Author Interview: Niranjan
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Tell me a bit about yourself. Who are you and what do you write?
Oh dear, must I? I’m the most boring person you’ll ever meet. I have no conversation at all. But I do know how to write, and my worlds and characters are much more interesting than me. (I hope).
I’m Rari who writes fantasy and sci-fi as Niranjan, Hindu Mythology-based fantasy as Geetha Krishnan, which is my legal name, and everything else as Rari Rajesh.
What’s your favourite genre? Is it the same as the one you write in?
Fantasy all the way, and yes, most of my books are fantasy.
What do you do for inspiration?
Is that a thing? Most of my ideas come from dreams, and sometimes from the CDramas I watch. Nothing specific, but like, what if this character was related to that character and their story was not this? kind of thing.
How do you approach building your worlds?
I don’t. I’m a pantser, so everything is just handwaving, and I polish things and make them consistent during the edit passes and add more handwavy stuff too.
What comes first? Characters or plot?
Oh, characters to be sure. They just don’t shut up, and then I know I have to write.
What was the hardest thing you’ve ever had to write?
The Jaya! series, to be sure. I love Hindu Mythology, but my interest in writing it waxes and wanes, and I wrote book 1 while it was in a waxing phase and I was surrounded by a group of people with the same interest, but then, it waned. I knew I would have to pick it back up at some point, but I kept putting it off. Even now, my mytho love for writing is on a waning phase, but I still forced myself to write the three remaining books, and they turned out good too!
What’s your favourite/least favourite thing about the writing process?
I love writing dialogues but hate descriptions. Seriously hate them. I suck at writing them, and my descriptions always feel too artificial to my eyes. No one has complained yet, so I guess maybe they’re not that bad.
Are you able to share any short snippets from the cutting room floor?
Brain freeze. The cutting room floor is very cluttered right now. Let me see… This is from Blade Broken, a scene that didn’t make it to the final book. Not that short either:
The room fell silent, and Bertram was conscious of the eyes on him. The crack of Lord Hathaway’s nose breaking seemed to echo in the quiet. The man himself was on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose. Bertram’s knuckles were raw and chafing but he didn’t care, his eyes meeting the other man’s steadily.
“Let that be a warning,” he said clearly, his voice loud in the silence. “Keylin is my future wife, and Alaric is my friend. Anyone who speaks such calumnies shall get worse.”
Uncomfortable shifting of eyes followed, and Bertram raised his chin, eyes sweeping the room, pinning the ones who had been whispering just moments before.
“Keylin and I have been together for years now, and she would never be unfaithful to me. I may not have known him for long, but I know enough to know that Alaric is more than all of you put together: a gentleman, one who would not take advantage of a woman in his power. Don’t judge him by your standards!”
“We heard-” someone began, whose name Bertram didn’t even know.
“Heard from whom?” Bertram demanded. “Unless you heard from Keylin or Alaric, everything is just hearsay and a pack of lies. Dare you repeat this in front of Alaric?”
Eyes shifted away, again, and silence reigned once more. It was broken by the sound of slow clapping, and Bertram turned to see Percival.
“He’s right,” Percival said calmly. “Alaric grew up with my brother, and I know him as well as anyone. He would never, ever take advantage of any woman, and especially not a slave.”
Bertram’s eyes widened at the unexpected support.
“And I know Keylin well,” a woman spoke, young, about the same age as Evie and Keylin. Bertram didn’t know her name. “We went to school together. We were never friends, but I know her character. She is not the kind to cheat. She’s honest and straightforward. You all should be ashamed of repeating gossip like mindless fucks. Like Lord Sartho said, it seems that you are judging others by your own standards.”
What is your absolute favourite piece of your own writing? Could be a short scene, a bit of dialogue, a character or even the tiniest piece of worldbuilding.
Brain freeze. My absolute favourite till now is a scene from The Deathless Ones. It was the first high fantasy book I’d written based on an original idea, and the first high fantasy book I’d published under my Niranjan pen name. I pantsed it, as is usual with me, but there are a few scenes in that book that makes me smile even now. I know my writing has come a long way since, but that book is always going to be special.
What are you promoting at the moment?
Right now? I’m promoting my latest release Blade Broken. It’s a book on which I worked harder than any other, and I’m so so proud of it. I want more sales for it, for more people to read it. It’s not life changing, but you’ll be definitely entertained!
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