Interview with author Nish Amarnath

Nish Amarnath is a New York-based journalist, author and poet whose latest book, Victims for Sale, published by HarperCollins, was nominated for the Mumbai Film Festival Word-to-Screen Award. Nish has worked under the guidance of Writers House NYC founder and literary agent Al Zuckerman who has groomed and launched various novelists ranging from Ken Follett and Barbara Kyle to Nora Roberts and Jenny White. Nish has been contributing editor at the Big Thrill Magazine, where she has profiled other prominent novelists like Christina Dodd and John Dobbyn. She holds a full-time editorial post in New York and is additionally a faculty member at the New York Writers Workshop. She was previously managing editor of one of Europe’s most prolific magazine publishing groups. Her writings have appeared in the Wall Street Journal,Medium, the Washington, D.C.-based literary journal, Del Sol Review, the Radical Humanist, The Thrill Begins Magazine, BookTrib, Yahoo!, TheStreet.comand India Today, among others.

Victims for Sale

Victims for Sale, a strident exposé on social injustice, is a psychological thriller and crime suspense novel told in the voice of a young BBC stringer who fights to expose a crime ring where mentally challenged women are sexually abused and exploited. Hindustan Times likened the book to a David Fincher movie while British author and film producer Adam Hamdy endorsed it as a well-crafted, dark, tense, twisted thriller that takes readers on a disturbing ride through society’s underbelly.

Author Nish speak  about Victims for Sale behind the scenes and her approach to storytelling as a tool to challenge sociocultural norms, tackle social misperceptions and address social injustice and mental health.

1.Victims for Sale is an astounding masterpiece of a psychological thriller with elements of crime, suspense and unease. How did it become a bestselling title in India?

Nish:Oh, thank you so much! It has indeed been an encouraging start. Within three months of its release, HarperCollins told me that it was one of only two titles on their fiction list that was getting repeat orders from thousands of bookstores and multi-product retail stores across the country. I give immense gratitude to all my readers for their overwhelming love and support, especially given that I was in depression during the lead-up to Victims for Sale and the time that followed. For this reason, I didn’t even market or promote the book, before and after its publication, aside from any activities HarperCollins wanted me to do. So, the novel just picked up on its own and stands on its own. I believe in dropping all my masks as a writer and being the truest version of myself that I can be. So, I feel like engaging in this vein with my readers really helped me find myself. As a writer, keeping my readers happy is my foremost priority and this is the view that has guided my approach to storytelling. I believe in telling a good story, one that has never been told before in the way that I could write it.

2.What is exclusive about Victims for Sale because of which people need to read it? 

Nish:Many readers have described Victims for Sale as a form of dark fiction! Victims for Sale deploys emotions and sensations as tools to accelerate the pace of action and amplify the suspense building up through the scenes…until all that tension reaches a crescendo andexplodes into shards where secrets and torn pasts rise to the surface. It’s different from many other novels in that it seeks to weave an esoteric journey of self-introspection, reflection and deep-seated spiritual beliefs into a patchwork of murders, which must be dissected to reveal an oasis of violence that elicits the most damaged parts of the human psyche.

3.What difficulties did you face in getting Victims for Sale published and how did you overcome them? 

Nish:I think the biggest challenge, in terms of breaking into fiction, was to stray away from the mold of public perceptions of my work solely as a financial journalist who had published two non-fiction business books, prior to Victims for Sale. Above and beyond, Victims for Sale is my debut novel even if it’s my third book. So, it was quite difficult to find a literary agent. I attended two writers’ conferences in New York where I connected with a few literary agents and even pitch directly to publishers. During this time, I received interest from Simon & Schuster, but the editor there wanted me to Americanize my narrative. I didn’t feel that would do justice to the heart of the story, which is set in the UK. So, I shifted my focus to finding an agent who would connect with my voice as a writer. I received an offer of representation from the Red Ink Literary Agency. A year and a half later, the book, formerly titled Falling Bridges, was picked up by HarperCollins, renamed as Victims for Sale and slated for release in 18 months. Publishing is a very slow and subjective business. Through the entire process, I learned the virtues of patience, belief in oneself and indefatigable faith in one’s work. But most importantly, I learned that it’s sometimes really good to give it a bit of a rest and divert your focus for a while when you know you’ve tried your best. That’s how I believe I broke through the blockage. It was during those months of giving it a rest that I woke up to an email from my literary agent—a bolt from the blue—about HarperCollins’ interest in acquiring the manuscript for a handsome advance.

4. We understand that your next novel, Twin Flame is a romance novel set in many different continents and that it is gathering interest and momentum among your readership, ahead of its publication. What more can you tell us about it? When can we expect to see it out?

Nish: Twin Flameis a contemporary love story infused with historical overtones and elements of magical realism. It’s driven primarily by conflict. All I can say is A South Asian Math prodigy’s wish for a boy in a painting to come alive materializes in the form of an Austrian-Jewish writer. But a troubling secret wrenches them apart, forcing them to confront their worst fears, if life is to give them one final chance. So, I’m currently seeking literary representation for it since my previous agent fell sick. When this book will be published, first of all, depends on when a literary agent is able and willing to represent it. I have had multiple positive responses to it, but it’s a process that involves a situation where both parties (the author and the agent) feel right about working together on this project. Also, I must give you all a heads-up that the title may change. Twin Flame is a title that has already stuck with many readers out there, but it’s still only a working title and it isn’t uncommon for agents and/or publishers to change the title later on. But it’s a novel that’s close to my heart and I’m quite excited about it. I have unswerving faith in this work and its ability to resonate with readers. Despite any ongoing uncertainties that may prevail, I feel it’s only a question of time before it gets literary representation.

5. How is Twin Flame different from Victims for Sale? And in what ways, is it similar?

Nish: Twin Flame and Victims for Sale are both oeuvres of commercial fiction whose narratives are driven by drama, action and turmoil. But Twin Flame has a higher emotional voltage guided by an undercurrent of feelings, perceptions, thought patterns and emotions that are far more subtle, far more nuanced and possibly more open to interpretation on the part of my readers. I’d like to believe that it might be more engaging with and relatable to readers as well because it explores emotions that many of us may have felt or experienced at some point of time or the other. Twin Flame also brings to light the impact of social conditioning on the human psyche. These social norms I address range from the arranged marriage to issues of race and immigration. The book also seeks to dispel gender stereotypes, social constructs and relationship silos. For example, not every human relationship can necessarily be pigeonholed or categorized, meaning certain connections are best seen through a lens of how these help you grow, expand your consciousness and help you follow your life path from a place of love and peace rather than fear, ego, obsession or vengeance.

6. How did you develop such a distinctive voice as a writer?

Nish: Finding one’s voice as a writer is a process that takes a ton of time. It isn’t an overnight occurrence. I’ve been writing from childhood and have always been a voracious reader. So, all of that gave me practice, knowledge and technique. I still have a long way to go as a novelist. But today, I’d say that my voice is driven by raw emotions that are both silent and apparent. This riverbed of emotions is one that is universal to all of us. For example, feeling jealous and happy at the same time. It’s the emotional voltage in my narratives that define my voice and guide my storytelling even as it cuts across different genres, all the way from crime and suspense to romance and magical realism.

***

You can buy Victims for Sale at bit.ly/VictimsForSale

If you’d like to be learn more about her next novel, Twin Flame, you can be part of her newsletter by signing up at www.nishamarnath.com/twinflamenovel.

Connect with Nish Amarnath:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/nishamarnath/

Insta Author’s Account: @driverofdestiny

Insta Writer’s Page: @themillennialchick

Twitter: @nishamarnath

Website: www.nishamarnath.com

Interview with author Zachary Ryan

Q1 Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself?
A1 My name is Zachary Ryan. I currently live in Chicago with my husband.

Q2 Please tell us something about your recent book “Silent Screams”.
A2 It’s an amazing novel that involves self-love, seeking help, and dealing with trauma.

Q3 When and how did you develop an interest in writing?
A3 I’ve been writing since I was 7 years old. I’ve always loved to create stories to escape from my life.

Q4 You currently lives in Chicago; please tell the readers what makes Chicago special?
A4 It makes anyone that feels lost and confused, feel like they have a home in the world.

Q5 Is writing your full-time career or would you like it to be?
A5 I would love to write full time but I would get bore if I only wrote.

Q6 How do you develop your plot and characters?
A6 I just honestly listen to music and it hits me. These characters tell me how they want to be spoken for.

Q7 What is the most surprising thing you have discovered while writing books?
A7 How much my characters surprise me. I think I have them figured out and then bam taken completely by surprised.

Q8 Who motivates you in life and why?
A8 My happiness. I’ve lived my life feeling trapped and now I feel fully opened and loved.

Q9 What was your dream job when you were younger?
A9 College Professor.

Q10 Where do you see yourself in next five years?
A10 Hopefully a couple more novels under my belt, and having a kid with my husband.

Interview with author of The Quantum Cartographer

Q1.  Hello Sir, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

Hello readers! I am Kristen Keenon Fisher, author of the ‘The Quantum Cartographer, Book of Cruxes’ which is my debut novel. I live in the United States and in my spare time I am an amateur cook, an amateur artist, and a professional coffee drinker.

Q2.  Is there lots to do before you drive in and start writing the story?

I try to simplify the process as much as possible as to not become accustom to needing an entire ritual to take place before I get to work. I just need an idea that is powerful enough to make me open a notebook or a laptop and start riffing on a possible sequence of events. A loose outline. I don’t like to plan out too much because I like to leave room for the magic of discovery. I like to allow the story to grow and take its own direction in some cases so that it’s informing me as much as I’m informing it.

Q3. What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘The Quantum Cartographer’ book?

Embarking on your first novel tends to incur the wrath of the “doubting voice” inside your head. Whether it’s, “You’ll never finish,” or “You don’t have enough time” or “No one will ever read it,” or “You should focus on something more practical.” It always shows up until you shut it up by proving it wrong. I simply refused to put too much pressure on myself during the writing process. I just had fun with it. I was going to finish no matter what. Some days I would write a few paragraphs, other days a chapter. I just took my time and ignored the heckler.   

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

New York city is a place I like to visit.The streets are the most crowded streets I’ve ever seen anywhere but that gives it this sense of possibility. It’s almost a high in a weird way. I did my first pitch-fest there which is a gathering of authors and major and indie studio execs and interns whom the authors get to pitch their novels to for possible film adaptations. It was a great experience. I remember feeling kind of down after I gave my pitch because I felt like I could’ve done better and then going to see the second Guardians of the Galaxy film and feeling so much better afterward. That movie was hilarious.

Q5. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘The Quantum Cartographer’?

The title I had originally was something like “Starshifter and The Legend of The Third Moon.” It was a working title. Then at some point, as the story became more developed, “The Quantum Cartographer just sort of popped into my head. “The time mapper” is basically what it means and it was a title that was a bit more true to the storyline. And that’s a small example of what I mean by “discovering” things in your writing. Sometimes the story has more appropriate ideas for itself than the writer. You just have to listen. The cover is actually the second of two covers available for the novel. The cover you see now came about because I wanted something a little more simplified and one that contained a scene from the story. The gentleman in the cover image is one of the mysterious “Night-dressed men” who appear in the novel in a number of haunting ways. I wanted a cover copy that captured their shadowy nature.

Q6. When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably after I wrote “The Purification” chapter in, The Quantum Cartographer. It’s kind of funny but true. That’s when I felt like “Okay, it’s real now.” I spent a lot of time thinking about how to make that chapter feel really cinematic, and again, one day it just dawned on me to insert an action sequence in between the narration of the novel’s villain, Aligos. It’s such a small thing but I was so impressed with the way it turned out that I just rode this high of accomplishment for weeks. 

Q7. What does success means to you?

Success is achieved the minute you decide and begin to manifest your goals in life instead of playing passenger to the invisible hands of fate. Once we take that responsibility we are no longer spectators but instead creators and innovators of our life story. In that moment we graduate to the plateau called success.

Q8. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I try to become my characters in a way. I try to see things how they would view them and look at the world of the story from their perspective. I’ll do this in meditations as well. When writing, I’ll go from sitting at my laptop, to laying down, then back to the laptop and then back to laying down again. I’m constantly trying to make the world of the story as authentic and seamlessly real as possible. No matter how divergent from so called “reality” the story may be, I want the reader to accept it without a second thought. I’ll even use someone’s interests I understand very well, a friend or family member, as a muse. I’ll try to think, “What would they think is a really cool scene or feature? What would amuse them?”

Q9. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

The Miriam Black series by Chuck Wendig. It was very influential in my beginnings as a writer. He writes in a way that’s uniquely him. He follows no real guidelines when it comes to expression. He’s relentlessly descriptive and lurid. His writing just inspired me to say what I wanted to say how I wanted to say it. It made me courageous. And then came the EDITORS! Haha.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Hmmm. There are many secrets in the book. I would have to say, pay close attention to the characters and themes in the story. They may show up in unexpected ways. Fun fact: There is an initiative called “The Abeona Experiments” mentioned in the story which was a black budget project where children were sent back in time to carry out various missions. Abeona, is the Greek goddess of travel especially “children” in travel. She protects them. There are several little lore crumbs like this in the story and I would actually be very interested in seeing who could find them and point some of them out.

Interview with Kimmey Fitts

• 

1. Can you please introduce yourself?

Hello readers, my name is Kimmey Fitts. I actually wanted to be a writer when I was much younger.  It wasn’t until I needed to find something to do from home, that I decided to give writing a try.  At first, I put a few simple poems on Pinterest.  Then, I started a blog. I still have it at www.kimmeyfittsblow.com.  Finally, after reading every book that interested me on Amazon, I decided to try to write one.

2. You have written many short stories, are they inspired from real life incidents? 

I have written a lot of short stories, but none of them are based on my real life. They are all fictional. I love to read dystopian books, so most of the books I write are dystopian.  They all have a love story and almost every single one has a dog because I love my dog so much.

3. What are your favorite part and least favorite part of the publishing journey? 

My favorite part is the writing. I love to write. I usually have several ideas sitting to the side waiting for me to write. My least favorite part is the advertising. I don’t mind the social media so much because there are very kind people that I have been blessed with getting to know. However, it takes time away from doing what I love to do. Some people hire someone to do the advertising, but I don’t have the money for it.

4. What are your hobbies? 

Reading and writing. It really does take up most of my life. I spend time with my family as well. There are a few television shows that I watch with my husband. We watch The Walking Dead and most recently Yellowstone.

5. How do you come up with an idea to write a novella on vampires?

Do you actually believe in vampires?No, of course I don’t believe in vampires. I have read every book by Anne Rice and love her as an author. My vampire book is not as authentic as hers. I just wrote it to see where I could take it.

6.How do you select the names of your characters? 

A lot of times I pick the names off Pinterest or I think of a name then I switch, remove, or move around a vowel. It helps to make the name seem odd.

7.How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I’ve written 26 books so far.  Out of those 26, I have one novel, one novelette, and two trilogies. Surprisingly, my favorite book is my first that I wrote… Idella’s Journal Trilogy. You didn’t ask which one I thought was the best written.

8. How do you do research for your books?  

A lot of my books don’t require research, as they aren’t written about the past. However, if I am writing about a character such as a vampire or a zombie, I just google everything I can about them.

9.What are you working on next? 

Right now, I’m working on part 2 for Dybbuk Spirits. Next, I will work on part 2 to The Vampire Salvatore. Then I can write whatever I want to write.

10. Lastly, who inspires you the most and why? 

If you are asking for a writer’s name, I guess I would choose Suzanne Collins. Maybe one day I will write half as well as she does.  If you are asking for just a name in general, I would choose my husband, Jeff.  He works harder than anyone I know.  The reason I write is so that hopefully one day, I can write something that people love enough for him to take some time off work. That is my ultimate goal.

Amazon.com Author’s profile