About Rahul Balaji:
Rahul Balaji has always been passionate about storytelling. His favorite genre is fantasy and aspires to revolutionaries Indian Fantasy fiction genre. He considers himself an encyclopedia of myths and legends. This is his first book.
He believes that our “desi” folklore and mythology can be a great source of inspiration for many-many supernatural tales, sadly we have never tapped into it.
LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it and its content.
Rahul: Book Title- The Bagheera Chronicles: The Tiger King
The Bagheera Chronicles: The Tiger King is a paranormal romance; escapism from the harsh realities of life. The character of Vanraj and this book came to me when I was at the lowest point of my life. In fact, I actually started believing that I was cursed. What commenced as a mere extension of my curse turned into something more. As I filled Vanraj’s life with hope, love, and magic, it mysteriously began to reflect upon me too. When I reached the end, I knew I wanted to tell this story to the world.
LiFT: When did you realize that you want to be a writer and what’s your inspiration behind it?
Rahul: I guess I have always been a storyteller; it is only in my second year of college that I finally realized it. The fact that stories can instigate hope and happiness in our troublesome life was the greatest inspiration of all. I have always found solace in fiction when reality began to bite.
LiFT: What do think about the literary world and what are your expectations from it?
Rahul: I don’t have any expectation from anything as I am somebody who doesn’t think too much and take things as they come. I write for myself. It heals me from within. If it manages to bring a smile in somebody’s life, then it is a bonus. I know it sounds selfish, but don’t we all write for ourselves first and then think about others.
LiFT: How much do you think marketing or quality of a book is necessary to promote a particular book and increase its readers?
Rahul: Nowadays, a brilliant marketing strategy has the ability to turn a mediocre book into a bestseller. Unfortunately, the quality of the book has taken a back seat, which is one of the greatest woes of many good writers. We have become so used to mediocre writing that we don’t recognize good writing.
LiFT: What is the message you want to spread among folks with your writings?
Rahul: That there are hope and magic all around you. That they are one and the same. You just have to sincerely believe in it for it to work. If I have to pick something from my book The Bagheera Chronicles, then I would say- If an ordinary teenage boy can find a way to tackle a 300-year-old curse, then you and I can very well survive our mundane lives.
LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?
Rahul: I am a writer by passion and by profession. So yes, I just write. I love doing that and when I am not writing, I read. That’s who I am. I know that sounds boring, but it’s the fact. Although I am trying to learn some acting chops and making comic strips, it’s just a start.
LiFT: What are the activities you resort to when you face a writer’s block?
Rahul: I indulge myself in things such as reading, playing with the dogs in my street, and taking a walk or a long drive. I generally talk to my best friend about it, tell him the story or the plot and the problem. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it gets me out of the block. If nothing works, I put myself in the shoes of the protagonist and think- what kind of twist would shock me or what problem would break me or what would make things exciting for me? So on and so forth.
LiFT: What if your story will be adopted as a movie? Whom would you want to work as a director or actors in it?
Rahul: Wow, I haven’t given it so much of a thought. My book The Bagheera Chronicles is fantasy fiction/paranormal romance; I feel it’s not something everybody would like. In our country, there are hardly any movies made in this genre. I don’t know which Bollywood actor would like to play a weretiger. Ha-ha.
LiFT: What are your future plans?
Rahul: As I said before, I take things as they come. I always have short-term goals. Right now, all I want to do is complete the Bagheera Chronicles trilogy. Screenplay writing is something that I am very interested in and would like to pursue it. Maybe do a short course in it.
LiFT: What are your suggestions to the budding writers so that they could improve their writing skills?
Rahul: Well, I am still a newbie, but one lesson that I have learned from my editor is that your writing must show more and tell less. If you are able to spark your reader’s imagination, then it means you have done a good job. Also, don’t overdo the descriptions; it’s quite irritating for many readers.
