About The Author
Both of us have been writing for the past 15 years or so in some form or another. We used to write blogs and articles for websites like www.womensweb.in and it grew from there. When we had the idea for our first book ‘Tete-a-tete with R&S’, it seemed like the obvious next step.
Check the review here : The Halfway Point by Rummana a & Sharvari B – Book Review
Interview
Q) Why this genre? If you have to write in some other genre what that would be?
I think as an author duo, the conversational style works well for us. It keeps the pace easy and free-flowing. That said, we would love to write more fiction books. We did a children’s fiction book earlier and it was such a fun experience to channel our long lost teen spirit into it. Maybe a fiction book for older adults next time.
Q) Your favorite part from the book?
I love the part where we talk about our bucket lists (and the part about a detective asking our neighbours to describe us). Having been friends as long as we have, it turned out we didn’t know each other quite as well as we thought we did, and it was an amusing little twist.
Q) Tell us about the idea behind the book?
Well really it was a milestone birthday that kicked everything off…a lot of middle aged changes and realisations…and documenting it just seemed like the thing to do. We weren’t going through anything new, but our thoughts and our talks suddenly seemed a lot more introspective and even grim. Having a friend to go through it with really, really helped and our book hopefully makes it easier like that for others too.
Q) How much time it took in the process of writing?
Once the idea was born,all we did was keep the questions coming. So at the end of each day, we’d have these 2-3 questions for the other one to answer and we kept going back and forth like that. Coming up with the answers was not as easy because many of the questions really had us do some soul searching if we were to answer it honestly and do justice towards the book.
But we really have a good synergy when it comes to writing and we keep egging each other on.
Q) What did the process of writing this book teach you?
More than anything it taught us to have a solid writing routine. Honestly, going it alone means that things tend to slack off and ideas don’t always come as easily. Like they say two heads are better than one!
Q) What inspired you to write this book ?
We are both avid readers (and writers). In our younger years we each kept a blog with articles and short stories and poems. And it helped that we admired each others’ writing immensely, and recognised where our writing strengths and weaknesses lay.
In any case, the inspiration was one of our serious and long winded discussions about death that really made us think that our conversations weren’t just something to talk and forget about.
Also Read: Interview with Dr Vikas Kumar Singh – Author of The Return Ticket
Q) 5 books one must read in lifetime?
To kill a mockingbird – Harper Lee
Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
The kite runner – Khaled Hosseni
Q) A book that had an impact on you, which helped you in writing this one?
As a teen/young adult I loved reading Robin Cook and Agatha Christie. Medical thrillers and Mystery novels.
I don’t think my writing is influenced by either.
However reading books like The Kite Runner and some historical fiction from the holocaust times made me realize that personal experiences and our perspective developed due to those experiences are worth penning down.
Q) A quote, para from the book that inspires you?
“Happiness is a temporary state of mind.
To sustain continual happiness is simply impossible. I used to think it was better being content instead. People who find contentment easily usually find happiness close by.”
Q) Tell us about your future plans? Planning a new book?
Nothing in the pipeline as of now. But one doesn’t know when inspiration strikes.
Q) How different is your book from your first draft?
Our book is our views ‘in print’. Hence as unconventional as it may sound, our book is as different from its first draft as an unwashed mango is from a washed one. The fruit a.k.a book didn’t change. It just got cleaned up.
Q) What is literary success for you?
Literary success to us is when readers finish the book and don’t end up thinking ‘there was something missing’. A satisfied reading experience is the bare minimum marker for the success of a book. If the reader has the ‘Wow’ experience that would be true success for us.
Q) A message for all the readers .
Never hesitate to pick up a book. And if you don’t like it, don’t be forced to finish it.
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This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023
