In this Episode our host Courtney Ripoll-McBride speaks with Peter R. Kohli author of best seller "Raj and Norah". Dive in and hear what transpired this lovely book, learn about the books and authors he has been inspired by.
Timestamp:
0:18 Introduction
8:55 Inspiration
10:30 How long have you been writing?
11:10 what is your writing setup like?
12:10 Books or Authors you are inspired by?
16:05 Advice for those starting to read again?
17:50 Advice for Aspiring Authors?
20:10 Unknown fact
27:20 Best place to connect and purchase your book?
Peter R. Kohli's Information
Peter R. Kohli's Book "Raj and Norah"
Peter R. Kohli's LinkedIn
Peter R. Kohli's Blog
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Our Host Courtney Ripoll-McBride
Music Created/Episode Mastered By: Patrick McBride
Courtney (00:13):
Good morning, Peter. Thank you so much for coming on. I would love if you would introduce yourself.
Peter (00:19):
Yeah. My name is Peter R Kohli. I always include the R because I just think that Peter co sounds too grab. I am. I live in the United States. I've lived here since 1977. Prior to that, I lived in England where I went to university and worked. And then prior to that, I was actually born in India. And I've been on in this world for quite a while. I'm 73 years old and yes, you're supposed to say at this time you don't look it, but well, um, I, uh, for most of my life I was involved in the corporate sector. I've always, my passion has always been writing ever since I was, um, oh, I guess like 11 or 12 years old, I wrote and I wrote, and I love to write, but I never made it a career or a vocation. Um, until I closed my business in, uh, 2016.
Peter (01:14):
And then, um, I decided that I wanted to write for a living. I had written books before that. Probably not very good, but I I've always been fascinated with my parents' story. My mother was an English nurse in world war II. My father was an Indian army officer in world Wari. Um, and over the years I learned, I heard about their stories. Um, my father actually, um, wouldn't talk about his, what experiences my mother definitely did not to the day she passed away. She said nothing. Uh, but my father, um, no then would tell me something about it. So basically the story was, um, over as I learned it over the years was that my father was severely wounded in action in Northern Italy, outside Bolan, a place called Faenza. And this was on in early December, 1944. And, uh, he had his, his, uh, left ear blown off from him by German tank, shell tank, shell, what passed his year and took it off.
Peter (02:21):
And, um, he ended up, uh, eventually, uh, at a, uh, base hospital in Naples in, in, um, in Italy and as luck would have it, my mother was his nurse. So this was now January, 1945. They had a brief love affair. And then in April, my father was shipped back to England for more surgery and recuperation. And my mother at that time, the, the Germans were being pushed back in Rome. So my mother was actually was posted to Rome with her, um, with her, uh, nursing unit. So they broke off the relationship. I mean, there was no way that they, this relationship could, uh, flourish because he was Indian. He had to go back to India. My mother was English. All her family was in, uh, was in England in October, 1945, one morning. A doctor came to my father. He was at that time in a rehabilitation center in Southern England and said today, you're catching a boat back to England, sorry to India.
Peter (03:23):
So he said, oh, okay. So that was October the fifth, 1945. He gets on board. The ship goes into the officer's lounge to drown his sorrows with, uh, single mall, scotch whiskey. He was sitting there sipping his whiskey, and guess who walks down the staircase? My mother, she was being, had no contact with each other since April, 1945. She was being posted to India to help train nurses because, um, uh, independence was coming up. So, you know, that was it. Obviously fate had intervened and, uh, they were married for 56 years and she, uh, you know, she lived in India with my father. My father retired as a Brigadier in the Indian army. And then from in 1966, he left, uh, sorry, 68 left India and went back. I went to England. Um, so I've had this story in my mind and what we thought is such a wonderful story to write, but so I wrote the outline over it about 20 years ago.
Peter (04:30):
And, and, but whenever I asked for my father about certain details about the war, oh, that was so long ago. I remember that my wife and her, uh, uh, her parents and I went to, to Italy on a vacation in 2012. And we decided to go and see the, the cemetery where the men that my father had commanded were killed a buried. And I thought I did something really well. And we also saw the, the, the graveyard of, or the, of his, his best friend, my father's best friend who was killed. And, you know, so when I got back to America, I called my father in India. I said, guess what? We saw it. He said, oh, that was so long ago. I, you know, I just meaning, I just don't wanna talk about it. So I wrote the book as best, best I could kept it on my computer and actually filled in a lot of the blanks with fiction, you know, as I thought it would play out in 2019, um, I went back in, in end of January.
Peter (05:35):
I went back to India to be with my father because he was 19 nine years old. And yeah, and he, you know, he was, uh, not doing well. He was not doing well. It's a shame. So I thought, well, maybe I'll get a chance. I spent two weeks with him, which was absolutely wonderful. I, I suggest that everybody does it with their parents to spend two weeks with them, just the parent and them, nobody else, because every unresolved issue was resolved. Okay. So I said to my father, I said, you know, I said, Shena my youngest daughter. And I had written the, uh, she, she was the one who was, she was the impetus behind, we've gotta publish this book. We've gotta publish this book. So I, I said, uh, you know, Shane, I, my daughter and I have written this book about mommy and you, and what she did was clap his hands.
Peter (06:29):
And then I said, well, what I would like to do is I would like to go over some incidences that happened during world war two. And I would like you to fill in the blank for me. He said, uh, as long as I remember sure, I thought, whoa, this is gonna be good. Well, as, as a result of those two weeks, when we CA when I came back to, to the us, I had to rewrite the entire book, because what I found out was what I had made up, or what should I put it this way? What he told me was better than what I made up. Okay. So it was really, you know, it was really amazing. It was really amazing. But one of his last words to me, my father's last words for me, and I, hopefully it will not get emotional. It all gets me.
Peter (07:12):
Okay. So I will do my best. Not to me. He said, the book that you share and Shannon have written about mommy and me, I hope it's more about mommy than above me. Please do not make me out to be more than I am. Those are his last words to me. And I said, no, dad, we we've we've we've, we've kept you the story. So, um, the book was finally published in, um, February, uh, last year and in India, it was published in India by Harper Collins and did very well, went to number nine on the bestseller list. And would've gone to number one, no doubt about it, except that India went through a lockdown because of COVID and sales plummeted, plummeted, because no bookstores were open, even Amazon wasn't allowed to deliver
Peter (08:12):
And, um, one of the greatest things about the book was I a, a, a, I left town in general, in the Indian army, wrote an article in a major, uh, newspaper in India called the Hindu about what a wonderful man my father was. He served under my father when he was a young captain, and he wrote this article about my father, how wonderful and was, and because of that, it had a, another bounce. The book never had a balance, but there we've, we've been talking to people about turning it into a minis series. There's been interest, but nothing signed yet. I would think it would make a wonderful, uh, many series. I really do. So that's the book
Courtney (08:59):
Sounds like such an amazing book.
Peter (09:03):
Well, I'm biased, but yes, I agree.
Courtney (09:09):
Um, what really inspired you to start writing that book? Was it your parents' story that is such a wonderful story that you were just like, I wanna share it with the world.
Peter (09:21):
Um, yes. I mean, the, the, the, the, the neatest, just to say yes, that, yes, it's a great story, but it was more than just that it, it, it shows the things that happen happen for a reason. I mean, who would ever think that my mother would be on the same boat as my father was? And he was told that morning he was catching that boat. So, you know, one day here or there, they would've probably never met again, never met again. And what was really on to also interesting is that my father at this, when the world war II broke out, was studying at King's college in London. My mother was a nurse at St. Mary's in Paddington. I don't know if you know London or not, but if you could throw a stone really well, you'd probably hit it. Okay. They weren't that far apart, but they never met. Maybe they passed each other, you know, like two ships during the night. Maybe they passed each other on Oxford street or whatever, but they never met, it, took them to meet at the end of a conflict in Italy, which is meant to be, it was just meant to be. And that's what I think adds to the, the mystique of the story.
Courtney (10:40):
That's amazing. I was gonna ask how long you've been writing, but
Peter (10:48):
I have actually, I have actually got two other books that are completed. Okay. I'm working on a fourth, but I also write a short story. I don't know where you know this, and I write a short story every single day. It's posted on my blog. And it's also posted on LinkedIn for five days of every week. I write every single morning at four 30 in the morning, I write at least 1200 words. And I turn that into a short story, which is then posted on LinkedIn and on my blog every Workday, five days a week.
Courtney (11:21):
That's so amazing. Do you have a special writing set up that you use or do you just sit down at the kitchen table and write
Peter (11:29):
A little bit more comfortable than the kitchen table? I sit on the couch and I put my feet up and, um, I literally allow my mind to wa and it goes, I dunno, what the hell it does, but it goes through sentences and words. And then I pick up on a sentence. They say, that's neat. And I write the sentence down and then I'll stare at the sentence. And then after a few minutes, I start writing. And before I know it, 45 minutes has gone by and the story is complete.
Courtney (12:04):
That's so awesome. Do you, when you're writing, do you have like a favorite snack or drink that you always have with you
Peter (12:09):
I've coffee in the morning for
Courtney (12:15):
That is super early
Peter (12:18):
Yes.
Courtney (12:18):
Were there any books or authors when you were growing up that really inspired you to become an author?
Peter (12:23):
Oh, several, several. Um, I loved Daniel DFO. Um, I loved rod Kipling. I loved judge be shore. I love George be shore because he hated the English. Not that I hated the English, but he was so cutting his, his, his sarcasm is, is, is, is fabulous. I mean, it's an art form in itself. I dunno if you've ever read any of George Bejo his works. Oh, it's it. He's fabulous. He's fabulous. Um, he was a very humbling man. And, um, he was at a party once, and this tells you what type of humor he writes. Um, he was a party once and a very beautiful woman came up to him and, uh, said, Mr. Shaw, think about it. If we got married, our children would have your brains and my beauty. And he said, Madam, what would happen if the opposite was true? You know? So it, that, that's the type of humor, George BYOR. I love George BYOR. Um, oh my goodness. There's so many HGS love J HGS. Um, and, um, I, you know, I, I done so many, so many books. I, I, I would think that those are the core that, I mean, otherwise I just, I mean today, I mean, I read, I still always have about two books going at the same time, so I love to read, I love to read.
Courtney (13:51):
That's awesome. Do you have authors now that you read or a favorite series that's come out recently?
Peter (13:57):
Yes. Yes, actually. Um, it is a, and, and it shows you how I'm getting out. I can't even remember the name of the author, but it's Mar commander. I don't know whether you know that series or not. It's 21 books, 21 books. I'm up to number 14. It's about, uh, a captain in the Royal Navy, in the Napoleonic wars called Jack Aubrey and the, um, ship surgeon called, uh Mauren and it's Stephen Mauren. And it's, it's a story about their adventures. And, uh, gentleman who wrote it, uh, he never finished the, the 21st novel. He died before he competed, but he wrote one a year. And, um, I just wish I remember his name. That's silly. I, I read it every night before I go to bed. And I'm up onto, uh, 14 that's who that's, who I'm reading right now. I love authors that allow me to escape that allow me, and that's what I tried to do with my writing, not with my father's, my parents' book, but my other writings, I, I want, I want people to escape, escape what's happening around them and just tune out for a few minutes.
Peter (15:09):
Just maybe allow their minds to, uh, I, I, I had somebody contact me yesterday. They said, would you mind if I take one of your short stories at about three pages, long, three to four pages long, take one of your stories and expand it to 30 pages. Would you mind if I do that? I said, no, actually I will be honored. That's exactly what I want people to do is to take these and see what they can do with them. Because I mean, how much a greater honor for somebody to think that they could, uh, to improve upon your writing? I think that's, that's what I, that's why I do it.
Courtney (15:47):
That's amazing. And I really love the embracing it, because part of our reason we started this was to embrace the love of reading mm-hmm
Peter (15:55):
Courtney (16:13):
That's amazing. I love that for someone who's just starting out to read again, what is one thing that you would say to them?
Peter (16:23):
We just starting to read again.
Courtney (16:25):
Yeah. Where they haven't read in years. They, they used to love it, but then they lost the love.
Peter (16:31):
You know what I would say to them. Um, and that is to go back and read the last book you read, go back there, start again, read the last book you read. And I've done that. Actually. I I've got books here that I bought off Amazon that I read as a child. I tell one author that I've completely forgotten about as guy who wrote the count of Mar Christo, what's his name? Um, come on. Think of it. No, you have no excuse, but I do
Courtney (17:05):
Peter (17:06):
I've got the books right here. You are the count of Monte Christo. He wrote all those books, but the, the, the, you know, the, the three Musketeers, all Daniel, uh, uh, Duma Alexander Duma. Okay. I went back and I read those. I read those as a child. So I went back and I reread them. And I think it's, that's what launched me into, uh, into more and more different authors to go back and read what you last read.
Courtney (17:36):
Love that a lot of people don't ever go back and read a book again. I've realized that
Peter (17:41):
I missed an author, Charles Dickens.
Courtney (17:43):
Oh,
Peter (17:44):
I've read every single one of his novels.
Courtney (17:47):
Wow.
Peter (17:48):
Every single one of us, even his most boring one
Courtney (18:02):
For someone who's aspiring to be an author and they're just starting out. Do you have any advice for them?
Peter (18:07):
Yes. Just right, right. Set yourself. That's what I did. Set myself a goal and write, write. I don't care what it looks like at the end. The idea is just write, put words down on a paper, put words sometimes just write trie, absolute junk, write. And I've done that. And just write, especially when you give writers block, and as, as, as a, as a, as a new writer, you'll, you'll try to psych yourself out. Oh my gosh, this looks ho this sounds horrible. No, write it down because that gets your brain going. And as you keep writing, even if it's junk, even it's absolutely tried people. You'd read it and say, did I really read that? I would never admit to it or write that I never admit to it, but what it does, it gets your brain working. It gets your brain working. And also, also, depending upon, I mean, if somebody wants to write just casually, then they can do it at any time of the day.
Peter (19:04):
If you want to write seriously, then it's like a job set aside a time, block, everything else out. And for those maybe first 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, then 45 minutes, whatever, but block just right. Just right. It doesn't matter if a fire alarm is going off. Right. Okay. Just right. Because I could find tons of excuses to stop writing and getting up and saying, oh, to myself. Hmm. Let me see if the, the, the rabbits have attacked my vegetable garden. I mean, you could find tons of excuses. Don't do it, approach it. If you're gonna be serious, right. 15, uh, 15 minute blocks. And then they keep expanding on that.
Courtney (19:50):
That's amazing. Cuz it keeps the motivation. If you can get 15 minutes, you can get 30, you can get 45.
Peter (19:56):
And what's really interesting is if, at least for me is those 45 minutes that I write in the morning are like five minutes before I know it. 45 minutes have flown by, but that doesn't happen overnight. You, you gotta build up to that. Yeah. Right? Yes. And if you enjoy writing, it's much easier.
Courtney (20:18):
So true. What is one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
Peter (20:28):
I'm better looking in person than I'm on TV. No. Um, to find out about me. Oh good. Heavens. Well, I know people have, are hoping I've not inherited my, uh, parents jeans and I don't live as long as they did. Um, what do they find out about me? I, I think, okay. Here's, here's a question. I don't look Indian. Okay. I don't sound most of the time don't sound Indian, but I love going to Indian restaurants and flooring them. When I break out into, into Hindi and colloquial Hindi, not, you know, as you learn it through a book and that's the thing that people are most amazed about me. I didn't know you were Indian. You don't look Indian. You know, so people I think are most, most, uh, that was a double edge sword, by the way, for me, while I was growing up and created huge issues for me. Um, and that was that I was too British for the Indians and two Indian for the British of course huge issues for me cuz I was ne I was not accepted neither black country, but that's a subject for a different time. Uh, but most people are, are, are, are, are surprised that I, uh, that I was born in India, that I am, you know, um, Indian by birth. Let's put it that way. That's the thing that they're the most surprised about
Courtney (22:03):
That is surprising. Like with your accent, it's very clear. Um, I never would've guessed if you hadn't told me to be honest.
Peter (22:12):
I know, I know. I know it's uh, it's, it comes in very handy when I go to an Indian restaurant and I say to them in Hindi, don't give me what you give the Americans. Give me the real stuff.
Courtney (22:26):
That's love that. Before we talk about where the best place to find any your books for your readers and to connect with you. Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Peter (22:50):
What else? I mean, there are so many things we're talking about my writing. Correct. Okay.
Courtney (22:56):
Or if there's an inspirational saying that you love that you wanna share all
Peter (23:01):
For, you know, you know yes. My favorite book of all time of all time is the Alchemist. I read the Alchemist every six months. Every time I read it, I get something new from it. It is a very simple book. It is a very, it's about a hundred odd pages, 120, 130 pages, but it is filled, filled with, I, I, I don't know. I don't even know how to quote it. It is filled, the pages are filled with information that I find so inspirational, incredibly inspirational. Okay. And the one thing that I have got from that book above anything else is the word focus. Okay. And that comes through through everything because I have an issue with focus. And when, when somebody in the book says, when I'm eating, I focus on eating. When I'm writing a camel, I focus on writing a camel. And that is so incredibly hard to do, at least for me, incredibly hard to stay focused because, uh, it, I guess it's, it's, it's, it's a, it's something that is, um, is acquired. I guess you have to train your mind to focus. And it's very hard, at least for me, at least for me. So I find that book incredibly inspirational. And um, as I said, I write, I read it twice a year, every six months I will read several books. And then I say, oh, it's time for me now to read the Alchemist. And it's as if every time I read it it's as if it's the first time I've ever read it.
Courtney (24:52):
That's amazing. Yeah. I haven't read it in years. I read it. It was actually gifted to me prior to when I went into the military a while, like about eight years ago or more when I was in and I definitely, I plan to go back and read it now because I don't remember the part about focus,
Peter (25:09):
Read it. One of the things I used to do, I used to have a, I used to buy them by the dozen when I had my business and I used to hand them out to people and I used to say, read this and you'll know what makes me tick. Okay. And that is the, as I said, the word, the B word that comes out more thing is focus, focus on what you're doing, focus on what you're doing. There's a, there's another one out there called the Celine prophecy. I, if you've heard of that,
Courtney (25:39):
I
Peter (25:39):
Haven't, that's a poorly written edition of the, of the, uh, the Alchemist. So I, you know, it's just, to me, it was, uh, the gist of it is great, but it's just, just very poorly written in my opinion. Uh, it could have been written much better and had more impact, but I understand the story behind it. And that is, um, how to, how to, uh, when you talk to people, how to, uh, talk to them on the same level instead of, uh, pulling all their energy in or letting them pull all your energy in. So I understand the, the, uh, the gist, but I thought didn't think was very well. Was that helpful?
Courtney (26:23):
Yes, that was amazing. Thank you.
Peter (26:25):
You said you were in the military.
Courtney (26:27):
I was for a short time.
Peter (26:29):
Which one?
Courtney (26:31):
Uh, air force.
Peter (26:32):
Ah, yeah, but did you, were you a pilot?
Courtney (26:36):
Peter (26:40):
Okay. My son was in the Marine Corps for 12 years.
Courtney (26:44):
Oh,
Peter (26:44):
He was an F 18 pilot.
Courtney (26:46):
That's awesome. My little brother went into the Marines. He just recently got out. Yeah.
Peter (26:52):
It's a, it's a different world.
Courtney (26:54):
It is a different world. We, I always referred to it as this is the real world and that is just not the real world.
Peter (27:01):
Well, I grew up as an army brat because of my father, you know? And so, uh, but I, I, my father was in the army. My father son was in the Marines. I was in nothing. I was the sandwich generation, the losing generation. Yeah.
Courtney (27:24):
Um, I love that. Thank you so much for sharing and bringing so much impact today. Where is the best place for readers to connect with you and find your book?
Peter (27:35):
Okay. My book is available on Amazon. As of right now. Um, we are, we are trying to get a publisher in this country and in Amer sorry, in America, both in America and the UK to publish the book. But as, as you always, and they all say to me as soon, uh, because the book was published by har Collins in India, but all the publishers, my, my literary agent just told me all the publishers in this country said, as soon as you get a deal or sign a deal with a, um, with a company to make this into a mini series, let us know we will, we will, we will then publish the book. It's like anything, nobody wants to take a chance. Nobody wants to take a chance. I always believed in the book. I always thought it would be a, a, a big hit.
Peter (28:18):
And unfortunately, if it wasn't for COVID, it would be the number one best seller. But number nine, I guess it's our ticket. Um, so Amazon right now is the only place that it's available. It's not available in bookstores anything yet. Hopefully we're hoping that it will be as far as connecting with me. I am, to me, Instagram is a black hole. Okay. Social media is a black hole. Okay. You can get sucked in and stay for hours there. And so what I do is I, I'm not on anything. I was on Instagram because of the book my daughter put me on. You must be on, but now I'm off. The best place for people to contact me is through, um, is it is through LinkedIn. That's the only one that I, that I have going right now. And of course, if people want to email me by all means to. So a lot of people do
Courtney (29:14):
Perfect. And I know a lot of readers love signed copies of books. Do you have your own website where they can order from you to get signed copies?
Peter (29:24):
No. It would have to be through hypo Collins. Okay. Through hopper Collins? Yes. Okay. And, and then I, then I signed, we have an agreement with hopper Collins.
Courtney (29:34):
Okay, perfect.
Peter (29:36):
Yeah.
Courtney (29:36):
Awesome. Well, thank you so much. I really loved getting to hear your story and get to know you today. And I really appreciate you being here.
Peter (29:46):
No, it's all my pleasure. Thank you for reaching out.
Courtney (29:48):
Yeah. Thank you.
Peter (29:50):
Take.