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Interview with Kling Johnson

Kling Johnson


Q.1 Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?
A. I started writing poems and short stories at school, but never thought of writing a book until my English teacher told me that my writing was good a few years ago.

Q.2 What made you write this book?
A. The feral horses grazing in the picturesque green pastures of Ooty, The veritable treasure trove of Mudumalai, the cultural city Mysooru, its palaces, and the rich history of the royal family and our state festival Dasarainspired me to write about my state and its cultural vibrancy.

Q.3 What advice do you have for writers?
A. Keep writing whatever you feel like; as it’s one of the best ways to express your thoughts and feelings.

Q. 4 As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A. I always liked Lion because I am a Leo.

Q.5 How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A. It took three years for me to complete CLI- The Colt.

Q.6 If you could tell your younger writing self-anything, what would it be?
A. To be more childish and innocent like a kid.

Q.7 What are the most important magazines or websites for writers to subscribe to?
A. I have never subscribed anything for the sake of writing except for Tinkle which I still love reading.

Q.8 What makes a good story?
A. A perfect plot, of course, makes a good story.

Q.9 How do you select the names of your characters?
A. I selected the names of all my family members and friends for CLI- The Colt. I usually choose people and animals around me to be the characters in my story. 

Q.10 If you could invite one person to dinner, who would it be, and what would you cook?
A. Ruskin Bond. I would cook bread and scrambled egg for him

Q.11 Does your family support your career as a writer?
A. Yeah, my son, Kli is my greatest supporter and fan. He corrects me with his innocent thoughts and ideas whenever I share something with him.

Q.12 If your book had a candle, what the scent would it be?
A. Lemongrass.

Q.13 Do you prefer Pen, Typewriter or Computer?
A. Well, Pen is my favorite.

Q.14 Do you have any unique and quirky writing habits?
A. Nothing of such sort yet.

Q.15 What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?
A. To see CLI- The Colt as a book was my dream and seeing it in some bookshelves and stands is what I feel is my greatest accomplishment.

Q.16 What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
A. Not come through any such practice till now.

Q.17 Who edited your book and how did you select him/her?
A. Many of my school friends Swapna K.S, Nisha Biju, Praveen K.S, Nagaraj. R and a teacher Amita Isabel helped me in editing CLI- The Colt in the initial stage. I chose them all because they were my childhood friends. Later it was technically copyedited by Notionpress.

Q.18 Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
A. None.

Q.19 What is your favorite book and why?
A. I like autobiographies and true stories. Sanjay Gandhi, Protima Bedi, Himalayan Blunder, Black Friday, Dongri to Dubai, Birds, Beasts and Bandits are my favorite. Some short stories by Poornachandra Tejaswi, Sudha Murthy, Vasudendra and Jayanth Kaikini excite me. Ruskin Bond tops my list for his simple and sugary narration.

Q.20 Share the experience of your the journey so far?
A. It was a dry sunny day when I, Shilpa, and my naughty hero Kli was on vacation. Kli is very fond of adventure stories and every night irrespective of my mood or tiredness he pleads me, kisses me, and sometimes even kicks me for a story before bed. This proved to be a terrible task for me since as a kid I never ever turned a page of a storybook which my teacher forcibly lent me from my school petite library. Soon I had to buy some storybooks to narrate him one every day. That sunny day we were on a one-day package tour to Ooty and while returning back to Mysooru where we stayed. It was dusk and Kli bored of the tiresome journey through the curves of Mudumalai reserve insisted me say a story. So I instantly created this fiction to keep him happy and that’s how CLI- The Colt was born on 1st April 2016 in a tourist bus en route to the palace city.

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