Subhechcha Ganguly 
Shreyan Laha is a sci fi author. He has written four books in the said genre i.e. ‘Not Worth Living For’, ‘A Tiny Reason to Live’, ‘A Year Without Summer’ and the latest one, Virtually Lost. Professionally, he has a MBA in Rural Management from Xavier University, Bhubaneswar and is currently working with Indian Railways.
Q1) Every author has a story from where they began their writing journey. Tell us about the start of your journey.
Ans : Before social media got popular, it was blogging which ruled the roost. One of my blogs got reblogged by a reputed community post in 2009. While the site in question is either inactive or defunct, my writing gained significant attention. With these initial successes, I believed it was time for lengthier things.
Q2) “Virtually lost “is written by you . How did you decide the plot of the book and what was your inspiration behind. Also attach the link for the purchase of the book
Ans : We all acknowledge that algorithms in social media does have few repercussions in real life discussions are at an all-time high. That was the base on which I set this novel. Virtually Lost is a story of what would happen if social media came to real life. I started with a city which has massive surveillance programs on all its citizens since they live in the city. In other words, they are accounts in a social media! As the initial plot was set, I wandered through the storylines exploring topics associated with social media – such as forced contrarian behaviour in order to seek attention, kindness being absent, women’s safety, privacy and so on.
The link to the book is here:
https://www.amazon.in/dp/8195098290?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_MM7HA9N2HQ54K4JNG9C1
Q3) A lot of young authors wants to have a career in writing but feel underconfident at times. What would be your advice to them ?
Ans : Come out of your shells! I’ll be there to guide you in any way I can. If not me, I’ll tell a few more author friends. The world needs you. Never forget that there are books in the market with authors who aren’t nearly as proficient as you. Yet, they find readers since they manage to reach out with their books. Might sound cliché but you wouldn’t be an Isaac Asimov on day 1. However, even he started someday.
Q4) From writing the initial draft to working on the final draft it surely requires a lot of efforts. What was the most challenging process in your writing career ?
Ans : It doesn’t, according to me. For me, the post writing task is equally important and challenging – especially the author is a fresh graduate or below his twenties. Approaching right editors and the right book designers is a task for any new author. This is followed by writing the chapter outlines which would present your idea in a concise manner to the publisher. Marketing plan. Publishing. That, followed by executing your marketing plan on ground. You’ll be surprised which strategy plays out and which doesn’t. Almost, makes you an entrepreneur. Thankfully, that problem has been sorted these days.
Q5) Is there any message you want to give to the readers?
Ans: I apologise in advance if it sounds preachy but my advice would be to think about the future more often. This is not coming from the standpoint of me being a science fiction author but as humans who have the obligation to set an example for the future generations, we have to act accordingly. We must consider the kind of world we imagine we would leave for our future generations and take steps individually and collectively.
Q6) Tell us something about your hobbies and why do you think hobbies are important for a person ?
Ans : I like to collect perfumes and as of now, that’s my only hobby apart from writing novels. I wouldn’t consider it ‘important’ per se because a normal person doesn’t need more than six perfumes i.e. for workplace, home, get-togethers, daily summer, daily winter, occasional windy day ride. This olfactory journey of mine helped me escape during some personal tumultuous times. Arts, music and other hobbies are a source of cathartic pleasure. Even philosophers like Arthur Schopenhauer have outlined the part such hobbies play in our lives.
