Viji Venkat
Book Title : A Blue Moon Interlude
Writer, published author, educationist, and mother to a lawyer, Viji Venkat worked as a teacher for ten years before she discovered her calling as a writer. Viji got her first paperback novel ‘A Blue Moon Interlude’ published by becoming Shakespeare in September 2020, which has already bagged its first award at the Coimbatore Literary Award 2020. It won the prize for Best Fiction in the category of thriller and mystery. Her first book based on a television show became an instant success and garnered a readership of over 135k readership, 6.5k likes, and almost 300 comments on the digital platform. Viji’s other publishing credits include, “Tempest Love” (9k reads and 2.6 followers) & “Wild Summer Echoes” (2k reads and 240 followers) which garnered overwhelming reader response. As an educationist, Viji’s work extended beyond classroom teaching. For example, at Ryan International, Faridabad, where she taught for five years, Viji was also actively involved in activities like Indian Model United Nations (INMUN), Simulation SAARC-Colombo, School Magazine, Interschool competitions, Recruitment, New admissions and Induction workshops. After a decade of bonding with students, she embarked on her journey as a writer. Since the publication of ‘A Blue Moon Interlude’, Viji has been invited to speak at several events. As a guest of honor at the annual felicitation ceremony in Ryan International School, she emphasized on the importance of inculcating a reading habit early. She was also invited as a judge for a creative writing competition administered by Millennium Education Management. In conversations with avid readers and aspiring authors at book clubs, Viji has stressed on three ‘P’s of writing’ - Plot, Perseverance and Patience to young upcoming writers. Viji also spoke about how reading is an essential tool for personal growth in a conversation with Nupur Gandhekar for Hoopsters, an online and offline engagement platform for children, parents and schools. Viji, who grew up in cities like Mumbai and Chennai, loved to read books and she also used to enjoy listening to her grandmother’s stories of a bygone era. Even when she became an educationist, her favourite activity was to prepare students for innovative assemblies where stories were enacted in a unique way. She loves to tell stories about the essence of human nature and the role it plays in larger social issues. Viji believes that there is a story in every house, every village and every town. Her dream is to write novels that represent the vibrant heritage of every state in India. Capturing the varied cultures and weaving their richness together to create stories is her aspiration. She also takes keen interest in discussions on international disputes, climate change issues and conflicts of human rights, an interest borne out of training students. Dreamer, traveller and story-teller, Viji loves to potter around in the garden. Reading, drawing and making designs are her hobbies and music is her stress buster.
“Sometimes, we do not get a chance to thank each one who has helped us in our journey.” Let the readers get a chance to know about all the important people who have played a part in this Author Journey of yours.
I am grateful to the almighty for giving me a loving family who have supported me constantly at each stage of my journey. My parents, my husband, daughter, sister, parents-in-law, each one of them has contributed to my growth as a writer as well as a person. I am indebted to my readers whose feedback has encouraged me to continue writing. I thank my cousins and friends. Special gratitude to my publisher and also to Miral and Pranali for guiding me through the process of publishing. I am thankful to the institutions and judges who conferred me with awards for my book. Indeed, it has been an enlightening journey and I believe my best is yet to come. Precious acknowledgment to the Almighty for his blessings.
Can you tell a bit about the books you have written and share a few lines from any of them?
My first work, based on a popular television show, garnered 137k reads and almost 300 comments on the digital platform. My other publishing credits include, “Tempest Love” a romantic thriller & “Wild Summer Echoes” a contemporary romance on other platforms which picked up an overwhelming reader response.
“A Blue Moon Interlude – I & II” is my first novel published as a paperback and e-book. It belongs to the genre of mystery and thriller with a sprinkling of contemporary romance. Here, the story is about a vanished age when Nature was revered as a divine force. There is a continual search for an ancient secret that sets off a chain of momentous events. The three millennials who are the protagonists stumble upon a set of mystic hymns that transforms their lives. Then there is a piece of a relic that pits man’s greed against his own survival, and finally, an age-old transgression that calls for vindication.
“The walls echoed the sounds of the faraway waves and an indecipherable stillness reflected the glory of the divine, vanished past when Nature was revered and worshipped.”
“Impenetrable and immortal, the shrine seemed to signify the fleetingness of time.”
– A Blue Moon Interlude-II
“The sands of the land danced in euphoria and the lingering shadows faded away to oblivion. Finally, there was a union of love and the whispers of contentment could be heard in every crevice of the rocks and in every granule of the Shekhawat’s land. The Sun blazed brilliantly, symbolizing a new awakening of phase to be recorded in the annals of Neelbharatgarh.” – Tempest Love
After writing successful thrillers, would you like to explore a different genre for your next book?
Yes, definitely! Although I realize that thrillers are my forte, I would very much like to dabble in crime, historical thrillers, and fantasy. Somehow, fantasy has always intrigued me, not for the story but for the tremendous capacity to indulge in imagination. Crime thrillers are interesting because it is very captivating to understand the workings of the mind of a criminal. Historical, because it would give me immense opportunities to explore different periods of history.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I am currently working on a fantasy romance, set in two parallel timelines. An unknown mystery links the souls; who were born in eras set apart, lived in distant lands, and consumed by the flame of love that is indestructible. It is about an ancient prophecy of a love written on the banks of an immortal river and an odyssey through time in pursuit of a timeless secret. There is an elapsed era and a present era and how communion in these eras produces different energies that in turn, result in varied consequences eventually.
According to you which are the 5 books, everyone should read and also who are your top 3 Authors?
- My favorite books are:
- The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
- Hamlet by William Shakespeare
- The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
And
- A Blue Moon Interlude – I & II by Viji
- My top authors are
- William Shakespeare
- Jane Austen
- Enid Blyton
- Guy de Maupassant
Tell us a bit about your family, likes, and dislikes as a person.
My father is a banker and my mother has been a homemaker and an educator, having started her career right after graduation. As banker’s daughters, my sister and I grew up in many cities. I think the exposure I got in varied places made a lasting impression on me. It shaped the diverse characters and settings that find a place in my stories. My husband is an avid golfer and an engineer by qualification. He has a keen eye for language and communications. My daughter is a lawyer by profession and works in international trade and law. She is a voracious reader with a passion for travel, history, art, and international politics.
I am an educationist and one of the reasons for my successful stint as a teacher was my story-telling sessions. The students’ engrossment in my stories led to my writing, a passion that I discovered a few years back. I take a keen interest in discussions on international disputes, climate change issues, and conflicts of human rights, and interest is borne out of training students for Model United Nations and SAARC conferences. I love to potter around in the garden while the kitchen is my punching bag and music is my stress buster. Home is where my heart is. I dislike tiresome socializing and enjoy sunsets in solitude.
Could you share few tips for Young Authors?
Write extensively and come what may do not stop writing. I believe there are three P’s that a writer has to follow; Plot, Perseverance, and Patience. The plot is an important factor for a story and if one has a plot, then the rest would fit around it perfectly. Secondly, writing needs a lot of perseverance. It is very easy to get distracted and lose focus. Hence, one has to be perseverant. The third is patience. The writer’s job is not over even after completing the book. The hard work continues and one needs tremendous patience to wait for a positive response from publishers. It might take weeks, months, and sometimes years but if you have created your work with sincerity then there will be recognition definitely.
How can a writer keep the mental block or writer’s block away from his/her creativity?
Being aware of the mental block helps in getting rid of them. Sometimes, we keep on working unaware that we are heading towards fatigue. The mental block is the body’s way of demanding a break. So, the best way to deal with it is to take a break and rest our minds. A restored body generates better creativity. Also, I believe one should enjoy what one writes. If we take pleasure in our work, then the hurdles can be dealt away easily and quickly. Sometimes, the topic or subject we have chosen may not work for us. At such times, the best way is to pause and rethink.
At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘Empowering Our Kids’ where we are trying to encourage and inculcate reading habit from a young age. We are trying to pick up 20 to 30 must read books for children and try and make them available at our library in Jaipur, also to take this initiative across the globe. Please suggest some books which you think every child should read before the age of 15 (mostly the character defining age).
Oh, there is a number of books I can recommend. Some of those which come to my mind immediately are
- The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
- Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Panchatantra Tales
- The Mill on the Floss by George Elliot
- Horrible Series Collection by Nick Arnold and Phil Gates
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan
- The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond
- The Famous Five Book Series by Enid Blyton
- Amar Chitra Katha comics
- Valmiki Ramayana for children
- Harry Potter series by J. K Rowling
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Rapid Fire Round
1. Favorite Place, Person, Food, beverage….
Place – Anywhere in the Himalayas.
Person – 1) My late grandparents.
2) God because I believe he lives in oneself.
Food – South Indian breakfast
Beverage – Morning tea and cranberry in any drink.
2. Your other Talents….
Tinkering with paints and brushes and cooking.
3. Your First Love….
Stories
4. Favorite Quote…
“Without perseverance, talent is a barren bed.”
“Your talent is god’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to god.”
5. Favorite Character from a book…
Meghann “Meggie” Cleary from the book, “The Thorn Birds”.
What if Round
1. What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?
- Love, hope, and dreams; also, my laptop.
2. What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?
- I would cure my mother of her breathing problem.
- Bring back all the forests that have vanished over the years.
3. What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?
- Invest in green technology.
- Make all schools open air.
