Irfan Master
About Author
Irfan Master has worked as a librarian and was project manager of Reading the Game at the National Literacy Trust. His father is from Gujarat, where A Beautiful Lie is set, and his mother is from Pakistan. Irfan grew up speaking both Urdu and English.
Irfan is originally from Leicester and now lives in East London.
Author link
http://www.irfanmaster.com/;http://www.facebook.com/pages/Irfan-Master/177517992279127
Interview
What was your favourite book when you were a child?
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
If you could be a character from a book who would you be?
Edmond Dants in The Count of Monte Cristo
If you could recommend just one book for everyone to read what would it be?
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
What book do you wish you had written?
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Who or what was your biggest influence in deciding to become a writer?
My parents and family, especially my mum who always encouraged me to read, buying me books from the local charity shop and taking me to the library, and my sister who shared all the library trips and consumed anything I recommended to her. She has always been my reading companion, and we still talk about books with the same passion we did when we were kids.
What inspired you to write A Beautiful Lie?
I felt I needed to write it, because of my family heritage, and because I always felt that I was a child of two worlds. Writing this book has allowed me to bridge the two worlds a little. Also, hearing my grandfather speak of those times always made me feel something niggling away inside like a splinter embedded in my mind. I carried on picking at it until one day, the idea for A Beautiful Lie, appeared in my mind.
What's the best thing you've ever written?
I would have to say it's my current book, A Beautiful Lie, although there are a few poems that I've written in the past that I'm particularly proud of.
When did you start writing?
I started scribbling when I was thirteen. Mostly short stories and poems. I didn't have the confidence to share any of my writing with others at that age, so I kept it to myself. As the years passed, I began to tell people that I wrote, but sharing was still difficult. It has become easier to share in the last couple of years, but I still cringe when I have to hand something over to my editor, friends and family in case they think its rubbish!
If someone wanted to be a writer what would be your number one tip for them?
I would always say, read, read and then read some more. Reading makes you a better writer and communicator. Pick ten of your favourite writers and read all their books. Then sit down and write something. Even if you feel its not very good, its a first step. As you continue, you will learn things about plotting, character and pacing, not only through all that accumulated reading, but also because like anything, the more you practice something, the better you become at it.
Is there any particular routine involved in your writing process (favourite pen, lucky charm, special jumper)?
I have a hat I like putting on sometimes, but only in winter. I have this bizarre notion that it keeps all my ideas warm. Mainly, a good-sized hat with a brim, also allows me to shut off from the world, and concentrate only on writing.
Do you have any abandoned stories in you bottom drawer that you would like to revisit?
Ive left behind a few stories over the years. One or two of the story ideas keep nudging me to take another look, but I have enough ideas in my head at the moment, so Im happy to ignore them!
