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Looking from a vantage point

Brutal, a thriller published by Bloody Good Book and Westland Books, is India’s first crowd-curated novel.

Brutal, a thriller published by Bloody Good Book and Westland Books, is India’s first crowd-curated novel. The author Uday Satpathy takes the reader through a roller coaster adventure of two journalists who find themselves in danger when they uncover links between a present day massacre and an incident, which occurred eight years ago. When he isn’t scribbling away at his desk, Uday is an information technology expert in the field of Healthcare and Life Sciences.

He is also a movie connoisseur, a cricket fanatic, a quizzing enthusiast and a travel freak. As if that was not enough, he has a special place in his heart for cooking as well.

Which is the best opening line in a book that you have ever read

It’s from one of my favorites — 1984, by George Orwell: “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

Which genre draws you the most as a reader and a writer

Thrillers. I simply love complex, page-turning thrillers, both as a reader and a writer.

One fictional character close to your heart and why

Mikael Blomkvist from the Millennium series. Though Lisbeth Salander is the more popular character in those books, Blomkvist has always had my respect and affection.

Who among the pantheon of writers (past/present) would you like to have coffee with

Lovely question! Among all writers, I would like to have a coffee with Robert Ludlum. Though he is no more with us, it would have been an epic moment for me to pick his brain and learn how he plotted his magnificent spy fiction books. What is your antidote for writer’s block

When my thoughts get stuck, I unravel them during my sleep. In my dreams, I try to look at my story from a different vantage point. It usually works. In the meanwhile, I pick up a few solid thriller novels and movies to get my writing juices flowing.

Which book do you keep revisiting time and again

I have made it a habit to keep going back to the book On Writing by Stephen King, every now and then. It’s a wonderful book for authors to learn about and hone their craft.

One tip for aspiring writers Invest a lot of time in plotting. It shows.

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