Could you talk about your writing career journey and what led you to write ‘The Black Flames Trilogy’?
In 2020, it was an uncertain and decisive year for everyone. Everyone took the plunge. Everyone wanted to know ‘what I can do?’
Writing came naturally to me. I started writing, the response for good. In 2020, I started writing short stories. I wrote a couple of stories. In April 20221, I started writing poetry. In January 2023, the goal was to write 3000-word short stories. A friend then urged me to write 5000 words and she gave the topic as noise. I wrote 75000 words, this was surprising for me. I never knew that I had a single book in me. I knew I had all the text for the next two books too.
Could you talk about the genre of your book?
It is a mystery thriller. The plane falls from the sky. I wanted it to be a little unnatural and unique that why I created the flames as black. I did research this and found that flames can be other colours also. Black Flames are possible.
Could you talk about your favorite books?
I am an avid reader. I am very fond of Kavita Kané. I like Kate Quinn – The Alice Network. I love her voice. I love the way she writes. Initially I used to read more mystery thrillers then I also started reading romance.
Could you talk about your own self development process as you wrote this trilogy?
It has been very profound. It has been three years that I have been writing books now. I am able to embrace my own emotions. I gave the first draft I wrote to my friends. They said readers connect to the emotions of the characters in the book. Writing this with the emotional arc gave me better grasp over my own emotions.
I do believe there is a writer in each one of us. Writing these books definitely changed me.
Could you talk about point of view?
I did not know there was something called point of view when I started writing. It just happened. I wrote in the third person point of view. Something was happening in my head, I was recording the story as it was forming. In the first book itself I get into multiple point of view. The characters had their own arcs and their own journeys – they deserved their own point of view. I have given them their space.
Could you talk about your key writing influences?
There was no specific writer who influenced the book as I was penning it down. The story was flowing through. I was reading Julia Quinn and that influenced the romantic angle a bit. I was finding my own voice. I do love many authors, but I cannot say any author inspired me to write this book. The story is about a miracle cure. The whole story is that a miracle cure exists.
You follow the Nam Myoho Renge Kyo practice. Could you talk about the influences of Buddhist psychology in your book?
In Buddhism it is said, “when a great evil occurs, a greater good follows.” In the story of the Samudra Manthan, Amrit (the nectar of immortality) comes out and so does Vish (poison). It also boiled down to changes and transformation. The book is about Kiara’s transformation. In the book Kiara starts as a scared damsel in distress but she changes.
My Buddhist philosophy pulled out the writer in me. I could not have been a writer at all if it was not for the practice.
I feel we as humans are not black or white. We are all grey.
There is a concept in Buddhism called Fundamental Darkness. Each of us has a Buddha in us and also the Fundamental Darkness. For most of the book Nichiren Buddhism helped me recreate the Fundamental Darkness. From Fundamental Darkness, we have to move to Buddhahood. That is our highest potential.
It is a pure mystery thriller with angles of romance. Buddhism gives you more perspective. You are able to focus on and pull up your life state. From Fundamental Darkness we have to go into Buddhism. We don’t know how much potential exists within us.
Could you talk about Indian writers getting international recognition?
Banu Mushtaq won the International Booker Prize. It was a proud moment.
Speaking of Banu Mushtaq whose writing has words from Hindi, Urdu etc, could you talk about the language base of Indians?
Indians are linguists. We speak at least two languages. That gives us an edge. It refines you. I speak Hindi, English, French and Japanese. I write only in English. I have written a few French articles for my blog. I relate to English the most and Hindi is my mother tongue.
Could you speak about how you plotted and structured your books?
When I started, I did not have any plot in mind. It was pure instinct. I never had it in mind to be a writer. I sought solace in writing. Poetry also happened as therapy. I learnt how to swim by diving into the water.
Book link: https://tinyurl.com/The-Black-Flames
Author page: https://www.instagram.com/authorishitanigam?igsh=ZXlyOHE2MmR6bzNj
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