Imran Omer is this weeks interview. Imran kindly agreed to an interview about his book Entangled Lives and what he's been up to!
So Imran as we can see you've released Entangled Lives, what other projects or books have you published / or are due to publish?
Hi Elizabeth, yes, Entangled Lives is published by Roundfire, UK, and I am pretty happy with the book. I have a book called The Broken Promise which is being edited as we speak and I'm currently writing The Trilogy of Love.
Tell me a little about yourself, we like to be nosey!
I was born in Karachi and studied in Chicago. I live in Homewood, a suburb of Chicago. I teach Art and English as a Second Language (ESL). I have taught in the United States, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. I love teaching, but my passion lies in writing. Summertime is both my writing and painting time.
What got you into writing?
I was a nerd; read a lot all throughout my school years. Started slowing down in college and then rediscovered a zest for reading in my professional life. Behind this reading, a desire to write was always lurking.
Hey us nerds make the best authors! What’s the main thing you love and hate about writing?
I love to write but I hate to market this love. But these days every writer has to shoulder marketing responsibilities, no matter how efficient the publisher is.
I've not yet met one author who likes marketing! Who is the worst villain you’ve ever written, and why?
Befazal in Entangled Lives is clever and shrewd. Without his presence, we cannot see the contrast between the main protagonist, Raza, and Befazal, the contrast which is very important for the story and its impact on the reader. Despite this contrast, I tried my best to keep my antagonist real. I wanted the readers to feel that this story has roots in the real world.
What is next on your list to write/publish?
The Broken Promise is currently being edited. The Broken Promise renders an awakening in the first half of the twentieth century, an awakening that in many ways is still encompassing our lives. The change in the East was in political thought and receptivity to new ideas, whereas the West was at the threshold of new avenues of freedom. The dawn of the new era reinvents the characters of The Broken Promise, destroying the old way-of-life. It is the story of characters that appear from different socioeconomic and cultural backdrops in Britain, the United States, and colonial India. Entangled in the dilemmas of life, they portray a view of that age through their yearnings and endeavours, love and loss, and shortcomings and resilience, depicting the political upheaval and social change of the time.
I am working on The Trilogy of Love (working title). I started it a year back but could not continue to work on it, as I needed to do some more research to do justice to its characters. The Trilogy of Love is about three women who came of age in entirely different cultures but were connected with each other through the men in their lives and who came to somewhat the same conclusion about the freedom offered to them by religion and society. It starts in a small village of Eritrea, Africa, depicts Saudi Arabia and its women, and evaluates the freedom women experience in the West through English society.
They sound very interesting. Who is your favourite author, and why?
J.M Coetzee and Barabra Kingsolver are my favourites. They are masters of depicting the depth of human emotions. They don't let their language get in the way to express emotion, and to tell their stories. The language remains subservient to the story but still, its charm remains intact.
Who encouraged you the most to write?
I can't say that I have been encouraged but I have been acknowledged, acknowledged that I can write.
Are you as avid a reader as a writer?
Yes, of course.
Reading is escapism for me, what’s your favourite genre?
Literary/ Historical fiction.
Do you listen to music when you write?
Yes. A lot of times it propels the emotions that I want to depict in a specific scene. Therefore, often I choose music that sort of goes along with the scene.
If you could interview any famous author who would it be and why?
V.S Naipaul. I am very fond of his political commentary, and I feel there is so much I could discuss with him that I probably may not be able to with any other writer.
Tell me a secret that none of your fans know!
I never get tired of watching Ancient Aliens. I wonder if this qualifies.
I never quite know how to take that programme. Tell me what your main character would say about you!
This one always goes for the underdog. Let's mimic like an underdog.
Finally, any words of advice?
To new authors: Be authentic. Write what you know about and if you don’t know about what you are writing then research, research, research.
Imran thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day and having this interview with me! I'm looking forward to the release of your new book. To keep up to date with Imran, please follow him at:-
Amazon: Imran Omer
Author Website: www.imranomer.com
Author Blog: www.imranomer.blog
Facebook: Imran Omer
Goodreads: Imran Omer
Twitter: #imranomerart
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