Rarely have I met an author, who is gentle in conversations but whose words are a force of strength. An author who made me cry… my heart filled with emotions, by the strength of his words. An author who made me feel more with each written word, as seen in my review.

Hamid Baig is one such awesome author. Whose book every reader must read, whose words transcend all cultures all nationalities because he speaks the words of love. He is one author whom I loved interacting with. This book may be his debut, his earnestness is what won me over, along with his humility and his easy going manner. How could I not resist grilling him with a few questions???

Here is one of my favorite discovery authors Hamid Baig

After you made me go through a box load of tissues, it is my extreme pleasure to grill you and make all the readers know a bit about you...

1) Tell me something about yourself. Who is Hamid Baig?

I wish I knew the answer to that. I have yet to disentomb myself.

2) Why this heart wrenching story? What attracted you to write this genre and write such a story filled with love and pathos?

“Little Maryam” being my first novel, I wanted to write something which can connect with a broad audience. But I had to be true to myself, and I like to think of myself as a practical person. I am not a huge fan of the silly, glossy love stories that have become an integral part of pop culture these days.

3) How long have you been writing this book?

I started scripting this in April 2017.

4) There are some medical terms, did you have to do a lot of research for it? (I am assuming you are not a doctor)

No, I found an idiot-proof way. I tormented a couple of my Doctor Friends to spill out their trade secrets. Then I just authenticated those facts with a quick online search. You cant trust your friends whom you torture regularly.

5) Why did you decide to self-publish in contrary to traditional publishing? And has this road been difficult for you?

I checked the websites of a couple of traditional publishers and found the exercise was a bit labyrinthine for me. You have to submit your manuscript and then wait for their response which can take 4-6 months. I don’t hold that kind of patience. Maybe if this Novel does well, it will be simpler for me to approach the Hotshots next time

6) Did you always want to be an author? Was it a burning passion or did you get into it incidentally?

Of all the things I have ever wanted to be in my life, An Author was not one of them. And honestly, I have wanted to be a range of things, starting from an Airline pilot to Spiderman. Writing came to me naturally. Ever since I was in school, I have been making up stories and writing screenplays for a movie that I will star in, probably as Spiderman. LOL
Until now, all my stories have been for me. I talk to myself, and I write for me. It’s only when my wifey encouraged me to get one of my stories published, I decided to write earnestly.

7) How does your writing day look like? Do you prefer writing in the day or night? With music or without music?

It’s a regular day for me. I write at the night time. I don’t go to any music while I write because I get sidetracked very easily.

8) Do you jot down ideas as soon as they pop into your head? Do you do the modern way of writing in on the phone/laptop or do you like the traditional way of using a paper and a pen?

I only write on my Desktop. I avoid typing on my phone or tablet. I am also not a great fan of recording ideas as soon as they pop up in my head. Unless I can formulate an impeccable narrative around my concept, I don’t take it seriously.

9) Can you sing? What is your favourite song? (sending a YouTube link would be great)

Oh yes, I can sing. No question about it. The question you should be asking is Can people bear your singing? The answer is NO. But I relish good music. Here is my latest favorite song.

10) Do you ever have writer’s block and how do you deal with it?

No, never. I don’t think such a thing exists. I won’t sit down to write unless I know precisely what I want to write. My novel-writing is a method. First, I lay down the entire plot, then break it into chapters. Then, I write summaries on that section, and then I keep expanding on the summaries until the time I have my first draft ready. There is no question about writer’s block. I know precisely what I want to write. I have already imagined the scene, the characters, and everything else about that story.

11) What is your favorite scene in this book without revealing any spoiler? Who is your favorite character in this book?

I have a deathly fear of flying, and there is a scene in the book where the protagonist is praying for his life when the aircraft faces a little turbulence. That’s me.

Another interesting fact about this story. When I started to write, one of my dear friend, Anne. Asked me if she is in the story. I replied “ Sure.” That’s how the character of Anne Miller was born.

12) Has it ever happened while writing that your characters did not behave as you want them to do? Sometimes characters go with the flow? Has it ever happened to you?

Oh yes. My first draft of this Novel was 160000 words. I reduced it to half for my final draft. When I write, I let the characters behave the way they want to because I know very soon I will be back with my editing pen, to tame them.

13) What do you do other than writing? What are your hobbies/ interests?

I run a Market research company. It’s a tedious job, and I don’t want to bore you with the details. Its just about spreadsheets and numbers.

But I love watching movies in my free time.

14) When is your next book getting published? What genre is it?

My next book will come out in Aug-Sep. It will be a Religious Thriller. Then I have another novel lined up for the end of 2018 which will again be a gut-wrenching tale of Love and its consequences.

15) What genre would you never see yourself writing?

Adult fiction

16) What is the advice that you would give to the budding authors who want to go the self-publishing route?

Self Publishing is like YouTube. Don’t be scared or be discouraged by rejections. Just put your work out there. It is a great time to be an author.

17) What is the fun fact that no one knows about you? (I had to coax this answer out of him)

I am kind of an open book. People around me know more about me than I do. Just the other day, my wife observed that I don’t like things easy. If I have an option, I will always pick the complicated choice because I like to solve things and pat my own back. LOL

Also, I am a huge fan of the movie “Frozen”. No one other than my Daughter knows this fact. 😄

18) Any last words at the end of the interview?

Thank you for taking out the time to read my manuscript and honoring me with this interview.

That’s Hamid all for you…..

Honest, confident, and forthright

Contact Details

Email : hamid.baig@outlook.com

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