Monday, March 27, 2017

Meet Young Energetic Vishwesh Who Became Author at Age of 15

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Vishwesh Desai was born and raised in Ahmedabad, India, a hardcore Gujju who shares the infamous Gujarati sweet tooth. 
A 15-year-old with a fierce passion for reading and writing, the publication of his short stories in the Estrade magazine and the 2015 edition of the ‘I CAN’ book preceded the completion of his debut novel, “Shadows of the Northlands”, a fantasy fiction, which also just happens to be the fourth one he started. “Shadows of the Northlands” was in the Crossword Top 10 list soon after its launch in Ahmedabad and continues to be very well received among readers. Vishwesh has been awarded the ‘Rana Kapoor Young Talent Award 2016’ by Kumaon Literary Festival and Yes Bank in October 2016. 
His creative streak extends to painting and sketching, and he has a few art exhibitions under his belt. 
In his spare time, Vishwesh has worked with NGOs such as Akshaya Patra, Prabhat, Seva Café, Heal and Blind Peoples Association. 


When did you start writing?
I started writing in bits and pieces way back in 2009, when I was eight, but I began writing properly in 2013, when I was twelve. My first short story, A Spell Gone Wrong, was published in the literary magazine, Estrade.
When did you decide to become a writer?
I didn’t, actually. It just, sort of… happened. I was having a good time writing, and after having published a short story, I wanted to publish another one. This second short story that I was working on, however, soon grew too big for its boots. The plot grew too large to be resolved satisfactorily in the span of a short story, so short story became novella, novella became novel, and I became an author.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
Right now, I just want to see my book go from the Crossword Top Ten in Ahmedabad to the Top Ten in India.
Do you have a special time to write, or how is your day structured to accommodate your writing?
I don’t have a special time to write, but I do feel at my most creative in the late morning to early afternoon. I usually don’t structure my day beforehand, but I assign myself targets of a thousand words a day during the week and two thousand a day during weekends.
What genre are your books?
My book is technically classified under High Fantasy, but I feel that any good book is a mélange of most genres. Accordingly, my book features elements of horror, mystery, and adventure, replete with humour.
Click here to get your copy of "Shadows of the Northlands" https://goo.gl/RVB0lR 
Can you describe your current book in a few lines? What’s it about?
Shadows of the Northlands is a fantasy novel set in a military-oriented medieval world, where the dominant nation on the continent is the Empire, which is at war with a neighbouring kingdom and at less-than-friendly terms with its other surrounding nations.
When the Crown Prince hears about cities and villages attacked and razed to the ground, the land blackened and left infertile, the already shackled military commands the maverick bounty-hunter Merin and the slick courtier mage Rikkard to find the root of the destruction. However, as they tackle this mystery, they discover an ancient hatred spanning centuries, with a dark secret linked to Merin and the painful past behind the satirising cavalier.
Shadows of the Northlands deals with many themes, chief amongst them the rise and fall of civilisation, the role of desperation as an enabler, the unifying and empowering effect of camaraderie, the psychology of rebellion, and finally how loyalty can not only reinforce relations but alter the course of history.
Give us an insight into your main character(s)
My two main characters are named Merin and Rikkard. Merin is a bounty-hunter whose favorite past-time is annoying the hell out of other people. No parallels to the author. He was a lord, and still has his noble title, but was forced to live on the streets after his father’s death and destitution when he was a child. He was picked off the streets by the Imperial Spies, and he triples as a spy, infiltrator and a bounty-hunter for the Empire. Merin is the quintessential ever-immature 30-year-old smartass, and he excels at everything from comebacks to combat.
Rikkard is the head of one of the greatest aristocrat families of the Empire, and he’s stiffer than old leather, with as caustic a tongue. His father went missing in mysterious circumstances, leaving only corpses and a carriage wreck, when Rikkard was a child. Rikkard’s a slick courtier mage, the archetypal Watson, and he excels at talking like a thesaurus. Again, no parallels to the author.
How much research did you do for this book?
Most of the research was related to the world-building. I had to rationalise the world I created, like the size of cities, the structure of governmental organisations, distances... I think I must have spent hours researching the size of Tokyo and New York for context! 
Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
Merin;  because he’s a smart-ass like me!
What was the toughest thing about writing your latest book?
Maintaining all the technical physical details about my world was a pain.
And, of course, managing studies and school with my writing. I pretty much sacrificed my social life. In fact, my class went on two separate trips to Bhutan and Kutch during the course of my writing, and I missed out on both of them.
Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?


You book was released on May 22, 2016. Quite good time passed since your book released. Can you tell us response you got from readers and critiques?
My book was listed on Crossword Top Ten. Book average ratings on Amazon is 4.4 and on GoodReads is 4.1. I have been awarded The Rana Kapoor Young Talent Award for 2016 by Kumaon Literary Festival, Yes Bank and Yes Institute.
What are you working on at the minute?
I’m working on the plot of my second book right now. 
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
First of all, of course, never stop reading, because reading is one of only ways you can improve as a writer. But I think the most important thing for a budding writer is to not be discouraged no matter what happens, no matter the naysayers or your latest writer’s block—even JK Rowling had dozens of rejections before The Philospher’s Stone was published and history was made.
Links for your book readers
Click here to get your copy of "Shadows of the Northlands"

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