Character Interview of the book The Clockmaker

“A clock fixed by us never stops working.”

                                                                            – Ashish Raj Gupta

 

Let’s welcome Ashish Raj Gupta, the protagonist of the book THE CLOCKMAKER, to our hot seat today.

(A man in his early forties enters nervously folding his hands and takes the seat)

Q: Hello Ashish, how have you been?

Ashish: Feeling better now. Thank you. (Looks around)

Q:  You are a very passionate clockmaker. Did you always know that you will take on your family legacy?

Ashish: I grew up listening to the stories of valor of clock making from my Biji and grandfather. From antique timepiece to modern watches we have fixed them all successfully. A saying goes, “A clock fixed by us never stops working.” We are one of the affluent families in the community.

I could never imagine myself in any other profession.

Q: That’s amazing. Does your son too wish to join this family legacy?

Ashish: I am very positive about it. He will when the time comes. He is too young now, so I don’t want to persuade him into anything.

Q:  Ashish, I heard that something happened during the Vaishno Devi trip. What happened there?

Ashish:  (Beads of perspiration on his forehead and he looks very distant suddenly. The feeling of uneasiness clearly shown on his face. He looks down at the wristwatch on his hand and then looking up said in almost a whisper) I can’t answer your question. I got to go!

Q:  Ashish please wait… Is everything alright?

Ashish leaves without looking back.

Let’s welcome Vicky, one of the supporting characters of the novel.

(A young man in his twenties enters smiling confidently and takes his seat)

Vicky: It is my pleasure to be here today. Actually, I am glad to skip my classes today. (Smiles)

Q: Oh! Is it? Okay, tell us something about yourself first.

Vicky: Hi all. I am Vikram Raj Gupta, Vicky for short. I am pursuing Business studies at the moment but that’s because of my Nanu. My passion lies elsewhere – Speed, Biking. I want to participate in the Mountain Biking Rally someday and show the world what I am capable of.

Q: Wow! Does your family know about your passion?

Vicky: (Shrugs) I don’t think so. They don’t even know I am part of the Biker’s Gang. Otherwise, I would have been thrown out of the house long back. (Thinking) I long for their support sometimes but I know it’s not possible.

Q: Sorry to hear that. So are you not going to pursue your dream then?

Vicky: Yeah, of course. Someday I will. But before that, I have to win their trust in me. Right now they are more worried about my professional career.

Q: So are you going to be a clockmaker like your father?

Vicky : (Looks up with a sheepish smile on his face)

I hate to answer it.

Q: Okay. I shall move on to the next question then. Any girlfriend?

Vicky: Umm…

(Blushing again and avoiding eye contact. No answer)

Q: So I guess there is one. What’s her name?

Vicky: (saying shyly) We are just friends.

Q: (Laughs) So you haven’t proposed her yet?

Vicky: Just waiting for the right time I guess.

Q: Hmm, I guess I can make it out now. Okay here is the lifetime opportunity for you then. I am inviting Kavya Menon.

Readers, let’s welcome Kavya Menon, another supporting character of the novel.

 (A girl in her early twenties walks in smiling and waving her hand. Vicky stands up looking nervous)

Q: Hi Kavya. Good to see you here.

Kavya: (Takes her seat beside Vicky) Hello to you all.

(Turns to Vicky)

Glad to see you here Vicky. I am so damn nervous.

Vicky: Me too.

(Shakes hand with her)

Q: Kavya how long have you known Vicky?

Kavya: We met a few days back. Strange he is my classmate too but we hardly interacted before.

Vicky: That’s because I am the backbencher and she is the frontbencher. (laughs)

Kavya: (Gives a naughty glare)

Q: Quite obvious it seems. So Kavya what are your dreams?

Kavya: My family is my dream. I have very loving parents who have always encouraged each one of us to dream big and achieve it. My father is the only bread earner in the family and a heart patient too. But that has never stopped him from fulfilling our wishes. So after my business studies, I plan to get myself a good job and help my family achieve their dreams.

Q: It’s a very noble thought Kavya. I am sure you will do good for your family. But I am also curious to know about your love life. You are so pretty I am sure you have boyfriends too.

Kavya: (Blushing) Actually, I have never thought about it. In fact, there is no time in my routine for all these stuff. My hands are full with my studies, work, and family. (Thinks) Maybe someday I will think about it when I have settled down in life.

Vicky: (Looks towards her and sighs)

Q: Sure, it’s all about the TIME. Isn’t the novel THE CLOCKMAKER about it too?

Vicky & Kavya: (Jointly) Yup. We heartily hope the readers enjoy it. We are going to sharing the blurb and the video trailer of our book. Do check it out.

Q: I am sure they will.  Thank you for your time guys. And thanks to the readers.

Vicky & Kavya: (Jointly) Thanks for inviting us here. Bye. (waves hand)

Releasing on soon on Amazon Kindle. 

 

Stay tuned for the book blurb and the next announcement on the next post

until then

 

Watch the

VIDEO TRAILER OF THE CLOCKMAKER

Book Quotes 2 : The Clockmaker

Enjoy your weekend with these quotes from my upcoming paranormal thriller.

 

A Quote from “The Clockmaker”

Excerpt: The Clockmaker – The Nightmare

Ashish lay in bed sweating profusely. Whatever had happened in his shop had horrified him beyond words. He knew he could never be able to explain the incident to anyone. After endless tossing and turning he fell asleep only to be overpowered by his nightmare.

It was dark already. A small fire burning

 “Give me back my money!”

 “Are you done? We will miss the bus?”

 “ We will see how you put up your stall here again?”

 A hand from behind the bushes

“I am too old now. You carry on.”

Weary feet running in the jungle

“I am the clock maker.”

“I am not going anywhere!”

“I have been waiting for you!”

“Just wait and watch!”

“ Here take this! Mend it for me.”

“We are not going anywhere!”

Ashish woke up with a jolt in the wee hours of the morning. He found he had accidentally wetted his bed. But he didn’t care anymore. He lay in his wet bed wide eyed thinking and shaking nervously. He had no urge to even get up and change his wet clothes. His body was as cold as an ice.

It was not the first time the nightmares haunted him. He remembered it very clearly. It had started after his father’s demise. At first he had thought it was due to the personal loss in the family as he had been very young then. But over the years it had gripped his consciousness in such a manner that sometimes it became difficult for him to differentiate when he was dreaming and when it was for real. However, the previous night’s nightmare had left him shaking. It was the first time his nightmare was interrupted by the incidents of the day.

He lay on his back on the bed looking at the spinning ceiling fan above, without flicking his eyes.

Photoshoot of the Clockmaker

From the pages of my upcoming book The clockmaker. Read excerpts here

 

Excerpt: The Clockmaker – A spark in the rain

Here is a small excerpt from my upcoming novel THE CLOCKMAKER. Hope you enjoy it.

***

It had started raining since the evening. A heavy downpour followed by drizzle. With the onset  of the monsoons it was predictable. It was chaos everywhere. The routes were jammed due to water logging on the streets and the traffic came to a standstill in a short while.

Vicky was waiting for Kavya in the parking lot. He knew it would be difficult for her to drive back to her house in her scooty in this weather. So he waited there to help her out.

Kavya came out of the institute in a while. She was very upset to see the chaos on the road. It was already late and she didn’t want to keep her mother worried at home. She called her up to inform that she would be home late due to the traffic.

She pulled her bag above her head and ran to the parking lot. She was almost drenched by the time she reached there.

“Damn. How am I going to make it to Noida in this weather?” She cussed.

“May I help you?”A voice asked from behind. It was Vicky. He had gathered a lot of courage to say those words to her. His heart was racing fast as he waited for her answer.

Kavya turned around and saw a guy standing. His nervous black eyes were the first thing she noticed. It matched his anxious voice. She remembered seeing the guy in the class. One of the back benchers. She dismissed him immediately saying, “No. Thanks,” and turned back. She started her scooty and drove off without giving a second look to him.

Vicky sighed as he watched her go. “Damn! How stupid I looked?” He said to himself and started laughing. “You need lessons from your old man again,” he reminded himself. His Nanu had been of great help to him when he set out to make his first girlfriend at the age of thirteen. He started his bike and trailed Kavya which he often did without her knowledge.

Kavya couldn’t reached very far. The route she usually took was completely jammed due to the rains and there was no sign of relief any time soon. Most of the people were already reversing their vehicle. So Kavya also thought of doing so.

She took a right turn and didn’t notice the speed bumper ahead. Before she could apply the brakes she lost her balance and bumped into a standing vehicle. The impact threw her out of the bike on the water logged road.

The vehicle was a brand new car and the impact broke one of its tail lights.

Kavya stood up shivering – more from the shock of the accident than her wet clothes. She was drenched completely and her hands and knees were bruised.

Instead of helping her, the driver of the car, she had bumped into, got down and started arguing about the damage done to his vehicle. The poor man was concerned that the car owner will deduct the damage from his salary. People started gathering around and it terrified Kavya more . She was so terrified that she hid her face in her palm.

Vicky reached there in time and found Kavya panic stricken amid the crowd. He didn’t lose a second and took the situation in his hands.

He got down from his bike and yelled at the crowd, “She is with me!” Within a few strides he stood right in front of her.

Kavya heard a familiar voice. She opened her eyes slowly and was curious to find a guy standing in front of her with his back towards her. His broad shoulders shielded her completely from the crowd.

“I will take care of it. Just don’t worry.” He stated.

Kavya remembered the voice. It was of the same guy in the parking she had met a few minutes ago. But his voice sounded so authoritive now.

He spoke something to the driver and he went away without saying  another word. The crowd too disbursed immediately.

He then turned back to face Kavya. “Are you alright?” He looked concerned.

Kavya looked into those eyes once more but could not hold his gaze for more than a few seconds. She was ashamed of her rudeness earlier. She nodded looking down.

Vicky bent down and picked up her bag from the road. He looked around for her scooty. It stood a few meters away. Someone in the crowd might have picked it up. He went to check it. He started the engine and it roared. He looked at Kavya who was still standing there where he had left her. The rain water washing off the mud stains off her fair skin. He then noticed that she was shivering.

He came over to her and took off his rain jacket and offered it to her.

“Your scooty is fine.” He informed her.

Kavya remained silent. She knew she couldn’t make it home alone but she didn’t have the courage to say it. She started weeping.

“Damn! No! What happened? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you anyway.” He was confused.

Between her sobs Kavya said, “No I am sorry for my rudeness. Please take me home. I can’t ride my scooty.”

There was silence for a moment.

Kavya wasn’t sure anymore what to expect and Vicky was speechless hearing her words. How much he had waited for a moment like this and now he was zapped. He could feel the blood draining his ears and cheeks red as his heart raced.

Then she heard him say. “Don’t worry about your scooty. I will get it picked up by my friend. Come on lets go.”

Kavya followed him quietly to his bike and pillion rode the entire way to her house in Noida. Nobody spoke in between. They spoke only for directions.

Kavya was still in shock and Vicky too cautious of her nearness to him. And it drizzled all the way.

When Vicky stopped the bike in front of her apartment Kavya got down and throwing a small, “Thank you,” behind her ran inside without looking back.

Vicky stood there watching her enter the building. He looked up towards the sky and a smile swept his lips while the rain drops splashed on his face. He started the engine and biked all the way home in super speed.

And I came across the king…

Isn’t it strange? I have been watching his movies chewing my nails with my eyes rolling around most of the time to see if there was anyone standing right behind me. Gosh! Scary horror movies have always been my favorite time pass during my school summer vacation. Not that I knew about many English directors or Hollywood actors but they had this thrill in their horror movies which I always found missing in our Bollywood movies. Even the famous  Zee TV show of Ramsay Production didn’t excite as did most of the Hollywood horror movies.

I am more of a visual person and hence what I have seen once in safely saved in my memory. And one such memory is of Pet Sematary. It was the story of a family that had shifted to a new home and just when you thought everything was going perfect all hell broke loose. For weeks I was so disturbed by the movie that I could hardly sleep at night. Even strange was I had picked up the movie just by its title. I had no idea about the actors or director of the movie. It was only the title that drew my attention. Those were the days when we use to watch videos in VCP in our bedroom with all the curtains of the windows drawn in to darken the room when it was broad daylight outside. Most of the times it was me and my sisters insanely staring at the TV screen to see what would be the next scene. A slight knock on the door would startle us like anything and nights use to scare the hell of us.

Today after so many decades, I watched a movie trailer on Facebook that was shared by one of my friends. It was of the upcoming movie “IT” written by Stephen King, The king of horror. I have never read Stephen King but today the trailer made me fall in love with his work. He is a terrific storyteller. And then my search for his other work started  on the internet. I came across Pet Sematary and I remembered how it had left me frightened for weeks. So I may not have read his books but his movies did keep me hitched. Like this time it was the trailer of IT.

I am trying my hands on supernatural, paranormal this time. And sincerely hope that I may  incite similar feelings in my reader with my work. Wish me good luck!

 

A still from the movie Pet Sematary

The Clock Maker : Excerpt #1 (#paranormal)

Here is a small #excerpt from my upcoming book

The wind blew and the swaying tree top sang to its tune humming slowly. The temperature had dropped down considerably since the sunset. It was pretty usual in this part due to the rocky terrain of the Aravalis mountain ranges. The days are pretty hotter and the nights colder.

Bauji stretched his hands over fire. The warm of the fire felt very good on his palm. He drew his palm over his face to feel the warmth. It felt like heaven. He was glad that at least he was not going to die of cold in this jungle.

The man got up to put some more wood in the fire. Bauji watched him over the fire flames. He stood pretty tall for a six feet man. His black cloak almost touched the ground as he walked with a long stride towards the pile of woods.  As he tossed the wood in the fire the wind blew, hugging his cloak to his well built physique. The light from the fire brightened up slightly but still wasn’t enough to catch a glimpse of the face that remain hidden within the hood. The aura around him was very mysterious as he sat done on the rock again almost camouflaged to the darkness behind. He just didn’t seem to belong to this world.

Excerpt#3 – The Jungle Series (A collection of short stories))

The Diary Of A Rolling Stone

After walking for about two hours they came across their first halt. A small tribal village on the slopes of the Mikal hill.

Neha had completely forgotten that she was tired. Her camera just won’t stop rolling. She had been capturing images of everything she came across so far in her trek and here, in the tribal village, she had dig gold. Everything about this Stone Age village was worth capturing.

Ritesh had gone with Shankar to take a tour of their home stay while Neha was busy with her camera shots. Suddenly her camera lens caught hold of a veiled tattooed lady in a black robe.

She was sitting alone under a tree. The piece of cloth just hid her private assets and her whole body was nude, displaying tattoos in various forms. Like all the other in the village she was dark complex too and her hair more…

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