Author Interview: Abhimanyu Rajarajan: Author of When Shall We Meet Again

 Brief Intro (source: Goodreads) Born in a small village near the temple town Kumbakonam, he carries with him the traditional mythological traces passed on by centuries of customs. Doted as an only son, he adores togetherness. He had his schooling in Chennai as his family shifted there. The metropolitan city had its own urban flavor and the unique speed and thrill of Chennai has had a cascading influence on him. Always a seeker of truth and knowledge beyond the mask of apparent life, he has not let his Engineering and Management degrees come in the way of understanding what true life is all about. His characters seem to come out of his books in search of this truth. His debut novel “When Shall We Meet Again” , published in November 2013, is a romance thriller with philosophical interludes, and has won admiring reviews and is already an Amazon bestseller as ebook. He works for a public sector Fortune 500 Company, and thanks to his job, he has traveled extensively and has met too many weird people to deliver a range of characters in his books. He is married and has two adoring daughters. He can be contacted at rajarajanabhimanyu@gmail.com.

Your real name and pen name? My Name is Abhimanyu Rajarajan. Haven’t named my pen though J
About your education Electronics and Communication Engineer at Coimbatore Institute of Technology and MBA at B.I.M, Trichy. And About my proclivities toward academics, the less said the better !
What is your biggest source of inspiration in life?
Life itself is an inspiration! With its bowl of surprises and shocks, life inspires me everyday!
What is the biggest challenge you have faced? How did you overcome it? May be this question. And am overcoming it by skipping it J
If you had to live a day of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why? How can you live as a dead personality J
What is your favorite genre and why? Mine is thriller. It is the best page turner genre as far as I know of.
Would you like to share a synopsis of your work “When Shall We Meet Again?” Sure . It goes like this …. Another girl meets boy story… But the girl and boy , Aarthi and Naren, were lovers five years ago. And they come together in a Swamiji’s training class for software professionals. In the same class are Lisa and Prem. Lisa and Naren had got quite intimate in bed just a few days back. And Prem is a flirt trying to woo Aarthi. Aarthi and Naren are caught up in a quagmire of past against present. And just to spice things up, an old pervert Narayan is part of the group and he looks for an opportunity to seduce the girls. Narayan hires a goon to make his ends meet who is no stranger to murders. Amid high drama, the Swamiji helps each individual find his or her own destiny ……but he too has some dark secrets to hide…..or Does he ?  Passion, Love, Philosophy, Perversion, Thrill, Drama and Wit …..”When shall we meet again?” has a bit of everything….A IT industry romantic thriller with lots of life's philosophy thrown in.... The book has got some good reviews which can be seen at www.facebook.com/whenshallwemeetagain
What are your forthcoming writings? I am writing a mythological thriller next. Also penning a short story collection and non-fiction about problem solving.
What four top most things you take care of while writing a book?

• I ensure that the laptop is switched on.
• I take care that I save frequently.
• I take care that I don’t doze off while writing.
• I take care readers don’t doze off while reading J

Your favorite time of the day?
There are three actually. Breakfast, Luch and Dinner.
Your zodiac/ sunsign?
Libra. The balancing scales. Supposed to be a flirting kind of zodiac. Been a big fan of Linda Goodman during my college days.
Your favorite book and why?
In Fiction, though I am a die hard fan of Jeffrey Archer and Sydney Sheldon, My favorite is Maria Puzo’s Godfather.
Your favorite celebrity and why?
There are lots… Sachin Tendulkar, Rajinikant, Sp Balasubramanyam to name a few. Each had his own unique style and made a mark in their respective fields.
State your signature line/ tagline/ best quote
Probably this line appealed to me from my novel “When Shall We Meet Again?” “Since Eve loved an Apple more than Adam, we lost the garden of Eden. Since Adam loved Eve more than God, we are all here!
The last line of your autobiography would be…
No full stop , Sequel coming soon !