Author Profile: Feroze Engineer

We had a chance to catch up with one of our new authors recently, here’s what he had to say about his life, his writing, and a bit about us!

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Mumbai, where I studied Mass Media and worked as an advertising copywriter, before moving to the UK at 20 to study. Today I live in North London with my wife and 3 year old son. Unfortunately for my writing, I have a day job at Adobe that I enjoy and enables me to be creative during the work week.

In my free time, I enjoy jazz, reading thrillers (obviously), and whisky – often at the same time! Other hobbies include cycling and hiking in the English countryside.

You may also often find me in one of London’s galleries or museums. I’m particularly fond of Japanese woodblock prints. Finally, I’m a keen student of the Middle East and enjoy travelling.

How long have you been writing and what does your process entail?

I have always been a writer in some form – enjoying penning down essays at school, then starting my marketing career as an advertising copywriter. This is my first novel,and I have been writing it – on and off – for a long time. 

One of my favourite authors, Ken Follett, says he gets the ideas for his historical fiction during the research phase – he simply reads about a subject he finds interesting which, invariably, is always a rich source of ideas. After all, everyone knows truth is often stranger than fiction.

Similarly, my writing process is all about the art of getting ‘productively distracted’ - there’s something to be said about going down online information rabbit holes, for no reason other than sheer curiosity, or for the joy of it. When I’m researching for my novel, reading one thing always leads to another and before I know it, I’ve spent all my free time reading, and haven’t written a word! But, in the process, I soak up information and ideas that emerge in unexpected ways.

I am neither an architect nor a gardener – I plan and innovate on the fly in equal measure. Often, I enjoy writing in the Windows Notepad app, so I’m not distracted by typos, grammar and punctuation, but can let my fingers fly over the keyboard and get into a “flow state”. Later, I paste into MS Word and edit carefully. Coffee and jazz contribute to my writing greatly.

What inspired you to write this book?

Having been an avid consumer of fiction, particularly thrillers, I had always toyed with the idea of writing a novel. Then about ten years ago, I came across a few interesting strands of history.

The first strand I came across was a news article about Uday Hussein. I was fascinated by the level of sheer depravity he exhibited in his daily life, enabled by the absolute power he enjoyed as Saddam’s eldest son and heir. Some aspects were almost comical, like banning the import of Ferraris into Iraq, so he could be the only one to own them, or having his chosen car for the day painted exactly the same shade of pink as his suit. Then there were the disturbing rumours of rape and torture – things he did on an almost daily basis with utter nonchalance. He was also, at times, in charge of an irregular military force.

The second strand of history I came across was about an anonymous blogger in the early days on the internet in Iraq. As a rare source of information from Baghdad, the blog quickly gained an international readership, but the author’s identity remained a secret. With good reason – discovery by the state would mean torture and execution.

Even though the character of the blogger in my book is completely made up, the seed of an idea about some who spoke out from the shadows at great personal risk was planted.

Finally, and most importantly, I came across the most fascinating object in the novel - the ultra-rare and valuable 1936 Mercedes Benz 540k Special Roadster, with baroque coachwork by Erdmann & Rossi - one of only two ever created and the very pinnacle of pre-war engineering. Part myth, part legend, the car is said to have been purchased by King Ghazi of Iraq, owned for a time by the King of Jordan, before finally landing in Saddam’s collection. Then, mysteriously, the car disappeared. What happened to it?

Slowly, all of the above fermented in my mind and formed a plot that I simply had to write down. Ten years later, the story is finally ready – and I’m delighted to say that it is available now in eBook and paperback on Amazon.

How was your experience with The Spun Yarn?

The Spun Yarn was an important part of my writing journey – a service that I recommend  to all authors that are serious about their craft, particularly debut authors. Unlike a regular paid beta reader, The Spun Yarn uses a number of readers to prepare their report on your draft – statistically this provides a more reliable and valid commentary on your novel, according to your genre and target market. This also takes care of the baggage or biases that may come from a single paid beta reader. However, they go a step further and present the qualitative and quantitative data in a format that’s easy to digest, with key feedback themes summarised by the report editor.

Additionally, and totally unexpectedly, the readers also provided me with a couple of great ideas for scenes that I hadn’t even thought of!

Last but not the least, it was so good to read the quotes from all three readers stating that they really enjoyed the novel and why they enjoyed it. Even though it was clear the novel needed lots of work, I knew I had achieved what I set out to do – which is create a tightly plotted, unusual page-turner with a soul. This provided me with the encouragement to carry on and finish the job!

Reader Spotlight: Mia the Happy Homesteader

In the Reader Spotlight series we ask our smart, diverse, and multi-talented readers what makes them tick and what they're seeing in Spun Yarn manuscripts. Our readers span the gamut of literary taste, so expect to see a little bit of everything! 

Hi Mia, thanks for chatting with us today! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a middle aged mom of many, who lives on a small homestead in the Midwest. I raise poultry and waterfowl and am a prolific gardener, all of which helps me stock a “pay what you can” farm stand in the warmer months. I’ve been a voracious reader for nearly my entire life - I started reading before I was three and have never slowed down. Because I’m autistic and hyperlexic, books have not only been a form of escape when I’m overwhelmed, but also a way to connect with the world in a way that makes sense to me. I form a deep bond with characters in books, and think of them fondly when I’ve finished reading.

Storytelling is an ancient skill, and there’s a lot of oral tradition valued by my Mexican and Mexican-American family, and I think that reading is a natural extension of that important part of my identity. I had a background in ambulatory care and hospitality, before choosing to stay home full time when my youngest child was born, but the true love of my life has always been the printed word.

What are your favorite hobbies?

I have a lot of hobbies, and while reading is a significant one, I also love fiber arts. I knitgarments - sweaters, socks, hats, and once even a pair of merino wool shorts - and I love sewing. I started sewing when I was six and never stopped - it started with a dress for my favorite doll and evolved into clothing for myself and my children. I’ve been quilting for about a year now and find it highly meditative and relaxing. I also love to do anything outdoors when the weather is warm. I can happily spend an entire day puttering around in my 1080sq ft vegetable garden or picking berries in the fields behind my house. I love hiking, and the Great Lakes, and just being in nature.

You've been a reader with us for a while now, when giving feedback for the Spun Yarn, what part do you find most challenging?

I think the most challenging thing about being a reader is knowing that an author is trusting me with the creation they’ve put their sweat, tears, and whole heart into and trying to give the most useful feedback possible to help them see a perspective that could take their work to the next level. I want to be able to utilize their trust in me to the fullest extent by imagining what will elevate their work to a new stage. I really believe that authors are capable of impacting the way entire generations of people see the world, and I want to help them do so. It’s actually a huge responsibility, because I really believe in the power of books to make this world a much better place where everyone can see life from another point of view.

What is your favorite part about being a reader for The Spun Yarn?

I genuinely get excited by each and every manuscript that comes into my inbox, because there’s always the potential for sitting down for a few hours and escaping into a world that changes the way I see things for the rest of my life. I can say with absolute honesty that I’ve read a number of manuscripts submitted by our authors that have stuck with me for months or - at this point, for years. Every manuscript I open is the purest form of hope, because when someone gives me the gift of allowing me to enter a world of their creation, I have the chance to see through their eyes, and that’s often a really beautiful thing.

Is there a genre you haven't been chosen for yet and would like to be? Why or why not?

I would love to read some books about the supernatural, ghost stories or witchy stories, maybe even horror. I tend to read a lot of mystery and thriller, women’s fiction, and memoirs, which are my usual fare when I read for pleasure, but there’s also something really fun about being scared silly!

Reader Spotlight: Frank the Author, Golf Player and Family Man

Hi Frank, we're so glad to connect with you and have you tell everyone a bit about yourself. What interested you about reading for The Spun Yarn?

First, I love to read, but more importantly, I enjoy helping other authors achieve the best results for their hard work. Writing and eventually publishing two books myself, I wished I had this service before I published the first book. Fortunately, it was available to me for my second book. The beta readers at Spun Yarn helped me see things that really helped me so, I thought it would be cool to return the help.

You've been a reader with us for a while now, when giving feedback for the Spun Yarn, what part do you find most challenging?

Honest feedback is critical in helping an author craft their best work. Sometimes the stories are brilliantly written and other times, they need a lot of work. The most challenging part for me is delivering this honest feedback without discouraging the author or, in contrast, overly applauding the work. Writing is hard, but everyone has a story in them and bringing out the story should be encouraged either critically or strategically. This is more difficult than it sounds.

What is your favorite part about being a reader for The Spun Yarn?

My favorite part of being a Spun Yarn reader besides reading some very cool stories is knowing that I get to help an author improve their storytelling while, at the same time, improve my writing. I believe that critiquing others helps me see where I can improve my own skills.

As an author yourself, can you tell us why this type of feedback is so important to writers?

As story tellers, the plot, the characters, the visuals and the smells are all in our head. This sometimes blinds us to thinking the reader is in there as well, and when we write our stories, we take it for granted that they understand the picture we are trying to paint, which character is speaking, the looks, feels and smells of a scene or the expression that is prominent of a characters face. Having beta readers review the work not only helps me catch this before it gets to the reader but also lets me know when it's too much detail, repetition, or the scene makes little sense. For me, this type of feedback is critical. Not only does it help me improve my storytelling, but also helps me know when it's ready for editing. 

When you aren't reading for TSY or writing fantasy novels, what do you like to do?

In my downtime, I love to be with family, reading stories to my grandchildren, or going out to play a round of golf.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

I would like to commend TSY for providing a much-needed resource to authors like myself. Feedback is critical to learning regardless of if you're a plumber, teacher, politician, or a storyteller. Seek it out, and you'll be better for it.