Mommy Adventures With Ravina Kurian: Author Interview

Friday, 6 September 2013

Author Interview – Sarah Daltry

What’s your greatest character strength?

For me, kindness is the most important thing we can share with another person. There just isn’t enough kindness in the world. I give a lot of myself to help other people and I want to make people happy. That’s what drives me more than anything else and I’m proud of the fact that I will stand up for kindness and decency, even if it ends up meaning I’m the one who gets hurt.

What’s your weakest character trait?

Unfortunately, because I’m kind, I tend to forgive easily. This lets people walk all over me and take advantage of me – and then I get hurt. It’s a positive trait to look for the good in people, but I can be naïve and too trusting.

Why do you write?

I write because there is a lot of noise in my head and it’s the only thing that quiets the noise.

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Marketing. 100% it is marketing. With ebooks and self-publishing, you can go indie today and still be successful. Writing is tough, but with hard work and commitment to craft, you can finish a book. But getting it out there? Finding readers – and the right readers at that – is nearly impossible. It costs a lot of money to promote and even then, that may not lead you to your audience.

Do you find it hard to share your work?

I do. I put a lot of myself into my work and there are a great number of people who are happy to tear other people down. It’s scary to be that vulnerable.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick?

Well, I have had my fair share of university! I spent a lot of time in school. I have multiple degrees – in English, reading, writing, and art history. If I went back, though, I would have picked something more practical.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

London or New York. I love cities and they’re the two most vibrant cities. I would prefer London, because I like that I can breathe in London. New York built up and London built out, so I like that part of it. However, as an American, New York is more realistic.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

Braxton Cole. She has been incredibly supportive. She beta reads for me, offers advice, helps choose cover images, and basically just rocks! She’s been incredibly supportive and there have been times I’ve needed a boost.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

For me, success would be calling this my career. I have no delusions of wealth or grandeur. I just want to make a livable wage that doesn’t involve trying to write between jobs.

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

Forget Me Not is a college romance (with very steamy sex scenes) about a young girl, Lily, who goes away to school as a freshman while she’s in a long term relationship with her brother’s best friend. She’d had a crush on him for years and while she was still in high school, they hooked up and now they’re in a serious relationship. Unfortunately, Lily goes away to a different school and starts to wonder why she feels like she’s losing him. I wrote this because college was an important part of my life. I spent a lot of time in school and it’s still really significant to me. College is a lot of fun, but it’s hard. You have to figure so many things out and you don’t have the structure of high school to help. When you’re a teenager, you have teachers and your parents and your friends to help guide you. Once you move out, especially when you move away to school, you are on your own. Figuring out who that person is inside of you can be so challenging and I wanted to explore that.