Hello Rajdeep, thank you so much for agreeing to an interview with me! As you can probably tell from my review I am a big fan of Swimming Through Clouds, it is a book that really spoke to me and the characters are just so easy to relate to that you just can't help getting swept into the story.
1.) This is a question I like to open with, and one I'm sure you've been asked before, but, how long have you been writing? When did you first realize that you wanted to write books?
Technically, I've been writing or making up stories since fourth grade. But in terms of writing to publish YA novels, I really dedicated almost daily hours approximately three years ago. I kind of joked with hubby to give me one year to see if I can make something of my writing. I never knew how amazing the ride would be.
2.) Swimming Through Clouds touches on some serious subjects and is quite a beautiful story. What inspired you to write this particular story and for young adult audiences in general?
At the heart of every great story, I think, is a love story. I wanted to pen a unique heart-throb of a story for teens to consider that love does not come easy but true love is so worth fighting for. In terms of the serious issues dealt with in Swimming Through Clouds, I feel like in some ways, Talia just sort of tumbled into this crazy household situation when I sat down to write about her life. Initially, her abusive home was as much of a surprise to me as it might be for some readers. But as I developed the story, I decided to incorporate some issues that are very important to me, namely human trafficking.
3.) Where are my manners? Before I ask anything else, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Okay. This question is one I have been thinking about a lot lately. Simply because I find myself skimming the surface and offering a few fun facts about myself when asked, like lover of basketball, coffee and all things chocolate. Or toting a few accomplishments like winner of bubblegum jar (in high school) and Tough Mudder as of June 2013 (even if I pretty much crawled across the finish line!) And although these things are true, are they really who I am? Not really. If I had to tell you who I really am, I'd say I'm a chatty to a fault, failing to listen more often than I care to admit. I'm scared of the dark, but I can't sleep if there's any random little light on in the room (hotels are the worst for this!) If my hair looks good, I feel confident going into new social situations, but I also have a ridiculous habit of pulling at strands and seeking out every minor imperfection on my scalp <--- my hubby hates it when my hand is in my hair. And nothing romances me like a slow dance to one of my favorite love songs. That's just a start, but I thought, for once, I'd share something other than my favorite color. Which, by the way, is brown. And purple. And red. And sometimes blue. :)
4.) What are some of your own favorite books? Authors?
Khalid Houssini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Wonder by R. J. Palacio and Loser by Jerry Spinelli are some of my favorites. I have a lot of authors whose work I admire, but writers that have taught me a lot about the craft from just reading their words are Jhumpa Lahiri, Libba Bray, and R. J. Palacio.
5.) What about outside the literary world? What kind of music and movies do you like?
I am a huge music buff and I also love the movies. And I have a very wide palate for both. In terms of music, I love pop songs on the radio as much as I love an indie artist with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. I have playlists that range from All things Sting to Broadway musical Madness. There are days I just want to be in touch with the brown girl in me and listen up a Bollywood storm. And times when I need to get my head cleared up with some faith-inspired music on a jog around the neighborhood, so I'll turn on a Group One Crew mix or pump up some Toby Mac. And one song that both motivates and sobers me, my Rocky gloves slip on and nearly always gets me teary-eyed, is Britt Nicole's "Stand."
My favorite movies have some kind of CIA angle, think Bourne Identity of Enemy of the State. But I also l love, (don't laugh at me,) stuff like High School Musical and Lemonade Mouth. Yep. I'm a teenager stuck in the body of forever 29-ish. ;)
6.) Do you listen to music while crafting your stories or do you prefer silence?
Depends. Sometimes I know the song that I would want in the background of a scene so I might listen to it on repeat as I write or edit that chapter. Sometimes I just need silence, because lyrics can by distracting. If I'm writing outside my house, I ususally have my earbuds in whether I have music on or not, just to appear to be engaged to keep from being approached by converstation. But I find instrumental or piano music is probably the most pleasant and least distracting to listen to when I'm writing.
7.) So what are you working on at the moment? Do you have any future plans or book ideas you can share with us?
Well… after taking a month off to just chill out, hang with my girls, and market my sequel, I'm finally getting back to the drawing board. There's a story I started on Wattpad last year that I need to find out the ending to. It's called, Crush Me, and I really love the characters and I need to answer some big questions about the heart of the story and the characters' journeys before I can pick up and keep writing. I'm very excited about it actually. Was just telling Hubs yesterday that I'm starting to fall in love with my new "friends." And I think that's the first step to writing memorable characters: the author has to love them first.
8.) Do you have a special writing schedule or how do you structure your writing time?
I am a very undisciplined person to be honest. I goof off on Facebook and Twitter for far too many minutes, and I sometimes venture off to a Netflix movie or episode and argue that it's "research." BUT, when I get in the mode and pen myself a schedule of so many words or chapters I must finish by a certain date and especially when I map out an editting calendar, I fight hard to meet my goals. The majority of my writing happens when my kids are at school, but I try to sneak in a few evenings and one Saturday a month when I'm closer to a deadline.
9.) What was the hardest thing about writing Swimming Through Clouds or Seeing Through Stones?
I think as a new writer, one of the greatest challenges also became the most amazing reward. The moment I pushed my characters out into the real world to face tough situations opened up doors for me to write scenes I never imagined were possible, but I think the tough moments made the touching moments all the more tender. I also tried to do things a little differently with Stones, in terms of writing from duel point of view. And at times, I worried that Talia and her brother Jesse sounded too similar, but as I got to know my characters better, their motivations and their journeys, I found myself reaching into a different pocket of my heart (sort-a-speak) to find each voice. And one of the best things I learned, although also very painful at times, was the importance of cutting scenes and chapters that I dearly loved in order to keep them from choking out the gusto behind other moments in the book that served a similar purpose.
10.) So tell us about those book titles: I love them! What about the covers? They are so gorgeous! Who designed them?
Thanks!! The titles came to me as I wrote the books. A certain scene was penned and after writing a certain phrase, I thought to myself, now that would make a good title! The sequel was a little more challenging since I rewrote it so many times, at one point, my editor says to me, "You know, I love the story, but where are the 'stones?'" Ha. Had to put them back in so the title worked.
The covers were done by a graphic designer in Spain. Angela Llamas. She's good!
11.) Which person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why? What would you say to them?
Denzel Washington, for obvious reasons. And Tyler Perry, and I'd ask him politely to produce my books into movies. Pretty Pretty Please!!!
12.) If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I think it would be to eat sweets and not gain an ounce. Yeah. That would be A-Mazing!!
13.) What hobbies do you have other than writing?
I like to kayak, bike, dance, hike until I find a waterfall and sleep. Does sleeping count?
14.) How about a classic question? If you and a friend were shipwrecked on a deserted island and can only bring three things, what would those three things be and why?
Only Three! Okay, let's see, if I had my Hatchet brain on, I'd say for starters, I'd need one of those cool army knives that have a guzillion funtions (including a pull out philips screwdriver that flips as a pen. Hey, I'm a writer, and at some point I will have to write down what happens to us!) Definitely include a box of a hundred matches, because I hate feeling cold at night, and something tells me that whole starting a fire by banging rocks together will never work for me. And a ridiculously impractical item I must have with me would be a solar-powered iPod with all my favorite love songs on it. So I can slow dance on the beach under a starry sky with my hubby. Nothing better to do so we may as well work on our waltz. Can I choose him to be stranded with?
15.) Coffee or Tea?
I know I'm Indian, and the correct answer should be chai, but I'm a cafe latte kinda gal. With whip and a dash of cinnamon on top. :)
16.)You seem like such a nice person and I honestly can't wait to read more from you! Do you have anything else you'd like to let potential readers know? Thanks again for agreeing to the interview, it's been fun!
I guess a little word out there for young, aspiring writers: Write the story that only you can write. Don't try and imitate other writers. Find your own voice and create worlds and adventures that you want to be a part of. And characters that you fall in love with. Or despise with a passion. Because then your readers will love (and despise) them too.
Thank you, Paige. You are so kind to make a little room in your world for me and my books. Appreciate you!
__________________________________________________________________
Appreciate you, too, Rajdeep!
1.) This is a question I like to open with, and one I'm sure you've been asked before, but, how long have you been writing? When did you first realize that you wanted to write books?
Technically, I've been writing or making up stories since fourth grade. But in terms of writing to publish YA novels, I really dedicated almost daily hours approximately three years ago. I kind of joked with hubby to give me one year to see if I can make something of my writing. I never knew how amazing the ride would be.
2.) Swimming Through Clouds touches on some serious subjects and is quite a beautiful story. What inspired you to write this particular story and for young adult audiences in general?
At the heart of every great story, I think, is a love story. I wanted to pen a unique heart-throb of a story for teens to consider that love does not come easy but true love is so worth fighting for. In terms of the serious issues dealt with in Swimming Through Clouds, I feel like in some ways, Talia just sort of tumbled into this crazy household situation when I sat down to write about her life. Initially, her abusive home was as much of a surprise to me as it might be for some readers. But as I developed the story, I decided to incorporate some issues that are very important to me, namely human trafficking.
3.) Where are my manners? Before I ask anything else, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Okay. This question is one I have been thinking about a lot lately. Simply because I find myself skimming the surface and offering a few fun facts about myself when asked, like lover of basketball, coffee and all things chocolate. Or toting a few accomplishments like winner of bubblegum jar (in high school) and Tough Mudder as of June 2013 (even if I pretty much crawled across the finish line!) And although these things are true, are they really who I am? Not really. If I had to tell you who I really am, I'd say I'm a chatty to a fault, failing to listen more often than I care to admit. I'm scared of the dark, but I can't sleep if there's any random little light on in the room (hotels are the worst for this!) If my hair looks good, I feel confident going into new social situations, but I also have a ridiculous habit of pulling at strands and seeking out every minor imperfection on my scalp <--- my hubby hates it when my hand is in my hair. And nothing romances me like a slow dance to one of my favorite love songs. That's just a start, but I thought, for once, I'd share something other than my favorite color. Which, by the way, is brown. And purple. And red. And sometimes blue. :)
4.) What are some of your own favorite books? Authors?
Khalid Houssini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Wonder by R. J. Palacio and Loser by Jerry Spinelli are some of my favorites. I have a lot of authors whose work I admire, but writers that have taught me a lot about the craft from just reading their words are Jhumpa Lahiri, Libba Bray, and R. J. Palacio.
5.) What about outside the literary world? What kind of music and movies do you like?
I am a huge music buff and I also love the movies. And I have a very wide palate for both. In terms of music, I love pop songs on the radio as much as I love an indie artist with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. I have playlists that range from All things Sting to Broadway musical Madness. There are days I just want to be in touch with the brown girl in me and listen up a Bollywood storm. And times when I need to get my head cleared up with some faith-inspired music on a jog around the neighborhood, so I'll turn on a Group One Crew mix or pump up some Toby Mac. And one song that both motivates and sobers me, my Rocky gloves slip on and nearly always gets me teary-eyed, is Britt Nicole's "Stand."
My favorite movies have some kind of CIA angle, think Bourne Identity of Enemy of the State. But I also l love, (don't laugh at me,) stuff like High School Musical and Lemonade Mouth. Yep. I'm a teenager stuck in the body of forever 29-ish. ;)
6.) Do you listen to music while crafting your stories or do you prefer silence?
Depends. Sometimes I know the song that I would want in the background of a scene so I might listen to it on repeat as I write or edit that chapter. Sometimes I just need silence, because lyrics can by distracting. If I'm writing outside my house, I ususally have my earbuds in whether I have music on or not, just to appear to be engaged to keep from being approached by converstation. But I find instrumental or piano music is probably the most pleasant and least distracting to listen to when I'm writing.
7.) So what are you working on at the moment? Do you have any future plans or book ideas you can share with us?
Well… after taking a month off to just chill out, hang with my girls, and market my sequel, I'm finally getting back to the drawing board. There's a story I started on Wattpad last year that I need to find out the ending to. It's called, Crush Me, and I really love the characters and I need to answer some big questions about the heart of the story and the characters' journeys before I can pick up and keep writing. I'm very excited about it actually. Was just telling Hubs yesterday that I'm starting to fall in love with my new "friends." And I think that's the first step to writing memorable characters: the author has to love them first.
8.) Do you have a special writing schedule or how do you structure your writing time?
I am a very undisciplined person to be honest. I goof off on Facebook and Twitter for far too many minutes, and I sometimes venture off to a Netflix movie or episode and argue that it's "research." BUT, when I get in the mode and pen myself a schedule of so many words or chapters I must finish by a certain date and especially when I map out an editting calendar, I fight hard to meet my goals. The majority of my writing happens when my kids are at school, but I try to sneak in a few evenings and one Saturday a month when I'm closer to a deadline.
9.) What was the hardest thing about writing Swimming Through Clouds or Seeing Through Stones?
I think as a new writer, one of the greatest challenges also became the most amazing reward. The moment I pushed my characters out into the real world to face tough situations opened up doors for me to write scenes I never imagined were possible, but I think the tough moments made the touching moments all the more tender. I also tried to do things a little differently with Stones, in terms of writing from duel point of view. And at times, I worried that Talia and her brother Jesse sounded too similar, but as I got to know my characters better, their motivations and their journeys, I found myself reaching into a different pocket of my heart (sort-a-speak) to find each voice. And one of the best things I learned, although also very painful at times, was the importance of cutting scenes and chapters that I dearly loved in order to keep them from choking out the gusto behind other moments in the book that served a similar purpose.
10.) So tell us about those book titles: I love them! What about the covers? They are so gorgeous! Who designed them?
Thanks!! The titles came to me as I wrote the books. A certain scene was penned and after writing a certain phrase, I thought to myself, now that would make a good title! The sequel was a little more challenging since I rewrote it so many times, at one point, my editor says to me, "You know, I love the story, but where are the 'stones?'" Ha. Had to put them back in so the title worked.
The covers were done by a graphic designer in Spain. Angela Llamas. She's good!
11.) Which person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why? What would you say to them?
Denzel Washington, for obvious reasons. And Tyler Perry, and I'd ask him politely to produce my books into movies. Pretty Pretty Please!!!
12.) If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I think it would be to eat sweets and not gain an ounce. Yeah. That would be A-Mazing!!
13.) What hobbies do you have other than writing?
I like to kayak, bike, dance, hike until I find a waterfall and sleep. Does sleeping count?
14.) How about a classic question? If you and a friend were shipwrecked on a deserted island and can only bring three things, what would those three things be and why?
Only Three! Okay, let's see, if I had my Hatchet brain on, I'd say for starters, I'd need one of those cool army knives that have a guzillion funtions (including a pull out philips screwdriver that flips as a pen. Hey, I'm a writer, and at some point I will have to write down what happens to us!) Definitely include a box of a hundred matches, because I hate feeling cold at night, and something tells me that whole starting a fire by banging rocks together will never work for me. And a ridiculously impractical item I must have with me would be a solar-powered iPod with all my favorite love songs on it. So I can slow dance on the beach under a starry sky with my hubby. Nothing better to do so we may as well work on our waltz. Can I choose him to be stranded with?
15.) Coffee or Tea?
I know I'm Indian, and the correct answer should be chai, but I'm a cafe latte kinda gal. With whip and a dash of cinnamon on top. :)
16.)You seem like such a nice person and I honestly can't wait to read more from you! Do you have anything else you'd like to let potential readers know? Thanks again for agreeing to the interview, it's been fun!
I guess a little word out there for young, aspiring writers: Write the story that only you can write. Don't try and imitate other writers. Find your own voice and create worlds and adventures that you want to be a part of. And characters that you fall in love with. Or despise with a passion. Because then your readers will love (and despise) them too.
Thank you, Paige. You are so kind to make a little room in your world for me and my books. Appreciate you!
__________________________________________________________________
Appreciate you, too, Rajdeep!
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