Welcome to the six hundred and twenty-first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with historical romance novelist Nandita Chakraborty Banerji. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.
Morgen: Hello, Nandita. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.
Nandita: I am based in Mumbai. I always loved to express things in writing. I love the English language and playing with words is something I find very creative. I enjoyed writing short stories during my lunch breaks at work (my blog: http://create.sulekha.com).
As for writing a book, I wanted to write something about the hippie era having witnessed some of it in my childhood without actually being a part of the culture. I found that writing is something I would like to do again and again. Portraying Indian culture and a foreign culture that lay side by side and yet coupled to produce people like my characters was an exciting thought.
Morgen: The actual writing if my favourite aspect and whilst a blank page can be daunting, there really is nothing (with the exception of reader feedback) as thrilling. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?
Nandita: I have written in the genre of historical romance and would like to write more on romantic and social issues and exploring of relationships.
Morgen: What have you had published to-date?
Nandita: I have published one book THE MYSTERIOUS DREAMS:
- Author’s Den http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=147708
- http://www.flipkart.com/mysterious-dreams-nandita-chakraborty-banerjji-book-8122311601
- http://www.amazon.com/The-Mysterious-Dreams-ebook/dp/B004DL2JDS
Morgen: I see your book is available as an eBook, do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?
Nandita: I prefer reading paper because I find it more convenient to curl up with and carry around.
Morgen: Most people do although for journeys / holidays it’s great having so many in one place. Do you have a favourite of your characters? If your book was made into a film, who would you have as the leading actor/s?
Nandita: My main protagonists are my favourites. If my book was made into a film I would have Leonardo di Caprio as Chris and Vidya Balan (Indian actress) as Shibani. (Chris and Shibani are the main characters of my book).
Morgen: Did you have any say in the titles / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?
Nandita: Yes. I did have some say in the title and cover of my book. I think it is very important for the author to have a say in these matters because the concept of the book has been meticulously thought and created by the author.
The title and cover need to give the right message to the audience. The author feels dissatisfied in case the title and cover do not portray or do not conform to the author’s requirement and imagination.
Morgen: They certainly should represent the inside, and you have a great cover and intriguing title. What are you working on at the moment / next?