Harini Srinivasan- For me, she is a beauty with a brain, besides having excellent creative sense. It’s an honor to get the chance to interview her, and during the session, I was just wondering how can one be so talented. Honestly, she is an inspiration, for many like us who wish to go big without losing the elegance of feminine quality.
She is passionate about History, Literature, and Performing Arts. She is a blogger, and that also makes her an inspiration for the budding bloggers of the industry. She writes a blog on classic Hindi films and books.
Hello Harini, Welcome to this interview session. Before we go ahead, I will insist you to say something about you, your family, and your life in school. Also tell us something which very few know about you.
Thank you. My husband, son and I are all fond of books and cinema. We often are found reading books or watching a movie. Schooling was in Delhi – Mount Carmel School. I was fairly studious and obedient – back those days. Quite a missed opportunity there. Though I write rom-coms, I hate romance as a genre. Not many people know this about me. Or the fact that I had a massive crush on Stefan Edberg and Steve Waugh during my growing up days.
You expanded your writing in multiple genres starting from Romance to Children’s book, from historical mythology to murder mystery and many more. Still which genre you will love to call as your favorite when it comes to writing.
Historical fiction – any day. Better still historical detective fiction. This is the genre I both enjoy reading the most and writing as well.
Is it your desire of becoming a fulltime creative person that made you quit your career as a civil servant or its something else?
Ha ha 🙂 I wish I were a fulltime creative person. But no, I am not. I have a full time job in the private sector. As to why I quit my erstwhile career in the civil services, it was ages back and the reasons back at the time had been compelling enough to do so.
What level of research and homework do you need to do before writing historical fiction?
A fair amount. I think I read up for more than 6 months to begin with before starting to write the story that became The Curse of Anuganga. The research doesn’t stop there. During the writing process, often with each scenario that is created, I find myself going back to validate whether such a scenario was plausible in that period. Even now, after 5-6 years of constant reading up on the Gupta period and writing 2 books set in this era, I still don’t feel like I know much about the period.
Shadows and Secrets – The Pataliputra Conspiracy – please share a brief about this new book?
Circa 403 CE. The glorious city of Pataliputra, ruled by Maharaja Chandragupta Vikramaditya, is beset with a series of murders – mainly of foreigners and some of the city’s elite. Mahakavi Kalidasa, in his role as the head of the kingdom’s intelligence network is investigating it. Meanwhile, Shaunaka, a guptachara the Mahakavi had inducted in far away Nandivardhana, arrives in Pataliputra, looking to pass on a message to a respected minister. He finds himself pulled into the events unfolding in Pataliputra; and he assists Kalidasa in figuring out the mystery behind these deaths; and in the process uncovers a secret from the past.
When it comes to reading which genre you love reading the most and why?
Historical fiction, and that too historical mysteries. For the genre combines two of my interest areas – history & mystery.
I am sure that there are many people from whom you got support while drafting the plots of Shadows and Secrets… how do they contribute to making this book happen for you?
Definitely, My writing buddies who listened to me and kept me going each time I was stuck – and believe me, I was stuck many a time during the course of writing this book. And then there were some friends who were my beta readers. They read the initial drafts and gave me their honest feedback. My editor and the entire team at my publishers – they were behind me like a rock through the process. And finally my family – for their unconditional support.
There are many budding authors in the industry, what will be your suggestion for them?
Read extensively and write consistently. That is the only way to hone one’s craft.
Who is that person who inspired you to write or whose writing inspired you?
As a voracious reader, it had been a childhood dream to write. A writer whose writing has definitely inspired me would be Kalki Krishnamurthy.
Who is your creative work’s best critique?
Some of my close friends and my husband.
Who are your favorite authors and why?
Kalki Krishnamurthy, Sunil Gangopadhyay, SL Bhyrappa, Kate Quinn, Kate Morton – these are a few names that come to mind.
What are your passions in life?
Reading, writing and old Hindi music.
You are into blogging also… so for you how different is blogging from authoring books?
Ha ha when I used to blog, which itself was some years back, it used to be about old Hindi music, movies and books. I started blogging to become more confident about writing and putting my thoughts out there. Even though my books are all fiction – and help me express my creativity. I found it tough to stick to a schedule while blogging however, I do stick to a regular schedule when I am authoring books.
Express yourself as Harini Srinivasan in One line.
Not one line but three words that describe me are friendly, versatile and adaptable!
Leave a Reply