Book review for Fraudster can be found here.
Tell us something about yourself.
There is precious little to tell.
I’ve been a regular reader for over 40 years, reading anywhere from 2 to 20 books a month. With my turning to writing on the wrong side of 50, I have a problem. My expectations as a reader are mature and far higher than my abilities as a rookie writer. That often leaves me frustrated. But there is the fun part too! It feels like I’m back in school, learning a new skill. And guess what?
There are no exams!
Great! So, How did you shift from management consulting to writing?
I began planning for a shift about four years back, when I decided that I would move away from a single full-time role to multiple part-time ones. The idea was to be able to do a larger basket of things, including teaching and writing. A full-time corporate role, especially at senior levels,leaves very little time for other activities.
How did the Idea of writing Fraudster come to you?
Very simply, it was an experiment. I wanted to see if I could write something that the Indian reader would like. I had earlier experimented with epic fantasy (as Kevan Dinn), but soon realised that it was not popular in India. I decided to try crime fiction, and set it in an arena I knew well – corporate India. Rather than make it a plain murder mystery or a thriller, I wanted the story revolve to around banking and fraud.
When we think of banking fraud, what usually comes to mind are things like credit card fraud, phishing, account hacking, etc. But the real elephant in the room that few talk about is loan related fraud. I looked around and realised that nobody had written a novel about that.
Who is your favorite character from the book?
I never really thought about it, but it’s Varsha, I guess. If I had a daughter, I would have liked her to be like Varsha. But personally, I relate best to the characters of Visht & Subbu.
Is there anything you would like to say about the book for those who have not yet read it?
If you like mysteries or thrillers, or are interested in speculating about how things can go wrong in corporate India, consider reading Fraudster. Readers of all ages can read the novel; it is free of profanities and sleaze. Except for a couple of mild intensifiers, the language is clean.
What are you currently reading?
Niall Ferguson’s Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World.
Which are your personal favourite books?
In crime fiction, I’d include all Sherlock Holmes and Poirot stories, And Then There Were None, The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, Sphere and Congo. In SFF, it’s Lord of the Rings and Asimov’s entire Robot/Foundation Series. And in humour, it’s almost any Wodehouse (I am partial to Blandings Castle novels).
What’s next for you in terms of writing?
I will continue to write in both genres in the foreseeable future. Right now, I am working on a corporate thriller that is set in the Indian stock market.
“This interview is a part of The Readers Cosmos Book Review Program and Blog Tours. To get free books log on to thereaderscosmos.blogspot.com“
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