interview

Apr 03 2016

Interview at Views & Reviews

I’m honored to be on Views & Reviews for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on Views & Reviews.

Please tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, it’s a real pleasure to be here.

I just turned 38 years old on the 13^th of October. I was born and brought up in India, and live in Mumbai with my extended family. I’m a mother of three wonderful kids.

I love Nutella and coffee. And I write books.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of travelling to magical worlds and exploring fantastical places found only within the pages of a book. Almost all the literature I read as a child had some element of fantasy woven through it. Those were the stories that stuck with me and encouraged me to write fantasy.

As a mother, I have the added opportunity of exploring these wonderful books again. Right now my children and I are reading the Magic Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton, my absolute favourite books.

Full Interview on Views & Reviews

Mar 27 2016

Interview at serenastone

I’m honored to be on serenastone for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on serenastone.

This or That?
TV or Movies? TV
Hot or Cold? Hot
Black or White? White
Night owl or early bird? Night owl
Print or E-book? E-book
Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla
Regular or Diet? Regular
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Horror or Romance? Romance

Full Interview on serenastone

Mar 13 2016

Interview at The Angels Pearl

I’m honored to be on The Angels Pearl for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on The Angels Pearl.

1. What inspired you to write The Last of the Firedrakes?

I started thinking about this story nearly ten years ago. Building the world of Avalonia, whenever I got time. The actual world creation started with a tapestry in my grandmother’s house. One day I stood before it and wondered, what if I could step into the tapestry, where would I end up? And so the world of Avalonia sprang into existence.

From then on, the person who stepped into the tapestry was a young 16-year-old girl who didn’t know who she really was, her name was Aurora, and this is her story.

JK. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, C.S. Lewis’ Narnia Chronicles, Roald Dahl’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Diana Wynne Jones’ magical worlds, Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland books, Ursula le Guinn’s Earthsea Quartet and J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan are some of the books that have in some way contributed towards my love for magical adventures and fantasy worlds and inspired me to write fantasy for young people. These books, including many others, inspired me to write a story that would combine the best of all I had learned, and so The Last of the Firedrakes started to take shape.

2. In the writing process, who was your favorite character and why?

I would have to say Rafe. He is the quintessential hero, the knight in shining armor, but mysterious and dangerous with secrets of his own. I think the hardest part of writing his character is to show how he feels through Aurora’s eyes. We can’t see into his head and I wanted the readers to discern his emotions just like Aurora has to.

Full Interview on The Angels Pearl.

Mar 06 2016

Interview at Reading with AngelaRenea

I’m honored to be on Reading with AngelaRenea for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on Reading with AngelaRenea.

A warm welcome to the lovely Farah! Let’s start with some inspiration, Who or what inspired you to become an author?

I have always enjoyed great literature, and the range of authors that have inspired and influenced me throughout the years is quite vast. From Homer, Shakespeare, and Milton to Jane Austen and Enid Blyton, I’ve enjoyed them all. But in the past few years I’ve been fascinated with the prospect of creating fantasy worlds and exploring them with the characters I have created. Books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, The Earthsea Quartet, The Magic Faraway Tree series and Harry Potter with their wonderful worlds and fascinating stories really influenced the way I looked at storytelling.

Which authors would you say have influenced you most and how?

Enid Blyton, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K Rowling. All their books have a magical wonder to them, and at the same time the worlds are so beautifully crafted that you feel like you want to live there. Creating the world of Avalonia was how I started writing this book, I wanted to create a world that readers would love to live in. The characters and plot grew from there.

How long do you generally let a story idea ‘marinate’ in your brain before you start the book?

A while, it needs some time to change and grow. So I write down notes first, and then start writing.

Full Interview on Reading with AngelaRenea.

Feb 14 2016

Interview at A World of Books

I’m honored to be on A World of Books for an interview. Read the excerpt below and check out the full interview on A World of Books.

1. What inspired you to write The Last of the Firedrakes? Did the story change as you wrote it?

For this particular book and series, it all started nearly ten years ago, with a tapestry in my grandmother’s house. One day I stood before it and wondered, what if I could step into the tapestry, where would I end up? And so the world of Avalonia sprang into existence.

From then on, the person who stepped into the tapestry was a young sixteen-year-old girl who didn’t know who she really was, her name was Aurora, and this is her story.

The story changed a lot, actually. As I wrote it the characters kept changing and having their own personalities. That influenced the plot in many ways.

2. Are there any parts of your book that you love and other people do not like or vice versa?

I’d have to say this would be Aurora’s character. I think her naivety and trusting nature is endearing. Some people find her silly and immature, but I don’t think she is. She does have a curious personality and that’s what gets her into trouble.

3. What kind of music do you listen to whilst writing or do you prefer silence?

Most of the time I prefer silence. But sometimes I listen to music. It can be a variety of songs, but wherever Rafe is in an action scene I like to listen to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. 🙂

Full Interview on A World of Books.

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