Saravana Kumar Murugan Interview – Friendship – Bonds Beyond Time Book

Saravana Kumar Murugan is the contributing author of several anthologies that include “Uff Ye Emotions 2”, “31 Crimes”, “A Little Chorus Of Love”, “Love Stories Around Us”, among others. He also is the compiler and editor of the books “Friendship- Bonds Beyond Time” & “Colors- Shades Of Life” by Shades Publications. His poems have been published in several online magazines. He is the Marshal of Blog-a-Ton, the online marathon of Bloggers; where bloggers decide a theme and write on a monthly basis. He writes under a pen name “Someone is Special” at “Few Miles– shortlisted as one of the Top 12 Creative Blogs of India in 2014”.

Apart from writing, he is a senior software engineer at Wipro by profession. He is graduated B.Tech in Information Technology. He has won Best Campus Joinee Award, Technology Innovation Spark Award for his work. He has also won Top 12 Creative Blogs of India in 2014, Winner of more than 25 contests in blog-o-sphere. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India but currently residing in Hamburg, Germany. Let us know more about his writing in his own words.

Thank you, Nikhil. It’s a pleasure to be interviewed at WriterStory.com 😀

What inspired you to start writing?

Dreams. I am a big dreamer. When I was 16-years-old, I first penned a poem titled “Sorry” for my dream angel, and from that day onwards, I wrote free verse, rhymes, fictions and real life stories, most of them being romantic ones.

What did you like to read when you were a boy?

I like reading poems and short stories. I have read a lot of Poems and Short Stories both in English and Tamil in my childhood. And that’s what made me fall in love with writing, my first love ♥

What is the greatest challenge in compiling a book?

The biggest challenge in compiling a book is to select the best stories. It is a tough job because you are not just rejecting an entry, but also denying the happiness one get when they get published. At times, it hurts a lot, when I had to reject a good entry just because it is 0.1 point less than the selected ones.

I have written three books (still in draft version), the biggest challenges I faced are… when to show and when to tell, when to narrate, and when to converse. I wish someday soon or before I turn 30, I edit them properly and get it published!

How much research do you do before writing the book?

A lot. Be it a short story or a book, I do a lot of research before writing. Say, for example, if you want to write a thriller or a horror story, and if you are ready with the plot, then you have to research a lot about the plot to make it appealing to the readers.

If I am not wrong, when I wrote a short story titled Stranger a few months ago, I imagined a ghost in my head and rehearsed/lived with the ghost for a few hours. I even listened to a lot of ghost sounds that night. Believe me, it scared the hell out of me and I could not sleep at all. Similarly, when I write a story involving diseases, I usually discuss with one of my blogger friends Sulaiman, a medical student to clear my doubts.

Remember, a writer is a researcher!

What motivated you to compile the book “Friendship – Bonds Beyond Time”?

Sachin, The Publisher, a good friend of mine, wanted to release the second title of his publishing house on Friendship Day. He chose the theme “Friendship” and signed me as the compiler and editor of the project. Unfortunately, we could not release the book on Friendship Day because of the wonderful printers who never understood the word “deadline”.

Friendship itself is the motivation for the project!

Can you tell us more about the book “Friendship – Bonds Beyond Time”?

True friendship is defined as a natural and spontaneous reaction towards a person with unconditional love and ultimate support to a person in all areas of life. A true friend is the one who stays with you when the entire world rejects you. A true friend is like a mirror who reflects the real you to you. In this unpredictable world of twists and rough roads, a true friend is a blessing, a rejuvenating factor, and is always fresh. Friendship- Bonds Beyond Time cherishes such true friendship, and this collection of 25 short stories on Friendship, handpicked by me, is a dedication the all true friends in this world.

How did you come up with the idea of compiling an anthology of short stories on Friendship genre?

As I said earlier, Sachin initiated the idea of compiling an anthology of short stories on Friendship and I took it forward. If you see in the market, most of the anthologies are of genre love, romance or crime. We do not want to follow the suit. Hence we came up with an anthology of short stories on Friendship.

“Friendship is the only relationship in the world without any actual blood relationship. No expectations, no compromises. And true friendship stands across ages.”

Who are your favorite authors?

I have a long list of favorite authors. I have listed the names on all my sites and social networks many times. Instead of listing the same again, I wish to list the names of my favorite authors from this book. They are:

1. Aashi Dahiya, the author of SCARLET’S ROSE.
2. Prachi Agasti, the author of THE SCARLET TINT OF YELLOW ROSE.
3. Anmol Singh & Sanjana Radhakrishnan, the author of CAMARADERIE.

How much time do you dedicate to writing on a daily basis?

One hour to two hours per day. It depends upon my mood and the amount of work I have to do.

What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?

Write, read and rewrite, because only practice makes you perfect. When you write, do listen to your heart, as it will help you write heart-touching stories instead of mere bestsellers.

Message to all the book lovers

I like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends (it’s a big list) and readers for supporting me no matter whatever I wrote in all these years. I wish to see the same support in future. Do read the book Friendship- Bonds Beyond Time and share the feedback with us. I am sure it will encourage all the contributing authors.

You can buy his book now: