It was the year 2012.

Everything was dark. A group of misfits were running away to avoid getting caught by the police. They were trying their best to stay alive by helping out each other. 

And then I woke up. 

What you just read is a cliché.

The dream I had when I was a teenager got my heart pumping from all that uncertainty and thrill of danger. However, the bond among those unknown people left me in a place of joy and comfort. 

Days passed, and I kept thinking of this dream. 

Questions and answers. 

‘Who are these people? Why do they seem to trust each other?’ The only answer I had was ‘they are friends.’

‘Why are they running?’ Because they must have committed a petty crime. 

A couple of years later when I had the access to technology, I typed this down on a laptop. I added my own what-ifs. 

‘What if they are captured? How do they get out?’

They should get out. They should survive. They seemed very eager to make it out alive. 

It was a petty crime after all. 

Like I said, I started adding my own details to the initial dream I saw. Slowly I came with a short summary, characters. Then I wrote the scenes for the beginning, the middle and the end. Just short conversations. 

I fell in love a little with the characters, their unhealthy sense of humor in the face of danger, and fierce loyalty to each other.

I decided it should be ‘Crime and Thriller’ genres because of the obvious reasons. So I researched crimes, technology, and laws. During that research, I figured I wasn’t ready to flesh out this book yet. I knew I wanted to do justice to the characters, so I thought to let it sit for a few more days.

Days turned into years.

I wrote many stories before and after that.

Fast forward—it was the year 2023. One day, I moved to a new city for work. I was alone after the office hours. The silence after an exhausted working day really got to my head. That evening, I stood on my balcony. With a mug of piping-hot coffee in my hands, I stared at the trees, the sky and a flock of birds, perhaps returning flying back to home.

Believe me when I say I experienced inexplicable peace in those few moments.

The birds reminded me of those group of friends who had been frozen in my old document for years. Almost 11 years now!

I immediately rushed to my laptop, managed to find my old digital document among the other unfinished drafts. I laughed reading it aloud, slightly embarrassed how silly I sounded back then. But the characters still gave me a warm feeling. 

I fell in love with them all over again. 

Sometimes clichés give you a form of comfort. Yes?

I found a new inspiration. Birds. So I thought of including these lovely creatures of nature in my work. It was a spontaneous decision, and I was excited!

The only way for that to happen is only when there’s a complete change of genre. 

I challenged myself. ‘This time it will be a Fantasy!’

Since I was young, I read myths and mythical legends around the world. I did my research on the same. Of course, along with magical systems in fantasy. It helped me set the world building. 

As for the characters? From their likes and dislikes to their backstories, everything was developed in layers.

After considerable revisions for the last three years, lo and behold, the world of Talons was all set for you to read!