Welcome back, Kartik and Ravi you both on our blog. Last time we had a discussion for "The Quest of Sparrows", we had wonderful insights about you and the book. So today we met again for another book "DareDreamers: which is published/released just 2 weeks back. Before we proceed to questions and answers we would like to congratulate you two to be able to crack back-to-back two books' publication with India's one of the leading publishing house (Rupa Books). For our readers who have not checked Ravi & Kartik's book posts follow the links
- The Quest of Sparrows - Review Link
- The Quest of Sparrows - Interview Link
- DareDreamers - Review Link
We will skip basic questions which were covered in the previous interview this time as our readers can always back to the previous post. Let's start with your synergy.
1) I have not read many books by multiple authors, so I am not sure how they cope up with writing. Can you tell us how did you brew idea and then make a story around it as a team? I mean to say is it like one of you is good with words and another with ideas? Do share it with us.
Kartik: We both like walking and walking together is where the genesis of most of our ideas happen. Five years ago, I was struggling with worries about leaving my investment banking job thinking if I had abandoned the race midway or if I had chickened out. We were discussing how I ended up doing investment banking and wasn't sure if it was a true calling. That's when we realized that there's a huge parallel in dad's life when he quit his cushy government job back in the day. It was almost like history was repeating itself and it felt like a coincidence worth writing about. The idea that we wanted to write about was one of choosing your battles and fighting only the ones that mean something to you so that you have the passion and perseverance needed to overcome obstacles. We thought of Rasiq, an amalgamation of Ravi and Kartik, on one of those walks.
It's true that dad is more of an idea machine, a term that I like to use for him. While we were writing the book, he was coming up with one rescue idea every single day! And when you read the book you'll see how nail-biting those are, while being scientifically accurate. He researches a lot for developing those ideas and then writes it out.
Ravi: To add to what Kartik said, we come up with most of these ideas together. Our discussions are like major brainstorming ideas. One of us will share a premature idea and then we both keep bouncing it around till it becomes something beautiful and worth writing about. It doesn't matter whose brainwave it is in the beginning because in the end it's collaboratively produced.
I might be better at coming up with new ideas, but I think Kartik has a better way with the words. The way he fleshes out scenes writes dialogues and very analytically keeps reviewing the plot for loopholes and inconsistencies is mind-boggling. He lives in the world of the characters we are developing and that helps him see them and their actions with an amazing clarity. When we are stuck with some scene, he finds a way forward for the plot more often than not. He says that the characters tell him where to go next!
2) Talking about research around the book "QoS" was more of spiritual fiction, where in this book you have done good research which is visible in character traits? So can you share with us where did you get inspiration from for these characters and plot?
Ravi: I get a lot of my inspiration from characters from people I see around. I like observing people and how they behave. My characters pick up traits from a variety of my observations and interactions. But for the scenes, specifically the rescue missions - the research landed in my lap. With increased global warming or just the nature of our life now, there are too many freak accidents happening around us all the time. Those news reports drew my attention. At the same time, start-ups were coming up for everything - from ordering your groceries to cabs to service men. It made me wonder why not a start-up for saving lives too?
Kartik: My research for the characters is currently very inward looking. I am at a stage where I am finding possibilities of my own behavior through introspection. When I think back over incidents, I love creating scenarios - what would have happened if I had done this, or done that. And then I use it for my characters. That kind of gives my characters a core that is similar to my own but brings in variety from the choices they make. For the scenes and the plot, my research was around physics to make the scenes more real! Also, I spoke to a lot of my friends who are doing their own start-ups to understand how to build business pitches, how investor and client meetings go, etc.
3) I am just giving a hypothetical case. If your book is adapted for a movie/series, can you imagine who would be playing our superheroes role? I need Bollywood names, please.
We would love to see Rajkumar Rao as Rasiq. He's from Delhi and we really like his movies. The intensity and research he brings to his characters are amazing. I also think that he taps into a character's deepest motivations and channelizes them in his acting. We are both huge fans of Rishi Kapoor, so casting him as Rasiq's dad would be perfect. We think Priyanka Chopra would be a good Natasha - she was amazing in the Mary Kom biopic. Aditya Roy Kapoor with curly hair and specs seems like a perfect choice for Nick. For Halka, Rana Daggubati could be a good choice. And perhaps, Vicky Kaushal as Arjun.
4) You made a drastic jump in a genre, from spiritual to entertaining thriller what are you planning next?
Thank you! We are working on a couple of science fiction ideas right now. Hopefully, that'll be our next book. But it's very likely that we are completely absorbed by an idea and write a different book. There's been some demand for a sequel to DareDreamers too. If the response is good, we might do that too!
5) Do share links for our readers.
- Website: www.kartiksharma.co.in
- Blog: https://medium.com/@sykartik
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheQuestoftheSparrows
- Twitter: Kartik & Ravi
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kartik-sharma-90797512/
- Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2wk7B4D
- Book Links: https://amzn.to/2BPbzXb
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5210459.Kartik_Sharma
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