Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Pavithra Ramesh joins us to share a romance novel, Our Perfectly Blended Chaos. Pavithra, can you give us a bit of background to your book?

Pavithra: Destiny brings its twists and turns when Payal decides to set on a path that defines her fate. She was a beautiful girl with simple dreams who decided to follow her ambition to work on the job she loved. She meets a guy at the airport and it feels like love at first sight. However, she knows her priorities and moves on. Life plays its card when the guy she left behind as an infatuation followed her to prove his mad love for her. New city, new job, new people and a feeling that feels like love but is complicated. What happens later, is a battle of romance, friendship, revenge – a perfect blend of ultimate chaos.

Sabitha: That sounds like a lot of fun. What inspired you to write this book?

Pavithra: I derived inspiration from the need to give my readers a book which combines it all – mystery, romance, friendship and revenge. I often crave reading such books that keep me hooked on what is happening and help me visualise the scene in my mind while I read. That is exactly what I wanted to offer my readers. Inspiration to write also comes from my daily life.

Sabitha: Was there any music that inspired you while you were writing?

Pavithra: Not a certain specific kind of music but in general music helps me calm my mind and get into a flow that does wonders for the book.

Sabitha: Do you have a “fan-cast” – do you have actors you’d cast as your main characters?

Pavithra: Well, the cast of Friends is definitely a dream cast. I would cast Jennifer Aniston as the protagonist; she could do justice to any role.

Sabitha: What book do you tell all your friends to read? Besides yours of course!

Pavithra: The Secret is the best self-help book I have read so far. It made me believe in manifestation. Apart from that, I love The Kite Runner. It left me in tears at the end of the book and touched my heart like no other.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Pavithra: Well, my book is a blend of romance, revenge, and friendship mixed with some mystery to keep you hooked till the end. When I thought about how I could bring this mix to the title, I came up with the name Our Perfectly Blended Chaos.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Pavithra: You can find me on LinkedIn, and order my book on Amazon.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re joined by William F Gray to talk about his debut psychological thriller, The Man Behind the Door. William, can you tell us about your novel?

William: The Man Behind the Door is a psychological thriller about grief, trauma, and addiction with a ghost story spin.

Sabitha: What inspired you to write this book?

William: The inspiration for this book was actually my own father, who is the basis of Leigh Glasscock. It started out as a way to get to know him better ten years after his suicide, but it grew beyond that. He had a lot of struggles in his life, and I set out to tell his story in a non-biased, compassionate way within the structure of a fictional story.

Sabitha:  Which character do you relate to the most and why?

William: Leigh Glasscock is a character that I think encompasses the complexity of life. He does some truly heinous things throughout The Man Behind the Door , but he’s also the most likable because you understand him. You might hate him one second, and the next you’re feeling sorry for him, and then you’re actually rooting for him.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

William: The Man Behind the Door came from an early chapter, where I refer to a character that one of the children meets as “The Man Behind the Door”. As soon as I put it down, I knew that was my title. Not only is right on the nose (he’s literally behind the door) but it also fits metaphorically, because Leigh lives his life without anyone knowing him for who he really is. No one really saw who the person he was underneath the mask he wore.

Sabitha:  If you could pick any author to read your book, who would you want to read it? Why them?

William: This is the obligatory Stephen King reference, but it’s for a better reason than “He’s my favorite author.” I was twelve years old when I first picked up The Gunslinger and was introduced to King’s universe, but it changed my life forever. I read the entire Dark Tower series while my family imploded due to drug abuse. Everyone in my family used, and I was very much alone with the exception of Mr. King, Roland, and his ka-tet. In a lot of ways, they saved my life.

Sabitha: Books can be such a powerful force for us to find understanding and strength. You’ve written a moving and personal story. What do you most want your readers to take away from reading your book?

William: This is a two-fold question. At face value, I want everyone who reads my book to feel the same excitement I do when I read a great novel. On a deeper scale (and this is one I knew from the moment I published it) I want someone to read my book and feel like they aren’t alone. I want them to see a little bit of themselves in there, whether it be in the struggles that Leigh has or making sense of his actions after the fact. It’s a rollercoaster of a novel, full of horror, both supernatural and mundane, as well as pain and bittersweet closure. I think it has a little bit of something for everyone, but I also know that every author thinks that.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

You can find my debut novel on Amazon and my website. My upcoming supernatural horror novel, The Devil Within Us All, is releasing this May via Wicked House Publishing. It’s inspired by powerful men who abuse their station (religious, political, or otherwise) to bring out the worst in others.

Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: We’re talking to Macy Lewis about her forthcoming novel, Weathering The Storm. Macy, can you introduce us to your book?

Macy: I wrote my novel Weathering The Storm with a dear friend, Jim King. Jim created the title, theme of the book, and so much more. He’s very clever and we’re writing our second book now, Loma.

When two strangers are asked to investigate unexplained weather that is terrorizing the world, they must overcome the trauma and wounds in their past, to move forward with their mission and unexpected romance. Will they be able to weather the emotional storms that come their way, or will they sink in their own despair?

Sabitha:  Which character do you relate to the most and why?

Macy: I relate to my main character, Charmaine, because she’s blind like me. Char’s my first blind character, and it was so fun to write about a subject that I understand so well.

Sabitha: The book is obviously very close to your heart. What do you most want your readers to take away from reading your book?

Macy: I hope people learn that a disability doesn’t define someone, rather, their personality and heart are what truly makes us special.

Sabitha: What do you love about the writing process?

Macy: I love writing because it allows me to imagine the world in my own way, which is really special because I’ve never seen the world like most people. All of my books are collaborative efforts between me and my friends and family, who are on my writing team. My writing team are so kind to let me create characters after them, read my work and give feedback, help me find illustrators and editors who are in their friend circles, or answer questions about subjects they are experts in when I want to ensure my research is correct.

I love the whole writing process. Sometimes it can drive me crazy when I have to change a plot, or cut a scene I’ve spent so much time writing, but in the end, I know it’s worth the headache. I also love putting my personality into characters and letting my imagination run wild with the storylines I create.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Macy: They can find my books at their favorite online bookstore, but here’s my Amazon page. They can follow me on Facebook and Twitter.