THIS FANTASY NOVEL FEATURES INTRIGUING WORLD BUILDING AND A DAZZLING HEROINE

Author Interview: Janani Kannan

Janani Kannan is a student and a passionate writer. She dreams to inspire people with her words, which have been her constant companion from the ninth grade. She is adept in fiction writing, and jumbles with fantasy worlds in her creative instincts to let out her pent up energy and happiness. She has recently come out with her debut book “The Half Wolf”, which is a fantasy fiction involving werewolves and humans. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her debut journey, her writing journey, her favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Yes, writing has always been a part of my life, even when I wasn’t aware of the impact it had had on me. But it was only when I started reading that I realized the true power words had on a person. The pen was indeed mightier than a sword and I wanted to yield it by analyzing how other people yielded it, and that’s how my journey of reading began. Reading was what propelled me into writing but this time with better vocabulary and practice.



Please tell us more about your book “The Half Wolf”.

My book, “The Half Wolf” is a fantasy featuring werewolves and humans – two species that weren’t meant to be together. It focuses on how the two protagonists overcome their preconceived beliefs, and the challenges they face throughout their journey.



How did the idea of writing this book originate? When did you start writing this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

The original idea came from a story I read online and for some reason, it felt incomplete and I wanted to write something using that idea. I started writing this book in 10th grade. I wrote the same story with 5 versions before I decided on the last one. I continued the story in 11th grade on Wattpad and completed it by December 2019.



Tell us more about the protagonist Asena. How did the character come to you and how much did she change in the process of writing the novel?

When I write a story, I give some bits of my characteristics to each character. Asena had most of my characteristics and over the course of the story; I wanted her to shine without the credit being given to other characters. She grew from her past and I wanted that to reflect in the story. Instead of being a damsel in distress, she saved herself on her own and the other characters propelled her into doing it.



What challenges did you face while writing this book?

One of the huge challenges I faced was maintaining continuity. When I started this story, I had no idea how much it would grow. As I continued the story, I realized I didn't have the proper outline of the entire story. I knew how I wanted it to begin and end but it took me a while to come up with a concrete idea to bridge the beginning to the ending.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

I have never had a particular genre that interests me particularly, and I have always tried and loved reading different genres. Here are 5 books (and from different genres) that I loved reading– “The Harry Potter Series” by J.K Rowling (YA Fiction, Fantasy), “The Selection Series” by Kiera Cass (Dystopian Romance), “The Immortals of Meluha” by Amish Tripathi (Indian Mythology), “The Da Vinci Code Series” by Dan Brown (Mystery), and “The Maze Runner Series” by James Dashner (Sci-fi).



What are your other interests apart from writing?

Other than writing, my main interests are reading, painting, sketching, and baking. I also like trying out new things and I love a good adventure.



What are you working on next? Any exciting new projects our readers should look out for?

Right now, I’m focused on finishing my 12th and after that, I’m going to start working on a sequel to my book “The Half Wolf”. Currently, I am writing short stories just to put some ideas into words.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

I’d say go for it. Throughout my journey of publishing a book, I have realized how big of a responsibility it is and how important it is to share my work with the world. As a writer, I always learn something new every day and I think it reflects in my writing. Publishing doesn’t always have to do with literal books and there are so many websites that could give one that exposure. Wattpad gave me that and it helped me improve my confidence as a writer. And finally, I’d like to say that never stop doing what you do. Words are powerful than we all realize.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

“The first draft is just you telling yourself a story”. This is one of the quotes that made me realize that sometimes a story requires to be written more than once to feel satisfied with it. It took almost 5 drafts for me to be satisfied with my story.