievement so far. And I wish that I can create more stories in the future.
After I stepped out of college in 2015, I started working on this book. In the meantime, I had to deal with many health-related and psychological issues. I took my time to heal from them all.
Now, I have dedicated my time to creating worthwhile stories and other writings. To that end, I have created a brand: Illoomes, which stands for ‘light’. I write articles and blogs, and make YouTube videos under that name.
The Literature Times: What is your current goal in writing a career? How do you see your future in writing?
Author: I want to create works that has a positive impact on people and help them surmount their struggles and become self-fulfilled in life.
Culture, psychology, and spirituality are areas I like to explore. My writings will incorporate these. With my works, I want to begin and contribute to important conversations around these topics.
Since my first book is published, I want to compile my poems and put them out to the world. I already have ideas for two more books: realistic fiction novels as the current one. I hope to start working on them as soon as I can.
The Literature Times: Are there any other books being worked by you? Please let us know about your future projects.
Author: As I mentioned before, I have a few ideas I am yet to commence. As a preliminary step, I have collected some information regarding the subject matters and made a rough outline of the two stories I’m planning to write.
Right now, my focus is on building my blog and youtube channel, along with the promotion of the current book. But I look forward to starting new works soon.
The Literature Times: How you see Indian writing in the 21st century? What changes do you see in the modern way of writing? Do you feel it has been changed by the time?
Author: This culture has a long history of creating masterpieces in literature. It has transformed a lot in the modern era.
As a lover of the classic works, I’m interested in long complex literature that reveals the innermost aspects of the human psyche.
As a Malayali, I was deeply inspired Arundathi Roy’s novel that won her the Booker Prize. I read R.K. Narayan, Ruskin Bond, and Kiran Desai. They inspired me to create stories that touch the human soul in way that leaves behind a mark forever.
The Literature Times: How easy/ difficult it was for you to publish your book? What message would you like to give to budding authors?
Author: It’s said that it’s more difficult to publish a book than finish it.
As a first-time author, the idea of getting my book published was daunting to me. So, I didn’t show it to anyone for two years.
Eventually, I was able to see it through with the help of some incredible people who supported me along the way. I’m grateful to my family and friends, and the people at Evincepub Publishing for making this process so easy and simple.
As a budding author myself, the greatest advice I’ve ever gotten was from a fellow writer I met back in 2014. while talking about writing, he said that the best advice anyone can possibly give me is this: Sit at your desk for at least half an hour everyday, even if you’re not able to write.
And that is what I want to leave you with as well. It’s all about your being present. That’s all it takes.
