An Interesting Interview with Aditya K V | Author Of Daitya Diaries

Allow me to Introduce Aditya, the author of Daitya Diaries. Daitya Diaries delves into a fictional world inspired by Indian mythology. The book is basically a thriller with SciFi attributes weaved nicely into various timezones.

Venkat Aditya Kopeneni aka Adiya K. V. – the author of – Daitya Diaries

• Daitya Diaries (Blood And Vengeance) by Aditya K. V. | Book Review

Reading the book made us curious to know more about and thus we approached him. Fortunately, the things worked out positively and from our team I got a chance to have a small Q/A session with him. I would love to share it with you all.

It is quite heartening to see the reception. I was not every sure if the amalgamation of Mythology, Science, and History would be accepted so easily. This is a genre that we see a lot in the west (Similar to Thor of Marvel) but in India, we have not really taken the true pop culture route for Mythology. So I am extremely happy that people are writing in that they loved the book.

Writing for me happened out of an accident, I had been researching for the book for years but I never really got over my lethargy to actually sit down and write it out. It was during a bad phase in life that I decided to write. I was looking for a world to escape into and Daitya Diariesbecame the world I created. This book gave me a way to seek solace, more than being complete I think writing brings me peace.

I am Venkat Aditya Kopeneni. I know well that it is a tongue twister.

I come from a background in marketing and communications. Until recently I was well entrenched into the world of brands and consumer behaviour. The last time I was a student was in 2015 as a part of a Fellowship at Cornell Alliance for Science. I was studying science communication. It was last year after I won the big contest of Kahaniya and some unforeseen circumstances of life, I switched gears and took a sabbatical to write more. I am currently working with a production house to direct my first feature film. Oratory and debating have been my passions and books fueled them for years. I have debated competitively at the national level.

My mother was the one who introduced me to Mythology, The stories stayed with me. By the time I was 13 I was attending the local Iskon and then went on to study Buddhism. Myths more than being moral stories had been great portals to let my imagination fly. As I dug deeper into the Mythological realm, I think my Moral compass went haywire and Morality and ethics started to look more and more dynamic. these stories helped build whatever my world view is, My friends, know me as the guy who randomly quotes some obscure mythological character to justify his action.

Maybe or maybe not. The stories have just changed in the format of communication but parents do try to imbibe some form of morality that they believe in kids. they may not take time out to tell them stories but I see a lot of them ensuring that Kids are exposed to videos or stories which ensure that they get the right morals. I am not a parent so I have no idea of how parenting today works. I do see friends who come to me from time to time to help pick books for their kids.

Absolutely it does, stories form the first bench of Morality for kids. They define who the hero is and who the villain is and the characters to be attributed to them pretty much form the basis in the way kids will end up viewing the world.

Again it is my mother who introduced Mythology to me. What is the most fascinating element of Indian Mythology is there is no pure evil or nor pure good. The true element lies in the grey shades that both Gods and Demons treat in. There is a lot one can learn even from vile villains like Ravana and Duryodhana. Another element I love is the idea that man can challenge god and god himself is an amalgamation of consciousness that is present as a spark in man. The stories have filled me with enough of a world view which had helped me even in my career.

Writing for me is an escape from reality, As a reader books take you into my world and as a writer, I enter the world first

Daiya Diaries was conceived as a bridge between mythology and pop culture. Back in 2008 while pursuing my PGDM, I scribbled down the idea on a piece of paper during a boring class. I thought I should write a book about how the narrative of Gods and Demons can be flipped. The Mythology writing space hadn’t taken off by then.

Daitya Diaries (Blood And Vengeance) by Aditya K. V. | Book Cover

Though the idea was great I kept telling myself I need to get some more research and I ended up putting the best part of the next half decade into it. Only in 2015 did I write the story. The flip of characters needed justification and stories that could support it and it did take me a while to intermingle the right historical characters which would suit the storyline.

From 2015 to 2018 the book sat on my laptop, I couldn’t find a publisher. When a friend told me about the Launchpad contest by Kahaniya which would award the winner a publishing contract I jumped on it. I put up the story on Kahaniya and it won among a couple of hundred fully completed books. I won the coveted publishing contract and the book now is in your hands. It has been a long journey with Kahaniya.

I won the publishing contract but before that I approached almost all the major publishers but the book wasn’t picked up. It had been a taxing experience and I almost gave up. It was during my consulting stint in Delhi while I was spending over 16 hrs on my job at that point I just wanted someone to read the book and I didn’t care whether it would win or not. It was and I quit my job and pursue a career in writing.

I am quite an impulsive one, I do make it a point to sit down every day to write but it truly is a whimsical process, there are days when you hack through thousands of words and there are days when you can’t make it through half a paragraph. But then I do enjoy writing stories so currently I work on multiple stories so that I can keep the work going if I can’t move through one story I immediately switch and come back at a later period to one I am stuck on.

I am currently working on a script which is a dark comedy and hope to make a feature film debut as a director with it. I also have a book in the works which is a political thriller and Daitya Diaries Part 2 is in the works. The political thriller is told from the perspective of a middle-class man who is tired of nepotism in the Indian political system. Daitya Diaries 2 explores more world events and continues the story of Vaira. The Dark comedy is a satire on the nexus of media and politics and science. So currently my plate is full.

Well, I wasn’t very much involved in the book cover, I was shown the options and I stuck to the one that I liked. I felt it stood out on the bookshelves and the color was apt for anyone’s bookshelf and I was in love with the artists thinking when he gave me the current cover.

This is the book that changed everything, I fell in love with writing. I think I was a lazy ass bum who never really wanted to write more than a couple of sentences but now I can’t be kept away from a story. I have changed the course of my career and have moved closer to the creative space and the book did instill in me the confidence that I can tell my stories.

My favorite Author is Alexander Dumas, the book Count of Monte Cristo is my bible for character metamorphosis. A tale of revenge so well crafted that you can clearly see the beasts inside a man. Other than him I have always been a big fan of the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

I just finished the Unending Game by Vikram Sood and Anything but a wasted life by Sita Kaylin.

Books, Books, and More books. Other than books I am found gaming (Mostly fantasy games and MMORPG’S) and I have been an avid Orator.

Well, I think we should look at the views, I have seen many book trailers barely get more than a 100 views. Giving away visual cues to the reader through the trailer limits the reader’s imagination and I personally don’t relish trailers for books. I avoided it and will look at avoiding it again in the future.

Ebooks are a fantastic medium of convenience and yes they do help increase the reader base. In an age where reading is dying ebooks or any other supplements are really helpful.

I prefer the traditional print over ebooks any day, though there is a great convenience in ebooks they still don’t match up to the style and the ease of flipping a page. The act of flipping itself is a moment of satisfaction and yes a new book has its a distinct aroma, it almost is akin to the essence of someone’s thoughts.

Ahh, I can write a thesis on this, I used to teach consumer behavior. Social networks have definitely shrunk the world and have brought cultures closer and they become important platforms to bring foreign cultures home. We as human beings are changing psychologically with the impact of social media and the medium’s strength is a way too powerful for anyone to ignore, in a way Social media is churning out new generational characteristics which have not been seen earlier, the generational cycle itself has shortened. One this shortening occurs social issues are seen more critically and change is demanded.

Here are the quick links:

• Facebook: Aditya KV
• Twitter: @Venkop
• Instagram: Authoradityakv

On Facebook I am Aditya Kv, On Instagram, I am on and on twitter, I am on Venkop.

• Buy Book From Amazon India – Paperback
• Buy Book From Amazon US – Paperback
• Buy Book From Amazon India – Kindle EBook
• Buy Book From Amazon US – Kindle Ebook

Over To You:

Hope you have enjoyed the Q/A session with him. And many of your questions might be already answered. Let us know that what do you think about this Interview session? Do you want us to ask anything else to him on your behalf? Do let us know. Also, let us know which other authors you like us to interview? Do let us know your thoughts and remarks via comments below. Do not forget to share this article with your friends over various social networks via Twitter, Facebook and others. And yes, you may like to subscribe to our RSS feeds and follow us on various Social networks to get latest updates for the site to land right in your mail box.