Right... Here we go. :)
If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?
There aren't many words that I can use to describe myself. So the one's I can't use are going to be way too many. Top of my head I wouldn't call myself organised, planner or very friendly. Also let's not use sweet tempered or easy to please.
What was your nickname at school?
As boring as it sounds, I was called Ash in school. On the rare occasion I was called by my girlfriend's nickname, Rasna.
When you were a young padowan, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be rich. No, really. That's all I wanted to be. I figured, if I was rich I could be anything I liked. So I dreamed of being a very rich businessman.
What is your favourite quote?
"Life goes on." That has taken me through a lot of downs in life.
"Shit happens." from the JAck Reacher novels by Lee Child. That's a very realistic view of things.
Recently I came across "The world is against me. It wouldn't be fair otherwise." I think that's pretty badass.
I know you said favourite but I tend to get carried away with quotes...
Other than writing, what hobbies do you have?
Reading, obviously. This is more than just a hobby. I don't think I have many other hobbies, it's mainly reading this and that all the time. I like to go on random aimless drives sometimes (thanks largely to living in a country where petrol is cheaper than water). And ya, I play pool weekly with friends.
Tell us something random that we don't know about you.
I am one of the laziest people on the planet. If I can put something off for tomorrow, I'll put it off for the day after.
If you were one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which one would you be and why?
I would want to be Death. I am not a fan of torture and I think the others just make you suffer whereas Death would free you from it. At least in my twisted mind, it's that way. Plus in most pictures and drawing, Death has the coolest horse.
What was the first piece of writing you were ever truly proud to have written?
"Survival". I researched a lot for it, I spend a lot of time on it. Sure, there are a lot of mistakes. But I am proud to have even put pen to paper for it. I have the Pubbers to thank for it.
Who is your all-time favourite Sci-Fi author? How much - if at all - have they influenced your writing style?
This is a tricky one. You see, I haven't really read much sci fi outside of WP. I mostly grew up watching sci fi TV shows and reading action, crime and mystery stories as these were more available in the school library. I liked Jules Verne. I loved his technology with Nautilus and his imagination in Journey to the Center of the Earth and others.
Michael Crichton was a good read. I remember being fascinated by his explanation of scientific breakthroughs and dangers posed by them.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was my favourite though. I really loved Sherlock Holmes. I was in awe of this character and would fantasise about being this really extraordinarily clever and observant man.
Do you have a muse?
Muse... I must confess I am not familiar as to the usage of this word (non-native English speaker here). If you mean anyone who serves as an inspiration, I am not sure. I am not writing a poem or story for someone or based on someone in real life. So I guess, it's a no?
Walk us through your writing process. How do you begin and how do you decide when a story is done? What do you use to write, and whereabouts do you use it?
That's funny. Because like I said in the beginning, I am not organised. My thought process has no structure. More often than not, I would have already planned the ending for the story and made a vague sort of start. The middle process usually takes a lot of time. Most of the times, I write and delete and rewrite whatever I have done. I decide on how I want a story to end and then make sure the steps to reach there make sense. So in effect, I already know how it ends but just need to plan on getting there sensibly.
I jot down ideas on my phone sometimes and write them down properly at home in a laptop. I bought a table just to keep this laptop so that I can start writing again.
Of everything you have written, what is your favourite?
Apart from Survival, I like "Not So Little Anymore" which is a steampunk/fairytale mashup for the sci fi SD a while back. I even used the character Red in another story.
Also there's "A Death in the House" which was written for a sci fi SD round as well.
Come to think of it, these SDs are a good way of getting some serious writing done.
...and what is your fans' favourite?
Fan's favourite has been "Survival". I have been asked to do a sequel since I finished that story couple of years back. I have it planned but never got down to writing it. One day...
We know some of the big authors, Orson Scott Card and Tolkien, for example, incorporate their religious beliefs into their work. Are you religious? If so, do you incorporate those beliefs into your work?
I am religious. But I don't really include or exclude them from my writing. I mean, if I think a certain character might be better developed if I give them a religious or spiritual characteristic, I might do it. Apart from that I don't really incorporate them into my stories or world building. I think if I started then I wouldn't know where to stop. So might as well just leave the world as is: a bunch of different characters, some religious some not.
Was there one idea that you had that didn't turn out quite the way you envisioned it?
Yes, my short "Walker". I really wanted to write that one well. But i rushed it and messed it up so bad that I feel bad for not taking it down. It is one story that I feel that I have not done justice to.
Do you use real life experiences to influence your Sci-Fi writing?
I believe as a writer we all do that. Some consciously, some sub-consciously. But I think we all science fiction-ify our experiences to suit the story ie we keep the essence while tweaking the setting and characters. Even simple day to day experiences like eating breakfast will somehow creep up in our works.
If all SF writers weren't from Earth but were from another planet, what would that world be called?
That's a hard one. I bet you that we wouldn't be able to come up with a name because of all the naming frenzy. Probably have settle for "The Planet".
If you were to gain control of some form of time travel device, where - or when - would you go, and why?
The future! 300 years from now at least. They best have spaceships and flying cars or I'm gonna be really disappointed. Mainly because the future is so uncertain (or so they say) and I'd love to see how it turned out.
Which fictional Sci-Fi Universe is your favourite, and why?
Star Trek universe. I grew up watching TNG, Voyager and DS9. Then I watched TOS. I'd love to be in the TNG universe. Like Picard said, "We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." I cannot imagine a society like that. Ever. Utopian, to say the least. Though later on the series would show us that it's not all Utopia. Nevertheless, it'd be my ideal SF world.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Accelerated healing factor. That'll come in handy with the amount of injuries I get into...
Is there a particular moment in history that you would change if you could, regardless of the consequences?
That's scary. Any little change might result in a big disaster or even a turn for the good. I remember this alternate history story where someone went back in time and killed Hitler before his rise to power but that didn't mean that the Nazis didn't come to power, just that a more ruthless and cunning man came to power and succeeded in killing his enemies of slowly and meticulously. But given an option I think I would stop the Atomic bombing of Japan. They may have surrendered anyway and the loss of life might have been avoided. But you never know.
Alternate History SF gives us the chance to imagine that event, or events, played out differently to the manner in which they actually did. Why do you think SF writers find such a thing appealing?
"What if?" This is a fascinating concept to explore for writers. More so for alternate SF writers. Challenging history and actually taking it in another direction. I envy the writers who do that, who spend so much time researching and writing about this 'what if' scenario. SF has always been about being one step ahead of the world. What better way than to challenge the established history of the world?
Any words of wisdom for new and aspiring writers?
Never stop. Keep on going. Yes, people will tell you that it's shit but keep on writing. There is nowhere to go except up ie you can only improve. Read a lot. Reading is a writer's best ammo. You read, you develop, you learn. Then you get to use that knowledge in your writing. Don't back down. Good luck.
Well, this has been fun. All the best to you folks at TK. Keep it coming.