Sumi Singh hails from Cape Town, South Africa.
She moonlights as Romance Writer, runs marathons to let off steam, is a Mom, Wife and Personal Assistant by day.
Reading was her first love and the library, her go-to place to get lost in adventures. An avid journal writer was where she discovered her passion for writing.
Romance was the genre that spoke volumes to her and it was where her journey began in becoming a Romance Author. As with all journeys, it was never easy. It took years of hard work, venturing down wrong paths, finally joining ROSA, the Romance Organization of South Africa, by entering the 2018 Strelitzia competition, surprising herself by coming out as the 2nd runner up for Sydney’s Boxer.
Now she is a dream come true Published Author!
When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’d hit my teenage years and instead of going out with friends I’d prefer reading books instead. I knew then that I’d much rather write books like the Authors I was reading.
Did you have any
influencing writers growing up?
Enid Blyton was a firm favorite. Mildred Wirt Benson was another. Then I moved onto Sydney Sheldon’s books.
Are any of your
characters based on people in real life?
Nope, not really.
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
The idea behind Sydney’s Boxer came to me in all forms of clues.
I sat in a restaurant one day, and beside me was a portrait of a lady dressed in sports gear with boxing gloves on. I kept staring at the portrait and wrote a short story about the painting.
A few days later, while driving to work I saw a sticker with boxing gloves on a car before me when I slowed down. While training in my gym I saw a guy hitting the boxing bag and I became hypnotized by him.
I’d never took an interest before in boxing and I realized all these signs were steering me in the direction of writing a story where boxing would play a major role in my story.
The greatest stumbling block I faced was that I knew nothing about the sport and I had to research as much as I could. So I trained in a boxing club and went to live boxing matches to get a feel of the boxing world.
Do you have a basic
outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I had an outline of the story but I had no ending. The whole thrill of writing I found is allowing my characters to speak through my fingertips. And that was the most exhilarating experience of writing Sydney’s Boxer.
When you are
picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for
inspiration?
Most definitely! I am a visual person and I have to see my characters before my eyes.
Many people read as a
form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back
and relax?
Reading and napping, lol!
Who are your favorite
current authors to read?
I have many, however I will narrow it down to Douglas L Kennedy, Hanya Yangihara and Jodi Picoult.
What are your
favorite books by others?
The Pursuit of Happiness – Douglas L Kennedy
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Looking for Alaska – John Green
Do the locations in
the stories have any meaning to you?
No
Do you write in
single or multiple POV?
Single
What do you find to
be your best research tool?
Do you write under a pen
name?
No, I do not.
What genre do you
write and why is this your preference?
Romance.
Sydney’s Boxer is listed under Sports Romance and Contemporary Romance. This is the genre I’ve wanted to write and specialize in. Perhaps one day I will branch into other genre’s, but for now I am happy staying here.
Tell me something
about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky
trait...what led to you being you?
I work as a personal assistant by day.
I love to run and train for marathons.
My family is my everything, they take the best care of me.
No quirky traits, sorry, but I love to journal my thoughts, the emotional rollercoasters of everyday living that’s cheaper than therapy.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Never give up your dream of becoming an Author! It does not matter how long it takes to finish writing your book, or how long the editing process takes.
From my own writing experience, I know how tough it is to find time to write and all the excuses there are, but if something is important to you, you will make the time.
There will be endless challenges along the way to getting your book published, I am not going to beat around the bush, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. They are not, and it won’t be easy, but it will be more than worth it in the end!
How do you deal and process negative book reviews?
I can’t comment as I have not received a negative book review yet!
What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
The character sketches. What my characters like and dislike.
With the writing process, it has to be the middle of the story and the ending was hard for me.
What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you
focused?
A vision board inspires me.
A friend gifted me with a Zen garden that I love a lot. A candle for meditation purposes.
What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?
Chocolates and nuts.
If you could spend a day with another popular author,
whom would you choose? And why?
Douglas L. Kennedy.
I’d love to pick his brain on the books he’s written and the places he’s visited. He’s writing reflects everyday stories and the endings are never satisfying but realistic.
What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or
drink?
Totally erratic! I write at night and over weekends.
I drink water, tea, eat nuts, cake, chocolates, pretty much anything goes, lol!
Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of
music is your favorite?
Nope. I’ve never taken to listening to music while writing.
Have pets ever gotten in the way of your writing?
Not at all. Sydney’s Boxer is dedicated to my pets, they were my inspiration behind Champ. They loved sitting beside me while I wrote this book.
What is your kryptonite as a writer? What totally puts you off your game?
Noise. I like being holed up in my study away from everyone and everything.
Have you ever killed off a character that your readers
loved?
Not yet.
How do you celebrate after typing THE END?
Going out for supper with my family!
I hope you enjoyed this interview!
Check out my review of the following books by Sumi Singh!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/04/review-sydneys-boxer-by-sumi-singh.html#more
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Thank you Deborah for this amazing Interview. I loved working with you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time! So loved sharing your story!
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