What inspired you to write this book? My belief in all things supernatural.
Can you tell me about the book? “Forever” is the story of an orphan girl Olivia who runs away from her abusive foster parents and meets a centuries old vampire Damien. She keeps up ending in worst situations and everyone is trying to figure out the reason behind it. What they think is that its related to her past life and that’s why all this is happening but it’s never that simple now is it. It’s the journey of a girl who doesn’t even need the strongest vampire to scare off supernatural creatures.
This book will keep you on your toes and you wont be able to put it down once you start reading it. A perfect combination of drama, thriller, romance and humor.
What is your writing process like? I make bullet points about how I want my story to go and then decide the main characters, their names and personalities. But the real ideas come to me when I am actually writing. Its thrilling to not know what my brain might cook up the next moment.
Was the character inspired by a real person? If so, who? Olivia’s character is me. If someone wants to know what I am like they can read the book and they will find out.
What do you think happened to the characters after the book ended? I ended on a happy note so they are siting at their homes enjoying a peaceful life.
What are common traps for aspiring writers? Validation from others, explaining too much, going to wrong publisher and not editing their work.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Stress
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want? I write what I believe in because if I don’t then my readers wont.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book? Well, the book I am writing now has connection to “Forever” but after that all stand alone.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have? 2 as of now.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book? Mainly on google but also from people around me. It takes about a week.
How long were you a part-time writer before you became a full-time one? I am still a part time writer.
How many hours a day do you write? I am not on a schedule but when I do write it takes 2 to 3 hours.
What period of your life do you find you write about most often? (child, teenager, young adult) Teenage
What did you edit out of this book? How Olivia got away from the villain’s lair!
How do you select the names of your characters? I can’t explain it but the name just clicks.
If you didn’t write, what would you do for work? I would be in the bank day in and day out.
What was your hardest scene to write? Separating a mother from a child.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
A year
Do you believe in writer’s block? Yes. I tend to get those often.
What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand? Computer
When did it dawn upon you that you wanted to be a writer? When I published my book on wattpad and it got 70k plus readership.
How hard was it to sit down and actually start writing something? Not hard at all. It was my calling.
Do you aim to complete a set number of pages or words each day? No, plans bring me down.
Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you? I prefer going wherever the idea takes me.
Do you read much and, if so, who are your favorite authors? I mostly read works of new authors. I liked “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer and “The Diary of a young girl Anne Frank”.
What is the most important thing about a book, in your opinion? The narration should be such that it grips you and leave an impact.
How much of yourself do you put into your books? Every bit of me
Who is the most supportive of your writing in your family? They all are very supportive.
Writers are often believed to have a Muse, your thoughts on that? We all have it. Working on a book requires both the conscious and unconscious mind. Its important that we see beyond logic and reason to craft ideas which will be difficult if one doesn’t rely on the unconscious crazy thoughts they have.
Did any of your books get rejected by publishers? Yes, my book ‘The Tunnel’ keeps getting rejected a lot but I know its worth it and one day someone will recognize that.
What is your view on co-authoring books; have you done any? I haven’t done that but I am definitely open to the idea.
Is writing book series more challenging? For me, its very challenging.
Does it get frustrating if you are unable to recall an idea you had in your mind some time earlier? For some time yes then another awesome idea comes to me and I am happy again.
Have you ever destroyed any of your drafts? Just once
Can you tell us about your current projects?
It’s the story of our villain from ‘Forever’. That’s all I can say for now.
Had any of your literary teachers ever tell you growing up that you were going to become a published writer one day? Nope never. They thought I wouldn’t be able to do anything in life.
Were your parents reading enthusiasts who gave you a push to be a reader as a kid? My father has a creative bone in him. He used to do theatre and he used to read a lot. I think I got his genes.
Do you enjoy discussing upcoming ideas with your partner? If yes, how much do you value their inputs? I am single but I have a friend with whom I discuss my ideas. She was actually the one who helped me frame the synopsis on back of “Forever”. So, you can imagine how much I value her input.
Have you ever turned a dream or a nightmare into a written piece? I write my dreams in a diary and that’s one of my future projects.
How can readers find out more info about you and your books? They can follow me on my social media handles.
Instagram: @authortanyawalia
Facebook: Author Tanya Walia
Email: authortanyawalia@yahoo.com
