The next installation of ‘Between the Lines’ featuring four authors at the O2 café on the 24 February 2024 organised by Jam fruit Tree Publishers. This is a meet-the-author event where these authors will read from their work, engage with the audience and participate in a Q and A session. The print media partner of the event is Sunday Observer.
This week we reached out to two of the esteemed authors from the said event, Rohitha Perera and Isurini Mallaarachchi.
Rohitha Perera
Known as @realrohitha on instagam, Rohitha Perera is a seasoned corporate professional with over 20 years of experience in Sri Lanka’s renowned companies, has transitioned into the role of an author. His expertise spans across lifestyle journalism, copywriting, PR, corporate communications, digital media, and SEO, now fully dedicated to his writing pursuits.
His collection discussed at the event will be Rage/Love “A Collection of Microtales”. This book comprises 112 tales exploring themes of horror, mystery, rage, love, hate, bullying, infidelity, and magic. Written partly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the collection offers an escape into varied realms. It falls into a unique blend of romance and horror genres.
The book delves into two primary human emotions: rage and love. Through fiction, it presents 112 micro tales depicting situations that explore the expression of these emotions within the human condition.
Rohitha is a fan or the Horror genre; he believes that love is also a horror story. Speaking of his inspirations, he told us that “as a devoted follower of Stephen King, Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Paulo Coelho, and Yukio Mishima, Perera delves into themes deeply rooted in the human psyche”. Inspired by philosophers such as Nietzsche and artists like Frida Kahlo, his collection embarks on a creative exploration of diverse themes.
“I have been working on this collection of tales since 2017 and it is truly not for the faint at heart. It explores a lot of taboo topics such as LGBTIQ relationships, incest, rape etc. when I started writing I posted some of my tales on reddit and they got quite popular, this is how I decided to publish in this genre”, said Rohitha.
In talking about his decision to publish with Jam Fruit Tree Publishers, he said “I have wanted to publish since I was 18 but it never happened. When I made the decision to finally have my work published I decided that Jam Fruit Tree Publishers was the way to go. I have worked with Jeremy before and I know they work with the highest level of integrity. The whole process took less than a month and I have no regrets. ”
IsuriniMallaarachchi
Isurinie Anuradha Mallawaarachchi, also known as @flowersteachmetoletgo on Instagram, is a lecturer, attorney-at-law, and poet. Her poetry delves into themes of love, heartbreak, sex, and self-exploration. Speaking of her books, Isurini told us, “My first book, Flowers Teach Me to Let Go was published in 2022 and the second book, My Mind is a Light Switch was published in the following year. Both are very special to me; the first book has poems that I wrote over five years. I believe that my poems are quite personal, and the very exercise of writing poetry has been quite cathartic- it has helped me unpack a lot of emotions and be kinder to myself. Because of these reasons, both Flowers and Light Switch are special and hold an important place in my being.”
When asked about her decision to publish with jam tree publishers “I am publishing with The Jam Fruit Tree Publications because of how much attention they pay to putting the books out in their best form. From the beginning, Mr. Jeremy Muller has been a strength and an inspiration to continue writing. As someone who was insecure about their writing for the longest time, I feel lucky to have met Mr. Muller because he pushes you to write and be confident in what you write. ”
