g oo d i d e as by Andrea Paolucci Photo courtesy of Bharat Krishnan and Erik Jon Slangerup
A Writer’s Paradise
Two Dublin-based authors find inspiration in their surroundings For creatives, the city of Dublin often proves itself to be a canvas where creativity can flourish. It’s no surprise then to see not just one but multiple authors find success here. Novel Ideas When Bharat Krishnan moved to Ohio to be with his wife, Monali, he found an especially open and inviting community. They first moved to Grove City, but have been living in Dublin for about a year and a half. “It’s such an incredible, diverse community, especially with the Indian American community,” he says. “I really found myself wanting to get to Dublin as soon as possible.” Bharat’s recent novel, Privilege, is a political thriller centering on racism and power. In this story, protagonist Rakshan Baliga must get his hands on super drug WP (white privilege) in order to fix the issues in his life. The book’s main message is the idea that power and happiness
In addition to writing for kids, Slangerup is also a father of six. 36 • August/September 2022
are two different things that people must often choose between, Krishnan says. The novel, which the Ohio Author Project named best adult fiction of 2021, is the first in a trilogy exploring how some people experience societal advantages due to their privilege. Krishnan believes this topic shows extreme relevancy to the current state of the country and sends a message about the importance of diversity. “You’ve always kind of seen Krishnan’s Privilege is a thriller focusing on the how fiction can have a meaning- intersection of racism and power. ful impact on advancing societal change,” he says. “That’s probably the big“That’s the thing that is really being recgest thing I try to get across in my writing.” ognized as being important right now, having characters that show that girls can use Dublin Dad STEM just as well as boys can,” he says. While being a father of six may seem Slangerup has also explored the conchallenging, Erik Jon Slangerup finds his nection between youth and tech in Stochildren to be a great source of inspiration rySnacker, an app he co-created. The infor his writing. teractive app provides stories optimized for “For me, writing adventure novels, I reading off a phone, to help busy parents have to up the ante a little bit by making engage in reading with their children. things a little more fantastical,” he says. Slangerup also speaks on how living “I like writing about monsters and giants in Dublin has influenced his writing and and robots, just because I need to do that his inspiration that he takes from the surto capture the feeling of when everything rounding community. seems fantastical when you’re a kid.” “Dublin is a paradise,” Slangerup Slangerup’s most recent novel, Molly says. “As the saying goes, if you live and the Machine, features a young girl go- your life uneventfully, you can go crazy ing on adventures around Ohio in 1983. with your writing. Dublin is the perfect The protagonist, Molly McQuirter, must spot for that for me. It’s a really great, use her brains and her knowledge of sci- supportive community.” ence to get her little brother back from a Both Krishnan and Slangerup are curmysterious, kidnapping robot. rently working on new books continuing Even though this middle-grade story is the series they’ve been writing. about mythical beings and fearless heroKrishnan is focusing on writing a prequel ines, Slangerup makes it known that the for Privilege. Slangerup is already working subject matter is meaningful in a deeper on the sequel to Molly and the Machine. way. By incorporating science, technology, engineering and math, Slangerup aims to Andrea Paolucci is an editorial assistant at emphasize the relationship between youth CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome and the modern technological world. at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com. www.dublinlifemagazine.com
