Q.1 Tell us a
little about yourself.
A. I am a Poet,
author and former teacher. I taught Chemistry and science for about five years
in schools before I gave it up to raise my two daughters. Though I pursued a
Masters course in Chemistry at university, the love of literature was imbibed
in me at school in Zambia where I had two distinct subjects in my Senior
Cambridge, English language, and English literature.
My latent talent
for writing took shape when I started my blog a decade ago. While I was home raising my daughters, I joined a course
in Multimedia from Arena and later started my blog Daffodils. These two
activities have greatly paved my literary journey. The Gift of Life is my
fifteenth book, having published twelve poetry books and a few others. I believe work-life
balance is very important in life and each woman finds her own way of attaining
it skillfully.
Q.2 Do you have any
upcoming books?
A. Yes, I do. But I
can’t discuss that as of now.
Q.3 When did you
decide to write The Gift of Life?
A. I had written a
register of my autobiography in 2015 but it got shelved. Then about a year ago, the idea surfaced strongly in 2019.
Q.4 How do you come
up with the name of your books?
A. I was absolutely
sure that my life story despite the many ups and downs would be one of
positivity. My poems too are full of positivity. I believe life is a gift, notwithstanding the challenges one faces life, and hence the title The Gift of Life came naturally to me. As for the title of
my other published books, based on the content of the book, the title just
comes naturally. It is always a gut feeling which clicks.
Q.5 If you could
tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
A. I am glad you waited to write your
autobiography.
Q.6 How did you deal
with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you’re writing the story?
A. Writing any book is a personal journey. More
so if it is an autobiography. Basically despite the emotional upheaval, one has
to simply stay focused and disciplined else the job cannot be completed.
Q.7 How many books
have you written? Which one is your favorite?
A. I have written
fifteen books. My autobiography is my favorite as it was my dream project all
along.
Q.8 How long does it
take you to write a book?
A. It depends on the book to book. I wrote The Gift of Life I in four months flat.
Q.9 What were your
feelings when your novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the
finished product?
A. When my manuscript was accepted it was a feeling of
immense achievement. And seeing the final cover after trials was simply
exhilarating.
Q.10 Where do you
hope to take your writing in the future?
A. I hope to evolve
my craft all the time.
Q.11 Do you have any
unique and quirky writing habits?
A. The only unique habit
is that I am completely focused and
blank out everything almost like a state of emergency when I want to write
seriously.
Q.12 Do you believe
in writer’s block? If yes, how do you deal with it?
A. Yes, I believe one
faces pauses in writing. At times there is a slowdown. I simply give it some
time for the creativity to surge back gain.
Q.13 What was one of
the most surprising things you learned while writing your book?
A. That the flow
was very smooth.
Q.14 What is your
favorite book from other authors and why?
A. My top two
favorite books are Matilda by Roald Dahl
and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I like Matilda immensely because I
firmly believe that two people can have a magical relationship. In this case
the relationship between Matilda and her teacher Miss Jennifer Honey.
As for Wuthering
heights, it is a book written remarkably well and for me, the major attraction
for the book is the pathos of love as told in the story. It is riveting.
Q.15 How does your family/friends feel about
your book or writing venture in general?
A. They are very
encouraging about it.
Q.16 What do you do
to unwind and relax?
A. Music is very
rejuvenating. I give a lot of emphasis to lyrics for they make a song both
memorable and meaningful. And spending time with nature. I love to sit out in
my verandah in the morning and listen to the twitter of birds while the world
is still asleep.
Q.17 What advice do
you have for aspiring authors?
A. Your greatest
weapon, more than the pen is a journal where you should write regularly.
Q.18 Imagine a future
where you no longer write. What would you do?
A. I want to write
always. Whether to be published or in my diary.
Q.19 What was your
hardest scene to write?
A. Where I had to
mention, ”Now you are just a vegetable”.
Q.20 Share the
experience of your journey so far?
A. My literary journey
kicked off in November 2014. My mother’s death became a trigger. And since then
there has been no looking back.
Share your social
account links -
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aabharosy.vatsa
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aabha1221
Twitter - https://twitter.com/aabhavatsa
Nice interview 👌
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