BENGALURU: Kulpreet Yadav’s visit to Malaysia formed a base to the plot of his book The Girl Who Loved A Pirate.
“There I saw a criminal being taken away by police. Then I saw a woman was left behind. And I started wondering if the guy was really a criminal, whether the couple would reunite,” he says.
The book is the second in his Andy Karan series, where Andy Karan is a journalist-cum-spy. His character is based on Karna of Mahabharata.
“But Andy Karan (29), an illegitimate child whose mother died when he was 12, wants to challenge his faith,” he shares, giving an example of how the youth today don’t meekly accept their fate. “Earlier, a child would follow his father’s path. Now, they want to chart their own destiny.”
The book follows Ba-Qat, a pirate on his last mission before he leaves the world of piracy for good and to live happily with his beloved Dao Ming. The book is India’s first marine piracy and hijacking thriller.
The author quit his armed forces job to take up writing full time. “I have commanded three ships and it helped me tell the story in an authentic way,” he says. When his second book was launched in October, the author had finished writing first half of his third, The Girl Who Loved A Millionnaire. “Depending on the response to the character in third book, there might be a fourth,” he says.
Kulpreet wrote three books while still in service. “I started writing in 2006. I had an urge to pen a story. That experience formed a bedrock for me and helped me learn from my mistakes,” he says.
Over the years, he wanted to hone his skills. “I was surprised to learn that there are no creative writing courses in India. So I decided to learn it on my own. When I had enough knowledge, I decided to impart it,” he says. He conducts creative writing workshops in schools and colleges.