Author's Interview with Anindya Ghosh

Before we dive into our exciting conversation with today’s remarkable author, let’s start by getting to know the creative mind behind the diverse and captivating stories.

1. Could you please introduce yourself to us?

Well, I started my career with a long initial stint in advertising. It was time for me to then shift to writing scripts and making films which was what I had been doing till 2018. Thereafter, I offered my services to two production houses, one based in Mumbai and the other in Kolkata as content head. It was in the beginning of 2024 that I felt like returning to freelancing again. I was about to limit myself to films which had been my area of specialization for a long time. But then suddenly this idea to write a novel popped into my head.

2. Congratulations on your book! What inspired you to write it?

Being in advertising and then filmmaking, I had been creating for others all this time, be it clients or producers or channels or platforms. But now I wanted to create for myself and the readers directly. And being primarily from the world of fiction content, I pinned down on a simple uncomplicated idea for my first novel.

3. What is your book about?

The book is mainly about this character called James Small, who hails from a once wealthy lineage and craves fortune without effort. In pursuit of his ambitions, in the early 1900s, he flees his dull English life, sailing to India as an illegal immigrant, where his charm hides his excessive  ambitions. Driven by greed, James resorts to ruthless crimes to protect his secrets - secret about his true identity, his past, his journey till then. In India he not only manages to get himself a high-powered job earned through lies and deceit, but also gets entangled in a passionate affair with his boss’s daughter Delnaz, As James gets pulled deeper into danger, simultaneously his past begins to catch up with him eventually. With the shadows of his crimes beginning to close in, and with the police on his tail, James faces a deadly reckoning — can he escape those shadows once and for all, or will his dark choices consume him forever? This is what IN THE WAKE OF SMALL LIES is all about.

4. Why did you choose this genre for your book?

Fiction has always been my strong point and I have always found myself intrigued by the pre-independence era in India. I have often spent hours and days on end going through picture books and journals that talked about those times. So when this idea of marrying my love for fiction with this time period popped up in my head, I was all game. The genre is a suspense drama to be precise.

5. How long did it take you to complete the book?

Slightly more than three months, not including the re-editing and proof reading parts.

6. What makes your book special?

The time period in which the story is set. To me that is the most special part. I loved doing the research for that.

7. When can we expect your next book?

I had started writing my second book even before publishing this one. But this time it will be a non-fiction. While writing my first book and researching regarding sales, distribution and readership, I realized that that I have much more to offer readers than mere entertainment. 

If I can share problem solving methods and ideas based on my own experience over the years, and if it resonates with even a hundred people across the globe, then maybe the purpose of our existence comes to fruition when that happens and positively affects the lives of others. This is what came to my mind, as I was writing my first fiction novel. Books act as a great medium in offering solutions to many in magical ways. And few are blessed to write them. So why not use that blessing to touch more lives than one can individually one by one.

8. Did you experience writer’s block while writing? What advice would you give to others who face it?

Of course I did. Most authors do. I am no one to advise, but I can only share what I do in such a scenario. I normally go about doing other things like binge watching on OTT platforms etc. and just leave it to the universe to provide downloads for getting out of the rut and moving on. And it happens, like magic. Then I start writing again.

9. Besides being a talented author, what are your other hobbies?

Reading books of course is top of the list. I am a foodie and love eating out whenever I can. Travelling on my own is another thing I love doing once in a while.

10. Last but not least, how did you feel during this interview?

Excited. I enjoyed letting the world know a little more about me and what I intend to offer my readers on this newly begun journey of mine. 

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