Damyanti Interview!!!

Hi, everyone!!!

 Two things: 1, I've contacted the winner of Glittering Ashes from The Book Rat giveaway. (Huge thanks to Misty for having me!) So hopefully I'll hear from her soon so that I can get the book to her :)

2: Today, I'm lucky enough to have Damyanti on my blog. I interviewed her some great writing questions, and she gave me some great answers! I know you guys will like it, and Damyanti said she'd be around to answer any questions you might have. So comment away! (Her answers are in purple :) )

1. When did you first get bit by the writing bug? Was there a particular work that inspired you to want to write?

For as long as I remember, I've always made up stories in my head. I never had the courage to write them down...I battled low self-esteem for the longest time in my life, and it took me decades before I could give myself permission to write. I started writing seriously about three years ago.

Every writer I've read till date has inspired me to write, it is just that I did not have the courage to work on that inspiration.

2. What made you choose to write short stories? (I know you mentioned doing it for a challenge last April, but I thought it'd be nice to explain it briefly for people unfamiliar with your book)

Again, I would say lack of courage. I was, and still am, afraid of the amount of time and sustained effort needed to write a novel. I'm convinced I don't have it in me, I'm not good enough. (I don't know if it is wise to admit that, but it is the truth.)

It has sometimes taken me an year to write a short story, so I've been terrified of attempting a novel. Other than that, I find that in short stories I can create an entire universe in a few thousand words, and get my point across: the moment of epiphany, or the ironies in our everyday existence, whatever. I'm now working on a novel (two, actually, but the other is dormant right now). But I'm still more comfortable writing short shorts, like in  A to Z stories of Life and Death, or longer short stories, some of which have found publication in print anthologies.

A to Z Stories was born during the A to Z Challenge created by Arlee Bird and supported by a few other awesome writer-bloggers. I wrote 26 short shorts in the 26 days of April 2011, and on the suggestion of a few of the regular readers, I decided to edit/ rewrite them into a book.

3. How do you get down the words? Pen and paper? Word? Specific writing programs?

I'm a big pen-and-paper fan. I start most first drafts that way, then move to Word on my Mac, then back to pen and paper to write through any knots. I'm thinking of getting Scrivener for my novel(s) because I have a feeling it would help me keep track of different things.

4. Do you try to write during a certain time of day? If so, what time? When do you feel the most inspired?

I write in the mornings---I call it my daily practice. But other than that I write pretty much any time of the day I can wrestle my monkey mind into submission long enough for me to write a scene, or a piece of flash fiction.

5. Do you have another project in the works? Is it a short story collection? A novel? What genre does it fit in?

I'm right now working on a literary short story collection for which I plan to seek traditional publication. My novel WIP is a sort of literary mystery thriller. Of course I keep writing pieces of flash fiction, here and there, hoping they will be part of the next A to Z e-book.

6. What is the best writing advice you've ever received?

It was given to me long ago, by my father. He said: write something everyday, even if it is a grocery list. I've never regretted following it.

7. How would you encourage a would-be writer who's scared to get started?

I would say what someone said to me:
1. A first draft does not need to be perfect.
2. You wouldn't know if you can be a writer if you don't write, so go ahead and give it a try.
3. You'll write crap in the beginning, but that's fine because the crap needs to clear out before the good stuff begins.

8. What has been the best part of deciding to self-publish?

Meeting other writers and book-lovers (like you, Kelley!), and becoming friends with them. This book has brought me more love and friendship than all my three years of blogging, and I feel blessed. 

Another aspect has been the learning curve...and considering I decided to e-publish in order to learn what it is all about, I can declare my experiment successful.

9. What has been the hardest part of deciding to self-publish?

The hardest part would have been the formatting. But it wasn't, because my tech-whiz husband stepped in and formatted the book well enough to get it on the Premium list on Smashwords at the first go, and also on Amazon without a hitch.

10. Are you planning to continue to self-publish in the future or try the traditional publishing route? Or both? And why?

I'll try both.

I've been traditionally published before, and see no reason not to try and get publication that way.

Self-publishing would always be e-books for me, because that is a great way to get to know more people, and get my work out there.

I don't understand the obsession writers have with getting published, first and foremost, regardless of their quality of writing.

To me, the most important thing is to keep writing, improve my craft,  and keep submitting for publication. A writer writes, and then hopes for publication: each rejection is a spur to write more and write better. After all, an established writer is no different from an unpublished one (at least in one aspect) : both aspire to write better and reach a bigger audience every day.

Just want to take a minute to thank you, Kelley. It means a lot that you stepped in to interview me, and spent so much time in drafting such detailed questions. I've tried to be as honest and helpful in my answers as I can. Thanks also to each and every reader of this post. If you have comments or questions, I'm here to answer them.
 

Her Bio:

Writer Bio: Damyanti lives more in her head than in this world, adores her husband, and loves her pet fish and plants. She is an established writer for magazines and journals. Her short fiction has been published in the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Muse India and in print anthologies by Marshall Cavendish, Monsoon Books, and MPH publications. Her book, A to Z Stories of Life and Death, is available for download Kindle Smashwords Nook and Diesel.

Her GORGEOUS cover :)

Where to find her:

Twitter: damyantig

Website: http://amloki.com

Blog: http://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com

 HUGE thanks to Damyanti for taking the time to stop by my blog! I really appreciate it! You guys should definitely check out her book, if only because I love her cover :)

Now, I feel like I haven't gotten a chance to talk to everyone in forever (because it's kind of true), so let me know below how you're doing and what you've been blogging about WHILE you say hi to Damyanti, that is. :)

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Work Out" by J. Cole, because I get excited when this comes on the radio these days. Do you?

Happy reading and writing, and have an awesome possum weekend!!!

Divergent by Veronica Roth: Review, & A Request

Hey, everyone! First, thanks for all the comments on my last post. Really amazing turnout. And big hi's to all of my new followers :)

Today, I want to do a book review, which may or may not be necessary because the book I'm reviewing is practically an addiction for the YA community/blog world. Divergent (Divergent Trilogy) by Veronica Roth.

Blurb (Taken from Goodreads--Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with Divergent by Veronica Roth. This description was taken from Goodreads to promote the book. No compensation was given in return for this review, and I got this book from the library.)


"Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances."

I tried avoiding this book for a while. I first saw it in Wally World; I noticed it because the cover was different than something I'd seen before. I picked it up, got the dystopian vibe, and I put it down.

Then it exploded on every blog I've seen for months. Everyone <3s it something ridiculous, and when I read it, I really liked it too.

It was dystopian, but instead of making the girl a "less than smart" person who has to figure out x, y , or z about her Society that ain't quite right, Tris, the MFC (main female character), in this book was normal, kick arse, and strong. You have to love that. I'm not saying some of the stereotypical elements of the new dystopian thread of YA weren't there, but they were handled in an original way that didn't make me want to vomit.

So here's a roundup of some of the key elements:

The Cover: Major points for being different. Wasn't something that looked like something I had to read, but the cover made me pick it up. I was hypnotized by it, I suppose. Good overall.

The Plot: Good stuff. Really good. I wanted to read it to see what would happen. Roth crammed action, tattoos, friendship dynamics, and romance, along with a maybe-not-so-attainable goal of becoming part of a rather intense group. It may have started a little slow with explaining all of the faction dynamics (you'll see what I mean), but it definitely made up for it after about 2.5 chapters in. The beginning is necessary, and the rest of the plot--intriguing enough to keep the pages turning at an alarming rate.

The Romantic Element: Because, come on, if I'm reading it, there has to be one. Divergent (Divergent Trilogy) was good in this aspect. Four was a great MMC (main male character), and the romance was a slow burn--pretty much the best kind (which I posted about here). You wanted to read the action-y bits to get to see the romantic bits, BUT the action bits were just as good, if not better. The plot made the romantic bits that much more exciting.

Carry-on Factor: Do I want to read it again OR do I want to read the follow-up? In this case, the latter applies, and yes, I will read it. I really want to. Can we arrange for that to be sooner than later? AND, it’s already a buzz online that it's being made into a movie, so jump on the bandwagon, people, so you can say you read the book before you watched the film and blah blah blah.

Overall: Completely worth reading. It was more original than a lot of the options that YA is getting these days. I support the purchase/library checkout. If for nothing else, it'll definitely keep you entertained for the x amount of pages (without lag time in the middle--HUGE plus)

What did you all think of Divergent (Divergent Trilogy)? If you've read it, do you agree with my take on it or what would you change/add to what I've said above? Let me know below!

Note: I decided to change up how I review books. I'm always going to be honest, but the star rating system seems a little harsh (example: Stolen by Lucy Christopher is COMPLETELY worth a read, but my review here may or may not have gotten that across in the best way).

Now to leave you with a song to write by, "Bye Bye Boyfriend" by FeFe Dobson. I <3 the beginning, and I've been known to listen to the first 30, and then start the song over…and over…and over…sorry to all of my friends who have had to deal with me :)

P.S. I'm now looking for book bloggers to review my book, Glittering Ashes (The Dark Artist Series) (write-up in "My Books" tab above and by clicking on link). If you're interested in getting a free ebook copy in return for a review, please let me know below or by email (writtled @ gmail . com---minus the spaces). Also, I really, really (really) want to do author interviews. They seem amazing to me, so also contact me if you want to do something to that ends for your blog post one day. Thank you! And I look forward to hearing from all you wonderful people :)

I'm a Winner. True Story.

I just won a ebook in a giveaway contest by The Ending Unplanned blog. The book is called Being by T. R. Mousner, and it looks really good and has fantastic reviews on Amazon. I'm excited, and when I'm excited, I blog...and ramble...and squeak on occasion. Check it out (at the title link)! And thank you to Rachel Harris (The Ending Unplanned Blog) and T. R. Mousner for having the contest. Yay! :)

BTW, here's a link to the winner's listing page on Rachel's blog. All of the books that she and the authors gave away look really good; so if you've read them and would like to recommend something, comment or email below.