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An actor, a model
and a writer, Olivier Lafont is a very talented individual! Recently I got
the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his book, his childhood as
well as his creative pursuits. Read on to know what he has to say….
➢ Tell us a little about your childhood?
My family moved from France to India when I was about
7. We lived in Delhi and I went to the American Embassy School, and I grew up
with French, Indian and American culture. I didn't speak any English or Hindi
when we moved, so the culture shock was significant. It was as I learned
English that my initial love for language, reading and writing began to
develop. I started writing stories seriously from a young age. Over time I developed
other interests, like acting and basketball.
➢
What are the books that have influenced
you the most?
From the earliest, Redwall by Brian Jacques, The
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, The Shannara series by Terry
Brooks, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams, The Wheel of Time by
Robert Jordan, The Eearthsea Quartet by Ursula K. Leguin, A Song of
Ice and Fire by George RR Martin.
➢
Name a writer you would consider a
mentor?
I don’t think I consider
any writer a mentor.
➢
Which book are you reading now?
I
just read Mark Lawrence’s The Broken Empire series and Joe Abercrombie’s
The First Law series.
➢
How do you find time to write?
Since my careers are fairly modular
I’m able to fix and shift chunks of time here and there. I may shoot for a month and then take a few weeks to write. It’s flexible, but I do make it a point to
make the time when I’m in a writing space.
➢
Who inspires you?
My
wife. She’s the most intelligent, most extraordinary person I've ever met. I
admire her perspective on life, her uncompromising honesty, how she thinks
about and through things. An exceptional person.
➢
Actor, Model and Author…How has the
journey been?
It’s been fantastic. I've had the
fortune of being part of some great films, many great ads and now I have a
book published by Penguin. Living in Mumbai has been a wonderful experience and working here has also been fun. And I met my wife here! Life just keeps
getting better and better.
➢
Why did you choose to write about this
particular genre?
I've read and written in the fantasy
genre since I was very young. It was something that I've always loved, long
before Harry Potter popularized the genre for the world. Writing ‘Warrior’ in
this genre was a very natural progression.
➢
Describe your writing process – Do you
write more by intuition or logic or would you define it as a combination of
both?
A combination of both. Since
storytelling is primarily an emotional activity, I use my intuition a lot to
gauge the effect my writing should have on a reader. I believe that great
storytelling also requires great structure, and structure needs a logical
approach. So it all happens at the same time, logic and intuition work together
to craft a great story.
➢
How much time did you spend writing your
novel- Warrior?
At the time I was working full-time
and working on ‘Warrior’ on weekends, so my sense of how long it took is
somewhat distorted. All together I suppose about three months.
➢
What was the hardest part of writing this
novel?
I didn't really face any difficulty
with writing the novel. For me writing is and should be an effortless endeavor.
Art needs to be flowing and easy, not hard.
➢
Which part of the writing process did you
enjoy the most?
Everything - from the very
beginning, the creation of Saam and the story and his dynamic relationship with his father
Shiva, to the actual writing, creating the other characters and subplots, to
the editing. Every part of it was fun.
➢
Your book has been shortlisted for the
Tibor Jones South Asian Awards…How does it feel?
It’s
nice to have your work recognized by a literary body of standing. It’s a really
lovely validation of your creativity and work.
➢
What projects are you working on next?
I've just written a feature film
script, the first one I've written for myself as the main character. It’s a fun
comedy, and I’m looking for a producer to partner with on it. What’s
particularly interesting is that it could be an Indian film or an international
film, so the producer could be Indian or international.
➢
Words of Wisdom! Is there anything you
would like to tell your readers?
Read
what you enjoy and read with joy!
Links -
“Warrior” Book Trailer - http://youtu.be/qDLMISZAzME
Facebook Page -
Twitter - https://mobile.twitter.com/OliLafont
“Warrior” Amazon Link -
If you would like me to
review your book or feature you on my blog, mail me at myriadhues14@gmail.com
Twitter - @GuptaRach
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