A. Yes, Prem Chand, Shakespeare, Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series- I read all twenty one of them when I was in 7th and 8th grade and I have mentioned earlier also, Chitralekha by Bhagwati Sharan Gupt that I have read more than ten times all have influenced me.
A. Three days before my father’s untimely demise, I was sitting with him, dejected. He told me that very soon everything would fall in place and that I would be able to get rid of all my problems. He passed away. However, his blessings proved true and things started getting better. I aspired to be a published author since childhood. So, when the time to realize the dream came, I thought the best way to touch my parent’s feet and thank them for their blessings is to write a book about the world my father belonged to. So I wrote Love @ Air Force. It’s a tribute to my parent from me.
A. The book highlights harsh reality of rank discrimination that prevails in the Air Force. Though my friends advised against it, but I was adamant to keep ‘Air Force’ in the title to attract the attention of air force personnel.
A. No, I was aware what I was writing and about whom I was writing. Every non-commissioned airman has suffered from the arrogance of rank. It is exactly like the cast and racial discrimination in the society.
A. No. not at all. Writing is still a vocation. To spare time for writing was too much of asking when you’ve a hectic schedule already. And travelling for the sake of writing was no way possible. Frankly, if I would have to travel for writing the novel, it would not have happened.
A. Not really. See, I knew my limitations. As a teacher, I understand the importance of learning. So when two publishers rejected the manuscript, I got it assessed before approaching others. After rectifying the minor flaws, it got nod from five publishers. I chose Blackbuck. I don’t really think that was much of a struggle for a debutante.
A. The toughest criticism I consider is a remark that I do not have any literary talent and technique. We got four bad reviews of Love @ Air Force. To be honest, I expected more. I would not name the reviewers but their reviews will always remain close to my heart. Criticism helps you to improve more than the accolades do.
A. Every phrase of praise is encrypted in gold on my heart. However, two comments that I got from two reviewers revives me whenever I feel low. One is “Gaurav Sharma has an X-factor in his story telling” and another one is “Gaurav Sharma knows how to write”.


A. I will say that don’t be in a hurry, your day will come.
A. Self-publishing is a good option for those who are in a hurry to get published but it demands a lot of efforts from the author. You can’t depend on the publisher. Amish Tripathi has set the trend with his first book but still self-publishing has to prove itself.
A. I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Genuine book lovers will read the good work.
A. It feels great when you realize your long cherished dream after a patient wait and struggle. I really applaud myself for following it through a very testing and enigmatic journey of life. Holding ‘Love @ Air Force’ in hands gives me confidence to carry on. It’s like a choked pipe has been cleared and the flow will not stop.
A. I teach for ten hours a day and gets only one hour daily for writing however, the story weaving goes on in my mind throughout the day.

It was great talking to you about your journey to a successful writer. Hoping that many will learn from your experiences to set a goal in right direction.


He can be contacted http://gauravsharmalakhi-com.webs.com/contact-me


by emailing at...

gauravinfinity2009@gmail.com


loveatairforce@gmail.com