Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Chandrayan Gupta. I’m a 25-year-old author and full-time writer. Technically I have written five books, but the first three have been unpublished, so currently I am a two-time author.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Reason to Fight, which is a rewrite of the first of my original three books. It’s a crime thriller – well, nominally; it spans a variety of genres – that follows a fractured detective and her new clinically depressed assistant as they try to determine whether the death of a television actor’s son was a suicide or a murder. I decided to rewrite the original book because it had a stupid name (Birth of a Duo) and the writing was beyond amateurish, since I was 19 at the time, but I still stand by the story and the characters, and felt they deserved a better book. As for what inspired the original book, I have always been a fan of crime thrillers, and I had not come across many female protagonists or realistic depictions of mental illness. Given that I have a devious mind, a deep desire for more gender representation in fiction, and more firsthand experience with mental illness than anyone ever should, it felt like the perfect storm.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I’ll write at any time of day, in any position, on any device – although I prefer my laptop – and with both a growling or bursting stomach. I suppose the only unusual writing habit – or writing habit, period – I have is that I need music. I need music that matches the mood of the scene I’m writing, and I need it on full volume. I always feel distracted, even uneasy, when writing without music, like something’s missing.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a few. John le Carré, for his succinct yet evocative prose; Charles Cumming, for the way he infuses random events into his scenes – like a couple arguing next door, or a child running into the protagonist’s leg – that make them feel more immersive and realistic; Karen Cleveland, for her masterclasses in creating suspense; Lucy Foley, for her complex yet never convoluted whodunnits; Arundhati Roy, for her grounded and realistic portrayals of compelling characters; and AJ Finn, for creating in Anna Fox the single most compelling female protagonist in modern literature. Each of these writers has something to teach about the different ingredients required to write the perfect thriller.
What are you working on now?
The sequel to Reason to Fight, titled Fate Misnamed.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I absolutely suck at marketing, so I’m not the best person to ask. I stick to Instagram, because there you can post pictures and videos of your book. As for the best method, giveaways are my go-to, or the free promotion option on KDP Select.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Ignore the voice in the back of your head that says you will never be a good writer, that people will laugh at you, that no one will buy your book. Every writer has that voice, even the best ones. It’s not your friend.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
In general, it is to keep on keeping on, because this too shall pass; for writing, when Hemmingway said writing is sitting at your typewriter and bleeding. That quote reminds me to be vulnerable, give it my all, leave nothing on the table.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently re-reading The Woman in the Window, because AJ Finn has released a new book, and for whatever reason, I feel compelled to re-read his first before moving to the second, despite them not being sequels.
What’s next for you as a writer?
There’s a fairly long WhatsApp message I have to write tonight. Beyond that, I am focused on completing the Radha-Aditya series, which will consist of 7 books.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn.
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