Sanjeev Kotnala is the author of ‘Chimera Of Lansdowne’. He was born in 1963 in Lansdowne, Uttarakhand and has always taken a keen interest in the other world. He is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and works as a Brand and Marketing Advisor, coach and facilitator. His style of writing is includes adding his personal experiences to his professional experience and his writings can be found on the blog ‘Perceptions Adultered with Reality’. Currently he lives with his family in Mumbai and a very interesting fact about them is that he refers to his children as P1 and P2 standing for Prateek and Preetica.
Chit Chat Session
Kindly enlighten our readers about your debut book, ‘Chimera of Lansdowne
The lives of five residents of the sleepy little town of Lansdowne in Uttarakhand is loosely connected. They have all been at the receiving end of independent unexplained experiences. Their past is intertwined with their present and maybe the future, in case it exists.
They can only succeed collectively by joining forces. However, success is one of the many possibilities. They don’t know the unseen. They have no idea what the Chimera of Lansdowne is. They must explore the only direction they have.
Will they come together to take advantage of a once in a lifetime alignment of celestial bodies? Time like always is limited. Will they be able to connect all the dots and find the key? Will they succeed in breaking the cycle?
How much research and efforts were required on your part to complete this fiction book?
The book ‘Chimera of lansdowne’, is a work of fiction. It is based in my native state; Uttarakhand and the town ‘Lansdowne’ where I spent my childhood. So the locale and details are well known. Hence, there was no need for any detailed research, but I have attempted to write it in a way that the reader must be able to visualize the place. It has taken me more than four years from initial concept to book release.
What according to you is different about your book?
I am not really concerned with uniqueness. It has to be a story well told. But, there are two points I will like to share. One, the characters are all so real that the reader will end up identifying with them and their idiosyncrasies. Two there is a pleasant twist in the story. It is tough for the reader to anticipate the end
The book is written in short chapters that are standalone in many ways and yet are part of the chain of incidents that make the complete story. So you can read it at your pace. However, I believe once you cross chapter -3, there is no way you are going to put it down..
How do you manage writing along with your profession?
Writing demands discipline. I followed the well-documented process of initially creating a mind-map and then writing at least 1000 words a day without working for corrections or sequence. Once that was over I then started stitching it together.
The final phase required me to drop
everything else, and give the book constant attention. Kept myself
open to suggestions and input while sharing it with friends I respect
and expect to provide uncoloured feedback. I am indebted to these
friends for their contributions.
What is the most fulfilling part of writing this book? And what is the most challenging?
Once the story manuscript went through the edit changes. It was a feeling of relief. Then there was a level of heightened anxiety during the pause, the time between finalization and printing of the book. Holding the first copy of the book was like holding a baby. You are creatively and emotionally attached to it. It’s a brilliant feeling. However, publishing requires discipline, passion and courage. Once you are in the public domain, you have to be open and willing to accept all comments and reviews.
Self Publishing vs Traditional Publishing, which one do you prefer and why?
I think all of us would want and prefer Traditional publishing. Self-publishing is always an option, not the default mode. I have also been through these doubts and issues and finally took the plunge. I have a story that I had to share in its pure form.
Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?
Believe in your idea and be disciplined to treat Book writing as any other project in your life. Make writing a habit. Write down the whole story first without bothering for the right words and formats, grammar or correction. Then devote yourself to cleaning it up. Again giving self a deadline is essential. Avoid getting trapped into the process of perpetually correcting the draft. Somewhere you need to stop. Otherwise, without realising you will move away from the original.
What is the next book that you have planned?
Next is a love story called ‘ENCHANTING NEELI’ and a non-fiction book titled ‘BRAND-I’. I think the Love story will come out first.
