Pen Name: Noora Zaroon

Username: DelhiBelly

Is your pen name your legal name? If no, then how did you make up one?

No, my pen name is not my legal name. I took the names of my favourite two TV characters, Noora Amalie Saetre from Skam and Zaroon Junaid from Zindagi Gulzar Hai, and combined the two together to come up with one name. It even sounds legit, like a proper legal name, and also I love how Zaroon is mostly just Noora spelled backwards when you look at it (minus the Z of course).

How many books have you published till date?

I have published two books on Wattpad as of yet, but I plan on writing quite a few of them.

What are your future projects?

I have a Google document where I have very shortly listed about 10-12 proper ideas for different books. I plan on tackling each idea one by one, taking that idea and fleshing it out on an Excel sheet chapter by chapter before actually getting down to writing it followed by editing and some polishing to finish it off. My second book is quite similar to my first book and that happened accidentally but now I am more conscious of writing more varied works. For example, in the book I am currently writing, Left/Right, the protagonist is a children's author and her book is called Laxman Sathaye's Gully Adventures. Right now, I am kind of fiddling with the idea of giving Laxman his own spin off. I have yet to come across a book on Wattpad where the protagonist is a child. But then again, I am yet to see how feasible it would be and if it would make for a proper plot with a conflict driving the narrative. So yeah, I am working on that along with my third book which I am pondering over in the back of my head while I write my second book, Left/Right. The third one would be quite different from my first two books and I can't wait for my readers to read it. Apparently they say my writing in the second book has matured more compared to my first book but when they see the third one...maturity would have peaked ha ha. Right now I am interested in writing romance and elevating it as a genre but my third book is not strictly about romance. Like that popular line goes, it's a story about love, not a love story.

What is writing to you?

Writing to me is coming up with the perfect story that you as a reader would want to read. I mainly started writing on Wattpad because the books I wanted to read were not being written so I thought to hell with it, I will write what I want to read myself and after all these years, I have come to the realization that it's the best form of customisation. As if you are customising a story to your own specific tastes.

Is being an author, your long time dream or a hidden passion you found out later?

I would say somewhere in between. As a child, I had always been a voracious reader and when I entered middle school, I somewhat played with the idea of writing a book but the couple of stories that I did write were all written in a notebook and without any audience since I didn't show it to anyone. I was also always very fearful that my parents would find the notebook and laugh at what I had written. As a writer, I have always been very insecure about my own works, which is probably why I use a pseudonym as a writer even today. Anyway, but then I saw one of my seniors from school had liked this Facebook page of an online writing platform called Launchora and when I joined, I suddenly had a potential audience. But Launchora at the time was meant to be for short stories and poems (don't know about now) and one of my readers there, seeing how I would release my story chapter by chapter, recommended Wattpad to be better suited to my needs. So to answer your question after this whole unnecessary saga, I had always toyed with the idea of writing but that was done very casually and I only found it to be an intense hidden passion after I discovered that you can write your stories online.

What genre books you like to work on?

Till now it has been romance but I am open to other genres too. Political thrillers especially and maybe even stories not for children, but about children.

If we challenge you to write a book of another genre we suggest, then would you take it up?

Yes, but I might be more open to some genres than others. I think I am open to all, except horror and maybe sci-fi. Actually, a couple of months ago, I was contemplating if every book of mine should be of a different genre, increasing my range as a writer to another level altogether.

Then we would love to read Historical Romance book from you soon.

Writing is a reality that paints a beautiful fantasy. What do you think are the charms of writing fiction/non fictional books?

I have only written fictional books up to this point but I feel writing a fiction is no less than an addiction for me. Just the sheer amount of thinking you have to, spending time with your thoughts, that is intoxicating for me. Once you get in the rhythms of writing a book, a phase I am currently in with Left/Right, it's almost as if you're dying to write and any moment that is not spent on the book is one that has been wasted.

Who are your favorite authors in and out of wattpad?

On Wattpad, my favourite authors are whiskeyqueenn VampireBunny2154 saturn137 and steffy_t. I genuinely feel their works are worth getting published and I would be proud to display them on my bookshelf. Especially whiskeyqueenn and VampireBunny2154. Outside Wattpad, my favourite authors are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ruskin Bond, Satyajit Ray, Maria V Snyder and Ardashir Vakil.

Name few of your close wattpad friends.

I would have to say TripuWrites chaashnee Sanya_Goel TheSamyP. omahazeeya and I, we bond on memes for writers on Instagram.

What is your favorite series you have recently watched or read?

Fleabag. P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L S-H-O-W. I have no words of praise left for this show, it stunned me into appreciation, especially from a writing perspective. I saw it before the award season when not many people knew of the show and I was begging my friends to watch it so it was quite gratifying to see them come back to me after it had won so many Emmys.

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Currently Gulshan Devaiah, Sobhita Dhulipala. Ranveer Singh if you want to get a little more mainstream.

Who is your favorite Villain you couldn't help but love?

I don't think there are villains as such because they are humanised by showing their grey shades. But I suppose "Kabira Speaking" from Hera Pheri ha ha? Also there was this Turkish show that used to air on Indian television a few years ago, Adini Feriha Koydum, and in that there was a woman who was shown as this money-hungry vamp but she used to act quite childishly and unintentionally became extremely funny so yeah maybe her.

What are your hobbies other than writing and reading?

I have recently really gotten into watching educational YouTube videos, especially the ones which teach you about history; I love talking about politics and I am quite a film buff too. I also love colouring books as meditation while I listen to podcasts but ever since writing has started, all my time has been diverted to that.

What are your hidden talents?

I am quite athletic and sporty. In fact, there was a time when I was considering sports as a career but I eventually found it to be impractical since the odds for your success are so slim. You quite literally have to be one in a million to succeed in this field and the shelf life of an athlete is too short. I don't think I would have taken it too well when my body would start slowing down after its prime and I don't want a career that can last only a few years.

Who is your first celebrity crush?

Oh god...I would have to say Oliver from Hannah Montana? Is he counted as a celebrity? Lmao. Even Chad Michael Murray. I fell in love after watching A Cinderella Story, you guys.

What is the most embarrassing situation that you have ever been through?

The time when I tried to walk through a glass door. The glass was too clean! Anyway, my crush was right behind me and he laughed at me. Then I went home and decided he was too ugly AND he picked his nose.

One craziest thing you have ever done?

I am not that adventurous so I would have to say not studying for my board exams. In India, they are considered to be the most important exams of your life but I studied for them on the very last day and that was quite risky since I had not applied to any other universities, depending only on my board exams to get me into Delhi University. For those who don't know, Delhi University cut offs are insanely high, going up to 99% so it's quite tough to get in and you really get scared about what the board result will be when you're not scoring more than 85% in your practice exams at school. I don't know how I ever let it get to that point, it was just crazy but since there were no negative consequences and my relatives fawned over me for a full fortnight, I would have to say it was an exhilarating experience. Despite the fact that I had five emotional breakdowns in the month of March, each one right before every exam. That was when I found out that deep breathing DOES help you in such situations.

There are many authors who just started their journey and many readers who want to write but has no courage to do so. Please give them a tip and a word of encouragement.

As a person who herself had no courage and perhaps still doesn't, I would recommend such authors to consider the anonymity that Wattpad offers. Even outside of Wattpad, writers writing under pen names has been a common tradition for a very long time. And if you're worried if you're any good or not, trust me writing is such a craft that the more you do it, the better you get at it. It's almost like your writing skills are an unshapely mass of stone at which you chip away a little with every new draft of every new story. It's hard work, backbreaking even, but when you see that growth within yourself, there's nothing like it.

What do you feel about this interview?

It was a good one, making me reflect on my journey as a writer and to be honest, I'm all up for telling anyone who is ready to listen, who my favourite actor is and exactly why. I am a walking and talking advertisement for Gulshan Devaiah at this point.

Hope you had a great time answering our questions. We appreciate you for your beautiful works and also spending valuable time with us.

We wish you to write many more successful stories and be a bestselling author one day.