— Caroline Hough, a teacher, says of her debut novel
Caroline is already planning a sequel of this book whose plot, she says will be set on the Planet Earth and will tackle more of the everyday earthly issues!
By Shalinee Bhardwaj
A world that had been deliberately kept a secret and literally under covers for long; hidden even from her parents, has finally found its way out in the shape of a gripping sci-fi novel, currently making its mark on the famous Amazon.com.
For the vivacious young woman of 30 with a distinct sparkle in her eyes, this is a moment of both trepidation and excitement. Her first novel that packs a 242 page thrilling sci-fi adventure on a planet named Solicia, has been published for only a month now but the build up is already there.
She is receiving surprised exclamations from her friends who did not know she could write and that well, too!
For Caroline Hough, who is based in Doha and is the author of this book; the ingenious ways of the aliens and their awe inspiring gadgets and existence has always been an unvarying source of attraction and inspiration.
The novel is then, the only natural outcome.
“I am a big Star Trek fan, my mum as well. So, I have basically grown up with science fiction that has not stopped fascinating me since I was very young. You may find hints of the famous sci-fi serial in my book. It’s intriguing when you imagine the existence of another galaxy out there or the existence of an alien life!,” Caroline says.
“It is the immense possibilities to explore and imagine that the thought incites and inspires which is extremely alluring. It would always tug me and infused me into writing this book”, says she describing the sentiment that lay behind her inspiration.
Quite on the footsteps of her favourite author, Arthur C Clarke, one of the ‘Big Three’ science fiction writers, who was both an avid proponent of space travel and a futurist of uncanny ability; Caroline finds her muse in imagination, in what lies beyond ‘what if?’
“I have a very vivid imagination and I wanted to put it all together. The story is set in a galaxy populated by a different species but it has links with the earthly world in the form of monument and scriptures; there are similarities between what happened in the past and what’s happening now. It derives inferences from real cultures, from history and myths and legends for which I did a lot of research. The fictional set up includes a lot of facts and historical study to support the plot. It is like a treasure hunt where one clue leads to another and the mystery deepens!” explains an excited Caroline.
Caroline has been working in Doha as a PE teacher in Mesaieed International School for the last four years. She is born and brought up in the ‘city of dreaming spires’— Oxford, England that is home to one of the oldest Universities. She studied to be a PE teacher and worked for five years in England before she moved in here. “I had finished writing my book before coming to Doha but it was only after the persistent efforts and persuasion of Alfons Vinent, my husband, that we finally got it published. Now it is already on Amazon and hopefully, soon it will be on the racks of some of the major bookstores in Doha like Jarir, Virgin and WHSmith.
“Since I am a teacher, I am also recommending it to the various school libraries as it would be an interesting read for teenagers. It is not too complicated so it should find a wide audience in both adults as well as young people.”
Her journey of writing the book was a carefully kept secret — even her family members were not aware. To this Caroline replies with a discerning smile, “Initially, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I thought they would laugh at this proposition as I was not very good at spellings!”
“One fine day, I got these ideas and before I realised, I had finished two chapters of the book and then over a period of three years, I had written it completely. I wrote intermittently and at times, at a stretch. I would just let my ideas flow naturally instead of forcing them out. This, I believe, is very important as creativity is at its best when it is not being pushed. Whenever I got time, I would add more to it. And this usually happened when my maid was working and I would take a break from the routine!”
Caroline has surely come a long way since then, and she is already planning a sequel of this book whose plot, she says will be set on the Planet Earth and will tackle more of the everyday earthly issues!
Until then, Solicia that refers to the name of the Planet where the story unfolds is likely to behold the readers in its grip. She likes to play with words and most of the names of characters and places that are presented in the book have been derived after jumbling the letters and picking up what sounds most interesting.
“The name Solicia appealed a lot to me even though I knew it could be pronounced differently by different readers.”
Caroline is happy with the way things are shaping up in Qatar, although she feels there’s still enough scope for increasing the number of bookstores and other such outlets. “Events such as Doha Book Fair and opening up of the library will definitely assist in promoting a culture of reading in the country.”
Over the last few years, Doha has seen a rise in the number of aspiring writers. From her experience, Caroline has a lot to share with the budding writers.
“The first thing that I would say is — Never give up. I went to about ten publishers with my script. Eight were not interested; one got interested but never got back. The only one left asked me to get it proof read, that I went through. As a matter of fact, I realise that another pair of eyes helps in picking up the inconsistencies and gaps in the story which is very important.
“The publisher was sent a recommendation after this and finally the script got published. You should never lose hope and send your work to as many publishers as possible. Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, let the creativity flow naturally. Don’t force your imagination out, but grab the moment when it’s there!”
And now that her book is being released, Caroline is both excited and apprehensive. It’s a big achievement for her. At the same time, this is also a moment of judgement when her writing will be under scrutiny in the public eye that will ultimately decide its climb to success. For Caroline, the journey has been enjoyable and she has already let her imagination go free once again as she sits on her desk writing the sequel!