Get to know the authors of Sirens Spell Danger
Today I have here the three authors of Sirens Spell Danger. Please welcome Karthik L, Suresh Chandrasekaran and Radha Sawana. Let’s get to know them through this question and answer session.
Q:Tell us something about yourself and how you got into writing?
Karthik: Writing was farfetched considering that I am a management consultant. I tried it for the first time when a friend suggested it. Once I started my blog, I could experiment with different genres. Short stories and novellas were the next step.
Suresh: I have always wanted to write since childhood and, while at IIM-Bangalore, I planned to quit work at 40 (after saving enough) in order to write. I did quit at 41 but, because the thought of writing a book was daunting, I took to trekking instead. The urge to write would not be denied, however, and I first started blogging and, now, to writing fiction.
Radha: I am a 25-year-old chemist from BITS Pilani, working in Bangalore. While in BITS, I started my blog called ‘Entropy’. A couple of years ago, I joined the Indiblogger community, which brought me in touch with Karthik (The Fool) and through him, the Indifiction workshop. I decided to take part in the second edition of this workshop to test my fiction writing skills. After that, I couldn’t not write any more 
Q: Your experience of writing a book – easy as pie or hard as nails?
Karthik: I would say hard as nails.
Suresh: I don’t sit to write unless I have the entire story clear in my mind. After that I feel too lazy to writeJ. I find that the process of actually typing it in – is hard as nails. The one thing that makes me absolutely shudder is the process of rewriting and editingJ.
Radha: Sometimes easy as pie, but mostly hard as nails. It was a dark story and more often not, writing it required a sombre mood.
Q: What motivates you to write?
Karthik: I define myself as a sum of my thoughts and ideas. Writing enables me to leave behind an essence of my personality that remains in the world long after I am gone. So in some ways I see writing as a route to immortality.
Suresh: Writing is a pleasure. The process of using language to bring people and settings live is like weaving magic. I think reading takes people out of their humdrum lives into a world of entertainment and I like to give it to them as a writer.
Radha: Stories. Some stories call to be written. They become a motivation in themselves.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
Karthik: This book was more of an experiment for us to take a leap from the world of blogging to serious novel writing. Reading the history of Bellary inspired this story.
Suresh: This book came about as a journey of exploration – of finding how a story shapes itself better when one gets relevant criticism and rewrites to suit; and of finding out the efficacy of Kindle as a medium for publishing a book.
Radha: Ummm, the inspiration to write this particular story came from a word in Chanakya’s Chant. (And anything more than this will count as a spoiler!). And of course my teammates.
Q: Please describe your book briefly.
Karthik: The book is a thriller – an IB agent sets out to investigate ISI activity in Bellary. Even before he starts, he is swept into a whirlpool triggered by the two beautiful women he meets. What he discovers in Bellary is an altogether different ball game.
Suresh: My story ‘Femme Fatale’ is a roller-coaster ride of action. A naïve hero gets embroiled in a terrorist plot when he gets attracted to a beautiful woman. It’s a light read woven with some thrilling action.
Radha: I am bad at writing descriptions, even if it’s my own story. But since you asked…
The story begins with the discovery of an esteemed industrialist’s dead body in a dingy hotel. Beside the dead body lies a strange picture. As Inspector Shardul Reham starts investigating the bizarre circumstances, help comes unexpectedly from Rajinder Sharma, a forensic expert. While unravelling the mystery, Shardul gets more than what he bargained for.
Q: Tell us about the main characters in your book.
Karthik: The main character is Jay, a successful IB agent who is disgruntled with the functioning of government agencies. He has a bit of a complex about not being as successful as his foster brothers and not having a way with women.
Suresh: Vicky is the protagonist of the tale who gets sucked into a dangerous situation by Tanya. Tanya is the more important character even if the story is told by Vicky in first person.
Radha: There are two main characters visible in the story – Detective Inspector Shardul Reham – an uptight police officer, and Dr. Rajinder Sharma, a veteran forensic analyst.
Q: How do you overcome writer’s block?
Karthik: I apply brute force and whatever comes till I break through.
Suresh: I have not yet had a writer’s block. It’s more laziness than anything else that keeps me from writing.
Radha: By travelling or by experiencing something new
Q: Does writing get in your way of life?
Karthik: Actually it is the other way round. Often life comes in the way of writing.
Suresh: As I have said earlier, I quit with an intent to write though I did get side-tracked. Right now, writing IS my way of life.
Radha: It’s rather the other way round!
Q: What’s next in your writing plans?
Karthik: Have lot of projects in mind. But yet to decide what to start on first.
Suresh: I have a few ideas jostling for space in my mind. It seems likely that the next may be more in the Humour genre than in Crime.
Radha: Reviving my blog, writing many many short stories in several genres and then finishing a novel length sci-fi story.
And here comes our rapid-fire round:
Your favourite movie
Karthik: Lord of the Rings
Suresh: Ben Hur
Radha: Rang De Basanti
The worst movie you’ve seen
Karthik: 2012
Suresh: Too many to pick from J
Radha: In recent times, Hobbit (II) – The Desolation of Smaug
Any secret habit?
Karthik: Can’t think of any.
Suresh: Never been able to keep secrets J
Radha: Whenever I am reading a book, I tend to eat whatever the characters in the book are eating.
Actor you’d fall for in a heartbeat
Karthik: Not really much into film stars.
Suresh: Had you asked this 20-30 years before, I could have readily answered J
Radha: Viggo Mortenson
Favourite book.
Karthik: Dune Series
Suresh: Any of PG Wodehouse’s books.
Radha: Mistborn – The Hero of Ages
Fallback option when the fridge is empty
Karthik: Fasting
Suresh: Starve (Believe me, we wrote the answers independently. No wonder we get along well)
Radha: Cuppa Noodles
What comforts you when things go bad?
Karthik: My family, friends and some light reading like children and young adult’s fiction.
Suresh: Books, Music AND a sense of humour.
Radha: Reading
Your most comfortable outfit.
Karthik: T-shirt and shorts.
Suresh: Tracks and tees.
Radha: A loose kurti and churidaar
A very enjoyable chat getting to know you, authors! Karthik, applying brute force for writer’s block is something I hadn’t yet heard of And starving? Really? Both you and Suresh need to be more resourceful, don’t you think 
I’d rather like cuppa noodles myself, Radha
This intriguing collaboration by this great team is available now.
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