1)
Can you tell us a little about your book?
My book Surviving Mother & Mother-in-Law is the first of its kind book written for Indian girls about to get married or are married for some years now. It's like a coming-of-age sort of book for the girls. It is divided into three stages: Getting married, Just Married, and Happily married. It depicts how at every step, a girl's life is influenced by her mother and mother-in-law. The book makes the girl aware of inevitable changes after marriage and how she can handle them best. The book's subheading is 'every bride's guide to marriage survival '; hence, the book forewarns the bride of some impending problems and provides solutions like a friend. The book is written in a tongue-in-cheek manner and makes for an exciting read.
2)
Is there a specific event that inspired this story, or was this an out-of-the-blue idea?
This book was building inside me for a long time. I always thought that the experiences my friends or I had should be shared with others so that the next-gen women who will take our place pretty soon can benefit from our experiences and don't have to face the same consequences we have faced. I often tried to shelve the idea of writing this book, but the feeling to report it was so strong that I was forced to put it all on paper.
3)
What got you writing in the first place?
I started writing poems at the age of 10. I can't say exactly what got me writing, but as I grew up, I felt it's cathartic for me to write poems, and the same may be true about this book. I have seen so many women suffering in our Indian society silently that I felt that someone should tell their side of the story.
4)
What was your impression of your first draft when you read it?
Even before I have written a single word of this book, I had already laid out the entire structure of the book many times in my mind. I had a clear framework of this book in my mind, but this being my first book, I wasn't sure whether I would be able to communicate with the reader or not, and as I said earlier, for me, this book is like passing on something to the next-gen, so connect with my reader was the most important thing for me, so when I finished the first stage of the book, I sent the first stage to some of my friends who belong to different ages. I wanted their review before I could progress with the book. For me, the reader's reaction was the most important thing, so I didn't have any personal impression of the draft.
5)
Which part of your story connects the most with you? Why?
I have connected with all the parts, and I think every stage is equally essential in marital life, so I won't be able to choose any one part of the book.
6)
What makes your book the one to read?
As I said earlier, it's the first of its kind for young Indian brides and daughters-in-law. I don't think any such book has been written before, so this makes it a unique and exciting book. Besides this, since I have included real-life anecdotes in the book, every married woman will find a portrayal of her situation in one way or the other in this book, along with the solution as to how she can come out of it.
7)
What was the best advice you got while writing?
My best friend was amongst the first few pre-readers of my book. After reading the entire book, she suggested that I include more real-life incidents, which made the book even more interesting to read.
8)
Who's your all-time favorite author? Which book of his/hers made you fall in love with them?
I select a book to read based upon its content, and I respect every author who has written a book. My favorite author is one whose book is in my hand at that given time. I remember when I was a student in Kolkata and visited the most significant book fair in the world that is Kolkata book fair, I would pick any book which was pocket friendly for a student and whose content appealed to me, whereas my friends used to choose books by famous authors only. Being from a literature background, we already read the best authors of the world in our syllabus, but I also wanted to explore different genres and write styles to say I'm a bit of an explorer in the case of authors.
9)
What is your evergreen tip to the writers out there?
This is my first book, and I honestly feel that I am not the right person to give any tip to someone, but yes, I may say pick a pen to write a book when you are sure of what you are going to write from the first to the last page, many authors start writing a book, and then they leave it midway, I think this should be avoided.
10)
Do you have another plot brewing?
Yes, I am currently working on my second book, and hopefully, it will be completed soon.