#Interview with @imDeepDowner, #Author of I am the 10th

About the Book:

Check out the Book on Amazon

Sarah, a happily married lady from New Delhi, India, wakes up one fine morning in an unknown place. It’s not her home, not her city; it’s not even her country.

What is she doing there? How did she reach there? Where is her family?

Her search to all these questions takes her on a journey, a long journey that started way back in the 3rd century BC, a journey where she finds out that everything she thought she knew about her- her marriage, husband, family, home, India, even her name- was a lie.

Will she be able to find out the truth? More importantly, will she be able to handle the truth if she finds it out?

Come and join Sarah on her journey that will take you to 300 BC and back. Witness the biggest and the deadliest battle ever in the history of mankind that could well spell the end of humanity and the end of this world. Experience the might of the ancient Shastras and Astras, like Naag Pash, Brahma Kavach, and Narayan Astra.

Based in modern times, ‘I Am The 10th’ is the story of one of the oldest, and arguably the mightiest cults that originated in India during the 3rd century BC.

Interview with D.R.Downer

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?

I guess I was destined to be a writer; only that I realized it quite late in life. I remember one of my teachers from my schooling days, telling me that I would become a writer if not a politician; given the instant stories I used to cook up as excuses for my shenanigans back then. The stories have improved since. The shenanigans have not.

What inspires you to write?

If I have to name a person, it has to be the wify. She encouraged me to take up writing full-time, when I was in a dilemma about it. Now, I’d say inspiration comes from everything and everyone around me, sometimes from completely unexpected quarters too.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?

It so happened that I was visiting a library in Singapore and happened to read about this one of the oldest and arguably the mightiest cults that originated in India way back in the 3rd century BC, and found it fascinating. It took me more than 5 years to do secondary and primary research on the topic, before I felt I have any authority to sit and write about it. Thus happened, ‘I Am The 10th’.

Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?

Yes, I do have some; 29, to be precise in various stages of finishing. Trust me, I counted. 

Tell us about your writing process.

Honestly, I don’t have one; and this I say after having published 20 books so far. While I’m a certified pantser- and a proud one at that- I have had to religiously work on an outline for ‘I Am The 10th’, purely for the sheer magnitude and vastness of the topic. Some stories, I started writing on a wild idea that came to me in strangest of places. Others, I developed after coming up with an arbitrary title, while still others I wrote only because I liked a certain picture I saw and the story ideas rendered me sleepless, so I got up in the middle of the night and started to write. So, as I said, I do not have a fixed writing process per se.

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?

It is towards the end, when Lord Kalki comes in his original form on a white horse for the benefit of the Navruts, the nine men.

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?

Not in this one, but I did have a few characters having some of the same quirks as mine in some of my older works.

What is your most interesting writing quirk?

I cannot write sober. In fact, I am of the firm belief that every artist should be in some or the other stage of intoxication in order to render that unabashed honesty in her/his work.

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?

Of course, I read. I read a lot. In fact, I’m such a voracious reader that if I don’t get anything else to read, I can even read the bottle labels. Favorite authors? Now, that’s going to be a long list. I’d start with Sydney Sheldon, Dan Brown, Jeffrey Archer, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Ludlum, Agatha Christie… it’s a long list.

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?

Do not edit while writing the first draft. I would be a billionaire if I had a penny for every time I’ve been told this at various stages of my writing career. However, being a stubborn ass that I am, I never paid heed. Maybe, it’s also because I happen to be a trained editor, but I just cannot move on to the next line unless I’ve perfected the first one.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?

Do not edit while writing the first draft. No seriously, don’t. Yeah, yeah, I know.
Also, make and stick to a writing schedule. Sit down to write at the same time every day. Doesn’t matter if you manage to put down a line, a page, or 100 of them, but make sure you adhere to the schedule every day.

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?

WOW! No one has ever asked me this, but for some strange reason, I have them all picked out already. Amitabh Bachchan (double role), Brad Pitt, Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Bradley Cooper, Jason Statham, Dia Mirza, Vidyut Jammwal, and Vin Diesel.

If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?

My Kindle, a Sat phone, and a bottle of Absolut.

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?

Free time, you would most definitely find me cooking in my PJs, with a vodka in hand and the bottle on the ready.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?

I don’t have a bucket list; don’t plan that ahead. I would, however, share one from the wify’s. A long, really long vacation in Switzerland.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself.

a) I’m a self-made and/or society-abetted agnostic.
b) I always use pen and paper to write the first draft.
c) I write drunk.

What do you have in store next for your readers?

The next is titled ‘I, Maya- her master’s slave’, which is a sci-fi based in the future. After that, comes the prequel to ‘I Am The 10th’ sometimes in the 3rd quarter.

About the Author:

Author's Amazon Page

D. R. Downer is a writer, author, editor, and a ghostwriter. He has penned more than 37 books so far, 16 of which have been published under his own name, with the rest being ghostwriting projects. Although he has written books in varied genres, his favourite genre is mystery and suspense and he has already published 5 books in the same.

After completing his B.E. (Mechanical) and M.B.A (Marketing), Downer started his professional journey as an Executive in the sales department of a UK based organization. Since then, he had changed over and handled many roles and responsibilities in the Marketing & Customer Service departments across industries. He finally shifted over to Advertising and spent a good 11 years in the same. Later on, he found writing was his true calling, and now he spends hours glued to his laptop and wonders if his wife can sue him for cheating on her with his laptop.