Interview with Anmol Batra at The Literature Today

Interview: To begin with, my laudations for putting forth such a wonderful, spine chilling, thriller. Kindly share your experience about the feedback you have been receiving for the book, since its release in 2018?

Anmol Batra: SciFi has a very niche fan following, people are more interested in visual stories. So I was expecting the response to be passive since it was my first book but somehow it still went better than my expectations because those who have read have good words for the book.

Interview: I am intrigued by the concept, the Plinth behind this book. Could you please elaborate your calling for such a thriller? What made you think on this particular subject?

Anmol Batra: What if someone could see the future? Will he use it for selfish interest or for greater good of everyone? These questions always stuck my mind as a Data Scientist building predictive model and thus became my inspiration for a story. Besides this, Super Hero and Time Travel have been my two favorite story topics. And the best I could do was to merge these two topics of my interest in a story. 

Interview: To be spell bound by such a subject is one thing, how did you work around it, from where did you get the matter, the body for the idea?

Anmol Batra: From unproven scientific theories like The Theory or Parallel Universe, to the concepts of astral travel. The basics are available on the internet. Text that can give you good enough understanding for crafting a story out of it.

Interview: How long did it take to write this book? Did you aloof yourself to do so or did you write about it, following your mundane routine, normally?

Anmol Batra: With some seasonal breaks, it took me close to 3 years to write the whole story. I crafted the concept and the plot during my travel but writing story was done mostly at night after office hours. Yes, I was a bit disconnected from my friends and family while I was writing the book but not often. I think I could write most of the book compromising on my leisure time.

Interview: What do you feel, would be the impact of such a futuristic book on young minds?

Anmol Batra: Like any super hero movie, book or comics, the moral of the story is about being ethically right. Time Guard is no different. And I believe such books and concepts give teens a reason to be ethically wise and to stand against any wrong happenings around them. In short, it will inspire the heroes hidden within.

Interview: Who is your inspiration behind this book, in particular and for becoming an author, in general?

Anmol Batra: JK Rowling and her Harry Potter Series, the way she crafted a universe out of just thin air and truly an inspiration for writers like me.

Interview: When can we expect the next part/book in the series, Time Guard II- Reborn?

Anmol Batra: End of 2021. The book is still in very nascent stage.

Interview: What other projects are you working on?

Anmol Batra: “Monica 225”, It’s a story of a 225-year-old lady who is fighting doctors, so that she can donate her bone marrow to her last surviving great-great grandson. Two stories run in parallel, her 200 years of life and the present day(Year: 2045) where she is running around hospitals in a war torn country.

Interview: Why did you choose this particular genre for writing you debut book?

Anmol Batra: Super hero is largely admired concept in India. Success of Marvel Universe clearly strengthens this fact. Along with it, it is my personal liking that gave me a strong reason to write about this topic.

Interview: Thank you so much for your time and also for enlightening us with your experience. All the very best for your upcoming work and we hope to interact with you soon, for you next book.

Anmol Batra: Thanks for considering Time Guard worthy of an interview.