Author Interview with C. Phillip

 

Hello, everyone. I have a treat for you today. I interviewed an awesome author. Her name is C. Phillip. I've had her and her books in my newsletters so I had to come up with some new questions to ask her lol. So here they are. I hope you enjoy her answers and give her books a try! They are awesome!

Please tell me about your books. I noticed you have 2 more on your website. Please tell us what they are all about.

The Last Nautch Girl is my self-published debut novel. It's Book 1 in my historical fiction and murder mystery series, set in different cities of colonial India, featuring Indian classical dancers, British investigators, vigilante justice, serial killers, diabolic villains & much more. It follows the story of Mrinalini, a native ex-dancer in Kolkatta, who is secretly providing shelter in her home to five young men accused of the murder of Major Harold Armitage. Fiercely patriotic and hot-blooded, the men regard Mrinalini as “Didi” and trust in her completely while waiting for a means to escape from the city. When Captain White arrives at the Gold House seeking answers to the bizarre murder of his superior, Mrinalini must chose between love and duty. Available on Amazon. Book 2, The Last Temple Dancer, is based some 30 years before Book 1. In 1860, Charles Brown, a young explorer from England arrives in the mysterious town of Matapur in the west coast of India, looking to uncover the secrets of the ancient Goddess Temple. Inadvertently, he is sucked into a serial killer’s diabolical plot and cannot escape until he solves the mystery surrounding the temple. The only person who holds a vital key, that could possibly save his life, is Renuka, a retired temple dancer with dark secrets of her own. Currently, this book is in the editing phase. The publishing date is still to be confirmed. Both books in this series can be read as a standalone. I am also working on 2 more WIPs. Both are a NEW historical fantasy romance series based in a parallel universe of Ancient India. Pride of Peacocks - The Crown Prince Tournament, is Book 1 of The Heroes of Devbhoomi. When Crown Prince Devdutt dies, his father, King Devdhar, must choose between surrender to Vaja - which means sending his only daughter Princess Devaani to become a hostage in an enemy kingdom - or crown his not-so-capable second son, Ravi, as the next ruler. To everyone’s surprise, King Devdhar announces the Crown Prince Tournament, where the victor will marry the Princess and become the next King of Devbhoomi. Is this really the best solution? Or will it lead to Devbhoomi’s ultimate collapse? This book is still Work-in-progress. Expected to release in 2022. Fated to Live - The Lost Princess of Amritambu, is Book 1 of The Life & Exploits of Princess Amodini. The 18-year-old princess is the last remaining survivor of the Royal Family of the ancient Kingdom of Amritambu. She wants nothing more than to live a normal life and become a doctor. She was born with healing magic and wants to use it to help her patients. But can she really keep her powers a secret forever? And what will happen when the General from the enemy kingdom, who conquered Amritambu, finally discovers her true identity? This book is in the final editing stage. The publishing date is still to be confirmed.

When and why did you start writing?

I was always confident in my writing. I wrote a couple of short stories for children's magazines when I was a kid. I also consistently contributed to my school magazine. To be honest, I never thought of writing as a career. So, I can't say that I started writing at a young age. During my undergraduate days, I bought a copy of Stephen King’s book 'On Writing' (1st Edition). By then, I was already a long-time fan of King’s work. The book inspired and scared me at the same time. It made me realize my love for creative writing as well as my absurdly poor skills in that area. My favorite line from the book is – The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better. In the next ten years, I started writing as many as 16 different first drafts. All of them are incomplete but still safe in my hard drive. In 2013, I wrote my first book, The Last Nautch Girl, for Nanowrimo. I didn't finish it. I couldn't hit my goal. Then, in April 2014, at camp Nanowrimo, I finished the first draft at 38k words. Five years later, I found myself staring at that first draft and thinking - 'This is good. It needs some work.' So, I started editing the book. I fell in love with the story. Somehow it had progressed beyond my original plot. Except for some editing and fine-tuning, the first seven chapters are almost unchanged. The balance half of this book was completed in late 2019 after several revisions, rewrites, and edits. My first beta reader is always my mother. She is a very firm critic and will not mince words. So, when she said she loved the story too, I knew I had to publish it.

Explain your writing routine. How do you go from idea to publish?

I'm a plotter and an early bird. I get all my writing done between 6-8 am before my kids wake up. It gives me very little time. But I try to make the most of it. I plan my writing schedule in advance for the entire month and then review it at the end of that time period. This also includes planning all my blog, newsletter, and social media posts. For my historical fantasy projects, I must have an outline of the entire book before I start writing. But I'm also flexible. I can change the outline as the writing progresses. Below is the structure I use for my book outline. To be honest, this is not my invention. But I can’t remember where I found it. I have tweaked it for my own use multiple times. I begin with character descriptions, not with story ideas. Literally, I begin with the names of the characters. The name helps me think of the personality of each character and the world they live in. From there, I get a story idea and quickly jot it down on my phone or a notebook. When I finally get to my desktop, I write the book outline in three parts - background, introduction, and story arc. The book background contains the premise, theme, synopsis, target audience, and research required. The introduction to the story is more detailed, covering the setting, the event, the story trigger, and subplots. The story arc moves into the recoil of the story trigger, the romance, the complication, 1st climax, death, and final climax. Finally, the book outline expands into separate chapter outlines, each containing an introduction, a scene/event, a partial climax, and a trigger for the next chapter. I have a different system for my historical fiction projects, mainly because it requires a lot of back storylines and flashbacks and unraveling of the final mystery.  The next step is writing the 1st draft. I like to write chronologically from chapter 1 to chapter 20 instead of jumping between each chapter. Many times, the outline changes in the 1st draft itself depending on how the characters react in each situation. But this is the most fun part of my routine. Once this is complete, I put it aside for a few weeks before starting on the 2nd draft. Sometimes, the 2nd draft becomes a complete rewrite from the 1st draft. Sometimes, I have to go for a 3rd or 4th draft rewrites too. It all depends on my level of satisfaction. The 1st edit should ideally be my 3rd draft in case I am not rewriting. When this is done, the book goes to beta readers and I get a few weeks to concentrate on other WIPs. Once the feedback comes in, I start the final draft editing, formatting, and plan to publish.

Of the books, you've written, which one is your favorite? Share an excerpt from that book.

Captain James White and Mrinalini, MCs in The Last Nautch Girl, hold a special place in my heart. They are neither young nor very old. Their love story is passionate, mature, and unobtrusive. The book was meant to be no more than a romance that tugs at the heartstrings of every reader. It has become a racy, complex, action-packed tale of intertwining souls in a city that is well-loved to this day. It will remain my favorite of all my books for a long time. A lot of my inspiration for the personality of Mrinalini came from one of my favorite Bengali novels, Devi Chaudhurani. Indian history is full of stories of such strong women who, with a little help, can combine traditional values and common sense to break out of the molds of autocracy. Here’s an excerpt of Mrinalini & the Captain enjoying time together. “What does it mean?” Captain White sat on the open window-sill smoking a cigar again. Mrinalini looked up from the bed inquiringly. The night outside was hot and humid. Dogs barked every now and then. A cool September breeze carried the fragrance of the night-blooming jasmines into the room. The light of the lamp from the side table fell on White’s clear grey eyes, greying-red hair, and mustache. “What?” Mrinalini asked. “Mer-no-lini,” White spoke slowly and chuckled. “I can see why you don’t tell anyone your real name. What does it mean?” “Why do you ask?” “My wife’s name was Mary.” “You don’t need to tell me that.” “Why not?” “Laat-Sahib, will that be all? It will be morning soon,” Mrinalini spoke, as she stood up from the bed and redressed herself. Mrinalini didn’t trust the Captain. But she was strangely attracted to him. On the previous night, she told him her name. As the night had progressed, she felt she would not be sorry to see him again. So when he asked if he could come back to see her again the next evening, she had said yes. She felt her heart flutter at the thought that he would return. Steady, she told herself, the Laat-Sahib is a customer only. As she watched him puffing away at his cigar, sitting at the open window now, she wondered why he had chosen her. She couldn’t believe he was smitten. There had to be another reason. The Captain got off the window-sill, wore his trousers, and lit another cigar. Then he allowed Mrinalini to help him into his shirt and coat. Her proximity and the aroma of her delicate perfume were too much for him. He found himself softening up to her. As she buttoned his coat, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Then he reached for her chin and gently raised her face up towards him. Mrinalini looked back at him squarely. Her almond-shaped black eyes seemed to say I know why you are here. I know what you are trying to do. You can’t fool me. Captain White bent forward and kissed her cheek softly. Then he gently pressed his lips to Mrinalini’s forehead. She was taken aback but didn’t flinch. Her silence encouraged him. He kissed her lips passionately. He held her tight in his arms, feeling the warmth of her soft skin and breathing in her delicate scent. Then he kissed her neck and wrists, affectionately. Mrinalini found herself enjoying the attention like a little school girl. He released her briefly and sat down on the chair to wear his shoes. Mrinalini knelt down beside him and took the task into her own hands. White was taken aback this time. He wasn’t used to a woman tying his shoelaces. But he was aware of the native idiosyncrasies. Her pretty bent head made him smile at her again. “Lotuses,” Mrinalini said. “What?” Mrinalini looked up at him. “Lotuses. My name - Mrinalini - means Lotuses. Maybe a lot of lotuses bunched together.” “You don’t need to tell me that,” White teased her. Mrinalini sniggered in spite of herself. She had let down her guard completely. “I am glad you are retired,” White remarked, watching her merriment. Mrinalini blushed at the remark. As she bid him goodbye, she thought it would be dangerous to see him every night. She had allowed herself to feel emotions that were best not encouraged.

The story behind the book you're writing now.

Let me tell you about my Nanowrimo 2021 project. This is a new historical fantasy romance series based in a parallel universe of ancient India. Title: Fated to Love - The Great General of Satayu. Book 2 of The Life & Exploits of Princess Amodini. I had so much fun writing Book 1 this year. My beta readers also loved it and gave me such wonderful feedback. Even though the editing for Book 1 is still pending, I’m all set to dive into Book 2. In Book 1, 18-year-old Princess Amodini is living with a new identity in a small hamlet outside the university town of Satvikshila. She is studying medicine in the same university and secretly using her healing powers to cure her patients. A chance encounter brings her face-to-face with General Veerata, the man responsible for the death of her elder sister, Queen Nandini of Amritambu. Afraid that Veerata will recognize her eventually, Amodini and her trusted companions plan to run away overnight. But before she can escape, General Veerata seeks her aid in healing a dancer from Videha, at the palace, who is slowly being poisoned to death. In Book 2, three months later, Amodini is back in Satvikshila with her two companions armed with gifts from her arch-enemy, King Padmapani of Satayu, in return for saving the dancer from Videha. Using the reward money, she sets up a free clinic for poor patients living in the villages around the university town. But danger still pursues her. General Veerata is still searching for the lost princess of Amritambu. Plus, the assassin, Charak, who was poisoning the dancer from Videha, suspects Amodini’s true identity. Meanwhile, the King and Queen of Videha, who have arrived in Satayu for a banquet, seek to take Amodini back to their kingdom since she is such a gifted physician. When the Queen of Satayu refuses the request, a duel is arranged between the two kingdoms where the winner will receive Amodini’s hand in marriage. But will she accept it?

You are the creator of First Reads. Explain what the site is and how/why you came up with the site.

FIRST READS is a collection of new books from new indie authors that runs for a period of three months on my blog. All books listed on the FIRST READS page are the first in a new series of minimum 3 books, across all genres. This collection works as a free promotion for indie authors while giving readers a new platform to find their new favorite book series and authors.  The current promo period is running from 1st August to 31st October 2021. The next promo period will be announced in mid-October. Indie authors can watch out for the announcement on my blog and Instagram. Books don't need to be discounted or on sale during the promo. But each book must be at least on pre-order to apply for this promo. Although the service is free for indie authors, the only requirement is that each author must share this promo at least once when it goes live on newsletter & social media. Every author gets a chance to sign up again for the new promo period and is allowed to include the same book as well. I got the idea for FIRST READS when I saw that there are so many talented indie authors working tirelessly to promote their books but not getting the attention they deserve. Marketing books is exhausting and expensive. Almost every promo site asks for high sign-up fees to feature each indie book. Many times, even after paying for these services, there is no chance of actually securing sales. FIRST READS is designed to get your sales without paying a single cent while ensuring that your book is featured to your target audience. For now, FIRST READS is hosted on my blog. In the future, I plan to move it to an official website, including promos for reader magnets and showcase new WIP projects as well.

Share your links that you want people to find you at

Here’s the link to my blog - cphillipwritesreviews.blogspot.com Here's my Instagram handle @cphillipwrites, where I am also a Brand Ambassador for The Writer Community. Here's my Amazon Author Page C Phillip, Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.in/C-Phillip/e/B07SVDJQC7 Here's my Goodreads profile C Phillip, Goodreads Author https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20864637.C_Phillip Click here to subscribe to my monthly bookish newsletter - Books & More and get a free copy of The Last Nautch Girl 2nd Edition. https://skilled-speaker-7364.ck.page/948ce9dab6

Anything you want to share?

I would like to thank all my readers. It is so motivating to know that so many people are enjoying my work. Your good opinion matters to me more than any award. Please feel free to write to me at cpwriter7@gmail.com and tell me what you think of my books, how it might have helped you in some way, or just share your reading experience.