YA author Krishna Sudhir joins me today to chat about the three books that make up The Prince of Typgar Trilogy: Nujran and the Monks of Meirar; Nujran and the Corpse in the Quadrangle; and Nujran and the Temporal Traversal.
Bio:
Krishna Sudhir is a physician, cardiologist, educator, chef and fantasy-fiction writer. Born in Chennai, India, he is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he is a senior executive in the medical device industry. In his academic career, he has taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at major Australian and American universities. He enjoys watching crime dramas, dancing to Bollywood music to improve cardiovascular health, reading magical realism fiction, and cooking heart-healthy food with global flavors. Passionate about educating the general public on topics in cardiology, he has authored several TED-Ed videos in public health. While well published in the medical field as the author of close to 200 publications, the Prince of Typgar trilogy has launched him into the world of fantasy fiction.
Welcome, Krishna. Please tell us about your current release.
Nujran and the Temporal Traversal is the final installment in the Prince of Typgar trilogy, continuing the adventure that began with Monks of Meirar, and took flight with Corpse in the Quadrangle. Nujran matures from being a spoiled child at the palace in Typgar to a swashbuckling hero at the University of Western Foalinaarc. We begin the third book in Nadii, where Nujran is an exchange student at the University of Dramsa. He realizes, to his surprise, that he is bursting with potential, and gifted with a repertoire of special abilities. The prince is soon joined by the maestro Amsibh, and they set off to Inchea on a quest for the fugitives Yarozin and Hoanan. But their well-laid plans are sabotaged by constant threats to their lives by forces unseen. Shepherded by the wise Amsibh’s innovative thinking and avuncular guidance, a brilliant scheme is hatched to save the planet, in order to restore peace and tranquility to this universe. Passionate romance, heart-thumping action and stealthy intrigue are aplenty in this final novel as we follow our heroes and villains across Syzegis.
What inspired you to write these books?
The inspirations for the books came from multiple directions. Raising two boys (now 28 and 26), I read a lot of young adult fiction. We perused the Harry Potter novels together, an enjoyable shared experience. And going further back in time, there was my own childhood and early adult fascination with the Indian epics—magnificent tales of princes and warriors woven into stories.
Over the years, I’ve also been influenced by several writers. Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novels introduced me to ‘magical realism’. I always admired the way Salman Rushdie drew inspiration from his Indian heritage. I enjoyed English translations of classic Russian works by Dostoevsky, Pasternak and Bulgakov, and was fortunate to read great French writers, in particular Camus, Voltaire and Moliere in their native language. Additionally, my mother is a well-known translator, as was my grandmother, and both influenced my interest in writing.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I love watching murder mysteries on television, and enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot novels as a teenager. I’d like to explore this genre as a writer, so I’ve just started work on a detective novel. All I know is that the main protagonist is an Indian American police detective based in San Francisco: let’s see what develops!
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Although I wrote a lot of scientific articles during my career as a physician-scientist, fiction writing came to me fairly late in life, in my mid-fifties. One can pursue a dream at any age, in my view. We all have stories to tell, so why not write and share these stories with the world?
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Fiction writing is a hobby for me. I am a physician and cardiologist, and currently work in the MedTech industry. Working with some very smart colleagues, I’m involved in the development of stents, valves and other devices, widely used in patients with heart disease. I travel often for my job. The entire first novel in the Prince of Typgar series was entirely written on United Airlines flights. Most of the second novel was written on airplanes as well, before quarantine kept me home for the tail end of the process. The final novel was conceived and largely written at home during the pandemic, although I put the finishing touches on it when I started to travel again. The cabin of an airplane is an unusual, but perfect place to lose yourself in a new universe through writing!
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
When I write during the day, I sip cups of South Indian coffee. When I write in the evenings, I have a glass of red wine (a nice Cabernet or a Cianti). They have good coffee and reds on flights these days as well! And here’s the quirky part: when I review my writing, the parts written with coffee are serious, introspective, philosophical, whereas the parts written under the influence of red wine tend to be lighter, funnier, more whimsical.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always wanted to be a doctor. My dad was a cardiologist, and my grandfather was a surgeon. So I think my professional destiny was predetermined at a young age. I’m thankful for a productive and exciting career, which has enabled me to pursue my other interests later in life.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
The United States is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic country, but we don’t have enough minority voices in literature. As an Indian-American writer, I believe I bring a unique perspective to storytelling, drawing from my love of Indian mythology, the Arabian Nights and other epic literature in the diversity space. I am honored to be able to bring these to young readers across the globe. I hope they can not only enjoy the stories, but learn something about other cultures – or even their own – along the way.