Awesome Author: Interview with Haresh Daswani (Evolution of Insanity)

We're back for another Awesome Author Interview!  This time, I am featuring someone I met through Goodreads, gave me a copy of his book to read and review - which I think is awesome - and whom I asked for an interview. 

It's none other than Haresh Daswani!  Read my book review of Evolution of Insanity, his first book, and you would understand why I am so excited about this interview.  He has actually done a guest post and shared his 10 Good Things on a Monday where he listed ten things that make him happy.

 

Upon further research, I found that although he's unmistakably from India, he lives in the Philippines, a kababayan - fellow countryman, we'd say.  So without further ado, I would like to present to you, Haresh Daswani!

Tell us about your book

This is my first book compilation. I have poetries which have yet to be compiled, but it is something that would be done on a later date, more importantly, only if my current book gets good sales  :)

I do have plans to write a book on Shaivism, which will be more in an essay form. I want to depict Shaivism as an open source spirituality, not bound by “only this God will save”, but by imparting universal knowledge that can be shared by anyone of any faith, kinda like Buddhism as well.

What was the inspiration that made you decide to write Evolution of Insanity?

My friends have been telling me “you should make that a book”, but it was only when Romana gave in a lot of effort to help out that made me realize that perhaps it should be a book. Meeting her was also of the weirdest coincidences.

The book is a compilation of 5 years worth of hobby writing. Some of the stories there were written in 10 minutes, some would take 30 minutes, but they are all generally fast pieces.

How did you prepare yourself before you began writing Evolution of Insanity?

I zone out. I get random inspirations that starts off with the first line, and grow it from there. I do not plan my stories, I just let it be. In fact, I do not know what I have written until I have finished. I also do not edit or correct anything I write.

What is your reading guilty pleasure?

I like whatever is most twisted, intelligent twists. I prefer British over American writing but Palahniuck, O’rourke, and Sedaris are still in my top writers. Their books have been my sins.

What do you do before writing?  Do you have a ritual that you must do every time before you write?

I tune into Thievery Corporation or some of my songs. I have the weirdest song choices for which I sync in with the running melody.

Who is one writer that you really look up to?

Gabriel Garcia Marquez for his humor, his maturity, his craft, and his intelligence. I believe any writer should aspire his highly evolved writing state.

What is one book that you think everyone should read?

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuck would usually come first to mind, because CEO of the Sofa will not be as appreciated for its views by many.

How do you deal with negative reviews?

I already know that my pieces are not meant for everyone. But at the very least, those who appreciate my pieces are the type of people I keep as friends. My book is definitely not everyone’s cup of cake for it can have some very disturbing points, and I accept that fact.

If you were given the opportunity to become a character in any book, which book would it be and which character would you play?

I’ve always wanted to be Hannibal Lecter.

What advice can you give amateur writers?

Enjoy writing, play around and discover your talent. Do not write to please others, write to express thoughts, and instill values others may pick up. After all, we are all obliged to share the knowledge we have gathered, and let such knowledge continue its evolution.

Thank you so much for joining us, Haresh! 


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For more info on Haresh Daswani and his writings, you can  find him on: 

Haresh on Goodreads

Haresh's Blog 
Haresh on WritersCafe.org
Haresh on The National Free Press 
Haresh on Augusta Free Press 

Twitter 

Facebook

10 Good Things on a Monday: Awesome Author Edition

10 Good Things on a Monday is a weekly feature  I am doing dedicated to every person's compulsive list-writing.  Every Monday we are going to make a list of 10 things that will cheer us up and help tide us over the whole week.

<a href="http://buoyreading.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20things" target="_top"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ZLJhw831LIwGjiA8RrpkyCa2Kw0vJ-MCDZ92vwi4is-CRlAzDfrov1rTTH16ntcfHxERkDFchxdM-bLazZ6g9M8tSP4JfsgI1z6BjiHzILQVknmvbcSdG9PpCXAdG9SZ1LU5PvsKPpM/s1600/10.JPG" border="0" /></a>

Here's how it works:

1. Think of a particular group of good things you want to make a list on, does not necessarily have to be about books, e.g. your current book wish list, or your favorite book foods (you know, foods you love to eat while reading, if you're like me), or your favorite girly names, whatever you can think of, as long as it makes you feel good.
2. If you have no ideas for a list, you can always visit my blog post to check out my theme for that week and you can take a cue from my list.
3. Post your list on your blog, grab that cute ARGH button above and put it on your post too, so we'd know you're doing this meme.
4. Leave the link for your post on my own 10 Good Things post for the week, if you see others doing it, comment too and let's share our good things with everybody.
5. Everybody goes through the whole week happy!

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This week, I am bringing you a really awesome treat.  Not only am I giving you ten good things that are sure to cheer you up, the list would be from a really awesome author, Haresh Daswani who wrote Evolution of Insanity.  Remember him?  I wrote this book review of his book and I am also going to feature an interview with him.  Stay tuned for that interview but for now, go on and take a look at ten things that make Haresh happy:

1. Dancing Queen by Abba – I usually hear this in new year parties and it cheers me up every time
2. Yogurt and CHEESE (all types of cheese, as there has to be lots of cheese)
3. My meditation Mantra (Om Namah Shivaya) makes me calm and happy all the time (works like a miracle)
4. Watch an episode of Monty Python
5. My environmental advocacy keeps me smiling too
6. Watch Jimmy Carr, Mitch Hedberg, or Frankie Boyle on Youtube
7. Listen to the song Bahon Mein Chalein Aaon, Chura Liya, and other 1950s oldies on youtube
8. Eating all the strawberries I can get
9. Figuring out the most devious prank I can pull off to someone completely unsuspecting (I am not as liked by some people)
10. Write articles for National Free Press, Augusta Free Press, or anyone in general.

So there you go, I hope this helps you get to know him better and stay tuned for his interview! 

Have a great week!

Book Review: Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani

Photo taken from Goodreads

 Book Info

 
Title:  Evolution of Insanity 

Author:  Haresh Daswani
Publisher:  CreateSpace
Publication Date:  January 27, 2011
Language: English

Format:  Advanced Digital Copy

Pages:  158 pages

Source:  From the Author

Buy this book on Amazon

Summary

From Goodreads: 

"An author having a conversation with his fictional character, or losing control of his character, mind numbing points leading one twists and turns spinning the mind of the reader with hallucinogenic colors, concepts, and eurekas. The short stories begin simplified, and walks together with the author as he takes a personal journey deep within the universe of his own consciousness, dwelling, prodding, dissecting, and creating... This book is a play on different writing styles uniquely conjured by the writer from random inspiration and experimentation with poetry as prior experience. This is a chronological anthology spanning the imagination and sanity of the writer. This book is a collection of humour, satire, and philosophy, with the most unique writing style and twists. This books evolves as one reads, from basic and simple stories of humor, to deeper and more profound satire best savored twice"

Review

First of all, I would like to thank the author of this book, Mr. Haresh Daswani, for giving me a copy of this book, and the opportunity to read it and give my thoughts about it.

And now, for the review.  Obviously, I would not be thanking the author as publicly if I had not enjoyed this book.  It is witty, entertaining, filled with crackling anecdotes, and hilarious commentary.  Best of all, it is fraught with intelligent observations of how we humans live.

Let me go so far as to say that this book is best read when you are in your most intellectual mood, as it would dare you to think beyond the words of what is written and delve into the author's mind about how he views things.  In a way, I felt that this was not just a book created from the author's imagination, but a reflection of how the author views the world.  One would laugh at the humor-filled statements, the comic scenes and settings, but once one understood the essence of such remarks, one could not help but nod and say, "Yes, that is quite true.  Why did I not think of that myself?"  Or maybe even add one's own ideas, maybe disagree with what has been said?  Either way, one is challenged to agree or refute the author's ideology and rationalize one's own beliefs.

Reading through Daswani's book, I could not help but be reminded of those times in Philosophy class in college.  His writing makes the reader think that they are having a conversation with someone else, probably a very favorite teacher, a smart friend, or better yet, the author himself.  Which reminded me of those times when we studied Socrates and how he conducted his discussions with his students.  Now I am not saying that Daswani is a modern-day Socrates, but what he talked about in this book could spark a lively debate in any Philosophy class and if I were still in college right now, I'd probably bring Evolution of Insanity to school and make our professor torture the whole class with intense conversations about the things talked about in this book.   

Which is not to say that this book is only good for super-intelligent conversations or musings.  You can also read this solely for its entertainment value, and probably use a few lines from this book as your new joke or ice breakers.  The possibilities are endless.

His writing style is also one for the books.  In one chapter, he would go all narrative-like and describe in witty detail a funny story and in another, he would abandon all thought for story-telling and write ideas, observations in prose - straightforward and directly addressing readers, oftentimes even issuing a challenge.

Simply put, this book is a good one to have on your shelf to read during moments of boredom, moments of severe bursts of intellect, moments of good conversations, and practically any moment that you would prefer to read.  Which, in my case, is very often.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

I received this book free of charge from the author, Haresh Daswani, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
 
Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions. 

Teaser Tuesday: Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two "teaser" sentences from that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don't want to ruin the book for others!
* Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

I'm reading Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani.  I met him through Goodreads and I was given a copy of his book to read, and so far, I am enjoying the psychedelic and spontaneous ride.

“The door was opened and the air was now slightly more breathable, given that there is still some methane in the air outside the conference room.”

-page 76, Evolution of Insanity by Haresh Daswani