EP #45: Sharon Bala - Award-winning & Bestselling Author of "The Boat People"

Sharon Bala (@sharon.bala) is is a Canadian writer and the award-winning, bestselling author of "The Boat People". This book is inspired by a real incident and is about a group of Tamil refugees who survive the perilous ocean voyage to reach Canada only to face the threat of deportation and accusations of terrorism in their new land.Sharon joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss why she almost never pursued writer as a career, how writers make money, the "why" behind writing The Boat People, her experience living in St. John’s (Newfoundland) and much more!Follow Sharon:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sharon.bala/) - LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbala/)Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sharon Bala01:28 - Not believing she could pursue a writing career, the writing class that rejuvenated her passion04:31 - Sharon’s experience living in St. John’s, Newfoundland07:35 - How psychology and PR helped Sharon become a full-time writer09:32 - Why did Sharon want to become a writer, how she developed the story14:37 - Dealing with expectations as an author17:58 - Does Sharon feel additional pressure as a result of her first project being a success?20:30 - If you’re reading this, call Sharon’s agent23:18 - How to make a living by being a writer; advances, royalties, etc.26:00 - Aspiration of working in a writer’s room27:36 - Macro changes in the writing industry and how it affects Sharon28:46 - Sharon’s view on social media32:34 - How friends and family view Sharon’s writing journey36:13 - What drives Sharon’s writing ambitions37:51 - What’s Sharon insecure about?38:45 - Hobbies outside of work40:03 - Sharon’s dream day (if money wasn’t an issue)40:50 - The personal legacy Sharon wants to leave behind41:23 - Advice for 16-year-old Sharon; journaling43:04 - Books / podcasts that Sharon recommends, and the notion of history not being factually accurate47:08 - Sharon’s puppy48:03 - Who Sharon admires in the global Tamil community and non-Tamil community51:31 - Creator Confessions58:18 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan     Support the show