Abhirup Dhar
Book Title : The Belvoirbrooke Haunting
1990. Darjeeling. Young married couple, Nihith and Jemisha comes to live in Belvoirbrooke Tea Estate, founded in 1865, amidst the snow-capped mountains, lush greenery and magnificent rolling countryside. Very soon they realize the place is haunted and Jemisha might be on the brink of either losing her sanity or giving in to the rules of the urban legend. Enter Chitin Barman, a paranormal investigator and clairvoyant psychic to their rescue. Is he? Can he? Some genres are best left without spilling the beans. Find out more about the spine-chilling haunting from the author of Amazon bestselling book ‘Hold That Breath’ and master storyteller of ‘Stories Are Magical’ and ‘Once Again… With Love!’... Have a sip of piping hot tea and welcome to ‘The Belvoirbrooke Haunting’ - A Ghost Story in Darjeeling. Brrr! Is it cold already?
Let the readers get a chance to know about the beginning of ‘Author Journey of Yours’
Firstly, thank you for having me for the interview and best wishes to ‘Sharing Stories’. It’s been a good author journey so far and I’m thankful for the same. I had always been writing since I was a child. In school, I mostly wrote stories, some of which I kept to myself, a few went for the magazine. Then, I began reviewing movies for certain portals while in college. It was during a break between my postgraduate course and my first job that I decided to write a book for the sheer joy of it. Literally locking myself up in a room for close to a fortnight, I happened to write the manuscript of my first book which I then, kind of forgot about after the wonderful experience I had while penning it. A few years later, I began reviewing movies again and that is when I shared the manuscript with some people. They said it was fun, struck a chord and that, I should get published. That’s when I thought to make the transition from a writer to an author. A lot of research began thereafter as I had no clue about the writing industry and then, I took a plunge accordingly.
Tell us a bit about the books you have written. What is your favourite genre when it comes to writing?
I debuted with a light-hearted romcom ‘Once Again… With Love’, a simple but quirky take on modern-day relationships, a story that came straight from my heart back then and I wanted to tell it. Then came a celebration of storytelling, ‘Stories Are Magical’ – six stories, six different genres. After this, I delved into my favourite genre with ‘Hold That Breath’- six ghost stories with one of them linking the remaining. My fourth book, ‘The Belvoirbrooke Haunting’ is recently out.
My favourite genre is undoubtedly horror (read ghost stories) followed by thriller (read whodunits) and then, romance (ones which are genuinely heart-touching).
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
Yes. I have a sequel to ‘Hold That Breath’ which was completed close to two months ago. I believe there should be some gap between two releases and so, I’ll plan its release soon it’s been just a few days that &’The Belvoirbrooke Haunting’ is out. Then, there are non-fiction books with major publication houses which I’ll talk about when the time is right. I’m much excited about all of them.
If not an author, what you would have been? Where do you see yourself as a writer five years from now?
So, I’m a banker by profession and a writer/ author by passion! I love the craft of writing and creating stories so, if not an author, I’d probably have been a film director who works on his own scripts.
Five years from now – more books, more growth in the field of writing! There is some concrete planning which is being implemented in due course of time. Also importantly, five years later, I would want to look back and find a more evolved writer in me.
How long on average does it take you to write a book? What changes publishing has brought in your life?
Depends. Some take a fortnight or so. Some others may take months, depending on the time I can make for it in my daily schedule. Publishing has brought the writer in me out to explore my passion and while at it, some great things have been happening. It’s been a good decision for sure.