I am an avid reader of books and love the memories the smell of books creates for me. However, unless you have access to an excellent library nearby low-income family's struggle to buy books. Kindle and ebook gives easier access to these communities and increases opportunities for unknown voices. If it wasn't for self publishing, my story would be out there, traditional publishers are not interested. I just don't fit their idea of a woman of colour.
My debut duet is a true event, the second book is semi-autobiographical and I wrote it to help other in the South Asian community who straddle both cultures, but also help people understand the subtle differences in how we react to disability, grief and mental health.
I researched who I liked and what I liked about other authors cover and titles. In my research, I found a lot of bare-chested men and kissing couples. But isn't that an overused trope? My books aren't just about romance, they are about family relationships, friendship, conflict and grief. I have other books in the University series in the pipeline and using the longer titles and an illustration is my brand. All the book titles are lyrics from a Bollywood film song.
I started writing my book a long time ago and came back to it in 2006 as a process to deal with the news of my father's cancer diagnosis. But mostly it was a way to cope with anxiety and panic attack I experienced three years ago, not long really. The primary aim is to help others who have experienced the same situations. Nearly thirty years after my experience, I heard of other South Asian women dealing with the issues I did, so my inspiration is that young woman who straddles Indian and Western culture and that it is okay to take the good from both.
Ideas for stories come to me all the time, I think I may have unleashed a beast. But I struggle with certain scenes, and the idea makes little sense on paper. Don't stress that every sheet is beautifully written, write what you love. Write often. I keep a notebook because my first drafts are always hand written and write dialogues, scenes, anything really that come to mind. I've learnt that the book you wanted to write can take a long time. It took me almost thirty years to have to the confidence to get it out there. Look after yourself first, give yourself time to heal, especially if you are like me writing about trauma.
