Nadene: I am excited to have
Ann Girdharry, the author of Good Girl, Bad Girl here on Totally Addicted to Reading for an interview! Thank you so much, Ann, for visiting Totally Addicted to Reading! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
Ann: Hi, and thanks for inviting me!
Ann : Sure – first, here’s my ‘official’ bio –
“Ann Girdharry was born and educated in the UK. A trained psychotherapist, she has worked for many years as a manager in the not-for-profit sector, for agencies working with: carers , vulnerable older people and those with dementia, survivors of abuse, and victims of racism and racial attacks. Today, she lives in Montpellier, France with her husband and two children.”
Actually, lots of my fiction ideas stem from the people, and their stories, that I’ve encountered through my work.
Ann: I’ve always enjoyed writing stories so, in a way, I’ve always been a writer in my spare time,
I think I realised that I could have a career as a writer only after I published the Tales of the Unexpected in 2015. It was this experience that showed me it might be possible and it was reader comments and feedback that really gave me the confidence.
Ann: The most significant point in my career was the decision to write my first, full length novel – Good Girl Bad Girl and to really commit the time and energy to seeing it through. The whole project took a long time – probably around three years from start to finish.
Nadene: When writing what do you find easy, challenging and rewarding?
Ann: Imagining the story is my strong point and I always have plenty of story ideas milling around in my head. What’s more challenging for me is structuring those ideas into a complex narrative that will make sense to the reader. What I tend to do is write the scenes that are the strongest and then I go back and think through the character arcs, the story flow, the descriptions and the dialogues that need more polish – it’s an iterative process and, each time, the book progresses further towards its final version. For me, it’s rewarding when I feel I’ve finally put all the details into each scene so that it reads the same way that I see it in my head.
Nadene: How do you choose your characters’ names?
Ann: I have a little notebook and I keep a list of interesting name ideas. Some of these I never use and others are useful. Actually, the names Kal, Marty and LeeMing came very naturally and I never had them written down in my small book, but Spinks came from my jottings!
Nadene: Please tell me one thing about your new book that readers won’t know until they read it. Where did the idea came from?
Ann: At one time, I was interested in Buddhism and meditation. When I created the character of the young, homeless, street-wise little Indian girl called Padma, it seemed natural to me that she should liken Kal to the Buddhist deity of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. I won’t spoil it here, but Padma’s selfless actions will lead Kal to conclude that if anyone was Avalokiteshvara’s servant , it is Padma not Kal.
Nadene: Have you written any other books that we should read next?
Ann: As I mentioned earlier, I’ve also written a series of mystery, suspense short stories entitled Tales of the Unexpected which was published 2015. Following on from Good Girl Bad Girl, I am already writing the second book in the Kal Medi series. ( If you’d like to keep up-to-date on this, you can join my Reader’s Group – details are on my website http://www.girdharry.com)
Nadene: If your books were turned into movies, who do you think would be suitable to play the lead roles?
Ann: That’s a very tricky question. I am sure there are plenty of young and talented Asian actresses but not many of them are in the spotlight. Maybe your readers would like to make some suggestions on that one? So, if you’ve ideas or images to share for a female lead, please email me (contact info on my website).
Nadene: What was the biggest challenge you encountered during the writing stage?
Ann: The biggest challenge was finding the stamina to continue writing. I have a lot of creative energy, nevertheless, a demanding project like a novel can be draining and often, it seemed as if the end was way out of sight. At times like those, you have to fall back on your own motivation and on the encouragement of those around you, and your happy readers!
Nadene: Do you have any advice for new and prospective writers?
Ann: My main advice is to keep going and to keep writing. There are many sources of advice and support online – writing circles, critique groups, discussion forums – join some of them, contribute and listen in – they will help you more than you realise .
Title: Good Girl, Bad Girl
Author: Ann Girdharry
Social Media: @GirdharryAnn
Author Website: www.girdharry.com
Publication date: 23rd August
Publisher: Create Space and Kindle Direct
ISBN-10: 0993560210
ISBN-13: 978-0993560217
Pages: 344
Format: Available in ebook and paperback
Mother missing, the discovery of a powerful and corrupt syndicate and dark secrets about her father revealed leaves 28-year old Kal determined to pursue her own investigations, no matter what sinister truths she uncovers, in this intense psychological thriller.
Kal is convinced her investigative journalist mother must have been working on a controversial, and top level, news story, it is the only explanation for her sudden and suspicious disappearance. Although mistrustful of the police, Kal allows Detective Inspector Spinks, the officer assigned to her mother’s case, to accompany her when she visits her grandmother to break the news. What they don’t expect is to uncover a file of shocking research cataloguing the deviant activities of seven members of London’s political and business elite. Back on the streets of London, the survival instincts and specialist expertise she learned from her late father, kick into overdrive, as Kal resolves to not only find her mother but continue her work and unveil the conspiracy hidden amongst those in power.
Nadene's addiction to reading began at an early age, when a family friend gifted her a copy of Wuthering Heights. From that moment she was never without a book.She will read anything as long the material is compelling enough to hold her attention. She gained many experiences through the pages of the books she had the opportunity to read.She created this blog to share her love of books with like minded individuals hopes that in sharing reviews of the books read visitors to the blog will discover their next addictive read. When not reading, Nadene enjoys cooking, listening to music and watching television.
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