Amit Nangia, who has been working in a brand marketing team in a leading MNC for over13 years, is a traveler by passion and a writer by choice and explores the hidden shades of life through his writing. Climbing the rocks, gliding in a parachute, bungee jumping or making cocktails; nothing could elevate his spirits as much as writing did.
He wrote his first fairy tale at the age of seven. He completed his first book in 2011. After facing numerous rejections for three years, he was left disheartened. It was when one of his friends inspired him to write for a Pan India Short Story Competition which he eventually won, Amit decided to continue his love for writing.
Interviews
An Interview with Amit Nangia, Author of Killer in the Shadows!
March 30, 2015
We interviewed author Amit Nangia to find out about his debut book entitled Killer in the Shadows!, released recently, and which has been getting rave reviews. Amit also described a new concept of books called Quickies and his writing plans for the future. Read on to learn what the man himself had to say who also shared some tips on writing crime fiction.
Welcome to e-Books India, Amit! We’re thrilled to have you join us for this interview. Writing is something you’ve done since childhood. Can you please tell us some more about your writing journey, and about the ups and downs you’ve experienced along the way?
Being a Punjabi, born and brought up in Delhi, telling stories came naturally to me. I used to make up stories all the time and everyone believed me. But it was not until 2011 when I submitted my first manuscript and waited for the publishers to respond, I guess they already had too many stories on their plate. I got really inspiring replies “You writing is very good but we already have many manuscripts in the genre in which you have submitted.”
I started another book but did not submit it to any publisher. The passion to write was still alive but the passion to submit wasn’t.
Srishti Publishers called me in, for my first book that I had submitted to them. But by that time I had learnt a lot more about writing, about the Indian audience, about the changing literary landscape and I was full of ideas. I presented my ideas to the publisher and the rest is history.
You’ve recently had published a story called Killer in the Shadows!, a crime fiction book. Can you please tell us what this story is about?
This is the first story in the series DARING DOROGA. The protagonist of the story is an audacious cop, Inspector Abhay Pandey.
The story can be simply explained in three words: A threat, a murder and a secret.
When a mysterious murder points finger towards the next victim, Naina, our Daring Daroga will leave no stone unturned to find the killer and save the belle.
Killer in the Shadows! is a story that falls under a new writing concept called Quickies. Can you please tell us a bit about what a Quickie is and what it was like to write one?
Quickies are a new concept in books. They can be considered books for the future or fiction re-defined. They are easy to read, can be conveniently carried around with you and fit into your pocket. They are like the Twenty20 cricket of books; the type of books that can be read on a short vacation trip before you’ve even reached your destination!
It was a great experience to write the first book in the Quickies series. Writing is a great way for me to express myself and pen down my creative imagination.
Your story Killer in the Shadows! is a part of the DARING DAROGA series. Have you started writing any other stories in this series? If so, how is it going? Can you please tell us when we might expect to see the next instalment in this series?
Yes, I am already working on the next book in the DARING DOROGA series. Before we step into the New Year, you should get a chance to see the next book in the series.
I have also written another book in the Quickies series named Criminal Masterminds. The book is titled Catch me? No you can’t! Crime fiction has two aspects, like the two sides of a coin. While the DARING DAROGA series focuses on how a law enforcement officer solves a mystery, this book focuses on how a criminal breaks and manipulates law. This book will be available in April 2015.
From your experiences, can you please share 3 pieces of advice to budding writers who want to pen a crime fiction story?
1. Content is the king: You need to have the capability to create good content as it is the heart of writing.
2. Intrigue: If content is the king then intrigue definitely becomes the queen. You should build enough intrigue, create twists and turns in the plot so that no one can guess the mystery till the end.
3. Protagonist: A crime fiction reader usually associates strongly with the protagonist who is going to solve the crime, so it is very important that the character is brought to life in the best possible way.
How can people find out more about you?
I am extremely active on Facebook: facebook.com/amitnangiaauthor and facebook.com/quickiesbooks.
You can also write to me at [email protected] or visit www.quickies.co.in.
