It’s my pleasure to welcome author Heena Rathore P. to my blog.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Thank you, Rachel, for having me on your blog.
I’m an introvert who likes to stay at home 99.9% of the times. I’m a movie buff and watch at least 2 latest releases every week in theatre and the old ones at home in the rest of the week. Being a book reviewer I get to read a lot and over all I read around a 100 books every year (or have done so from that last 3 years) – sometimes more, sometimes less.
My writing style is simple; I believe in writing stories that can be read and understood, and hence, be enjoyed by everyone (and not just literary geniuses.) My writing is a bit on the darker side and that is something that I have no reason for as it comes naturally to me. It’s probably the influence of the kind of books and movies I prefer.
How long have you been writing for?
I started writing in early 2014, so I’ve been writing full time for almost 3 years now.
What is your writing process like?
My writing process is quite simple. I generally keep a fixed timing for writing. In the mornings (either early or between 9-12am) but that’s not the case everyday. Sometimes the inspiration hits in the evening or sometimes in the middle of the dead of the night. So I write whenever I feel like it.
All I need to get going is a scented candle (mild one) and absolute quite. I can then write for hours.
Do you have a writing routine? If so, what’s a typical day like for you?
As I said I have a fixed schedule for writing, but that keeps on changing while working on different aspects of the book and also on my mood. But for most of the time this is the schedule I try and stick to – I’m a morning person, so I get up around 6 and make it a point to complete my exercise, yoga, Gratitude practice, and breakfast by 9:00 am. Then I sit for writing on my dining table (I have 2 dedicated study rooms, but the only place my creative mind likes is the dining table.)
I write continuously for 2-4 hours, meditating in between for 5 minutes every 45 minutes. Some days are good, but some days are a struggle, so I make it a point to complete at least 1500 words before getting up from the table. I follow this routine strictly for at least 5 days a week.
Then I read in the afternoons and if I feel like it again, I write for another hour or two in the evening or night again (this happens at least 3-4 days a week.)
Sometimes, if I skip the morning session, I do it in the evenings. Saturdays are mostly dedicated to other things so I write only for an hour on Saturdays. And Sundays are completely dedicated to spending quality time with my husband, so I never write on Sundays, except while participating in WriMos or meeting deadlines.
What motivates you to write?
I am a disciplinarian. The voice inside my head is more than enough to get me through anything, even writing. But on off days, I read stuff about by favorite writers and authors and that seem to work like a charm.
What was the first thing you did when you found out your book was being published?
I cried, a lot! And then I celebrated with a bottle of red wine with my husband.
Are you currently working on anything new?
Yes, I’m presently working on my second novel, Sinister Town. It is a crime thriller with elements of horror and is based on the concept of ritual and cult killings.
If you weren’t a writer, what would your career be?
I guess, Librarian, but I’m quite sure my family wouldn’t have let that happen. So I’ll say that if I would have not left my engineering college for finding the right path for me then I’d still be an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer.
What is the easiest part of writing for you? What is the hardest part?
Easiest part is writing itself and the revising. And the hardest part is the taxing amount of research that goes into a project. Sometimes the research is fun, but after a while researching about haunted stuff and psychopath and serial killers starts to get overwhelming.
What’s one thing you learned through writing that you wish you knew before you started?
Nothing.
What is your favorite book or genre? Is there a special book that made you realize you wanted to write?
I love psychological thrillers and dark fantasy genre. I also enjoy apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stuff. So in general, I like dark genre. I wanted to be a writer since childhood, so there’s no single book that made me realize it as such. I guess it was the effect of the sum of all the books I’ve read in my life so far.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
My advice is always the same: Write only if you have a story inside you. Write if you have a passion for sharing that story with the world, and write only if you actually have the guts to sit down and write.
A lot of people don’t realize it, but writing needs a certain level of self-discipline. And if you think writing can be done without any discipline, then you might be able to write for a while, but you’ll never be able to do it consistently for long.
About Heena Rathore P.:
Heena Rathore Pardeshi is a novelist, novel critic, as well as a book reviewer. She is also an ace social media strategist and an acclaimed YouTube Podcaster. An award-winning writer, she has won several NaNoWriMos and JuNoWriMos since 2014.
Heena also manages her own book club, RMFAO on Goodreads.com.
A fan of crime-thrillers, apocalyptic fiction and slasher movies and series, she draws inspiration from the works of legendary writers such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Sidney Sheldon.
An introvert and free-thinker, Heena prefers neatness over chaos – in her fictional themes as well as in her real life. She has a special place for German Shepherds and books in her heart.
Heena is twenty-five years old and lives in Pune, India with her beloved husband, Vishal – a successful entrepreneur, in a house full of books, music, and love. Heena passionately creates vivid fictional worlds; some to read and cherish, and some to live in.
Connect with Heena Rathore P.:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Goodreads | YouTube
Heena Rathore P.’s Book:
How well do you know your loved ones?
A girl struggling to cope with the murders of her mother and five-year-old brother.
A journalist chasing the ghost of a potential serial killer.
A thirteen-year-old girl who slaughtered her parents.
And a revenge-driven psychopath who is about to destroy everyone’s life.
After 9 years, a young writer is still coping with the brutal murders of her mother and five-year-old brother, as she moves into a house of horrors, unwittingly to start a new life with her lover. Will friends and family be able to redeem Ally out of the impending doom in time? Will her infallible love become the key to the destruction of her already fragile world? Will madness prevail over love; true love over revenge?
Deceived is a gripping psychological thriller that mazes through the deepest, darkest emotions of human mind through the story of a vulnerable girl who treads in the mist of deception bred from a long unforgiven betrayal.
Deceived will be available in 2017.
