K. Hari Kumar
India's Most Haunted
Q.1 Tell us a little about yourself?
A. K. Hari Kumar - Bestselling author
of 4 books, screenwriter of Bhram and Enter the Evil, and occasional Agripreneur. I write psychological horror and supernatural thrillers, to be
precise.
Q.2 Tell us about your latest release
India’s Most Haunted?
A. India’s Most Haunted is a big book
of horror (and suspense) stories based on haunted places from the country.
There are fifty of them, and that makes it the largest collection in a single
volume by a solo author.
Q.3 What was your first introduction
to horror literature, the one that made you choose that genre to write?
A. I was introduced to horror by my
grandmother. She would tell me stories of Yakshis
and Prethas which fascinated me
as a child.
Q.4 How many books do you write?
A. I have written 4 books, 3 of them from the
horror genre. All bestsellers and the third one was just adapted into a web
series starring Kalki for Zee.
Q.5 What draws people to horror
novels? Why do we, as readers, like to be scared?
A. People like to indulge in stories
to dismiss their reality and experience the world created by a writer. This
goes for any genre (that’s why most people watch films and read books).
Q.6 How do you feel about the horror boom of the ’80s and early ’90s?
A. If you are talking about Hindi
films, then it was a phase that demarcated horror as B-grade material for
commercial reasons. I personally, love horror films from the period before
it was maligned with the masala. Manichitratazhu (Malayalam) and Stree (Hindi) were
more respectable Indian horror films in recent times.
Q.7 What was a time in your life when
you were really scared?
A. I was stuck in an elevator while
on my way to the office. I thought I would not come out.
Q.8 Do you feel any competitive
pressure from horror films? If not, why not?
A. I write because I love to do it.
Q.9 What was the first horror
book/story you remember reading?
A. The Canterville Ghost or maybe it
was The Witches.
Q.10 Do you read your book reviews?
How do you deal with bad or good ones?
A. If the bad one is constructive,
then I appreciate it. But most of them arise when thoughts are lost in
translation. In horror/thriller if you even miss one word in the first act then
the entire climax goes for a toss.
Q.11 Does your family supports your
career as a writer?
A. Why not?
Q.12 Do you believe in writer’s
block? If so, how do you deal with it?
A. Write, travel, eat good food,
write.
Q.13 If you had to do it all over
again, would you change anything in any of your books?
A. No.
Q.14 Do you have any unique and
quirky writing habits?
A. I listen to songs appropriate to
the scene/chapter that I am writing.
Q.15 What do you consider to be your
best accomplishment?
A. Recently, I was shown a screenshot
of a Google Search for Top Indian horror writer. The result made
me happy.
Q.16 What is the most unethical
practice in the publishing industry?
A. Bad mouthing and paid trolls.
Q.17 What advice do you have for
aspiring authors?
A. Keep writing. You could be a great
storyteller, but until and unless you don’t write, you can’t be a writer. So,
write.
Q.18 Which famous person, living or
dead would you like to meet and why?
A. The late Satyajit Ray – his works
have inspired me.
Q.19 What is your favorite book by
other authors and why?
A. Pet Sematary by Stephen King is
one of my favorites from the genre. I was used to reading warm horror stories
of Ruskin Bond and Charles Dickens when I made this switch to gruesome ones. Another
one would be The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby. All of these were made into
classic Hollywood movies. You do not need supernatural elements all the time to
make good horror stuff.
Q.20 Share the experience of your journey so far?
A. It has been fruitful. I am coming
a full circle.
Share your social account
links -
Facebook - www.facebook.com/kathaharik
Instagram - @theharikumar
Twitter - @theharikumar
Horror genre is my favorite genre. I would love to read his books.😊
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