In Conversation With Harish Penumarthi

So yet again I am back with another interview. This is in commemoration of 54000 views of Lavender Orchids. Cheers! Keep supporting and keep viewing my page.

Hi Harish,
I just finished reading your book and here I am asking you the most common question:

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I was born in Chhattisgarh and brought up in Jamshedpur. I stayed there for quite some time. I’ve spent most of my school life there, after which I moved to Visakhapatnam. I completed my schooling from the same place and then completed my higher studies there. My Father works in Jamshedpur and my mother is a housewife. I was not someone easy to deal with as a child and my parents had a tough time raising me up.

2. What were you like at school?
I was one of the backbenchers. I hated studying and loved playing. I was an expert at lying and used to fool my teachers quite often regarding my incomplete homework. I was mostly the first pick for a teacher to ask a question and was often punished for not giving the relevant answer. I was too shy as a kid and had very few friends. This continued for a long time.

3. What are your ambitions for your writing career?
I want to write stories that have an impact on the reader’s mind. It can be in any way. Like for instance, my debut book is about school life. Those were unarguably the best days of our lives. But life has become too busy to reminisce those days. I want to make sure that the readers recollect or relate to some situations from those good old days. I don’t know if I have been able to do that or not, but I will make sure that whatever I write in future gives the readers something to relate to from their personal lives.

4. Which writers inspire you?
My favourite is Durjoy Datta. I like the way he narrates and most of his stories feel realistic to me.

5. Give us an insight into your main character (referring to ‘Raghav of Blemishing the Odds’). What does he do that is so special?
Raghav is a mess. He does all that he shouldn’t be doing as an ideal child. He forays into wrongdoings. That is what I believe humans do. They do not give it a second thought and indulge in things which allure them, no matter how wrong they are. For someone like Raghav, who is losing the sense of right direction, to realize it and mend things in a proper way (at that tender age) is something that eventually matters.

6. What are you working on at the minute?
I am working on the next manuscript.

7. What’s it about? (*if relevant)
It is going to be a sequel to the first book.

8. What genre are your books?
My first book is a Romance-Drama.

9. What draws you to this genre?
There is something about this genre that mesmerizes me. I believe that a romance drama can be relatable to anyone who reads it. It may not have a striking resemblance to every reader’s life but it does draw a parallel at one point.

10. Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your most recent book?
Wow, I never went that far. I think Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. They are my favourite.

11. How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
I still have a very long way to go. Reading other books only broadens the horizons for me. I read a book and just can’t help appreciating the author for their work. Everyone around us is quintessential in his/her own way. Seeing them, I always feel that I need to work harder.

12. What is the hardest thing about writing?
I find it very difficult to choose an apt title for my stories. I generally come up with foolish names.

13. Do you proofread/edit all your own books or do you get someone to do that for you?
Initially, I do it to the best of my ability. Someone else does it for me later.

14. How can readers discover more about you and you work?
They can visit my page on Facebook by clicking on the link – Facebook

They can also buy the book by clicking on the following link – Amazon

It was indeed a pleasure knowing you, Harish. I am sure you will achieve all your dreams. Keep working hard and keep writing. Best wishes!

**For interview related queries, please drop an email at [email protected].