Interview with Author Poorwa Kholker
Poorwa Kholker is a mountain-loving, dance-crazy consultant, with a passion for writing. The fervour with which she writes can only be compared to the ardour she has toward her family. Poorwa is currently living in Goa with her husband Gautam and her young son Varad.
- Tell us something about yourself.
I am a passionate writer, and I pour a lot of my own life, as well as that of the people I meet along the way in my books. Being a young mom, and a working professional doesn’t really leave me with much time to write these days, but I still try to squeeze in whatever words I can here and there. Haha!
My family has been a strong support system for me during my struggle to get published, and my parents, husband, and sister are the blessings I could not imagine life without.
- What compelled you to write this book?
I wanted to write a series of short novels, that revolved around everyday problems we face in today’s time. Life’s hiccups, weight problems, career issues. Swing In The Park is the first of those series and deals with the failures today’s young adult has to grapple with as they struggle to find a foothold in life.
My main character, going by that standard, is a complete failure in life, but realizes that instead of being shunned by friends and disowned by family as she had thought she would be – but I’ll let you read about it instead.
- From how long have you been writing this book? What challenges did you face while writing?
I started this book in 2015 when I was a stay-at-home wife for a brief period. It took me the better part of half a year to write the story, and then another half year more to refine it. My husband and sister are my biggest critics. They keep pushing me to better my writing, the plot, the overall feel of the book.
As a writer, facing writer’s block is the biggest bane you can be presented. There was a point in my book, when the main character returns to her home, and the move so exhausted me mentally, it took me over a month to get the plot moving again.
- What is the most memorable moment for you throughout the journey of the book?
My sister presented to me a series of questions about the main plot half-way through my writing that had me doubling back on the story. What she questioned was so valid, it changed my entire layout. From the turn it had taken toward being a romantic novel, and I steered it back toward being a self-realization kind of book, which was what I had wanted it to be.
If not for her, Swing In The Park would have been a sappy read.
- Is writing your hobby or passion?
It’s a passion, which I cannot describe, no matter how many words I may try to use. It’s a burning within me which stirs me to pen down whatever thoughts come in my mind. I have always had an over-active imagination, haha! Writing is just an outlet for those thoughts which run rampant in my mind.
- Are you planning to write again?
I already have several completed manuscripts waiting to be published, and some other half-written ones, which are just waiting for me to get to them again. So yes, writing is definitely my future.
- Do you believe that when author dies a reader is born?
I cannot say. I never did understand the phrase. But where the role of the author is over, the role of the reader does begin.
- For you, what is literary success?
People loving my book so much, they write back to me to tell me how much they enjoyed it. THAT is literary success! Financial success, social success—those may or may not happen. But the reader actually relating to the character, immersing themselves in the main character and reading the book in an unputdownable manner is what I would define as literary success.
- Do you have any piece of advice for the budding authors out there?
Read a lot. As much as you can. Let your own imagination run wild. Reading will get your language and grammar right. Your imagination will fire the words from your mind. The resultant union is beautiful!
- What it’s like to be with 24by7 Publishing?
24by7 Publishing has been a solid support through my publishing journey. Right from the editing to the numerous cover changes that I have requested, the 24by7 Publishing team has been there for me with regular updates on the book. I’ve waited 4 years to publish this book, but the four weeks it took for the book to be in print seemed too long, and the 24by7 Publishing team seemed to get that, and that was the biggest support I could have asked for.
Book available on multiple platforms:
24by7 Publishing Online Store: https://shop.24by7publishing.com/product/swing-in-the-park-by-poorwa-kholker-fiction/
Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/swing-in-the-park/p/itm1e149a793dbc1
Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B08L9CZTVY
Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LNGHVTJ
Snapdeal: https://www.snapdeal.com/product/swing-in-the-park/684291619065
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