Interview with Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar, author of Love Comes Later

Indie Book Promo would like to welcome Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar to the blog! She is the author of Love Comes Later, a romance that has just been released and she’s here to answer some questions about her book. If this book sounds like something that you would be interested in reading, please use the buy links at the bottom of the post to pick up a copy or two.

IBP – Try to describe your book in one sentence.

Mohana – Abdulla’s grandfather is dying but if marrying again is the only way to be an obedient grandson, he’d rather be an outcast.

IBP – State a random fact about yourself that would surprise your readers.

Mohana – I never learned to ride a bike.

IBP – Do you keep track or write reviews for books you read?

Mohana – I review the books I read because as a writer, I now appreciate how critical they are. Even if a reader doesn’t ever see it, the author will. And that’s the kind of affirmation we all need!

IBP – Do you listen to music while writing?

Mohana – Yes, I love free music services like Pandora or Grooveshark. I create stations and mark songs as favorite. If I’m writing or editing, then the Film Scores station is crucical!

IBP – What’s the hardest part of writing a book?

Mohana – The patience to follow the story to the end. I’ve been stuck before and I know it’s because I’m thinking of finishing rather than how to best tell the story. This happened to me in my first novel that I ever tried to write. I knew more things should happen but I didn’t know what they were. Sometimes you have to put things away and come back to them. I finished the manuscript but I know the story isn’t completely developed. I hope to get back to it this summer.

IBP – How long did it take you to write your current book?

Mohana – Three years! And I still think of ideas of things that could happen to the characters… once you get to know them so well, you can’t help but feel like the story could go on and on.

IBP – Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

Mohana – There’s part of me in all of them. Otherwise they wouldn’t be mine… they’d be someone else. The best part is the mix you get; there’s part of you as the writer but then the organic person you’re inventing who would react differently from you or anyone you know in their unique circumstances.

IBP – What inspired you to write, you took any ideas from other books, movies etc?

Mohana – All my book start with a central question. Something I’m wondering about that I don’t know the answer to. For Love Comes Later it was “how will this generation find love and please tradition?” Following the characters into their adventure is how I get to the answer – at least for this particular set of people.

IBP – Your favorite books and author?

Mohana – Alice Munroe is a master; Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is very, very disciplined and has over 13 books; Stieg Larsson was an feminist inspiration and the fact that he was a man is even more wonderful.

IBP – Which genres do you prefer to read?

Mohana – I’ll read anything if the writing is accessible and I want to know what happens next. I recently discovered a detective series set in the 1970s in Laos written by a British man. That kind of craft and skill is what I admire and am drawn to – though I don’t write thrillers myself and hate scary movies.

IBP – Do you prefer Twitter or Facebook?

Mohana – I post photos of our toddler to Facebook so our friends back home know we’re alive. But my community is on Twitter. I love the humor, the up to the minute reactions on things, the wide net of people you can interact with. I’m an addict!

IBP – Vampires or werewolves?

Mohana – Team Jacob! Werewolves. Even before seeing the movie, I never understood why Bella didn’t go for the wolf!

IBP – What piece of advice would you give to your readers?

Mohana – Be gentle. Publishing a book might seem like the ultimate act of pride and so the public lashings some authors receive may be warranted from that perspective. But most writers I know are regular people who want to tell a story. You might not like it, and that’s totally okay. We want you to tell us what works and what doesn’t. But remember there’s a human on the other side of that screen who probably put years and dollars into what you’re talking about.