Blogchatter Author Interview Series- Kajal Kapur

Posted by On December 02, 2023 0 Comment
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Kajal Kapur

Kajal is a perpetual dreamer, a mind-vagabond and an eternal optimist.

After spending over two decades in the corporate space, she found her calling in writing and helping other writers achieve their writing goals. Considering that writing is a lonely journey, she found an avenue in Penmancy where writers could share their creativity, ideas, research on concepts and plots and also find support through the community. Making Penmancy a springboard for aspiring writers is her pursuit. Spearheading Penmancy, she has represented various authors and helped them publish their books independently and with well-known publishers.

As a writer, she has lent her short stories, articles and blogposts to national and international anthologies, magazines, websites and is now working on her book of short stories and a novel on the side.


1. Hello Kajal, congratulations for getting published in the recent anthology by Blogchatter. So how are you feeling now?

I am extremely grateful that the story found a spot in the Blogchatter anthology. It was my very first submission ever in the thriller genre which I am not very used to writing. But I am glad it now reaches more people to read it.

2. Thriller…. what place it holds when it comes to your reading taste and why?

I seldom read thrillers. Only if it is highly recommended by my reader friends, do I ever pick it to read.

3. I read your story Memory’s Missing Piece ….. So kindly share how this plot came to your mind?

The case of a girl being violated when she was in a vegetative state can be a shocking premise. I vaguely remember watching something like this, though not exactly the same story, as a young girl. I just kind of used the premise to weave my story around it. It takes the highest level of perversion for someone to attempt what the perpetrator did in the story and I just wanted to share this story.


4. The story as per me was a good choice for a Bollywood short film or even if expanded a bit more can end up as a good choice for a commercial Hindi movie.  Are you somehow highly inspired by Bollywood films? Who is your favorite actor?

I am heavily inspired by Bollywood movies. I am a self- professed movie maniac and love the masala flavour that is so unique to our cinema. My favourite actors keep changing from time to time, so no one in particular is my favourite. I love the process of acting more than a particular actor.

5. Imagine the story picked for the silver screen. Which actors do you want to get cast for the Role of DSP Akash Mathur and ACP Medha Bhist?

The plot may not find many takers for the silver screen I think, but it can be made for OTT. And for that I guess, Karan Tacker as ACP Akash Mathur and Sanya Malhotra for ACP Medha Bisht would be apt. Having said that, I would like to flesh out Medha’s character a bit more to make it worthy of  the acting prowess of Sanya Malhotra.

6. What makes a good thriller as per you?

For me a good thriller is that keeps me on my toes, keeps me guessing and leads me back to the breadcrumbs once I finish reading it. That amps the thrill element for me. I also like it if the characters are memorable and jump out of the setting. I think for thrillers that’s a superlative quality.

7. What are your other passions in life?

I am a learner. I am always awestruck by new experiences, new people and new crafts. I am like a restless child who is always looking for a new engagement. So I guess, learning is a passion for me.

8. What tips do you wish to give to budding authors?

Read more and write more. I think if new writers take on this mantra they can become great at their craft. The idea is not just to write but write something that stands out.

9. Who is your favorite thriller author?

Like I mentioned, I don’t read many thrillers and so I do not have a favourite. I remember as a teen I had read Jeffrey Archer’s books back to back for a while so I guess his writing interests me. I am yet to pick up any of his latest works, though.

10. What is next in the pipeline from you for us to read?

I am slowly but surely working on my debut novel, which is taking a while for now. The premise is done and the layout is ready. My manuscript needs some cleaning up which will be done by the end of this year. And hopefully, I can put some work out next year.


11. How do you rate yourself as a writer?

I am learning, and more often than not, suffer from imposter syndrome. So I take a while to get into the rhythm and find my groove back. Sometimes the muse just does not talk to me so I give it a rest too. As a writer I am hardly exemplary-  I think I am a more of a ‘work-in-progress’.

 

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