On Writing with Ruchi Singh: Get Ready to be 'Bewitched'

Today on 'On Writing', we have Amazon bestselling author, Ruchi Singh. Winner of TOI WriteIndia story contest, Ruchi Singh is a novelist who writes in two genres; romance and romantic thriller. She has a degree in Electronics Engineering and works as IT Quality Consultant. All her novels have been #1bestsellers on Amazon.

Today we will talk about her latest Novel 'Bewitched' which is already creating waves on Amazon.

Welcome to On-Writing, Ruchi!

 When did you first get the idea for your latest book ‘Bewitched?

RS: During Covid lockdown, I chanced upon the mythology tale of Menaka and thought what if similar events unfolded in contemporary times? Of course, the circumstances and motivations would defer, but the underlying theme was about two dramatically opposite characters coming together and taking responsibility for their actions.

Did you spend agonizing hours deciding on the names of your protagonists?

RS: Yes. I can’t start writing fluently unless the name is right. It has to suit the character’s personality in the plot. For my female protagonist in Bewitched, I already had a name, but for the hero I needed something which did justice to his larger-than-life background, hence I picked up Rudra, which is another name of Lord Shiva.

What was your writing process like for this book? Did you write every day? 

RS: With the lockdown imposed, I had plenty of time at hand without the social commitments, so wrote almost daily and since this story was clear in my head the writing was faster.

What is special about ‘Bewitched’? 

RS: ‘Bewitched’ is special for me for two reasons; this is the first time I was attempting to integrate mythology and contemporary genres, drawing parallelism between the two threads. Secondly, I was able to finish the first draft within three months of conception, which is a record of sorts for me and quite a morale-booster.

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

RS: Apart from the two main ones, I liked Mansi a lot, she is gutsy and fearless.

How long did it take to finish writing ‘Bewitched’? 

RS: This was one story which, just flew on from my mind onto the pages. This is the first time I have been able to write the draft of a full-length novel in three months’ time, give or take a couple of weeks. Of course editing and further polishing took another month, but this got finalized super fast.

Please share a passage or quote from ‘Bewitched’ for our readers.

Far away on earth mankind suffered another kind of manthan. How to attain what devas had? I could hear it—the struggle. Everywhere, there was chaos created by desires and ambitions. I looked at Brahma watching the events unfolding. ‘When will it all end?’ I asked.

‘Never,’ he said.

‘Will they go to any extent to get what they want?’

‘Depends on the pull of the want. The manifestation of desire gives the energy to acquire its object.’

‘I don’t like the word “acquire”.’

‘Ignore the semantics,’ he said with an enigmatic smile.

‘Why did you create desire? Isn’t that the root cause of all problems?’

‘Yes, but it is the seed of all innovation and development too.’

In the current scenario of the global pandemic, what do you think is the role of a good story? 

RS: With the lockdown and social distancing, people have time at hand. More and more people have taken to watching and reading. In current circumstances, I think a good story, with happily-ever-after, spreads positivity and optimism, lifting boredom and loneliness.

You have used mythology in your latest book. What exactly made you remember the story of Vishwamitra and Menaka?

RS: I read almost all the genres, and growing up reading Amar Chitra Katha series, mythology was my first love, so when Kindle threw up a book about Menaka Vishwamitra on my screen, I couldn’t help but pick it up. And then there was no turning back.

What are the three things readers can look forward to in this book?

1. The plot of the story. Based on my research from various sources, I have tweaked the mythology saga a bit for Vishwamitra. I think readers would love that.

2. As I studied the motivations of characters, I realized that both Gods and humans are governed by the same emotions. I’m sure this is something that will be of interest to the readers.

3. Dialogues and strong and interesting characters, especially the heroine.

CLICK HERE TO BUY BEWITCHED FROM AMAZON

On Writing: In Converstaion with Dr Leanna Floyd

Today, I am in conversation with Dr Leanna Floyd, who stepped into the publishing world with her debut novel 'Over the Borderline'.
Leanna has a doctorate in clinical psychology and has worked firsthand with murderers, psychopaths, narcissists, and borderlines while working in a prison. She explored the minds of notorious killers and obtained an insider’s view of their secrets as they recounted their darkest hours. It is these experiences in the prison setting that influenced her first novel, Over the Borderline.

Welcome to 'On Writing', Leanna!

Connect with Dr Leanna Floyd: FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER

Was becoming an author always your dream or was it a particular event or incident that gave birth to the author in you?

I started writing when I was in elementary school. I won third place in a writing competition titled, “My Favorite Older Person,” which fueled my love and passion for writing.  Throughout high school, I wrote a lot of poems to help work through adolescent struggles. Writing has always been a part of my life, and I always felt like it helped me express the secret inner world of my thoughts and feelings that I didn’t want the world to see.

 However, even though I have always loved to write, it was not my “dream” to be an author. My dream was to be a child psychologist to help heal the broken and wounded individuals in the world. From a very young age, I knew that I wanted to help people. I was born with a deep desire and compassion for helping people find their ways on their journeys. Today, this is still my number one passion. Specifically, it is my hope that I can share with the world that they were created for a purpose and that they were meant for greatness.

In regard to if there was a particular event or incident that gave birth to the author in me, YES! Writing is where I found my voice, and in some ways, it helped put me back together. Over the Borderline was loosely inspired by significant and tragic events in my life that had a huge impact on me. The first event was the flagitious murder of my cousin. I will never forget sitting through the trial. All of the vile images and detestable statements made throughout the trial were branded into my mind. 

I can remember it all so vividly. I remember the huge lump in my throat, and it felt like an actual physical mass lodged in my throat. I can still see in my mind my father and my aunt sitting to my left choking back their own tears as they stared straight-faced looking at the murderer.  At the trial, I tried to remain strong for my family, forcing my own tears and quivering lips to be still. I had a job to do at the trial, to support my family.

The second life-changing event was when I worked at a local Florida prison. It was in this prison setting that I would encounter my first stalker (I never felt safe.), be trapped in a room encircled by a large group of male inmates (I was absolutely terrified. I remember my eyes hastily scanning the room for someone, anyone to help me. It seemed like they were savage wolves about to devour me. I’m forever grateful for the “angel,” my former client, who rescued me that day.), and have an inmate, who was pending an early release, threaten to kill me. 

Driving to the prison each day knowing that I had a death sentence over my head was torture. It was in this environment that the idea of understanding the mind of a killer really started to become a central focus of my study.  Writing gave me a voice that had once been silenced. Writing allowed me to have control and, in some way, make sense of the pain and terrifying events that I had to endure.

How important are the names of the characters in your books to you? Do you spend agonizing hours deciding on their names?

The names of the characters in my books are very important to me. I want the characters’ names to be relatable, but strong. There’s a lot of meaning behind one’s name. When I’m deciding on a name for a character, the name has to resonate with me, and it has to fit my mental picture of the person. I will research the meaning of one’s name and the history behind it to see if it agrees with the overall feel of my character. I do not spend agonizing hours deciding a character’s name, but I will try a few different choices and allow some time to pass before I finalize one’s name.

What is your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a favorite place to write?

My writing process for Over the Borderline was somewhat labor intensive. I used my personal handwritten notes from my cousin’s murder trial as a guide to develop my story. During the trial, I did my best to write verbatim everything that was said. So, I had copious amounts of information to reference. I also am very research-oriented, and I like to incorporate up-to-date research information in regard to different psychological components that influence my characters’ profiles and backgrounds. 

When I wrote Over the Borderline, I wrote the entire manuscript by hand. During this time of writing, the story came pouring out of me. I had so many instances where the story was unfolding so fast in my mind that I started to carry paper and pen with me so I could make sure I captured my thoughts on paper. I wrote the story right after my cousin’s trial, it was so cathartic, and I just couldn’t stop or control the flood of images and thoughts dancing around in my mind. I wrote almost every day for a year straight with Over the Borderline. 

For the sequel, my writing process has evolved over the years, and I no longer write by hand because it’s so laborious. Generally, I write when I feel inspired or when there’s a burst of ideas that are screaming to find a voice. I find a lot of inspiration when I’m lying in bed at night. When my mind and body are quieted, then I feel like my creativity is best. I imagine this works best for me because I am a visual learner, so my creativity is fueled by scenes that I first see in my mind. I prefer to write when I’m alone, which is usually in the confines of my home.

What is different about ‘Over the Borderline’?

Over the Borderline is inspired by true events that happened in my life. During the trial for my cousin’s murder, I learned a lot about the justice system, forensic testing, and the overall processes involved in a trial. I was able to experience the sights, the sounds, and feelings that accompany the trial of a killer, and I was able to incorporate these experiences in my story to give an authentic feel to the reader.

Over the Borderline deals with compelling and complex characters, and I like to give the reader vivid illustrations of how human psychology, personality, and pathology shape one’s motivation and behavior. My writing is suspenseful and grabs readers psychologically and emotionally. My writing gives the reader a comprehensive feel and understanding of what goes on in one’s mind in both the conscious and subconscious realms that influence behavior and the expression of more maladaptive patterns of relating.

I have a doctorate in clinical psychology, and my clinical training allowed me to give a more credible feel to my characters because of my knowledge and interaction with special populations in a prison setting. Specifically, my firsthand experience with working in a prison allowed me to have an insider’s perspective of how to relate with and write about pathological characters. Additionally, my story shifts from different points of view, from first to third person. One example of this style of writing can be seen in one of my characters, the Surfside Killer. This character is written in first person to give the reader an insider’s view into the mind of a sadistic and pathological character. 

The reader gets to see the thought processes and motivations of a killer as the crimes are being committed. These entries are denoted by italicized font as an indicator to the reader of who is speaking. After these entries, the story shifts back to third person letting the reader know they’re entering into another scene of the story.

Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

My favorite character in the book is Brooke. Brooke is a character that is made up of different pieces of me. She is a strong and independent character who didn’t allow the negative events of her life to keep her from becoming all that she was created to be. She uses the pain of her past to motivate her to pursue a degree in psychology, and she chooses to devote her life to uncover the etiology of pathological behavior. There are many levels and layers to her that were ultimately based on various events and people that I experienced and dealt with in my own life. 

At an early age, like Brooke, I had a longing to help others put the fragments of their lives back together. Many of the hardships that I had to endure, Brooke has also endured, and the longing to understand human motivations and behaviors is at the core of both me and this character. Brooke has allowed me to process traumatic life events in such a way that I can control the narrative, the emotions, and the outcome, and in a way, rewrite my story. Brooke gave me a voice.

How important do you think is marketing in today’s world for any book?

The marketing of a book is so important in today’s world. Over the years, the book world has changed in that social media plays a huge role in getting one’s book out to the masses. Today, most authors are expected to create ads and market their own books through social media channels. With self-publishing on the rise, there are so many new and exciting opportunities for authors in regards to how they can market their books. 

Even traditionally published authors are expected to market their books since funds are often limited or not allotted for new authors. Authors need to create a brand for themselves, which will help set them apart and help potential readers get a better understanding of who they are as authors. Ideally, this will help readers identify with them and help create an audience for them. 

On average, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, there are about 2.2 million books published worldwide each year, so to ensure that an author’s book doesn’t get lost amongst the masses, an author must put in a concentrated effort to market a book. Not only is it important for authors to market their books, but it’s also important for their books and marketing materials to standout. So, as an author, marketing a book is extremely important.

Please share a passage or quote from ‘Over the Borderline’ for our readers. 

The first one was by accident—it really was, I swear.

Yes, my fingers were around that girl’s neck, but the throbbing of her pulse electrified me like a shock. I couldn’t let go, not even if I’d wanted to, which I didn’t. She thrashed and instinctively arched her back to break my grip, but she couldn’t.

After picking her up in some seedy little bar off Highway 295, we’d both had a few drinks, and she made it clear she liked to play rough. So, we left and drove down to the beach and sat in my car, rolled the windows down even though it was late September. She wanted to hear some music, so I started the car again and let her push ‘SEEK’ on the digital console until she settled on Amy Winehouse singing about how tears dry on their own. I pulled out a pint of Jack from the back floorboard, and we drank straight from the bottle. Before the song was over, my belt was undone and her hand dipped below my waistband. She chewed my ear and guided my hands to help unzip her.

I’ll never forget the feel of that dress, as blue as the sky and flimsy as a cloud, and how easily it ripped in my hands. Bless her heart, she laughed about it, actually giggled like we were school kids on the playground and she’d accidentally torn her skirt. That’s when I put my hands around her neck, at first to stop her laughing, but then that surge of lifeblood thrummed through my fingers like the tide coming in.

I don’t know how long we sat there like that, locked together. After a few moments, she could tell something had changed— and I was as surprised as she was. The warm, moist feel of her neck in my hands reminded me of holding a puppy or a kitten, strong yet vulnerable at the same time. Then I couldn’t stop, and the more she resisted, the more excited I became to see her squirm. I held the power of life and death in my hands, literally.

My fingers clamped like steel vices until something gurgled in her throat and her eyes rolled back. Only then did I realize she wasn’t pretending. One minute she was a live wire sizzling in my hands, and the next, nothing, gone. That throbbing pulse that had captivated me with its surging rhythm just stopped. Her neck and spine flexed in one last spasm before relaxing, a balloon being deflated, as I cradled her in my hands.

I couldn’t believe I’d done it, nor could I deny how good it felt. It was like discovering a taste for single-malt scotch or basking in that first mellow wave of pleasure the first time you smoked really great weed. And once you find something you like, you know what they say, “Once is never enough.”

           

  

What are the three tips you have for readers of this interview who are aspiring writers?

1.  Dare to dream big! Believe that your dreams can come true. Don’t let fear or self-doubt rob you of your destiny. Tell your story to the world because your voice and your story matters. There are many ups and downs on the journey to becoming an author. But, through the hard moments, keep fighting the fight and never give up.

2.  Research in advance how to market your book, and figure out what type of audience will be reading your book. There’s a lot of information to learn in terms of effective marketing strategies, and there’s a lot of books/videos that can give authors the tools they need to successfully market their books. Additionally, listing your book under the appropriate categories will also help draw in the right readers for your book and help with the overall ranking of your book. Again, there’s so much to learn, so I’d encourage aspiring authors to look into these things before publishing their work.

3.  Establish a social media presence sooner than later as an author. This will be very helpful for marketing your book to readers, bloggers, reviewers, and helpful to establish meaningful relationships with other authors.

 Thank you, Leanna, for sharing your writing journey with us. Wishing you the very best for your future works.

About the book:

Brooke Douger has a knack for helping others with their broken lives, which explains her interest in criminal psychology and profiling. She convinces her childhood friend, Jacob, to move to Tampa after his latest fiasco, where he finds a job at a legal firm, which is defending Zach Barton, a rich, young entrepreneur who is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend. When Brooke has to provide expert testimony in Barton’s trial, Jacob and Brooke end up on opposite sides of the courtroom. 

As Brooke prepares to testify, she discovers a pattern of violent, impulsive behavior in Barton’s past, eerily similar to those of the Surfside Killer, the case she has been asked to help profile for the FBI. Brooke is swirling in dangerous waters with the killer lurking on the fringe of her life. Who will be his next victim? Will Brooke’s knack for profiling be enough to keep her safe?

Get the book from AMAZON : CLICK HERE TO BUY

On Writing: In Converstaion with Daniel Kelly

Today I am in conversation with Daniel Kelly,  who writes books in the historical genre. He grew up with a love of history and stories in the village of Creeslough along the north coast of Donegal before qualifying as a chef from Tourism College, Killybegs, and moving to Dublin.
The author talks about his writing journey, about his latest book 'The Fall of the Phoenix' which is the first book in the Heroes of Troy series. 

Welcome to ‘On Writing’, Daniel Kelly.

Follow Daniel Kelly on FACEBOOK Twitter, Instagram, Youtube @Heroesoftroy 

Was becoming an author always your dream or was it a particular event or incident that
gave birth to the author in you? 

Growing up, I had always been into reading. I did a lot of sports and had 3 brothers. I was outside playing with them and neighbours a lot but I had always enjoyed taking time alone to read, disappearing with a book to my room. But I don’t think I ever really thought about writing. Never believed I would have been able to. When I trained as a chef, that sort of consumed my life and reading took a back seat, as anyone who has worked as a chef will tell you, the life doesn’t leave a lot of room for anything else, you arrive at work at around ten in the morning and it could be twelve the following night before you see the sky again, it doesn’t leave time for a lot else but when I took a job working in a hospital kitchen I suddenly found myself with the time to read again.

I remember reading David Gammell's troy series, which I won't ruin for anyone who has never
read it, but it was eye-opening, I remember thinking that it was an amazingly different
interpretation of a story we had all read a hundred times and it showed me that just
because a story has been told before that it has to be “That” way, that it can be interpreted
differently. Then I started questioning why, when they won the war and wrote their history
themselves, the Greeks always seemed to come out of the Troy story looking like the bad
guys.
Writing was an accident I think, as I was just trying to work out these questions in my
own head by writing it. And since then I have pursued the same strategy. I try to answer
questions to myself as I am writing, I start a book with a question I personally want to
answer and see how the characters themselves react to different situations. And people
seem to like the results.

How important are the names of the characters in your books to you? Do you spend
agonizing hours deciding on their names? 

I must admit, I have been lucky so far, in that a lot of my work has been on historical fiction and historical fantasy, and as history, a lot of the names of characters are already there. 
Sometimes I need to add characters to the story, and for this, I like to add people I know personally and change the name to suit the timeframe.

This method works for me because, when I am describing a character, I find it helps to be
able to picture the character so later in the book you don’t forget a detail and have a person
blind in the left eye when they were blind in the right eye originally. For “The Fall of The
Phoenix” I did use a lot of detail from the 2004 troy film, for example, Brad Pitt is my Achilles
because in my own mind that is how I have always pictured him. Probably because that was
the big Troy film I grew up with. However, I used mental pictures from other films for certain
other characters, or people from my real world. It helps me with continuity.

What is your writing process like? Do you write every day? Is there a favourite place to write?

I try to write every day, but sometimes I could be sitting in front of the computer for hours
with very little happening, the words just won't come. This is mostly because I do most of my
thinking during the time when I am working. The job I currently have as a chef, as opposed to
restaurant work, allows me to do the job without thinking about it, so consciously while I am
working in the kitchen, I am more often than not, working out some storyline in my book.

And just to make life more complicated, I have found that I also work better with multiple
stories in my head at once. I will have one story which is my main focus but during the time I
am writing it, quite often during research, I will find by accident other things which I think
will make an interesting story and start those while I think about the main story.

For example, while working on the sequel for “The Fall of The Phoenix” which is almost ready
and which I have called “A Hero’s Welcome: Heroes of troy part:2”, I also found myself
working quite heavily on another fantasy novel based in 15th century Europe during the
crusades and the ottoman incursions into Europe which is currently nearly a quarter done.
This also makes things easier when I do finish a book that I don’t need to start a whole new
world from scratch as I have already got the basis of a story scratched out.
As for a favourite place to write, its usually on my armchair.

What is different about ‘The Fall of the Phoenix’?

“The Fall of The Phoenix” is… because it’s the final days of troy, I have skipped over the
beginning of the war, also, I always hated how Homer used filler, like seven pages of just
boat names. Sure, at the time those may have been important to the various city-states
those ships belonged to but I had always just found it boring.

I took a narrower view of the characters and gave them life, I questioned the loyalty of
soldiers forced to follow Agamemnon, or would childhood friendships have been more
important to them. I took an assumption, that children at the time, would have been taken
from home at a young age, to be trained for war, and as such, the children of great kings
such as Hector and Achilles, whose parents could both easily afford the best education for
their children would likely have sent them to the same places, so they would likely have
trained together, lived together and been friends from childhood. How would that affect
their decisions on the battlefield?

 Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Always a difficult question. It's like asking who your favourite child is haha. I loved writing
Eurodos, Achilles's second in command. And of course, Achilles himself, the greatest hero of
the Greek nation, but I really enjoyed creating characters trapped inside troy itself,
Heraclitus who was semi-psychotic and enjoyed the killing, Arimnestos leading men, Achenia,
who lead and lost a son he could never admit to, to battle and eventual death. And the
strange feeling of loss when you are writing these characters for month, changing details
about them, but the actions of the characters themselves sometimes surprise you even as
the writer. People you had intended to live, to survive, through one action or another, the
only logical end is that they die, giving their lives honorably to save someone else.

 Which do you prefer as a reader? EBook or Paperback?

As a reader, I prefer paperback, for the feel, the smell of fresh book, its amazing. For
convenience, because I do read a lot, (although I am a very slow reader) I very often use
ebook just so I don’t need to bring multiple books with me. Otherwise going on holiday half
my luggage would be books with one t-shirt… haha…

 How long did it take to finish writing ‘The Fall of the Phoenix’?

Because I didn’t intend it, “The Fall of The Phoenix” took me almost eight years. I started, as
I said, just for myself to answer personal questions, after a while I stopped, scrapped that
version, started again. I think there are four versions of it on my laptop from different
periods in that time.

 How important do you think is marketing in today’s world for any book?

Marketing is hugely important, but from the perspective of a writer, it's also the most
difficult part. By our very nature, authors must spend a lot of their time behind either a book
or a computer screen otherwise we would never get any writing done. Also, we very often
don’t know where to go to advertise. All we really want to do is read and write, and we don’t
really think about that part until we realise that we need to promote it or we will never find
the readers we need, and if we don’t find readers, we wont get published. We do start
writing for ourselves, but we publish for the world to enjoy. However, and I can't stress this
highly enough, personal recommendations are like gold. Please always write a review on
Amazon, or wherever you get your books, so your followers can see which books you loved.

 Please share a passage or quote from ‘The Fall of the Phoenix’ for our readers.

Seconds passed, which felt like hours, before the priests tossed a sword through the flames to
each of them, landing a few feet away in the sand and sending up a small cloud of dust as they fell.
Hector knelt and lifted a handful of sand, rubbing it between his hands to dry the sweat and give him
some grip on the hilt of the sword before he picked up both sword and shield, keeping his eyes on
Achilles. Stabbing his sword into the ground, he forced his legs forward towards Achilles, unarmed;
just a few paces across the sand, but a great distance.

“Achilles,” he pleaded, “I didn’t know who he was. He was in your armour, he moved like you; I
thought it was you.”

Achilles, who had been taking a few practice swings to stretch his muscles, suddenly swung a
huge underarm sweep which hit the dead centre of Hector’s shield, sending shivers up his arm.
“And you thought the great Hector could beat Achilles?” he roared.

“No, I expected to die.” Hector dodged another overhead swing as he danced back to pick up his
own sword. “And even then, I fought in defence; it was a freak accident when he moved forward into
my sword. Achilles, we trained together, grew to men as brothers, fought together: even if it had been
you, I didn’t want your blood on my sword,” said Hector, bringing up his weapon to block another
overhead blow from Achilles, “nor did I want mine on yours. I was fighting for my life too.”
“He was my brother! He came to train with me, under my protection, and you killed him.”

 What are the three tips you have for readers of this interview who are aspiring writers?

1) Start everything you are writing with a question “You” want to answer
2) Be honest in your writing, write what you believe would happen. If your favorite character
dies in the process, so be it.
3) READ. Anyone who thinks they can write, when they don’t read, are deluding themselves.
Reading provides you with the tools you need to write. Read everything.

Thank you, Daniel! This was a delightful conversation. Wishing you the very best for your books.


ABOUT THE BOOK: 

The long siege of Troy, the battles fought over it, and the city's eventual capitulation and incineration are events which have often been retold since their first recitation by Homer. Seldom, however, will they have been narrated with such close attention to the minute particulars of battle, to its reek and terror and pain, as in this startling account by Daniel Kelly. Kelly looks minutely at every detail of archaic combat, as well as at the lives and feelings shaped by it. His Troy is not only a scene of shining glory, but also a grimy struggle for survival and mastery. And he introduces surprising questions: what if not everything in the Trojan war came to pass just as Homer tells us? What if the future of the Roman empire were hidden in the burning ashes of Troy's - and not in the way we might expect?

Buy the book from: AMAZON   BOOK DEPOSITORY


Watch this video where Manu Bennett, who played Crixus in the Spartacus series, Allanon in Chronicles of Shannara, Azoz in Lord of the rings talks about The Fall of the Phoenix