Everybody’s a storyteller,” says Brijesh Luthra, author of the newest children’s book, The Great Moto-Matic House. Published by The Write Place, the book falls under the sci-fi genre and tells the tale of Ziptux and his friend Dibbly. Luthra, who is the coach of Swiss national U-15 cricket team, tells us more about the book.
You are a former banker turned cricket coach, and now you have penned a sci-fi book. How did all this come about?
I have big interest in science fiction. Most of the books in my collection have something to do with science or the universe. I started writing The Great Moto-Matic as a birthday gift to my son. When I finished writing it, I realised that it has a potential to become a series. I coach under-15 cricket team and therefore I interact a lot with the kids. I used to discuss the idea about the book and the machines with them and they gave me a lot of ideas too.
How difficult is this genre to debut with?
For me, it has been the easiest genre to debut with. Kids love fantasy so I found it easier to write. What I found difficult is how to not make the plot too crazy.
How long have you been working on it?
It took me four years to complete it. I worked on three drafts. My kids loved it when I used to read it to them as bedtime stories. Every night I would write a small chapter and read it out them which made them curious about what’s going to happen next.
How different do you think tshi book is going to be than the kind of shows kids watch on television and web?
I think the television cartoons are a great positive for me because the kids can relate to it. Kids like to visualise and this book is about how do you visualise a machine and they might relate it to something they have seen in the cartoons and will try to connect with it. Technology and this book go together very well.
What were the stimulus points on developing Ziptux and his world?
Ziptux’s character is modeled on my son. It is about a boy who wants to do something and nobody around him understands that. Ziptux is quite responsible but he is also curious by nature. The character is also inspired by the things that happened in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which is a sci-fi book for adults.
The entire series is about Ziptux and his friend Dibbly who do a series of things that fall under science fiction genre. The entire series is about the two characters, Ziptux and his friend Dibbly, who do a series of things that falls under science fiction genre. If the kids will get interested in these two characters, then it’ll hopefully take them away from the screen. That’s my way of ensuring that the kids read.
Are you working on the sequels? Is the plot line ready?
Yes, I already have twenty odd ideas for the sequels and I am currently working on the second book. Hopefully, it will come out in next six months.
What plans do you have to promote The Great Moto-Matic House?
I am visiting schools. And I am conducting creative writing workshops for kids too. I have already done three workshops in my two weeks of tour in Pune. I will be conducting the next one in Delhi. The whole idea is that I will get to interact with the kids and they’ll get to see and understand the book. I want to promote it by direct contact with them and teaching them that they can also write.
Do you have any plans to write anything apart from children’s literature?
Not at this point of time, for sure. But I do want to write a book on cricket. And, I also have to build on The Great Moto-Matic House series.
