Thursday, March 23, 2017

Be True to your Craft - Discussion with Shobha Nihalani

"Currently I am working on a non-fiction book" Shobha told us, when we asked which thriller genre book she is planning now. We had a rapid-fire round of question and answers with Shobha. Let check out what she has to say.


Your educational background?
Bachelor’s in Business Administration
What were you like at school/college apart from studies?
Quiet, introverted, book worm
What are some day jobs you have held?
Mostly a housewife, but at the same time was interested in selling Indian products. I did some copywriting jobs and other freelance writing. Also, I work in our family-owned business.
Do you read much? Which author inspires you the most?
I read a lot, some non-fiction and mostly fiction. All writers inspire me. I just don’t have enough time to read all the books I have collected.
When did you start writing?
Ages ago. Can’t recall. I think I was drawn to the written word when I was a teenager.
When did you decide to become a writer?
It has always been a dormant dream since my youth. Whenever I would read something inspiring or well-written, I would copy it out in my notebook. I cherished phrases, quotes, and even paragraphs from books. It was soothing to read them over the years. I have still kept those worn out little notebooks.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
Continue to improve my writing skills. I don’t want to limit myself to writing novels, I like to explore other facets and currently co-writing some film scripts.
Do you have a special time to write, or how is your day structured to accommodate your writing?
I usually write in the afternoons. But mostly whenever I have an idea, I would jot it down and use it later.
Is this your debut work? If not so, what have you written?
Over the years I have worked as a freelance writer, and later have written many business articles, blog posts, humour column, short stories and then books.

Get a giveaway copy of Nine Book One


What genre are your books?
Thriller genre – which covers the range of adventure, fantasy and psychological stories
Can you describe your current book in few lines? What’s it about?
Currently I am writing something totally different. It is a non-fiction book about an iconic spiritual figure
Give us an insight into your main character(s)
He is a well-known spiritual leader – Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani
Where did you get idea for this book?
Through friends, I was requested to write about this great humanitarian
How much research did you do for this book?
I have read numerous books about his teachings and his work. Also, I have read his other published biographies and spiritual guides, and watched many of his discourses and talks
What was the most difficult thing about writing your latest book?
It is a challenge to switch from fiction to non-fiction. Especially when it is a biopic of a very senior and revered person. There are many elements that have to be carefully thought about and structured. And to write about a great iconic spiritual figure requires a certain amount of skill. I was quite nervous initially, but once I had the support of his disciples, I went with the flow.
Release date.
July/ August 2017
What are you working on at the minute?
Ironically, besides working with a Mumbai-based producer on co-writing scripts, I am also working on my first book – Karmic Blues – it was never published in English, only released in Danish. I am rewriting it completely.
What are your thoughts on writing a book series?
I love the idea of a book series, many of my readers have asked me to write sequels of the NINE trilogy and the psychological thriller ‘Unresolved.’  But I have a few script-writing projects to complete before I can write a novel series.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write because you are seriously passionate about the writing process and love books – if you write for an end-goal like fame, profit, or simply to raise your public profile than your enthusiasm will fizzle out very soon. This journey is full of ups and downs, and you need to be totally committed to the craft of writing.
Links for your book readers
Get a giveaway copy of Nine Book One

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