As part of the ‘Author Interview’ series, today i would like to invite ‘Olivier Lafont’ to my blog.He is is a French author, screenplay writer, and actor living in Paris. His novel ‘Warrior’ was published by Penguin Random House, and was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize. He has just released his new contemporary romance novel ‘Sweet Revenge’ exclusively on Kindle. ‘Purgatory: The Gun of God’ is a fantasy novelette published in South Africa. Lafont has written a number of feature film scripts before. The first film he wrote opened at the Toronto Film Festival and went on to win seven awards at film festivals worldwide. As an actor Lafont has acted in Hollywood and Indian films, in TV serials, and in over 80 television commercials. He acted in ‘3 Idiots’, one of India’s all-time blockbuster hits, the critically-acclaimed ‘Guzaarish’, and the Lifetime film ‘Baby Sellers’, amongst other films. Lafont graduated with two degrees in acting and writing from Colgate University, USA, with academic distinction.His latest book ‘Snowbound’ is available for the readers.Do get your copy.Lafont, you are welcome to the blog.
When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?
When I was about eight or nine years old.
What do you think makes a good story?
For me it’s theme and characters. A compelling theme that’s strong enough can carry a story alone. And compelling characters can also carry a story alone. Plot is the synergy of these two, the inevitable collision and collusion of these forces.
Any interesting experience, during your journey to get this book published? How long do you spend researching before beginning this journey of writing this book?
The journey of writing a book is always an interesting experience for me in large part because of the research that goes into them. The amount of research varies from one book to the other, but usually happens as I write rather than before.
What was your hardest scene to write? Did you edit anything out of this book?
There wasn’t really any scene that was hard to write, per se, but there are scenes or parts of the book that require more care, and therefore time, than others. In ‘Snowbound’, as well as ‘Warrior’, it was the final confrontation. It’s easy to create titanic battle where the strongest wins, but I find those are usually facile resolutions. I like writing stories that go beyond brute power, that require real moral, intellectual, or emotional strength. In ‘Warrior’ I wanted to give my hero Saam, a demigod of war and destruction, a moral conflict that required him to go beyond his uncontrollable instinct to battle. In ‘Snowbound’ the young hero Adam, who’s not at all a warrior (that’s his companion Zach’s USP), is the one who has to resolve the ultimate point of conflict in a way that’s more than just a win-or-lose swordfight. These are the moments in my books that can reflect into real life. Because I think most people go through their life without some epic final battle against a malevolent enemy, after which they live happily ever after. Most people’s lives are a thousand unspoken decisions that shape their character, and vice versa. I love writing stories that matter in this way, where you may not identify with the extraordinary aspects of the hero or the story, but you certainly can identify with the simple, human aspects of the hero.
If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
I’m quite happy with how things evolved, actually, mainly because it was natural progression. Everything that happened in my life, whether it was acting in adsand films, or studies, or sports, has contributed to the writer that I am today. I don’t think I’d change anything, frankly.