Dr. Candy takes us to the other side of the world. Author Sudè Khanian does not hold back with the raw power of her tale. She shares two stories of love. The first story challenges the reader with a man facing decisions about God and what is considered “normal”. The intertwining tale is one of life and how the unexplainable can sometimes intervene.
I took some time to ask Ms. Khanian some questions about her entry into the series.
ME: What was your inspiration for this quite moving story?
SK: It was Mark and the goal behind his One series that not only inspired me but also gave me the heart to speak of what I never intended to share with public.
ME: Thank you, but I don't want to take any of your credit. The story is very personal and I felt the emotion when I read it. One of your characters is a cross-dresser, that might be a sensitive topic for some. I am glad you had the courage to share something so personal. I have read some of your other writing and you don't shy away from the emotional, personal experiences. How long have you been "putting yourself out there"?
SK: The first story that spoke to my mind and moved my hands against my conscious came to me around a decade ago (It called itself Paradise Victim). But as for writing down my thoughts, I have been doing it since I was 16.
ME: That is an impressionable time to start. Definitely a lot of new experiences in a person's life at that age. Now, I know it wasn't that long ago, but in the time you have been writing, have you developed any interesting habits or eccentricities when it comes to putting words on paper?
SK: Not sure what you’re meaning by it but I usually write the story loosely in my mind before bringing it into the paper but when it comes on the paper, it goes its own path and most time surprises me. The point is, I bow to the ideas instead of expecting them to praise my mind. Maybe that is a habit. I wouldn’t know.
ME: I wouldn't call it eccentric, but it is unique. You seem to be at the mercy of your inner thoughts and passions. That lends itself easily to our ideals on this series. Letting that inner voice speak can expose readers to your faith and beliefs. Is there something more you would like to share about yourself and your faith that cannot be found in Dr. Candy?
SK: If there’s something I want to share that maybe is not dancing loudly around the corners of Dr. Candy is what I’ve exposed in my fiction stories Alleged and Cancer. And that is, when you find yourself judging a being, look beyond the clothing and superficial differences, and somewhere deep there, you may be able to find you in them and be able to understand where their seemingly unacceptable traits come from. That may not change your mind about your belief set but allows for love and better communication. But is that my faith or my advice? I am not in the position to give out advices, so I am assuming that’s only my faith ;)
ME: That is what Dr. Candy is about. More so, that could be a universal truth. The idea of finding common ground in others that appear so different than ourselves is both simple and profound. Too often, we are all guilty of judging by looks. Your beliefs present themselves as strong and deep rooted. Are there any influences that guided you to this spot? Any particular writers, maybe?
SK: I am not sure if I am influenced by any source other than the ideas themselves. As mentioned earlier, I let the ideas boss me as I trust them better than my earthly intellect and let them go wild beyond my thinking. They dictate where to start, where to end, and they know no rules. But if you wish to know which writers I favor the most, Borges and Italo Calvino are two of my favorites.
ME: I'm not nearly so well read. I'm going to smile and pretend to know Calvino. Then I will quickly follow up with who are some of your spiritual influences?
SK: It is funny, when it comes to writing which is a supposed task of mind, I let the metaphysical world take over my hands but when it comes to spiritual beliefs, I choose to trust my judgment than the spiritual signs or gurus. So I guess your answer is ‘my eyes’.
ME: That is fascinating. I would not have expected any other answer based on our previous conversations. Going into this, I expected you to be intriguing and a little mysterious. That being said, what is something you would like to tell us that you do not put in your public bio?
SK: I don’t like spicy food.
ME: Very good! I am the opposite, I seek out the spiciest foods I can find. I've even tried the infamous Ghost Pepper. I suspect that is not on your list of things to do. What are your "To Do" items?
SK: As for writing projects, I have recently finished On the Silk Road to Love and I am not writing any new stories anytime soon or if I am, I do not know that yet. About other projects, I am studying the potentials of working with some UK studios to make a movie based on Alleged. Another project which is more of a hobby to me is my Virtual Universe Traveland.wall.fm. I am building a virtual version of the world with help of one person from each country in the world, the countries that are announced in the world map or those that only exist in the minds of those who believe theirs is wiped off the map or has never even been there. So far I have ambassadors from 29 countries. Some are active and some are a challenge to deal with but what I like about this virtual universe of mine is that though we’re all focusing on the differences between our countries and cultural traits, we’re not using those differences to draw lines but to praise one another. We celebrate our differences and respect it.
ME: That's great! I hope our readers will visit your amazing Virtual Universe.You look to be very busy. I'm available to help write your movie script, by the way. Couldn't resist plugging myself. It's funny, but I often get the impression you are a serious person. I know from your writing in 30.5 and our emails that is not true. Here are a couple silly questions as a test to see how serious you are. When you finally stand before your Supreme Being, what will you ask?
SK: What’s up with the world mama?
ME: Mama, hmm? That is telling. Moving on, what flavor of ice cream are you?
SK: Though not a fan of berries when it comes to picking my favorite ice cream flavor, I have a feeling I would be some type of sour berry, thinking maybe blueberry. Yea! Blueberry!
ME: Funny. Ms. Khanian, thank you for taking the time to visit with me. It has been quite revealing. Your story, Dr. Candy, will be available very soon. In the meantime, readers can listen to our turn on The G-Zone blogtalkradio show HERE. Please also visit our Facebook fan page and post questions or comments for any of the Authors of One.
Lastly, I would like to say how excited I am that Dr. Candy will be the first of our series to appear under Trestle Press' NEW imprint Helping Hands Press!
announced today its
