Ask the Author: Mark Andrew

“Ask me a question.” Mark Andrew

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Hello Mark, I'm about to embark on Jalendu and from reading your response below, there is no sequel [yet] and the ending may not be a HEA???. There is an epilogue floating around somewhere though -so just in case the ending is going to make me weep,do you mind making said epilogue available to those of us whose hearts cannot manage anything but even a fictional HEA?
Mark Andrew Hi, the ending is HEA without any epilogue
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Hello Mark. I love your book Jalendu so much. I love the way you end it and I am crying so I can't read anymore anyway, but are you going to write a sequel?
Mark Andrew Hi Shami, I am very happy that you like it. I have given some thought to a sequel but I am not actively working on one. I am working on another idea for a book, also set in Mughal times but unrelated to the first one. I don't want to give too much away. I did write an epilogue for Jalendu but decided not to include it but to end it on an emotional high.

I am also very happy that an Indian guy likes Jalendu. I have spent a lot of time travelling in India, mainly in the north, but I wonder how Indian readers would appreciate it. I am sure there must be some mistakes.
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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
Mark Andrew Write because you enjoy it. Because you want to dream and fantasise. Get to know and love your own characters. You will find that they come to life and have their own personalities. Don't think about whether or not anyone else will like it.

Also, I think to be a writer, you have to read a lot.
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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?
Mark Andrew The core idea for Jalendu came after reading "The Mughal Throne: The Saga of India's Great Emperors" by Abraham Eraly. There seemed to be too many unanswered questions about the particular period in Indian history in which my book is set, so I set out to speculate, based on as much evidence as possible, on what really happened.

However, I also wanted to explore certain spiritual themes, that in some ways are a reaction to a modern atheist debate. Though I would be considered an atheist myself, I find myself in disagreement with many atheists in their criticisms of religious faith.

Also, for my own enjoyment, I wanted to write a love story.
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How do you deal with writer’s block?
Mark Andrew I never had writer's block. I suppose if you are writing because you want to write, when you feel like writing, there is no such thing as writer's block.

I did stop work on Jalendu after the first draft was done for a few months, but I didn't feel I was blocked.
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