Back In Time

~random facts~

I'm beginning to think that this is some sort of a tradition for me, lol. But I've been going through all your lovely comments on this series and felt like this would be a fun update. Over the past two years that this book has been up, I have received many comments and DMs asking me questions about this book and its premise and the like.

I thought, why not address them all in one update? 

I took my time with screenshotting and arranging the questions into pools of  a similar kind, but I've tried my best to incorporate all. 

Well, let's begin then!

* Where did you get the idea for this series?

Aah. I've mentioned this in the acknowledgements page of 'Back to Back'. The first book was entirely my sister's idea. I distinctly remember that day.

We used to live in Mumbai back then and my sister had just returned from office. It was another one of our super animated conversations where she suddenly started narrating a similar plot. I found it super exciting!

It helped that back then, I was looking for some inspiration for it had been a while since I had finished 'I Was, I Am'. And that's when the first book to this series happened.

*Is Vedant a figment of your imagination or have you known someone like him?

So let's see. The physical traits of Vedant and his patent look with the blue denim shirt was inspired from a real IPCC student. I remember that I was about seventeen when I had gone to drop my sister to her CA exam centre.

Didi was obviously revising before the exam; much too busy to talk to me. So to keep myself entertained, I was doing what I love most; observing my surroundings quietly. And that's when I'd seen this twenty-ish guy in a blue denim shirt, sitting on a staircase outside the exam centre with his nose stuffed into a textbook.

I won't say he was super good looking or anything, but that image just sort of stayed in my head and surprisingly ended up on paper when I started writing! :p

As for his general nature and his outlook to life and relationships; unfortunately; no. These qualities and characteristics that I instilled in him were just things that started mattering to me over the two years that I wrote this novel. To this day, I have never met a human; let alone a guy my age; who has a belief system as balanced as Vedant's. His outlook towards gender equality often scares ME to be honest hehe.

*Do you picture yourself as Meera? Do you relate with her?

Frankly, no. I relate with her part about wanting to make something incredible out of her career; but she and I are POLES apart.

I have grown up in a house that is MOST conducive for education; and truly believes in gender equality. Yes, I tend to get selfish when it comes to things that matter to me; but when I care for somebody; I can walk out on anything for them.

And most importantly; I don't ever recall having a self image problem like Meera. Her fear of rejection, of being judged; even though she has a legit reason to feel this way; isn't something I recall having felt often in the past. *hides face*

*Had you planned the plot and the character arcs from the very start?

Absolutely not! I have improvised more than anyone could possibly fathom. Apart from rough outlines of what I wanted to depict through this story, most of it was stuff I created on the way.

*If you can picture yourself with one out of Kanan and Vedant, who would it be?

Definitely not Kanan, for sure. He is too arrogant and self absorbed for someone like me.

As for Vedant...I'm not very sure, but yes, I wouldn't mind being with someone like him.

What about you guys? Who do you see yourselves with? 

*What's the deal with the red Nike backpack? You referred to it in 'I Was, I Am' as well. And then you say you didn't plan the B2B series. How is that possible?

I SWEAR, I did NOT plan this series. It's a creepy, creepy coincidence. And like one of the readers pointed in her comments, maybe this story was somewhere in my subconscious.

As for the bag, lol. There was this guy in school with me who I fancied quite a lot. This was what his bag was like, and every time I think of him; I remember this bag. So...... *hides face*

*The ending was just a tad bit rushed. Any specific reason for it?

To be honest, I really like the ending exactly the way it is and there really isn't anything I would want to change about it.

But since quite a few insist that it IS rushed, I think it could have something to do with the fact that the day I hit publish for the last part of the story, I was waiting for my IPCC results the following day and I wanted to end the story anyhow before that.

My apologies if the end isn't something you all like, but yeah. I'm quite satisfied with it.

*Could there be a fourth book? One shots? A spin off?

I'm not going to rule out any of the above. If 'Unsaid, Undone' can happen FOUR years after 'I Was, I Am', I know myself and I know that ANYTHING can happen.

These were roughly all the questions I have been getting lately. I'm sorry if I haven't replied individually to all. I just started office two weeks ago, and I can see it will take a LOT of getting used to.

Thank you for all the love you all have showered on Meera and Vedant. It means the WORLD to me to see such lovely comments on a regular basis! <3

Hope you all are keeping well in these tough times.

Loads of love, 

~kimayaa a.k.a. Ankita