Author Focus - Ruhee Advani

1. What motivates you to write?

Sometimes I feel full within, like I've got stories within me that want expression. That's when I begin writing stories. When a nice thought comes to me, I try to capture it in the form of a poem. When I find an answer to a question about life, I jot it down and it becomes philosophy. For me, the motivation to write is mostly internal. :) 

2. How did you feel after publishing your books?

To be a published author has been my dream pretty much all my life. And a dream coming true feels like, well, heaven really. I felt fantastic after publishing my books cause it was a lifelong dream come true. :)

3. What are some of your favourite novels and authors?

Tooooo many. I have too many favorite books, each book is a favorite in some way but some of my favorite authors are Enid Blyton, JK Rowling, Roald Dahl, Dan Brown, Meg Cabot, Mira Nair, Khaled Hosseini, Vikram Seth, Michael Ondaatje, Oscar Wilde, Danielle Steel, Rohinton Mistry, Erich Segal, Francine Pascal and Bill Bryson.   

4. Is there a specific reason for naming your novel?

The name usually comes to me on its own, a name that fits the story well and sounds nice is usually what I go with.  

5. Where do you write from? Do you go to some specific place, like beachside or the hills?

Well, I mostly write from home, from my room because it's a very pretty room and very quiet too, away from the noise of the city. The view from my room is very green and peaceful, it's a tranquil environment and hence I find it perfect for writing. Also I've found that when I write alone the story/idea flows more easily. But I would love to one day go to a beachside or the hills and sit and write out there, its been a vision I've nurtured for many years. :) 

6. What inspired you to write the books(in general)? Any tales to tell…

I always say that life is my inspiration. Usually it is the words under my skin, the fullness within me that compels me to write. I feel like stories are everywhere and every person in the world has his or her own story. I feel like all my stories draw from my personal experience to some extent but that happens naturally, even subconsciously. I would still say that my inspiration to write is life. :)

7. What was your biggest learning experience throughout the writing process?

Quite frankly, this may sound silly, but I think the thing I learned the most through my writing process and writing experience is that magic is a real thing. Because every time I write a story, it feels to me like the story begins to write itself, coming through me instead of by me. I've always found the process of writing magical, hence this would be my biggest learning experience. :) 

8. Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in as a writer?

I think maybe reading a lot, believing in myself and going with my gut and my instincts helped me a lot.

9. Any best piece of writing advice that you would like to share with new or struggling writers? 

When you write, write from your heart - cheesy as this may sound. :) Also write first for yourself and the story you want to tell and then for anybody else. This personally helps me avoid writers block. :)

10. Something personal about you people may be surprised to know?

I'm a big time dreamer and a little bit of a madcap and very much a people person. Also extremely philosophical and ultra-sensitive and softhearted. I find it very difficult to see suffering and not try to do something about it. 

11. Any future books that you would like to discuss now?

Well, I actually have 17 complete novels in my laptop folder as of now. Out of the 17, there are 6 which form part of a series, which I'm hoping to publish next. I also have around 30 incomplete philosophy books of which I'm hoping to complete one soon so I can publish my first official philosophy book. :)

12.What other profession excites you the most?

Acting, directing, making music. All three are dreams of mine at the moment, which I hope to achieve before I die. :)

13.Any special mention about your reader (be it with reviews/feedback or anything else)

Please do check out my books! And if you like them, please pretty please review them on amazon and/or tell your friends! :) Thanks :)

14.Do you write the story at a stretch or you take your time to complete it? If you take a longer time, wouldn’t you be forgetting the story? How do you tackle it?

Well, both. Sometimes I write the story at a stretch and sometimes I take my time to complete it. If I take a longer time, I usually read the part of the story I've already written to refresh my memory and then continue. So it's not a problem. :)

15.Traditional or Self-Publishing? Why?

Well, both again. :) I would love to publish with a traditional company but in my experience that's a tougher nut to crack. So far I've only self-published but it's been a great experience to self publish as well, as professional and smooth as can be.

16.How is the response so far for the book(s)? 

One of the books, the short stories for children is selling immensely well, maybe because it was better promoted. The response for the other three is not as great as I would like, I'm guessing due to a lack of promotional and marketing activities. But I'm trying to work on that. :)

Ruhee Advani's books can be bought from Amazon