Most people who now make their living as authors had a day job at some point. It is common for me to interview former teachers, professors, journalists and, interestingly, lawyers, but today was the first time I got to interview a former theoretical physicist—and there was nothing theoretical about this conversation!
Meet Dilani Kahawala:
Dilani earned her Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Harvard and began her career by working on extra dimensions. She figured out pretty quickly that there weren’t many people who wanted to read her work as a theoretical physicist, so she began exploring new dimensions in fantasy fiction. Many of the characters in her stories are inspired by the various cultures she grew up in. Born in Sri Lanka, she has lived in New Zealand and Australia and now lives in the United States and joins me today to talk about her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy.
Why Dilani was attracted to studying theoretical physics and why she ultimately left the field. How growing up on three continents has impacted her writing. The backstory to her debut novel, Blood Moon Prophecy. What Dilani has learned about character development. Dilani’s point of view on whether time travel is possible.
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