We recently carried out an exclusive interview with national bestselling author Akash Verma. Continue reading to find out what Akash had to say about his work as a writer and about his latest book entitled A Broken Man.
Please tell us about you. Where are you from? What is your professional background and how did you become an author?
I turned into an entrepreneur about five years back after having worked in the FMCG and Media sectors across the country. I am currently based in Gurgaon. I have grown up in different cities of North India before my parents finally settled in Lucknow. Both my parents are eminent Hindi writers. Hence I have always been surrounded by literature and literati. I’ve developed a compelling urge to write over the past few years, and that pushed me into putting pen to paper. I structured this urge a bit and wrote my first book in 2010.
What types of books do you write?
I have written fiction till date. All my three books including the current one are love stories but each has a distinct message and a story to tell.
Could you please tell us about your most recent book, its overall plot, and the main characters in it?
A Broken Man, my recent book, is a story of love and hope. It is the story of Krishna a Dalit boy from Bihar who struggles to overthrow the chains that hold him back and Chhavi, a high caste Brahman girl fighting for the rights of others, propagating equality in a politically charged Lucknow University campus. After Krishna saves Chhavi from getting torched during a protest against reservation, love slowly blossoms, only to be ruthlessly crushed by a society that thrives on divisions of caste and religion.
From student politics in Lucknow to the interiors of Bihar, from the corridors of power to the glitz of media and the film industry in Mumbai, A Broken Man is the quest of a deprived Krishna to redeem hope from despair, love from separation and success out of repeated failures.
Are you working on any other books(s)? If so, can you please tell us what we can expect to see from you in the future?
I have a broad outline of my next book in my mind. It’s going to be a crime thriller set in Gurgaon. Quite different from the books that I have written so far. I am currently researching it.
Can you please tell us about your approach to writing? For example, do you follow structures and writing rules? Or do you write in a free flow way? Do you have any particular time of the day you like to write? Or any specific environment you prefer to sit down and write in?
I do set up a broad timeframe within which I have to write a book. After that I don’t follow any set patterns or rules to approach this self deadline. I write whenever and wherever I can. The environment doesn’t bother me much as I usually get into a cocoon when I am writing. When I write, I usually let it flow and come back to it only when I am editing the manuscript finally.
Do you have any favourite authors? If so, who are they and what do you like about their work?
Good stories fascinate me more than the pedigree of the authors but I have some favourites as well. I love reading Marquez, Orhan Pamuk, Khaled Hoseini and Pablo Neruda. I can read diverse genres and writers. Recently, I read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and loved it and I wouldn’t in a similar manner ever leave a Dan Brown book. Similarly, I love reading history; Nehru, Ramachandra Guha are a couple of my favourite writers in this space. A few fellow Indian authors whose work I have been privy to and have quite liked are Chetan Bhagat , Ashwin Sanghi, Preeti Shenoy, Novoneel & Vish Dhamija to name a few.
What other things do you like to get up to when you’re not writing?
Films, reading and travel.
How can people find out more about you?
They can connect with me on Twitter @akashverma1970 and Facebook at facebook/akash-verma.
They can also visit my website at www.akashverma.work
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]