TODAY I AM DELIGHTED TO INTERVIEW ON MY BLOG A WONDERFUL AND VERY TALENTED AUTHOR
KHALID MUHAMMAD
AGENCY RULES
So seat back get a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy the interview
1. What inspired you to write this
book?
The book is more inspired by a series
of events in Pakistan. When we go backwards to the 1980s and the Afghan
conflict, or the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a series of events was started
in Pakistan that the country still suffers with today. The Taliban, terrorism,
and the drug culture are all remnants of that time and we have not been able to
escape it because the US invasion of Afghanistan brought it to our doorstep
again.
I also think that part of my
motivation to write this novel was to help people understand that Pakistan is
not a nation of terrorists. We have the misfortune of having self-serving
politicians with no checks and balances, so the “anti-state” elements are able
to prosper because many politicians and law enforcement personnel are involved
for financial benefits.
2. If you had to co-author a book,
who would be your ideal partner and why?
I think that my ideal co-author would
be John LeCarre. His ability to craft intricate and detailed characters is just
amazing. While I think my characters are quite challenging, he just takes it to
a different level.
3. Tell me a little bit about
yourself.
In terms of my background, I was born
in Pakistan, raised and educated in the United States and returned to Pakistan
in 1997 to pursue emerging business opportunities. I’ve spent my time in the
country comparing the on-ground Pakistan with everything that I heard in the
media. What a difference! There are times when I think they make up the stories
that are written about the country.
As an entrepreneur, I have been able
to build a successful marketing and brand management company in Karachi that
services both domestic and international clients, which has helped with
supporting my family while I build my writing career. Since publishing
Agency Rules in January 2014, I have written for a number of domestic
publications and a few international ones, while I work on the next two books
of the Agency Rules series.
4. What do you do for a living?
I own a marketing company that works
with international clients to develop and promote brands. We do both offline
and online, so I put a great deal of the principles to work in promoting my
novels.
5. What part of the world do you live
in?
I, like my novels, are based in
Pakistan.
6. How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first short story when I
was 15 as a class project. I wrote my first poem for a competition at 17,
didn’t win. I didn’t take up serious writing until I graduated from university
and entered the professional world. With a degree in marketing, you really do
become a storyteller, which most people don’t understand. I finally started to
write a novella when I was 35, I think. I’m 43 now and finally got a story
together that works and I am proud of enough to publish.
7. What is your writing process like?
Are you a pantster, a plotter, or somewhere in between?
I’m a bit of both. I tried to plot
the chapters out, but that didn’t work because my writing just takes off when I
sit down. I end up going in directions that I didn’t even think of while
plotting. So I guess that I sit in the middle. I plot out the basic ideas for a
chapter, but the writing takes me in the direction that it wants to go.
8. When and where do you write?
After midnight, at my desk with my
headphones on. I usually start out with a pen and paper and freeform write.
From there, I sit down at my laptop and start transcribing from the paper,
editing and expanding as I transcribe. I get much more done with this method
than when I sit down and try to type it out.
9. What sorts of conditions are most
conducive to productivity?
Dead quiet. I can’t write when there
are things going on around me. I need to get lost in the world that I am
creating on the page, otherwise the scenes and characters don’t come to life
for me.
10. What's your favorite aspect of
being a writer?
Being able to express myself. I am a
very social, interactive person, so I never thought that I would be able to
channel all my emotions, thoughts and ideas into paper. It took a great deal of
writing and wasted paper to get to the point where I could help people
visualize what I was doing, thinking and saying, but I got there.
11. Your least favorite?
Editing and revisions. I hate it. My
editor and I spend hours talking about the revisions that she recommends. I
argue my side, she argues hers. We try to get to a place where we are both
happy with the storyline, character development and plot. Sometimes, it takes
numerous sessions and conversations to get there.
12. What are the biggest challenges
you face as a writer?
I write about an extremely volatile
topic and live in a country that doesn’t like to have these things exposed. The
biggest challenge that I face is controlling what I write so that I don’t end
up in a dark hole somewhere with terrorists standing over my beaten body.
13. Who are some of your favorite
writers and why?
I don’t have a single favorite. I
love to read spy thrillers so Tom Clancy, John le Carre, Fredrick Forsyth,
Daniel Silva, Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum are big influences. But at the same
time, I really enjoy the new voices in the espionage world like Tom Rob Smith,
Matthew Farrugia, and Matthew Reilly.
14. What are your favorite books?
Wow… best book? That would actually
be a tossup between Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Afghan. Both are
fantastic stories with characters that you can really identify with, if you are
a true spy fan.
15. What writing tools do you use, if
any?
Pen. Paper. A laptop and my heavy
metal music. That’s all it takes for me.
16. How long does it typically take
for you to write your first draft?
First draft of a novel or a
chapter?!? I wrote the first draft of Agency Rules – Never an Easy Day at the
Office in about 4 months. That was after about 6 years of research, interviews
and conversations with people in the intelligence industry. The new book has
taken me about the same time.
Then, we start the editing process
and the beta reader process. So with all the writing, editing, and beta
process, it takes about 6-7 months to finish the novel.
17. Who's your favorite character
from one of your books? Why?
Since I only have one book published
right now, my favorite character is Kamal Khan, the protagonist in my series.
He is very dark and sinister at times through the first book. He is also very
conflicted over the things that he must do as an intelligence operative. This isn’t
a character that is black and white. He is many shades of grey.
18. If you could have one superpower
what would it be?
I have had a great deal of bad luck
and bad people in my life that have done some serious damage to me in the past.
It took me a long time to put that behind me and repair myself so that I could
move forward to live the life that I knew I could have. If I could have one
super power, I would want to be able to heal people’s scars, because everyone
has the potential of being superb and no one, and I mean no one, should be
allowed to stop them from achieving that.
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