Naaz Ghani By Express News Service CHENNAI: It was a rainy afternoon at the Higginbothams bookstore on Mount Road. The pin-drop silence inside deafened the pitter-patter outside. A few customers walked around reviewing titles. Some stood still, skimming through a few books. Piyush Semwal’s was the only voice heard as he walked in with radiating energy. “We can chat here,” he said pointing at two chairs set up in the corner of the store. Major Piyush Semwal was in the city on Friday to talk about his first book The Lost Faith — a fictional thriller about two friends. The idea struck him in 2015. “I always loved reading and decided to try my hand at writing,” he said. During this period, he was stationed in Kashmir by the Indian Armed Forces and had to set aside his writing. “It took me four years to complete the novel and get it published,” he said. Having grown up in Dehradun, Major Semwal admits to being fond of mountains. His story is set in the mountains for the very same reason. “I always thought that mountains provide a very mysterious backdrop in a story,” he said. The characters in his book are met with a variety of inexplicable obstacles that they manoeuvre through to achieve their final goal. A gripping read that will urge to finish it in one sitting. Major Semwal wanted to keep his story as realistic as possible. “People enjoy what they relate to,” he said. “Most characters in the book are exaggerated versions of some people I have met during my travels with the army.” With a strict schedule in the army, Major Semwal found it difficult to write every day.“However, I made it a point to write once in two or three days for sure,” he said. He was all praise for his publishers Kalamos Literary Services LLP. “We were always in sync with each other. We were open to each other’s feedback and tried to implement all ideas we churned out. They came up with a good cover and understood my inputs,” he said.Major Semwal has been on tour throughout India, for the past month, promoting his book, “My next stop is Kochi,” he said.

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