Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #3 (3 of 3)

A showcase with @VeraChendra, author of Ribbon

1 what inspired the idea of your story?

 I wrote this during the lockdown. A lot of things were happening at that time and I suddenly had some extra time so I decided to write for fun. The more the wrote, the more I wanted to tell a story. So I came up with Ribbon during that time. It was cathartic. 

2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story?

 The thing I struggled with is pacing and consistency. There were a lot of times where I had to go back and rewrite chapters because I didn't like the flow or it didn't fit in well with the pacing of the story. 

3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

I loved creating my characters. If was the best part of the writing process. I got to mold them from nothing and breathe life into them. I cherish them very much because they're mine. I guess in a way they're my comfort characters. 

4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers?

So  far there hasn't been much response because I just published it so I'm hoping that in the future more people will read it and like it. I don't mind if they don't comment or vote, I'm just happy that they gave my story a chance to read.

5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series ?

 I created this story to be self contained. I don't think I could write more about it because I only planned this far. 

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story?

To the reader who read my book, I'd like you to remember that it's okay to ask for help and you're surrounded by people who adore you even if you don't realize that they're there. Life can be pretty bad at times, it'll chew you up and spit you out but there's always going to be people there to help you get back on your feet. 

7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?

This is something my mom told me when I was a kid. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Writing can be intimidating sometimes especially when you get writers block but you gotta find a way to motivate yourself. When you put too much pressure on something you love, it's no longer fun and enjoyable. Just write for you. Write a story as you want it to be, don't wrote for someone else. 

8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself?

Meera and Ivan are my main characters.

I think some people will criticize but I decided to make Meera Indian because I'm Indian. Growing up I didn't really read that many books with Indian characters as the lead, so I guess I made her Indian because I can relate easier that way to her and her experiences. Her race doesn't have much to do with the plot, I just wanted her to Indian. Personality wise, she's different than me. I'm a cynic and Meera tries to see the best in things even when life is horrible to her. She has a kill them with kindness attitude that I couldn't do.

Ivan is a little different, he's been through a lot of messed up stuff and I think the thing I share with him is his ambition and stubbornness. Ivan is a person who has routines and he hates breaking them and I relate, I need to plan things put before I execute them. He's a very ruthless type of character and he has everything meticulously planned out.

If I have any similarities with both of these characters it would the compassion we have for those we care about, we'd do anything to help the people who mean the most to us. 

9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?

 It's not a typical type of story, especially the romance aspect. I hope they'll like the world building and characters. I'm a big fan of show not tell so I hope that will engage readers to find the small details I've sprinkled in there. 

10 do you have any future projects?

 I have the bare bones of an urban fantasy book that I hope I can publish one day. It's called The Rusted Sword and it's about triplets who are witches.