Author Interview + Giveaway(IN Only)- On a Drive With Life by Ankit Kumar

Hey guys!

 Today we have with us Ankit Kumar. He is the author of On a Drive With Life. Do keep reading for his interview. Ankit has also generously offered to give away TWO copies of his book to two lucky Indian readers.

Summary-

On A Drive With Life!! 
Is a collection of short stories that includes love, tragedy, adventure, horror, separation, regret, desire, satisfaction, happiness and all the varied emotions. As the name suggests, the collection aims at taking the readers on a drive with their emotions, such that they share the emotions of the character. Their feelings are being portrayed as a part of the storyline, that they may have underwent at a certain phase in their lives. We all have been a father, a son, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a lover and we all had been ambitious, full of desires, had break ups, faced an unexplained encounter with the supernatural or have heard tales of a breathtaking adventure.  The stories revolve around the concept that how a small misunderstanding or a mistake can ruin lives with tremendous impact. The essence is to stir the emotions of the reader with unexpected endings along with fun and entertainment. As a collection, the stories are designed to provide a fascinating experience such that the readers clear down their memory lanes and indeed go On A Drive With Life!!

AUTHOR:

Ankit Kumar was born in Patna, Bihar, the first son of Anil Sinha and Sudha Sinha. He spent his childhood in Patna where he completed his school from St. Karen’s Secondary School and Gyan Niketan. He went on to complete his B.Tech in Information Technology from Amity University, Noida in 2012. Of the few interesting hobbies he has and beyond all the weird stuffs he does to live his passion, wandering alone, though how weird it may seems, was the most alluring for him. Well of course, it kindled numerous ideas for his stories. Inspiration from his father did wonders and he lashed all his shakiness in English to find interest in writing. He started writing when he was in 11th and authored numerous articles. He has also penned a novel which will soon get published. His work in school and college magazines drew tremendous praise. His writings have got recognition through his blog ankitdriveon.blogspot.com which has been a massive success. 

Though he will always be a homesick by heart, he lives and works in Pune. If he is not working on his novel, you can find him reading, playing cricket, watching TV, or indulging in his unhealthy addiction to hanging out with friends.

Author Links:

Blog  Twitter  Facebook  

INTERVIEW:

1.       Tell us a little bit about yourself

I was born in Patna, Bihar, the first son of Anil Sinha and Sudha Sinha. I spent my childhood in Patna where I completed my school from St. Karen’s Secondary School and Gyan Niketan. I went on to complete my B.Tech in Information Technology from Amity University, Noida in 2012. Of the few interesting hobbies I have and beyond all the weird stuffs I do to live my passion, wandering alone, though how weird it may seems, was the most alluring for me. Well of course, it kindled numerous ideas for my stories.

Though I will always be a homesick by heart, I live and work in Pune. If I am not working on my novel, you can find me reading, playing cricket, watching TV, or indulging in my unhealthy addiction to hanging out with friends.

2.      Tell us about your book, On a Drive With Life!!

On a Drive with Life, as a collection of short stories, was a concept that passed my mind some 4 years back. Slowly, but with dedication I have added into the collection. The collection includes love, tragedy, adventure, horror, separation, regret, desire, satisfaction, happiness and all the varied emotions. As the name suggests, the collection aims at taking the readers on a drive with their emotions, such that they share the emotions of the character.

The book “On A Drive With Life!!”is a collection of short stories. The main purpose for it was to put forth stories that portrayed the readers as the character. So that the readers feel being the part of stories, knowing that they also have been at those circumstances during various points in their lives. So as the name of the book goes, reading over will give them a breath taking experience where they will have their own flashbacks and rollout on a drive with life.

3.       What inspired you to write your book?

It has been a long and wandering journey of over half a decade. Writing blogs, articles, stories and then “On A Drive With life!!” was never going to be easy. I was fortunate enough to find help and support from my father Anil Sinha, the Editor of Times Of India Mr. Rajkumar, My teachers like Mr. Parveen Sharma and friends Vidya Nair, Rohan Mundle, Surabhi Dangi, Himani and the list goes on.

I have been involved in writing this book for quite a sometime. The inspiration was the idea to not imagine ourselves as a character of the book. But to feel being there and read it as it was aimed to be written; the story of you!

4.       Are any of the characters in your book inspired by someone you know or are they complete results of your imagination?

A writer can never portray a story or depict an emotion if he cannot feel it. While going through the book, the reader will realize that the stories convey our day to day lives. Characters share a bond with them and that their emotions are presented in a unique way. As said before this is a story of all of us which will take you to flashbacks and you will feel being on a drive with life!

5.       What kind of research went into writing your book?

The stories aim at portraying the emotions, circumstances and lives of the reader that he may have underwent at various points in his life. And at the same time I had to convey through the shocking endings that whatever decisions he took in his life was the requirement of the moment. So he must be proud that wherever he may be, he is at a better place. And for that I had to recall, listen and talk to people, know their experiences and their regrets and then go on with the arduous task of palpating those emotions. It was not an easy task to consolidate all those into one and at the same time stick to the message of the stories. But I hope I will be able to connect with the readers.

6.       Tell us about the whole publishing process and how it went.

Publishing a book is as challenging as writing it. But again there is no satisfaction of achievement until you struggled for it. The book was praised and admired at various publishing houses, but either their slots were booked or they were not interested in moving on with this new idea. Indeed it is always immature to have a grudge for that, it’s their opinion and surely I have my own. I had sent the copy of it to many houses and fortunately it got selected by my publisher. And it is from here where all the excitement begun. From deciding the cover pic, to the font, to the pages, to the releasing of the book by His Excellency Padamshree Governor Dr. D.Y Patil and then becoming an instant hit among the readers. And I must say the process as a whole was both challenging and exciting.

7.       Who are some of your favorite authors and what are some of your favorite books?

Dan Brown, J.K Rowling, Sidney Sheldon are some of the authors who tops my list. And I love all of their books.

8.       If you could read only one book for the rest of your life, what book would you pick and why?

I will definitely choose anyone from Dan Brown’s. I will prefer unraveling the codes and mysteries to keep myself engrossed whenever I read.

GIVEAWAY:

Ankit has generously offered to give away TWO copies of On a Drive With Life to TWO lucky INDIAN readers.

The giveaway is open to INDIA ONLY.

Enter through the rafflecopter below or go here.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks everyone! Happy reading :)