Five Wishes and the Prophecy of the Prince is Faran Kiani’s second book, but the country’s first from the young-adult fantasy genre, written on Shakespearean style. The novel, published by the National Book Foundation in Pakistan, has already earned critics acclaim and high ratings on Amazon and Goodreads.
At the end of the interview, Faran told me that he had been approached by a Pakistani organisation, who is interested in translating his book into Urdu.
Briefly tell us, what is the story of the novel?
It is a story of five fairy sisters who over time turn into witches. It is basically the transition from good to bad. It is based on a Cherokee Legend of two wolves – the black wolf and the white wolf– inside each one of us. Our personalities turn into the type of the wolf that we feed. We commit the smallest of the sins first, followed by a bigger one and so on until we eventually come to a point where we do not consider evil as bad.
"I am planning to publish more volumes of this book. I have already started writing the second book of the series and planning on finishing it by the end of the year."
Which wolf is more powerful inside you?
(Giggles) See, nobody’s perfect. Every human being has the good and the bad side.
What was the journey like from writing to getting this novel published?
The journey has been very hectic. I did everything on my own. It took me six years. I got self-published first. I purchased a printer and paper and got the illustrations made. I got it published by a local publisher and then started selling the copies online. I would go to schools, colleges and universities and give talks to young children and adults on creativity and out-of-the-box thinking; and making the impossible possible. All this added to my profile and was even invited for a TED Talk.
I then took the manuscript to the National Book Foundation, who had initially turned me down on the same book; but this time I had a [somewhat] public profile and years of hard work, which they could see and so they accepted it and published it. You’ve to be very persistent in what you want and stand for. For people to believe in you, you have to first believe in yourself.
How long did it take you to write this book?
It took me two years, including writing and editing.
This book is said to be Pakistan’s first fantasy novel. How true is that?
Well, there have been people who have written fantasy but are all self-published and had to pay for it. I know some personally, but I am being called ‘the first writer’ because I have been published by a public organisation. They haven’t published such a genre ever before.
"You’ve to be very persistent in what you want and stand for. For people to believe in you, you have to first believe in yourself."
What is the scope of an English language novel in Pakistan, given that English is not the first language in the country? And how vast is the circle of such English-fiction-reading audience?
To be honest, there isn’t much scope. The government does not take any initiatives on introducing such or other English books to the syllabi at public schools. According to a report, people who can write their names are considered ‘literate’. Unfortunately, the circle of people reading books is quite limited, and that of English language readers and especially those interested in the fantasy genre, you can imagine, is even smaller.
Still, I am planning to publish more volumes of this book as a series such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. I have already started writing the second book of the series and planning on finishing it by the end of the year.
When are you planning to launch your book(s) in Australia?
Well, as soon as I get an offer. I am trying to get through to publishers and grants in Australia. I have contacted some companies and I hope someone will get back to me. I want to break into an English-speaking market, including Australia, United Kingdom and America.
Don’t you think this book should be turned into a TV series/movie?
To be honest, this has been my idea originally. I want to bring this concept into Asia as the first ever to be doing this in the region – a fantasy novel, followed by a film/TV series based on it, then the second volume of the book, followed by a series again and so on. I hope I find someone who would want to partner with me on this venture.
