Did curiosity kill the author?

Roy Cherian Cherukarayil understands people so well that it often leaves him with emotional baggage that’s too heavy to carry. Even a small change in a person’s vibration can trigger his ever-curious mind to figure out why that person felt so, often earning him the label of ‘over thinker’ from his wife. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing for this consultant (with an IT company) because it’s the fuel that keep his pen writing. “There are some things in life without which a person becomes unstable. Writing is one such tool that keeps me stable and my mind in check,” says Roy. 

This characteristic combined with the experiences he’s undergone or observed others endure prompted the second-time author to come up with A Pearl From Every Oyster, a collection of short stories. “The book revolves around a protagonist called Ricky; what he goes through are mostly replications of the experiences or challenges I’ve faced,” he narrates. “I’ve survived various ups and downs, be it the time I suffered a paralysis or survived despite being right in the middle of the tsunami. And what I realized from all of these traumas is that pain is the greatest source of energy that can help one rejuvenate and rebuild.” 

This is the takeaway Roy wishes to give his readers and the messages are beautifully interwoven between lighter moments and anecdotes. “Every person Ricky meets in an oyster and what he takes away from encounters with them are the pearls,” explains Roy, justifying the title. 

He’s been an informal writer since childhood but progressed over the years to having some of his shorts and poems appear in various publications for both children and adults. Prior to A Pearl From Every Oyster, Roy came out with a collection of poems — “I received a lot of mixed feedback for that because readers couldn’t fathom how a 49-year-old like me could write about romance. But that and I’m hoping my current book serves as valuable feedback, based on which I can plan my novels,” Roy states.

Roy credits his father for being his inspiration. “My mother passed away when I was really young so my father raised me. As a single parent, he did a tremendous job, and it’s because of him that I got exposed to books — not comics but literature. If it weren’t for that, I probably would never understand people!” he laughs and signs off.