Hemanth Gorur's Blog, page 8

Author interview – by Prathibha Nair

June 26th, 2013

Aymaran Shadow, a paranormal thriller that essays the chilling story of a woman destined to be violated in every lifetime, has opened to enthusiastic reviews by critics and readers alike. Prathibha Nair, an IT professional and upcoming author, interviews Hemanth Gorur, author of Aymaran Shadow. Prathibha has worked with Multinationals and government organizations, as well as smaller organizations for over a decade. Her career has taken her across the globe, with long stints in India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and United States. She is currently working on a collection of short stories in the ‘realist fiction’ genre based on real-life challenges of modern parenthood and travails of working mothers. Based in Dubai, she is a passionate music lover, mother to two beautiful children, wife to an adoring husband and is owned by a cuddly cat named Tweeny.

Prathibha Nair: Welcome, all. I’m chatting up Hemanth Gorur, an ex-IBM-er and author of Aymaran Shadow, a paranormal thriller that has opened to enthusiastic response. A published author and fiction novelist, Hemanth’s recent work (Aymaran Shadow) promises to take the reading world by surprise.

Hi, Hemanth. Thank you for taking the time out for this interview. It’s great to be chatting. So, shall we begin?

Yes, pleasure. Nice to be talking to you too!

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Hmm . . . I’ve been a management professional all through. A decade and a half as a consultant and career strategist. I’ve taken to writing full-time only recently. Back then, I used to write when (and if) I got the time. Now, I sleep when I don’t write! I think that sums up the transition.

So, what were you like at school? Were you good at English?

I’m not really sure if I was “good”. I must’ve won the odd writing/language competition and things like that. What I do know is that I used to love reading. It started with that universal favorite – Archies! And I gradually moved on to novels and such.

Did you ever dream of being a writer during school or college?

Not once!

Oh! So, do you wish you had found the writer in you much earlier in life?

Now that I’ve turned into one, I definitely wish I had. But things have their own time preordained. To paraphrase a situation in Kungfu Panda, the movie: “A peach will ripen when it has to. Not when we want it to. Not when the tree wants it to. Not any other time!”

Everything has its own time, I guess. So, moving on, what is your favorite book and why?

It has to be Robert Ludlum’s ‘The Bourne Identity’. For its super-solid plot. For its vivid imagery. For its depth in detail. For the credible and realistic story-line. Plus, it’s action-packed! What’s not to like!

That was one of my favorite too. So, tell us Hemanth, why do you write?

Oh, this one’s my personal favorite. And I never tire of saying this: I write, because if I personally did whatever my characters did, I’d be incarcerated on an island in the Pacific!

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured? Do you write every day, 5 days a week, or as and when?

I used to think early mornings worked better for writers. But mornings for me are reserved for doing more creative stuff like flossing, pretending to read newspapers, pounding the living daylights out of our building’s security staff for allowing salesmen in the garb of relatives into our premises, . . . you get the idea! No, my mornings are between 4pm and 2am. The setting sun sets off something in me – I get this urge to start writing something new. Beats me why that happens. And yes, when I’ve finished outlining and start fleshing out chapters, I draw up “writing hours” and “word count targets” for every day.

Mornings at 4pm is quite some news! So, do you aim for a set amount of words or pages per day?

Oh, yes. I keep myself on a tight leash and I don’t nod off unless I’ve delivered the day’s word count. Helps keep your writing phase time-bound and eliminates unnecessary doodling-phases which can be quite dangerous because you may lose momentum.

Now, coming to Aymaran Shadow, give us an insight into your main character. Why is she so special?

Oh, that’s because she’s got a little bit of ‘me’ in her! Okay, seriously speaking, I think she’s a “thinking” individual and she’s quite feisty in her own way. She’s also a bit adorable because she’s got to watch out for those wolves behind her back and you feel like protecting her (not that she needs it!). What makes her really special is that she carries the legacy of a woman who stood up for something and was butchered for that – she carries the legacy of her own past life. And it’s not necessarily a pleasant legacy to carry.

A very strong theme! Which actresses would you like to see playing the lead character from this book?

Thanks. Oh, that’s a great question! If it were Hollywood, I’d have a young Halle Berry or even Zoe Saldanha (have you seen her in ‘Colombiana’ – mindblowing!) essay the part. On the other hand, in Indian cinema, I’d look no further than Kajol or Tabu. Great actresses, all! Of course, since the character is Indian, the Indian actresses may be able to carry off the role a wee bit better due to the physical similarities.

It would be great to see it come to life. What was the hardest thing about writing this book?

Well, that’s got to be the interweaving character depictions as seen by the main character (MC). She continuously finds herself deceived not just by the two “possible” antagonists, but also by her own psychological analysis at times. It really killed me drawing up these subplots because you had to watch for what you are telling the reader and what you are telling the MC.

Gosh! That must have been killing! So, how long did it take to write this book?

Yes, it was. But, loved every moment of it. It was a journey I took along with my MC. Or the other way around. 6 months from idea to publish-ready manuscript.

That was very quick for such a complex plot and so much research. So, what are your ambitions for your writing career?

Yes. I’m not one for long-drawn writing extravaganzas when you can plan your writing day everyday. Strangely, or not so strangely, a planned approach has never worked 100% in my previous career, as a management professional. There’s always a Plan C you should have factored in but you haven’t. Right now, I’m just living it by the day, and would like to see this book (Aymaran Shadow) resonate with my readers. Long-term, I think I’d just like to leave my mark in my genre as a writer who tells stories that linger.

What are your next plans?

The next book in the ETERNAL VISITATION SERIES is in the offing. I have to start working on that. Aymaran Shadow was the first book in the series.

So, the treat is not over! More on the way. For your own reading, do you prefer e-books or traditional paperback/hardcover books?

HG: Yes, you can say that! Oh, I prefer paperbacks any day! Nothing like the smell and feel of freshly minted copy!!

Coming toward the end of this interview, I’m sure everyone would like to know: how can readers discover more about you and you work?

I’m not on too many platforms right now. Though, I can be reached on:

My personal website at:  http://www.hemanthgorur.com

My official blog at: http://aymaranshadow.wordpress.com

My book’s official Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/AymaranShadow

The book itself can be found on:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5FH4MO

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/326342

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18072227-aymaran-shadow

Thank you for your time on such a hectic day, Hemanth. Wish you all success!

Thanks, Prathibha. Great questions, and it was fabulous chatting with you. Good luck for your upcoming short story collection!

The pleasure was mine, Hemanth!

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 8)

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Read the previous Sneak Preview.

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 8)

Traumatic moments passed. The woman’s convulsed sobs wreaked her young but weakening body as she tried to see reason in what Goddess Chasca was ordaining for her. Suddenly, a searing white heat ripped diagonally across her back. The pain was so acute that the woman collapsed to the wooden floor, unable to bear the agony which seemed like the stab of a thousand red hot daggers dipped in frog venom.

The capitán stepped back, the blade in his right hand dripping with scarlet red plasmatic fluid. “Bring her to the table!” He had so much to achieve.

Two unshaven mercenaries dragged the nearly unconscious Aymaran commander to a specific table indicated by their vile capitán.

“Stand back!”

As the mercenaries backpedaled, their faces broke into hyena-like sneers. What they were about to witness was reward for their long years of celibate toil in feisty jungles and humid battlefields to crush local rebellion.

The swarthy capitán wasted no time. Humiliation! He arched his right hand and slapped his quarry hard across her face with the back of his hand, immediately drawing blood. Pausing to regain his breath, he recoiled and slapped her again, this time his open palm connecting with her reddened cheek and making a sickening sound. As the Aymaran woman slumped on the table, exhausted, the capitán continued to batter her face with well-aimed slaps across her cheeks which had begun to hemorrhage.

He had toyed with her long enough now. He had to send her and the other primitive hordes a message. Humiliation! He groped the almost senseless woman’s bosom and squeezed hard. She had much to pay for! As the rabid mercenaries around him watched, the capitán ripped off the remaining vestiges of the woman’s animal hide garb that pretended to protect her half-naked body.

Time decelerated to an abominable standstill as the violated woman lost sense of reality and reason. The lust-ridden capitán ravaged her till his loins were satiated by the carnal misdeed. As he forced himself upon the Aymaran woman again, and again, the woman groaned pitifully under the weight of the trauma assaulting her senses. A serene white light began to wash over her the eyes of her mind, as she tried to find peace. She had tried to serve her people. And she had paid. Goddess Chasca had been her constant companion in life. Through joy. Through pain. Where was she now? Had she abandoned her child? Wait! The white light! It was Goddess Chasca! The child had been beckoned into the higher realm.

As the night grew longer, so did the woman’s groans and screams. Outside, the inky black horizon thickened into a sinister veil of darkness as the moonless night of Quillacollo seemed to conspire along with the perpetrators in the tavern. Abruptly, there was a resounding explosion from inside the tavern. An explosion that came out of the greased muzzle of a musket – a weapon that could obliterate human skull and flesh into a thousand shards at close range.

Coming soon: the next Sneak Preview.

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Aymaran Shadow – The Book

The book is now available on Amazon and Smashwords.

Watch the book trailers here: Trailer 1 and Trailer 2.

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What Draws Readers To Paranormal Writing And Thrillers?

Reading is fun because you get to escape every day life. You’re able to get lost in a fantasy world for a couple of hours (for the fast readers) or a few days (for the leisure readers).

I’m a huge fan of reading different genres. Are you? Depending on the mood I want to engage in, I’ll read a certain genre. Thrillers for excitement. Romance for warm fuzzies. Mysteries for curiosity. You get the picture.

I believe that different personalities are attracted to certain genres.

For Thrillers:

Readers are the thinking type. They like facts and logic that they can follow throughout the story. If it’s a mystery thriller, then they’re motivated to read to the end to solve the puzzle. Will the bad guy get what’s coming for him? Or will he get away with everything?

Readers are the action-adventure type. They want to experience a thrill ride, something that will have them sitting on the edge of their seats.

Readers have a vivid imagination. But, they enjoy reading something that could have some truth in our every day world. Spies do exist. Criminals do exist. Cops and other heroes do try and catch the bad guys to get justice.

For Paranormal:

Readers are the feeling type. Emotion plays a huge role in their reading experience. They want to feel passion, they want to enjoy situations that don’t happen in the real world, maybe they even idolize the supernatural (like vampires, werewolves, aliens).

Readers may even be big kids at heart. Who doesn’t want to believe in fairy tales or epic adventures? It’s fun escaping to a world with monsters, heroes, and villains. Can you imagine being the person needing a hero, and your hero being a handsome supernatural creature in human form? Yummy.

Readers have a vivid imagination. They may even be the idiosyncratic type where they dance to the beat of their own drum. Some people believe in the paranormal world, like ghosts. They like to analyze the question “What if?” and come up with a thousand different scenarios to each situation.

So, are you a thriller aficionado? Do you love paranormal writing? What do you look for when you open a book? Write in!

Thank you, Hemanth, for letting me be a guest on Aymaran Shadow’s blog today! It was fun!

Keep smiling,

Yawatta Hosby

Yawatta Hosby enjoys connecting with other writers through blogging. A Writer’s Blog shares book reviews, writing tips, and tidbits of her publishing journey. With a desire to escape every day life, she creates novels, novellas, and short stories. She has always had a fascination with psychology, so she likes to focus on the inner struggles within her characters. Yawatta is also an avid reader. Favorite genres: mystery, thriller, horror, and women’s fiction.

Book Review – by Alex Hurst

History Bleeds Forward

. . . The characters are deeply embellished, making them feel real; very well thought out. The author’s effortless use of multiple languages makes the world feel real and the reader can gain a sense of actually being in many different locations around the world. The settings were masterfully described. I loved almost all of the dialog and the use of social media and texts to drive the suspense of the plot along.

One of the hardest tests a book goes through when I am a reader is during the climax and conclusion. I am usually mildly to severely disappointed by the way books end, but for Aymaran Shadow, I have no complaints, at all. It was an impactful, gripping conclusion to a story that never lost a moment of suspense. I was left with a feeling like the story really had ended, but the satisfaction of the ending lingered pleasantly. An excellent read!

Alex Hurst

Author of “The Bell Tower”

Read the full review here: on Goodreads, on Amazon.

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 7)

By reading this Sneak Preview, you are hereby agreeing to this blog’s Purpose and Policy.

Read the previous Sneak Preview.

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 7)

As the mercenaries around cackled their approval, the capitán reached out to grab her lower back and yanked her closer. He was immediately greeted by a flurry of punches as the Aymaran commander lashed out with both her hands across his face and drew blood. Enraged, the lust-filled conquistador blotted his bleeding face with his right hand while his left shot out forward like a battering ram, sending his quarry crashing backwards into the nearest wall as she tripped over the extended boot of one of the conquistador’s henchmen.

It was a huge balding man whose scalp shone vulgarly. “That was for the sling, you filthy whore!” swore the man as he took a deep swig of bitter ale from his goblet.

As the quarry rebounded off the wall, her right leg caught the splintered edge of a wooden table and tore open a bright red gash on her thigh. Screaming with pain, she stumbled to the ground clutching her leg. The searing pain numbed her senses as she struggled to cope with reality.

The next few moments brought trauma and agony for the Aymaran commander. Her neck suddenly arched as her thick disheveled hair was grabbed by a powerful pair of hands and yanked up mercilessly, forcing the terrified quarry to ignore pain and obey brute force. She stood up, hopping to avoid aggravating her injury and shifting her weight to her left leg.

The powerful arms belonged to the man with hairy arms who had blocked her exit earlier. He now held her firmly against the stained wall, pinning her arms in an unbreakable hold. Expressionless, the man leaned closer and pressed himself against the Aymaran woman’s heavily heaving bosom, taking in the odor of the sweat trickling down her dusky cheeks. As the woman recoiled in helpless repulsion, the man buried his face in the valley between her neck and breasts even as she convulsed.

“Enough!” barked the capitán, as he pulled his man away.

The capitán proceeded to confront his hated quarry and lifted her chin so that she could see his face. A face contorted by a strange mix of lust and derision. The serpent had to be humiliated! The treacherous capitán pinned her against the wall and gripped the top of her tunic. Before the shocked Aymaran woman could react, he violently ripped off the upper vest, revealing her naked modesty. The Aymaran woman pried herself loose and turned to hug the wall in shame. A shame brought upon her by brutes intoxicated by machismo and vile power. A shame that descended upon her because she had chosen to stand for what she believed.

Coming soon: the next Sneak Preview.

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Aymaran Shadow. The chilling story of a woman destined to be violated. In every lifetime.

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Book Review – by Cathy Speight

A compelling and suspenseful paranormal thriller

An intriguing paranormal thriller I really enjoyed: a genre which I’ve barely explored, and in this instance I was pleasantly surprised . . .

. . . I was immediately impressed by this author’s colourful writing style: he’s descriptive without being overly flowery and manages to paint a vivid and detailed picture, whether it’s the character or the setting. I think I particularly liked the balance of the normal and the paranormal which was spot on. Sanya leads a typical undergraduate life, socialising either on the internet or with her prank-playing friends and spending time with her best friend. You could almost say it was . . . boring, even. The paranormal aspects of the story are indeed a stark contrast, but therein lies the reason I enjoyed this relatively new experience of the genre: one foot was firmly planted in day-to-day mundanity. The other was in a world of danger, obscurity, and retribution. They all combine to a thrilling, heart-in-your-mouth, suspenseful climax . . .

Cathy Speight

Kindle Book Reviewer

Read the full review here: on Cathy’s blog, on Amazon.

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 6)

By reading this Sneak Preview, you are hereby agreeing to this blog’s Purpose and Policy.

Read the previous Sneak Preview.

Sneak Preview :: Chapter One (Snippet 6)

It was so not like la amo – her love. Why had not he returned? Why had not he sent a horseman to relay news of a successful repulsion of the garrison? Was he wounded? Was he still alive? The Aymaran woman tossed her dark mane and saddled her faithful steed as gory images of a slain warrior of Cochabamba tormented her.

The ride to Quillacollo consumed her from the inside. Who was this outlander who portrayed himself as her ‘man’? Was she to trust the people of Cochabamba? Was she to trust the elders? As the Incan sun began its final descent for the day, the Aymaran woman broke her galloping steed’s pace and trotted up to a tavern that looked garish yet mysterious from the outside.

Tethering the horse, the woman felt a sudden twinge of terror. Where were her people? Suppressing a rising feeling of panic, she convinced herself that perhaps they were all inside the tavern waiting for her. She strode cautiously up the steps of the tavern leading to the entrance and pushed open the heavy half-doors. She took one last look at the setting sun and strode inside the tavern. Instantly, she knew it was a mistake.

It was a trap! The tavern was bereft of human life. A dull glint screamed for her attention from the dark corner directly in front of her. The glint moved forward slowly and stopped. It was a tall swarthy man with sideburns that hid stocky jowls. The glint was from the long blade of the machete that slung casually at the man’s side. The man’s lips were curled in lustful anticipation and made a vulgar noise as he nodded his appreciation. He looked like a conquistador – but was not one from these parts.

Suddenly, the Aymaran woman became aware of other figures which had emerged from the dark unlit corners of the tavern and surrounded her. Something told her that her exit had been already compromised. She turned around slowly, hoping she was wrong. She wasn’t. A man with hairy arms and a musket in hand was blocking the very entrance she had walked through moments ago.

As she turned around again to face her rival, she let out an involuntary gasp and staggered back. The swarthy conquistador was eerily inches from her, breathing down her face and savoring every inch of her body with his lustful eyes.

The Aymaran commander was stockily built for a woman, but proportionately endowed. Her long flowing hair framed her radiant face, her full lips pursed into a defiant lock. As her eyes flashed in rage, her flared nostrils accentuated the heaving movement of her barely visible cleavage. Her shapely but strong thighs twitched as the tension in the air became palpable. Standing with her hands on her ample hips in the center of the tavern, she looked like a lioness surrounded by ravaging beasts.

Then, one beast made the move. The capitán had watched her for long enough. Now, he wanted her. His hate for this serpent of a woman who had tormented the Empire so much was rivaled only by his animal lust for her. She needed to be silenced!

Coming soon: the next Sneak Preview.

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The Seduction Of History

Read the previous post in the Behind The Scenes series: Is Sexual Assault A Write-able Theme?.

The closest I found the subject of History interesting was when my seventh grade teacher used to use her peculiar accent to warp words around, with totally unintended consequences. One such word was ‘Aihole’ – a place in the south Indian state of Karnataka. Said teacher’s pronunciation used to render the word suspiciously similar to an expletive used generously by teens and young adults.

That apart, History as a field of study always was as alluring as watching a blade of grass grow. That is, until something finally gave. Until it was time to tell a story.

And that is what we authors do – tell a story. But what is so enviable about telling a story that has already been told? For history is nothing but fact. Events long buried in the crevasses and folds of time. Happenings that have had another author’s mark over them.

But history offers one thing that pure imagination cannot – a non-abstract start point. A tangible singularity from where the author is free to draw a parallel universe and suck the reader into a whorl of imagination drawn from fact. What could be more intoxicating for an author than to know that he is scripting a different reality from what time has scripted?

A story like Aymaran Shadow would not have been eminently possible had it not been for this elusive playfulness that history demonstrates to all priests of creativity. A superior motive, as I have recalled in my previous post, in falling prey to history’s wiles and charms was that it offers the opportunity to connect a finite past to an unimaginable future – in this case a future that the protagonist of my novel dreads to face.

And thus this author was seduced – hopelessly, eternally, unabashedly – by history.

Do you have a similar fascination for plots originating from fact? Or do you believe authors ought to let history be? Do write in.

Coming soon: the next post in the Behind The Scenes series.