About The Author
Neerja Bhatt was born and raised in Ahmedabad—the Indian city of food and fervor. Born into a creative family where artistic expression was always encouraged, she has been attached with the art of storytelling and writing since the tender age of six, and has written several stories and poetry since then. She has been secretive of her writing, but always felt proud whenever the teacher read her work to the class. You can find the last page of every notebook that Neerja owns covered in her signatures as she feels that a perfect signature is a must have for authors.
The Bad Era: Part I is her debut fantasy novel. In her free time, you can find her reading, playing the piano, or sleeping and dreaming of compelling stories that can later be cooked into sizzling novels.
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Interview
Q) Why the Bad Era? Tell us about the idea behind the book?
I was only twelve when I got the idea for the book amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, in 2020. Like most of us, I had a lot of free time on hand and the boredom inspired me to think of how the pandemic was like ‘Karma’ coming back at us for all our heinous deeds as a society: climate change and brutal crimes, to name a few. I realised that this was ‘The Bad Era’ and that we had been living in it for a really long time. And the rest is history! Istarted elaborating on the idea and eventually expanded it into a duology.
Q) How much time did it take in the process of writing? What did the process of writing this book teach you?
No one in my immediate family or friend group has written a novel and so, for a preteen who hardly had any professional training in this field, I had to spend a lot of time learning and refining my skills with help of teachers on YouTube.
Not to mention, ‘The Bad Era’ duology belongs to the fantasy genre: a genre which usually requires a lot of planning and plotting. The same was the case for me, as I was creating a world that nobody knew of: a world that was created by the big bang before the one that created our Earth! From May 2020 to September, I worked on the world-building, character sketches, and figuring out the plot for both the first and the second parts (yes, I am a compulsive plotter and HAD to know how the second book ends before I started writing the first one!) From October 2020 onwards, I started writing, and because of the heavy planning that I had done beforehand, I was able to get through the first draft in about 3 months. After that, there were several rounds of self-revising before I gave the book to a professional editor.
The second book took a little longer to write as even though I had the plotting already done, I was busy with my tenth-grade board exams and so all the book work had to take a backseat for a while.
Q) How much time did it take in the process of writing?
No one in my immediate family or friend group has written a novel and so, for a preteen who hardly had any professional training in this field, I had to spend a lot of time learning and refining my skills with help of teachers on YouTube.
Not to mention, ‘The Bad Era’ duology belongs to the fantasy genre: a genre which usually requires a lot of planning and plotting. The same was the case for me, as I was creating a world that nobody knew of: a world that was created by the big bang before the one that created our Earth! From May 2020 to September, I worked on the world-building, character sketches, and figuring out the plot for both the first and the second parts (yes, I am a compulsive plotter and HAD to know how the second book ends before I started writing the first one!) From October 2020 onwards, I started writing, and because of the heavy planning that I had done beforehand, I was able to get through the first draft in about 3 months. After that, there were several rounds of self-revising before I gave the book to a professional editor.
The second book took a little longer to write as even though I had the plotting already done, I was busy with my tenth-grade board exams and so all the book work had to take a backseat for a while.
Q) A book that had an impact on you, which helped you in writing this one?
It’s difficult to name a single book because not just one but many books had a great impact on me at different points in my life and truly inspired me to follow my dream.
The works of Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Rumi, and Maithili Sharan Gupt inspired me a lot.
The literary works of Leo Tolstoy, Harper Lee, Premchand, Khaled Hosseini, and several others had a massive impact on me and stirred up the dream to follow my passion for writing.
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Q) What did the process of writing this book teach you?
Since I wrote and published both the books while still being in school, the most significant thing that the journey has taught me is how to balance schoolwork with my passion for writing. With high school being quite intense especially whenever I had exams nearing, I was forced to develop the art of prioritising and scheduling, ensuring I devoted enough time to both my academics and my books.
In extension, the writing process taught me that I can be a lot more self-disciplined than I ever thought I could. For a person who detested waking up early, I saw myself voluntarily getting out of bed at 5 in the morning, in order to make time to write before school started. It was moments like that that made me feel increasingly self-aware and enlightened. I got to know myself a lot better through ‘The Bad Era’ journey.
Q)What inspired you to write this book?
I have dreamed of writing and publishing books ever since I can remember. When you have a fierce desire and a brainwave of an idea, nothing can stop you!
Being brought up in an incredibly artistically inclined family that puts as much importance on hobbies and passions as academics, support was never unfelt. Apart from the occasional reminders to not neglect my studies in the process, I received full encouragement from my family and I really found inspiration and consolation in that.
Q) Which is your favourite part from the book?
That’s a tough one, as across both the books, there are several scenes that I have had the best time writing!
I particularly love all the deep, meaningful conversations that the protagonist ‘Anokhi Aganagai’ has with her two best friends. Those scenes highlight the beauty and comfort that lies in the trio’s bond and it is always heartwarming to revisit those. I also love Anokhi’s solitary walks and meditations in her school, while she thinks and tries to find answers to the formidable questions that keep meeting her.
In the second book, there is a scene where Anokhi finally resolves the mystery behind her broken family and shares a poignant moment with whatever family she has left. That really made me smile, as it was like a ray of hope in Anokhi’s otherwise tumultuous life.
Q) A book that had an impact on you, which helped you in writing this one?
Fantasy books like ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Percy Jackson’and ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ gave me insights into how the genre works and what kind of world-building techniques should be used to transport readers into an unreal yet realistic world. Just like the books listed above, ‘The Bad Era’ also relies on vividly describing the fantastical world and creating unique and memorable elements that stick with the readers (for example, ‘The Wheel of Life’ and ‘Jet-loopers’ that are vital to the storyline of ‘The Bad Era’!)
Q) How your life changed after the book was published?
After the successful book launch that we organised for the ‘The Bad Era: Part I’ in 2021, I have received several reviews and feedback that have helped me improve as a writer. I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities to conduct book-readings not only in Ahmedabad, but also in cities like Udaipur, which has brought me in contact with diverse readers. This has widened my perspective and made me realise that there are more readers of the duology than I thought there were!
A moment that I will never forget, is when I attended a wedding and met a man who had been recommended ‘The Bad Era: Part I’ by my relative. I had never met him, and when he told me that he thoroughly enjoyed my book, I was truly humbled. We ended up having an hour-long discussion about his favourite parts from the book and after our conversation, I was left feeling grateful for the impact that I was able to create on people. It was a liberating feeling.
Q) What is a literary success for you?
Literary success to me is having a loyal fanbase. And it doesn’t have to be hundreds or thousands of people. Even if there are ten people who look forward to my books, who get the same thrill and excitement on reading my books that I get on reading books written by my favourite authors, that’s a job well done for me. If there are people with whom I can discuss my books and hear their heartfelt feedback, I would be overjoyed. I CRAVE hawk-eyed readers who would read my books so intently that they pick up even the tiniest of the loopholes and point them out to me! That would be a sign of establishing a deep connection with my readers, and I don’t think there is anything more satisfying than that for a writer.
Also, trying out different genres and expanding my comfort zone would be another symbol of success for me, as I truly believe that a writer should be willing to try new things and be open minded.
Q) A message for all the readers.
‘The Bad Era’ duology is full of compelling characters, exciting settings, and unforgettable morals. Reading the duology would not only teleport you to a world of fantasy, but it will also make you challenge the realities and hard truths of today. For an immersive experience, start reading today! Your feedback would be a huge form of encouragement for me: a sixteen-year-old writer who aims to become better and write many more books in the future. Looking forward to connecting with you through my Instagram page (@neerjabhatt_). You can also visit my website (www.neerjabhatt.com) for more detailsabout the books!
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