To start off this interview, tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1966 and was the first Canadian born member of my family whose roots are set firmly in Liverpool, England..
I began fiction writing in the late 1980’s after earning a short story and fiction composition diploma from Granton University. I experienced some early success in monthly magazines.
My restlessness eventually led me to settle in the Asian sub-continent, with India as a base of operations. Many years of extensive travel through Asia ensued.
Motorcycling became the focus in 2014 and I joined a motorcycle club. After breaking several bones on a desolate mountainside in the Himalayas, I returned to New Delhi and refocused on my true passion of storytelling.
I’m now living in Bombay with my wife, a sarcastic beagle named Sweeney Todd, and two very naughty motorcycles, Wilhelmina and Elvira. I’m writing full time.
I would love for you to share a little about your book, Blood & Brown Sugar: The Ride of His Life, with our readers.
The seeds of this novel, Blood & Brown Sugar, took root in my mind during some extensive motorcycle journeys through India. Between 2017 and 2018 I rode over 60,000 km with my motorcycle club throughout the country. That's a lot of time inside your own helmet, a lot of time to think. It’s an intoxicating combination really, a writer's mind being seduced by the majestic landscapes of India. It’s difficult to explain unless you have experienced it. But suffice to say, I realized that somehow I had to capture the pure essence of wanderlust and try to write about those sensations and the experiences from those trips. It was just a matter of creating a story in which to convey those emotions and state of mind.
I had no idea that desire would manifest itself into a crime thriller about motorcycles, guns, and heroin, but it did.
The story centers around Alex Crossman, a simple young man, leading a peaceful, mundane existence. Right up to the moment he accidentally injures a member of Montreal’s most nefarious motorcycle club, the Chevaux de Fer. As recompense, Alex is forced to travel to India and escort the Club’s latest drug shipment home.
While under the watchful eye of the Club’s Indian contingent and ensnared by the seductive charms of its president’s mistress, Ipsita Chaudhary, Alex begins his dark and agonizing metamorphosis from a law-abiding citizen to outlaw biker.
Now, inescapably leveraged into the gang’s sinister world and with the Narcotics Control Bureau in hot pursuit, he struggles to resist the incessant pull of this dark and unfamiliar lifestyle. A lifestyle fraught with tainted love and criminal behaviour. Long dead ghosts from his past whisper to his subconscious, luring him down a twisted and terrifying path of self-realization.
During a final showdown in the jungles of Goa, Alex’s conscience and ego clash in a culmination of good versus evil, love versus hate, and face off in a battle for dominance of his soul. With his moral compass skewed, he is left directionless and desperate.
In a nutshell, it’s the deconstruction of a nice guy from light to dark. I truly wanted to explore that and hope the readers feel the torment of Alex and enjoy the read.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Oh! Only three? Hmmm, let's go with adventurous, passionate and introspective.
What is one song that you could listen to till this day and not get tired of it?
Anything by The Beatles, but if you need specifics, Strawberry Fields Forever.
If you could have a wish fulfilled right now, what would you wish for?
I suppose I should say something like health and happiness for my family and loved ones. But in my heart of darkness, I’m thinking about the New York Times bestseller list for Blood & Brown Sugar.
According to you, at what point can you start calling yourself a writer or an author?
To me, you can be a writer anytime. If you scribble out short stories or blogs, pen poetry or keep a journal, you’re a writer. All you really need to do is write and share it, I think. But Author? In my mind, that is only achieved after you’ve become published.
Who inspires you the most in your daily life?
My wife. She is an engineer and has reached a high level of prominence within the male dominated government agency in which she works. She is very well respected among her peers and yet remains humble and soft spoken. It astounds me how she seems to effortlessly navigate through any obstacle in our lives or her career and how she reluctantly acknowledges any praise for her accomplishments. It amazes me to be honest. She keeps me grounded and manages to gently deflate my ego whenever needed.
Have you always wanted to be a writer? If not, what did you want to be?
I have. Although in the early years, that manifested itself as being the class clown. I’ve always been a story teller.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I’m an old school biker first and foremost. I live by that code and would spend every waking moment on my bike if I could. I also play guitar and sing. I was the frontman of a rock and roll band in Delhi for a few years. That was a blast. I’ve dabbled in acting, a few bit parts in some Bollywood movies and a few commercials and web series. But it always comes back to writing. That's my true passion.
Do you simply open a blank page and begin writing? Or do you plan everything ahead?
Interesting question. It really depends. I don’t have any specific formula. For Blood & Brown Sugar, there was an inkling, I had a basic plot idea, a few characters, a rough opening, middle and end. But I basically let the characters write that and I just followed their eb and flow. Other times, it all comes in a flash. There was a short story I released in the Chandrayarn Anthology called Sabbat Of The Kali Daayan. I remember I was having dinner with my wife. It was around Halloween last year, a mental image popped into my head about witches huddled around a campfire. I excused myself to go to the washroom, and by the time the door swung shut behind me, it was completely written in my head. All I had to do with that one was put it on paper. The novel I’m working on now has been very well planned. Months of research and character development before I even started writing it. So, it varies. I just go with whatever way a story presents itself to me. One thing that is constant though - after I get the initial itch, I’ll let it simmer for a few days, even weeks. The ones that are worth writing don’t go away, the others fade.
When writing, do you listen to music or watch tv shows? Or do you fully focus on your writing?
Just writing. It’s like a tomb at my place while I’m working. Even my puppy knows not to bark.
Is there a specific author that inspired you to write? If so, who’s the author?
Oh goodness, so many. I couldn't possibly name just one. There are a few passages that truly inspire me - death creeping over the foot of the bed in The Snows Of Kilimanjaro by Hemmingway, the horse drawn carriage being pursued by wolves in Dracula by Bram Stoker, the sheer terror of Stephen King in all his work, the sticky sweet prose of Anne Rice in the “Interview” collection that I find myself happily reading while she slowly cuts off my air supply, the masterfully built suspense created by Robert Harris in Fatherland, the gut punching horror of Ira Levin’s Boys From Brazil. How could I possibly choose?
If you could invite over three writers for dinner, who would they be?
Another impossible question! Okay, Harris, King and Hemingway with Shakespeare on standby in case one of them cancels!
What is a type of genre that you would never read?
Never say never. I’ve read all genres. But I’m not a huge fan of romance or erotica.
Is there something about you that no one really knows but you would like to share here?
Sure...Those closest to me know this, but it’s not common knowledge. I am a writer of horror and thrillers who is absolutely terrified of witches. Seriously, even the nice ones who follow Wicca. Pure dread for me. A dear friend of mine is wiccan, and no matter how she tries to convince me otherwise, I’m certain that she boils the fat of young boys to make flying potions.
What is the best part of writing for you? What is the worst part?
The best part is favorable reviews. Not for fame or glory, just the deep satisfaction that comes knowing you have truly entertained someone, giving them a brief reprieve from their daily routine, by transporting them somewhere of your making. Invoking happiness, sorrow, horror, whatever the emotion, purely through the power of your written word. That's the real kick for me. The worst is the business side of things. Sweating the submissions, the marketing and promotion, and the final edits are extremely painful for me. To paraphrase Stephen King, I’m not very good at slaying my darlings.
As an author, what is something that you aim to achieve?
International best seller. Again, that may sound vain, but it’s not for the notoriety of it all. It’s just the most accurate way I know of to be sure I have reached my audience and made them happy.
Are you working on a novel or a project at the moment that you would like to share with our readers?
I have a few projects on the go. A Crate Of Rags & Bones is a collection of horror and thriller short stories that should be released later this year or early 2022. The sequel to Blood & Brown Sugar, Blood & Bombay Black, is in its final stages of editing, and my work in progress is a bit of a departure for me - a historical drama set in India at the end of WWI called A Mad Dog & His Englishman.
Do you have a favorite quote that you would like to share?
Absolutely! My all time favorite is by Friedrich Nietzsche:
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”
How poignant! It describes me to a tee, the dancing fool that I am!
Is there anything that you would like to add or share in this interview?
I would of course love to plug my book that has just been released and is receiving some really great reviews. It is available on most major book retailer sites. Here is the link::
http://mybook.to/BloodAndBrownSugar
Loved reading about this author? You can keep up to date with L.A. Nolan on his website @ https://thewanderinghippy.com/ or any of his social media platforms:
Nice post thank you for sharing such a great information.
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