Interview with Kavya Janani, author of With Love, Forever

Hi Kavya, glad to have you here on Readers Muse. And let me begin with congratulations on the success of With Love, Forever. I have a few questions here to see the woman behind the words, and let us begin!

1. Tell us a few words about your book.

I conceptualized the idea of this book in 2011. Due to time constraints, I could finish it only in 2015. I went through a tough phase after that. It took me another four years to finally publish it. With the entry of right people in my life, I could publish it without any hassles. I may write other books, but this one would always stay close to my heart.

2. You have been published in the four major formats of writing: you have a novel, novella and short story collection to your credit. You also dabble with poetry. How did it all begin?

I wrote my first short story - The Ghost Sticker - when I was just eight. It was inspired by many ghost stories which I had read in magazines like Tinkle, Champak, and Children's Digest. After that, I started writing a story called The Suspense Behind The Trees, inspired from Enid Blyton's books. But I had to abandon it halfway, since I didn't know how to take the story forward. The same happened with another story of mine, named Jack and the Beach Scene.

In 2010, I started writing a novel named 13 Days Later, but I had to shelve it due to no proper plotting. Then, I began writing With Love, Forever in 2011 and there was no looking back. Meanwhile, I wrote many short stories and published them online. Later, I compiled them into a collection and published via KDP. I started dabbling in poetry only in 2016. Though I am not that good at it, I still use it as a therapy to overcome writer's block.

3. Which of these format of books are your favourite, to read and to write?

I prefer to read all these formats, but when it comes to writing, short stories are my favourite. It is a challenging format, yet I feel at ease, whenever I pen a short story.

4. How do you approach writing? Is there anything specific you do?

I don't follow the mantra of writing daily. Time is really scarce for me. So, I write whenever I find time. This means, I even write on my phone. I don't wait till I return home and have access to my laptop. I write on the go. I write while I wait in queues. I write even in the loo!

5. Which works best: plotting or writing at a flow?

I wrote With Love, Forever at a flow, but I'd rather prefer plotting before beginning any project. When one has a clear chapterwise outline, they'd know what they want to write. It also helps when they have writer's block and they don't know how to take the story forward. I prepared a chapterwise outline for my late work-in-progress, which I lost to the realms of technology. But I can rewrite it from scratch, since I still have the outline with me. So, yeah, plotting wins a thumbs up.

6. Who are your writing inspirations?

My earliest writing inspiration was Enid Blyton. I grew up reading her Secret Seven and Famous Five series. Also, I am a staunch Agatha Christie fan. Though I don't write crime fiction, I take inspiration from her writing style. My current inspiration is J.K.Rowling. I read the Harry Potter series only in 2016. Thanks to you, Dhivya. Now, I am reading the series for the third time from a writer's POV and learning many things from Rowling's writing style.

7. What are some compliments that you got for your writing and now hold close to heart?

One of the compliments from my best friend, Madhan, is really close to my heart. He was one of the first readers of the first draft of With Love, Forever. After reading the story, he said he hadn't read such a beautiful story in a long while. He also added that he'd cherish this book forever. Also, I treasure your appreciation which you showered on my book, while we met. You had noticed my reactions. So, you know how precious is that appreciation to me. I have saved many screenshots of compliments from my writer buddies. I go back to them, whenever I feel uninspired.

8. Inspiring or inspirational writing: which is your favourite?

I've never been a fan of inspirational writing. I'd prefer writing that inspires me. Even a romance or a mystery novel can be inspiring in many ways. Certain stories have inspired me to create something of my own.

9. Your book exhibits your music tastes. Anything specific you would want to say for our readers about that?

Music has always played an important part in my writing life. You can find many A.R.Rahman’s songs referred in With Love, Forever. His music influenced me a lot, when I penned the story. His songs influence my daily life, too. I have one A.R.Rahman song associated with every mood of mine. I also write listicles in my blog for his songs. And, you can find at least one of the characters in all my books to be a music aficionado.

10. Do you have any future projects in line?

I have a general outline for two full-fledged novels, both having time-travel as its central theme. But I am planning to take a break of two years, at least, and hone my writing skills. I am also having lots of books in my TBR pile. So, let me do some reading!

Flash Clap:

Tell me the top 3 that come to your mind when you think of:

Best Indian authors:

Ruskin Bond

Arundhati Roy

Vikram Seth

Favourite authors from UK:

Agatha Christie

J.K.Rowling

Enid Blyton

Books that always grace your bookshelf

Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries

Cecelia Ahern’s light-hearted reads

Books about books, bookshops, and booksellers

Books that you want to own

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

All works of Haruki Murakami

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

Three authors you buy without question

Agatha Christie

Cecelia Ahern

Dan Brown

Languages you want to learn

French

German

Spanish

Places you want to go

Edinburgh, Scotland

Santorini, Greece

Orlando, Florida