Journalist and author of two books – ‘Hooked, Lined and Single’ and ‘Stilettos in the Newsroom’, Ms Rashmi Kumar interacted with Spectralhues about her books, journey as an author, her interest in writing, the message she wants her readers to grasp and a lot more.
Who is your intended audience and why should they read your book?
Romantic developments, ultimately, are not the main draw of my book Hooked, Lined & Single. Outshining them are my observations of modern Delhi, a wildly fermenting old and new, East and West mix. This is a fun book for smart and funny women who believe in themselves and yet don’t quite believe that they can get a way around any traffic chaos without losing their mind!
The book is for all those who are hopelessly sentimental about the idea of love, but unusually alert to its shortcomings in practice. Because let alone women, even men could go through the ordeal of finding the right one.
If you’ve just got married, are planning on one or were once, you’d be able to relate to the honestly searing anecdotes in the book.
People should definitely read this book because, like my book’s protagonist Alafia Singh–who goes through a journey of bittersweet, funny and poignant experiences of hate and betrayal, marriage and divorce, love and self discovery–we all go through these experiences in our lives at some point in time or the other.
How did you come up with the title of your book or series?
It’s a pun on hook, line and sinker which of course you know means totally, completely and based on the idea of a fish so hungry it swallows the hook (the part that catches the fish), the line (the string) and the sinker (a weight attached to the line to keep it under water). The idea is that the novel’s protagonist Alafia Singh, hooks (men in this case), lines (men get caught) but in spite of all this, she is still single!
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
My strongest and the only message from my heart is: If you want something real bad, it’s easy to chase it, pursue it and run after it! That’s where we go wrong. There is a reason why sometimes something doesn’t work out for you just when you want it so bad. That moment it is important we leave things to destiny or God. Because when we try to change the course of our life to get what we b want, it may not be the best thing for us or may not be the best thing for us at that time. For instance, in HLS Alafia so desperately wanted to get married but as life would have it, she kept bumping into all the wrong men, all the time. But, the moment she decided to let go, she found someone (Ethan) who truly cared for her but she still decided to let it go because she finally realised that it’s important she left the decision to life and God. If Ethan was truly meant for her, he would be hers any way. Even if she decided to leave the chemistry between them in a limbo.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
* Ever since I left India three years ago, I haven’t followed too many new Indian authors. But there is definitely someone who has caught my attention and I am not sure if it’d right to call him “new” but he’s definitely young and hugely talented. Aravind Adiga–the Indian-Australian writer and journalist certainty grasps a lot of my interest.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
As clichéd as it may sound, writing came to me genetically. Both my parents are media persons and prolific Marathi language writers. So I am not surprised writing got passed on to me through the “write” genes.
As for my personal journey about writing–it was due to the encouragement of a friend in 2002 that I first lifted my pen to write–professionally. But writers those days were considered Gods. They belonged to the intelligentsia and not to the common man. I was definitely no where close to being “intellectual,” or “philosophical” but my friend instilled in me day after day that I could write too. And thus I wrote my first literary piece which I can call a novel but it lies somewhere buried in my closet because I could never muster the courage to give it for publication. The writing was amateur, full of flaws and above everything–hand-written! But at least that gave me confidence that I could write and years later I wrote my first commercially successful book–Stilettos in the Newsroom.
So yes, there was no real inspiration, just an intuition that I could do it too.
What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Since my genre has been fiction, any sort of research work is not exactly necessitated. Unless of course, you’re mentioning places, people or some historical facts which may have changed over the course of years. You know that the basis of any fiction is fact!
What other books are similar to your own? What makes them alike?
When Stilettos in the Newsroom came out, many readers had started comparing me with Advaita Kala who wrote the masterpiece, Almost Single. While the comparison was very flattering, I wasn’t exactly comfortable with that. I was my own person and besides, Advaita had guided me so much pre and post Stilettos… journey, so the comparison was unfair. Plus, she’s way more senior than me and I don’t mind emulating her but the comparison is not worth it. Just because two women decided to write about women who are young, strong, marriageable or looking for love, please don’t club them together!
Do you have any tips for readers or advice for other writers trying to get published?
Readers should continue to read, read, read… whether it’s my books or someone else’s. As long as you invest little portion of your life to read a good book, I won’t complain. As for wannabe writers–please don’t write for fame. Write because that’s the best you can do for yourself and others.
What, in your opinion, is the hardest step in creating a masterpiece?
A masterpiece is a classic combination of God’s blessings, your own hard work, immaculate marketing strategies, conviction in your piece d’art and yourself and of course a genuine passion and honesty towards your work.
Any message for our readers?
My biggest life learning has been that no true change occurs without a sense of brokenness. Things, people, situations, life… has to break before it acquires a new form again. And true forgiveness and acceptance with love is really the only way forward. Rest everything falls in place on its own!
Thank you so much for interacting with us!
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