When a bestselling author from Goa pens The Green Army of China—a shocking exposé of a top-secret Chinese project—she unknowingly sets off a geopolitical earthquake.
An intercepted message—“Assassinat# Author#ss”—sends shockwaves through intelligence circles in China, India, and Israel. As elite Indian commandos scramble to protect her, the mystery deepens: is she really the target, or just a pawn in a far deadlier game?
In a world where espionage, deception, and hidden agendas rule, Assassinate Authoress is a pulse-pounding thriller that takes you from the quiet corners of coastal India to the darkest corridors of international power. With richly drawn characters, sharp political intrigue, and unexpected twists, this story grips you from the first page and never lets go.
- What was the initial spark or inspiration that led you to write this book, and how did the core idea evolve?
If I respond now, then my answer will serve as a big spoiler for later books in the series. Yes, I planned a series. I will give a more detailed response at the conclusion of the series. However, here is a teaser clue though: discerning readers will be able to piece together pieces of the story jigsaw from this book itself.
I can, though, reveal that there were inspirations within the primary inspiration and ditto for ideas. Beware! Because there may be a few spoilers, albeit harmless, coming up. I thought why not use this platform of writing fictional books to embed other matters that I believe must be addressed and course-corrected, or highlighted, or, in some cases such as Time-related, just for the fun of it.
Matters such as abuse to women. This is unacceptable. So, I inserted this in my book. I also strongly believe that the cottage industry must be promoted, so I inserted the ‘Gurgulet’ (pronounced Gurgulay) in Chapter 2. As a toddler, and even now, I guess, I learned a fair bit from taking deep dives into the oceanic knowledge that my parents’ leather-bound Encyclopedia Britannica volumes offered. This translated to introducing trivia tidbits in places. For example, Dragon General’s thoughts stray towards time zones and the baffling China Standard Time, the incongruence of the full form for the UTC acronym. Gosh! The list of sub-inspirations and idealets is endless. There! I may have just invented a word - Idealet is an idea within an idea. Word play also fascinates me.
- Could you walk us through your writing habits—do you follow any routines or creative rituals that guide your process?
Sure! To the first of the two questions: I get an idea. I jot it down. Irrespective of where I am. Sadly, for me, though, is that I have also forgotten to jot down many an eureka bit of inspiration. I make sure that I read as many news headlines as possible. Then I think of ways to connect the dots.
The main thing for me is to put pen to paper, or in the modern day context, fingers to the keypad, and write, or type. The story then begins to metamorphose from a nascent, embryonic, swirling storm of thoughts to a well fleshed-out work of art.
To the second question re process: Yeah! I prefer to start the day with meditation and nature baths, and then sit down and type, type, type while cross-checking stuff on the internet. I find it singularly important to switch off my mobile to avoid distractions.
- The characters in your story feel very vivid—were they inspired by real people, or did they arise entirely from your imagination?
These have evolved purely from my imagination. However, I have met and observed countless people through interactions, books, the TV and films. I have also done a course in counselling, and read a few books on psychology and psychiatry, all three of which have helped me get deeper insights into the fascinating human mind. Each mind is different. Not only that each mind reacts differently in different situations and at different times. So, perhaps I may have unconsciously and unintentionally used a quirk of a person in one place, the reaction of another in a unique situation, and so on.
- What drove you to explore themes like trust, betrayal, and geopolitical manipulation in your novel? What do you hope readers reflect on?
Hey! I cannot reveal too much because each one (reveal) will constitute a spoiler. On a macro-level, though, I can say that in the book, the fictional national and military leaders have so much faith and belief in Dragon General, that they are absolutely convinced that he would not have issued the kill order to eliminate the authoress. The only obvious alternative for them to conceive is that someone, or some rogue organization, is creating mischief between India and China, the earth’s two most - and unfortunately so for the planet - populated countries. In turn, my utopic, nirvanic hope is for people to make global peace happen.
- How did you approach developing the immersive settings and environments in your book? Did real places or historical references play a role?
I start with a place I have seen and, or, experienced. Then I build around that and create the setting and the ambience. And, yes, I do draw inspiration from real-world locations and historical events. While I will not delve too deeply into this (to avoid spoilers in later books in the series), I can reveal that occasionally I think about the physical attributes of an imaginary place and its primary functions, and research to check if similar places exist. Therefrom it is an exhaustive, yet exhilarating, research effort.
- In a genre filled with recurring tropes, how do you manage to stay original while still meeting reader expectations?
Hee! Hee! An excellent question! I just stay original and write. Since the Almighty has blessed me with a fertile imagination, I would like to believe that I have not (yet) faced any challenges in putting my unique spin on familiar elements.
- The tension and pacing in your novel keep readers hooked—what techniques do you use to sustain momentum throughout the story?
Sure! First and foremost, I keep writing and writing and writing (or, typing and ….). Then I identify evolving sub-plots and stories within the larger framework of the book that could potentially stand alone. In the next step I identify pieces of the story jigsaw, and lay these out in a sequence that reads like a big tale which has several layers to it.
- Given today's fast-changing digital landscape, how do you see storytelling adapting, and how do you ensure your stories connect with modern readers?
The short answer is I hope in the traditional sense by way of mouth. In today’s hyper-connect, technology driven, invisible googolplexsphere, this translates to readers informing each other via available media platforms. A secret - I have hitherto stayed away from creating accounts in a fair number of such platforms quite simply because I do not have the bandwidth. FITB! Now that is no longer a secret!!
For the curious:
A googol is 10 to the power of a hundred, or 10¹⁰⁰!
A googolplex 10 to the power of a googol, or 10¹⁰¹⁰⁰!!
Yeah! Mind blowing!!
And,
FITB - Fill In The Blanks. The acronym is used in some places in my book, and will be used in future books, to avoid the use of profanity. (-)
Buy your copy of “Assassinate Authoress” on Amazon today—and dive into a world where the line between fiction and reality is razor-thin and deadly.
