WEAVING STRONG CHARACTERS WITH DEFT NARRATIVES IN HER EVOCATIVE OEUVRE

Author Interview II Kamini Kusum

Kamini Kusum is an author who lives in Delhi with her family. She has done her post graduation in management and has worked for several years in the corporate sector. She has authored two books- the first one is “Secrets, Sins and Struggles” which contains short stories about women struggles in a patriarchal society, and the other book in her oeuvre is “A New Dawn”, which is a love story. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she discusses about her latest book, her writing process, her favourite authors, and also gives meaningful advice for budding authors.


Being from the corporate IT sector, you have delved into writing fiction. Your writing journey must be very interesting. Can you tell us more about it?
I started writing around ten years back but it was just for my own satisfaction- writing my diary, some beautiful experiences or anything that made me relax and release the stress of corporate job. Then, I participated in a story writing contest that was held at my organization and to my surprise it was declared the best story. And it repeated again in yet another contest. This gave me the confidence to take writing seriously and I started writing my first book. Later I wrote a couple of articles for a fortnightly magazine. This is how the journey began.

Can you give a brief overview of your book "A New Dawn"?
“A New Dawn” is an inspiring love story of a soldier. It’s about two people Shravan and Mugdha who are from different social strata. Shravan is a son of a rickshaw puller and Mugdha, daughter of a Railway officer. He has lived in penury while she has had all the material comforts. He dreams of being a soldier and serving the motherland while she lives in the world of colours. Childhood friendship converts into pure love ignoring the boundaries of a bungalow and its servant quarter. However, fate has some other plans and tears apart the two innocent souls, throwing Shravan into a life that has thorns all its way. Will the two live their dreams? Will destiny bring them together again? It’s a novel that will make us believe that life is all about never giving up.

How has the response of readers been to your latest book?
The response has been really great. Especially the kindle version is doing superb and the book is repeatedly jumping into the bestseller list. Some readers have called it a beautiful and heart-wrenching story. One reader said that she couldn’t stop her tears while reading it. And yet another reader described it as unique yet realistic. The reviews are pouring in on Amazon and I am really happy that the book is being loved.

Your first book “Secrets, Sins and Struggles” contains fictional short stories which foray into themes of women struggles in our patriarchal society. The second book is a love story, but with a strong male protagonist. How do you incorporate such strong characters and narratives in your writings?
I love strong characters and most of my work has strong and daring lead characters that don’t shy away when it comes to walking on an unbeaten track of life. Sometimes the characters are so inspiring that people could even find their role models in these fictitious characters which are actually very much relatable.

In writing both these books- one a realistic fiction and the other a fictional romance, what different methods were used by you while writing them, such as how to approach the premise of the story or how to use distinct writing styles?
Some real life incidents usually trigger the concept of a novel in my mind. Once there is a concept, I plot the whole story, defining the places and characters. Usually my language is simple and free flowing while making the story reel before the eyes. My readers have said that they don’t require a dictionary while reading my books and they feel like they are watching a movie. This is one of the biggest compliments for me. I don’t think much about my writing style as it moulds naturally as per the plots and subplots.

What type of research went into writing “A New Dawn”?
This novel is set at two different backgrounds- one of which is the Railway Service and the other the Indian army. The first one didn’t require any research as such as my father had been a railway man and I have seen it closely. For Indian army, it was all the general things and knowledge that any common man has. Since it’s basically a love story, the focus was more on the lead protagonists, their family and the hardships that come their way.

Nowadays, a lot of literature festivals are being organized which have gone a long way in fostering love for literature in the reading fraternity. Have you participated in some literary fests? What has been the experience like?
I have participated in a couple of literature festivals and it has always been a good experience. These are platforms where many talented people from the literary fraternity come together and you get to meet and see such talents. It’s knowledge gaining and sharing while still promoting your work.

What are your favourite books? Can you share with our esteemed readers about the genres that you like and your favourite authors?
I read anything that is good and sweeps me away to its own world, though I write romance and inspiring stories with strong characters. My favourite authors are Danielle Steel, Paulo Coelho, Shobha De, Jhumpa Lahiri and Nicholas Spark. In Hindi, I have mostly read Mridula Garg, Nirmal Verma, Prabha Khetan to name a few.

What are your other interests apart from writing?
I am a big Bollywood movie buff. I can end up watching even the worst movies in theatre (can’t help it!). I love and do yoga as a disciplined child. Apart from that cooking and travelling always excite me.

Are there any other literary projects that you’re currently working on?
There are multiple plots and ideas just fighting to come out. As of now, I am almost ready with my next manuscript and it should soon go to publishing.

Who is your biggest critic and how?
My daughters are my biggest critics and my die hard supporters too. They keep enquiring me about what I am writing next and keep giving their views on the story. At times they turn marketers as well, promoting my books among their friends and teachers.

There are many new writers out there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
I would just say that- Don’t jump into writing thinking of minting money as a few other people are doing. Writing is a very lonely profession and a very tough and tiring journey till you have become a really big brand selling thousands and thousands of copies (at least). It looks like a fairytale life from outside but the reality is different. So, jump into this field only when you are absolutely passionate about it and have a long plan of staying in this field.

Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?
It is definitely this quote- “Doesn’t matter how tough circumstances are, life is all about never giving up!”