AUTHOR INTERVIEW

                                                𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 

                                        Ａｕｔｈｏｒ ｎａｍｅ: PRAVIN AGARWAL

                                       Ｂｏｏｋ Ｎａｍｅ: The Girl in the Dream

1. What inspired you to start writing?

My father wanted to write a book. So, I took it on me to write one for him. I am eternally grateful to him for giving me wings and so many dreams to fulfil. My wife also motivated me to write and I am thankful for her wholehearted support. I began writing in the year 2017 and there is no looking back after that. I cherished every moment of my writing journey so far. It is a huge learning experience for me. I am a software engineer by profession. Life gets monotonous when you work in the same profession for more than a decade. Writing gave me that much-needed change that I was looking for. It introduced me to a new world of creativity. I am liking this new world where my imagination can fly high to create some amazing stories.

2. Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?

The response from the readers has been overwhelming. I receive messages from my readers almost daily expressing their delight in the book. I am highly grateful to all my readers for their continuous love and support. It motivates me to perform better.

3. How do you do research for your books?

Mostly, I google the details I am looking for. Wikipedia is one more valuable resource that I refer to. I also keep an eye on my surrounding as there are stories everywhere.  

4. What was your favourite part in your book ‘The Girl in the Dream'?

The Girl in the Dream: A Love Story Planed 500 years ago is my debut fiction novel. It’s a romantic thriller where mythology plays an important role. There are multiple genres in this book ranging from Romance, Mystery to Mythology. My favourite part of the book is the Mythology part. I am fond of Indian mythology.

5. What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book?

The most surprising thing I discovered while writing my debut fiction book is that I had a good imaginative capability. I always knew that I am a creative person by heart but never got an opportunity to explore that side of me. After completing engineering in the year 2007, I immediately joined the job in Tata Consultancy Services, a software firm. For more than a decade, my life revolves around Coding and telling machines what to do. The point is that we never realize our true potential unless we move out of our comfort zone.

6. Tell us about the process for coming up with the cover.

I imagined the cover when I was writing the book. The story revolves around a mysterious girl that comes into the protagonist's dream. If you read the first chapter, then you can easily imagine the cover of the book. The cover, the title and subtitle strongly resonate with the central theme of the novel.

7. What were the key challenges you faced when writing the book 'The Girl in the Dream'?

Taking out time to write a book was a key challenge for me. I am a full-time employee, and I rarely get time to write on weekdays. I write mostly on weekends. Then I had a family too.  But then we always find out time for the things that we love to do.

8. Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?

Village sarpanch, Rathoreji, who is also the father of Swara, holds a special place in my heart. He is an ex-army officer. He loves his village and his country. He devoted all his life to the betterment of his village. His passion to do something worthwhile for his village is praiseworthy. Our generation of people can learn a thing or two from him.  Life is worth living when it brings joy to other people's lives.

9. Do you have any new book planned?

Yes, but currently, it is in a nascent stage. It is too early to talk about it.

10. If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?

I believe that the book can be easily made into a good thriller movie. The canvas of the novel is huge and if a movie is to be made on it then it must be made on a grand scale. I think good production houses like Reliance Entertainment, Yash Raj Films, Fox Star Studios, or Dharma Production can do justice with it.  In celebrities, I think Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Ananya Pandey can be a good choice. There are a lot of characters and thus we need a lot of actors.

11. What book is currently on your bedside table?

Currently, I am reading ‘One arrange Murder’ by my all-time favourite author Chetan Bhagat. I had read all his books. He is absolutely brilliant in his craft and one can learn a lot from him. He is the biggest-selling English-language novelist in India. I suppose many Indians started reading books because of him. He is phenomenal. 

12. If you could ask one successful author three questions about their writing, writing process, or books, what would they be?

I am more interested in knowing the marketing details than the writing process. Writing you can learn by reading the books of the author. So, I will ask the best way to market a book, the best way to pitch a book to a production house to sell a movie right, the things to take care of when signing a contract with a publication or a production house.

13. Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.

I am a fitness enthusiast. I love travelling to new places besides reading and writing books. I am an optimistic person and look forward to each day with a smile on my face. There are challenges in everyone’s life, but we are in a better place to deal with them if we remain optimistic.

14. What is your favourite book you have read?

That’s a tricky question. I am a passionate book lover. I love each and every book I read. I enjoy reading the books of Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi, Vineet Vajpai, Ravinder Singh, Preeti Shenoy, Durjoy Dutta, Nikita Singh, Nora Roberts, Veronica Ruth, Dale Carnegie and the list goes on. They all are absolutely brilliant in their craft and one can learn a lot from reading their books. For example, if you read books of Ravinder Singh or Durjoy Dutta in the romantic genre then you will see how fabulous writers they are. 

       

 15. Tell us one thing which we need to follow in order to win or create the life that we wanted.

Patience and persistence are the two qualities that I think are essential to achieve our dreams. Keeping our expectations low and doing more is the key to success. Whether it is a relationship, job, or any other area of our life, let’s develop a habit of giving more.