Being an author, based on my own experience, is challenging in many ways. I am Sabarna Roy and here is #MyStory about writing well…books! I have been inspired by the many successful authors with long, successful careers in writing such books. Their inspiration gave me the power to pursue my passion and overcome the challenges that showed up on the way. I was finally able to put together and get my first book published in the year 2010. Today I humbly stand as the author of six bestselling books with commercial and critical successes. I want to share my journey and experience with the world as my contribution to the lives of people.
The Technocrat
My journey began not as an author but as an engineering professional. I graduated with a first-class Honours degree in civil engineering. I went on to work as the Senior Vice President of Electrosteel Group leading Applications Technology, Business Development and other key strategies in the organisation. Even though I was a technocrat all my life, I had a fervent passion and calling for literature. In my heart, I was always a storyteller!
The Beginnings
Stories always fascinated me. I was an avid reader in my college days. It developed an interest in me for writing some of my own. I started off by penning down poems in Bengali and English. Post my graduation, I didn’t immediately pick up writing. The tides started to turn nineteen years later. I had started to write books! After a brief hiccup, I picked up pens once again in the year 2007 to reconnect with myself.
My Bestselling Books
My first book ‘Pentacles’ was published by Leadstart Publishing in 2010. This book became the ignition that set me off on a long and successful writing journey. Following the first book, I published five other books in ten years’ time. Those included Frosted Glass, Abyss, Winter Poems, Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 – 2018 Time Frozen in Myriad Thoughts and Etchings of the First Quarter of 2020. These books received the overwhelming support of people. They were all listed amongst the bestselling books.
Writing from the ink of my heart
I believe any kind of writing must speak with its readers. Therefore, I try to write in a language that is easily understandable. Be it prose, poetry or play, it’s a great feeling when your audience is able to just get you! I believe that critics give the most honest feedback and to receive a positive response from them means a lot.
If you think, you necessarily need to have training in writing, I just want to put it out there that I have in reality not taken any formal training. I write in the ink of my heart. I believe that has worked for me. Lucid storytelling is all about writing naturally. I try to befriend the characters I am writing and then give them life by delving deep into their psyche and feel for their circumstances. It makes me immensely happy and proud to be known among one in the company of today’s post-modern authors.
Awards and Recognitions
I was fortunate enough to be recognised for my work. On my journey towards a greater calling, I won several awards like the Literoma Laureate Award for my fictional work in the year 2019, the Literoma Star Achiever Award 2020, Random Subterranean Mosaic: 2012 – 2018 for the best book of the year 2019, the A-List Award for excellence in fiction by the News X Media House and Certificate for The Real Super Heroes for spreading a spirit of positivity and hope during the COVID-19 Pandemic from Forever Star India Award 2020, deserve a special mention.
Apart from fiction, I am also passionate about writing on several complicated technical topics in national and international journals. Besides the six literary books, I have also written Articles on Ductile Iron Pipelines and a technical book Framework Agreement Contracting Methodology.
I was also fortunate enough to be invited as a speaker on an inaugural day at Noida International Literature Festival 2019. Additionally, I was a panellist at the opening day session that discussed the Dark Side of the Mind at Tata Steel Literary Meet. I often participate in national and international conferences to deliver speeches on several matters related to the environment and ecology.
A Long Way to Go
I am extremely grateful to people who have not only given me the opportunity on their shelves but have also given generous love to my work. I hope that aspiring writers can experience my learnings and confidently get started towards their own journey at storytelling. But as they say, there is still a long way to go!
