Jaykay Heart, an Indian novelist, has gained recognition for his debut, ‘A Butterfly Riddle’, a psychological thriller/mystery. The Times of India praised the novel as ‘a gripping mystery with all flavours of love’. With master’s degrees in corporate finance and psychology, Heart works as a financial professional and writes at night. He enjoys literature and travel. His recent book “The girl in the tinder app” is becoming a reading sensation across bookstagram and readers are loving it already! Let’s know the story behind the book where the author shares some behind the scenes of writing his book in his recent interview.
Q. Writers often draw inspiration from various sources – personal experiences, observations, or even random thoughts. What was the muse that gave rise to “The Girl in the Tinder App”?
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, gripped by an idea that I must remember in the morning. When that happens, no matter how hard I try to go back to sleep, I inevitably find myself getting up to jot it down, ensuring that the brilliant thought won’t be lost in the morning fog. I believe the same thing happened with my first book, “The Girl in the Tinder App.” I didn’t consciously decide to write it. I was reading something else when an idea struck me – a “what if” question that I desperately wanted to explore. Upon realising that this particular premise had never been written before, I was initially disheartened.
Days went by, but the thought wouldn’t leave me alone. Months passed, and I found myself haunted by it, wondering if I would forget about it one day when I decided to write a book. So, I started taking notes, more and more notes, organising them into a timeline, fleshing out the characters. Before I knew it, I had the outline of a short story.
The theme of the story resonated with me on such a deep level that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Every time I revisited the idea, it invariably generated more notes, each one a reminder that I should seriously consider writing this tale. So I did. Not because I wanted to write, per se, but because the story left me no alternative. It was an idea that demanded to be told, and I was merely the vessel through which it came to life.
Q. We recently witnessed your book trending in Salis Mania choice awards and you getting nominated for SMCA ‘24, winning the Glaze iconic awards and Rabindranath Tagore literature awards by DRDC. Congratulations for the same! Share something about how you feel after being bestowed with Literary awards, what change have you seen around you and how different/ difficult does it get to come up with something better every time? Because we know, with recognition and laurels comes the higher responsibility to do better than the benchmark you’ve already set!
Thank you for the kind words! As an author, receiving literary awards can be a tremendous honour and validation for my hard work and dedication. It can bring a sense of accomplishment, pride, and motivation to continue writing. These recognitions also helped me to increase my visibility and credibility within the l literary community, attracting more readers and opportunities. I would also want to stress on the fact that I’m not a person who gets carried away with recognition because I make it a point to be aware of my limitations.
Q. Talking about the cover of the book, it is beautiful and just so perfect as per the title, the shades radiate the vivid experience of curiosity of the novel. Share something about the ideation of how you came up with the cover page?
All my book covers have been designed by a friend and an artist. Her name is Laxmi. So I discuss what I have in my mind with the artist, and she comes up with unique cover designs which resonates with the storyline.
Q.How do you weave elements of psychology and mysticism into your storytelling, and what effect do you hope it has on the reader?
By incorporating psychological elements, I aim to engage the reader’s intellect and encourage them to analyse and interpret the character’s actions and motivations. This can lead to a deeper understanding of human nature and the complexities of the human mind. It also invites readers to reflect on their own emotions, beliefs, and experiences, fostering a sense of introspection and self-awareness.
Q.Being a working professional by day and a writer by night, how do you find balance between your career and your passion for writing?
I think many would agree, if you are a working professional, even the nights aren’t yours. But jokes apart, it’s not an easy task and what helps is just penning the ideas and thoughts that strike any time of the day, (creating notes out of them) and maybe when I do find the time and the mood, these notes help me pick up and join the pieces.
No doubt, there’s a lot that goes into writing a book! We wish the best luck to author JayKay on behalf of all our readers for his recent book. Many of them have already added “The Girl in the Tinder App” to their bookshelf. What are you waiting for?
