Falguni's Blog: AUTHOR'S CIRCLE interviews SUDESNA GHOSH

On Author's Circle today, let's welcome my good friend, fellow author and freelance editor, Sudesna Ghosh or Sue who's here to talk about her new book My Small, Thin Indian Wedding.

Hi SUE, thanks for dropping in and letting us have a peek into your life.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is a smaller, thinner and modern Indian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It’s about an Indian woman who wants a simple wedding but her family and best friend have other plans for her

Check out the book here -> My Small, Thin Indian Wedding

What's your favorite line from the book and why is it your favorite?

My favorite line from my book: This man could give Shah Rukh Khan’s dialogue writers a run for their money. I love it because I love Shah Rukh Khan. He’s the only Bollywood man who makes me believe in love and romance.

Do you have any strange writing habits?

Yes, I have a terrible time getting started with each new WIP but once I begin, I don’t sleep or eat or remember anything else (other than my cats, of course). So I get into this obsessive, restless state until I type The End.

What does your day look like?

I work from home as a freelance writer and more recently, as a social media manager for other indie authors like myself. So I work on social media marketing throughout the day with afternoons reserved for the gym and other errands. Evenings are for writing blog posts, planning out chapters, and adding word count to my manuscript. I used to be a night owl but I don’t find energy for that as I get older (and wiser).

What’s your favorite book by another author, and why?

That’s such a difficult question to answer! Well, in the last one year, I have been reading lots of Sarah Morgan, Sue Moorcroft and Debbie Macomber. There stories are always so heartwarming – especially the Christmas ones.

If your book becomes a movie whom would you want to play the hero and the heroine?

Mindy Kaling and Hrithik Roshan

How did you become a writer? In other words, tell us YOUR STORY.

I’ve been a bookworm since my childhood, thanks to my mother being a major bookworm since her childhood too. Spending so much time in libraries and bookstores and with my nose in books, got me dreaming about seeing a book with my own name on the cover. My first attempts at being a writer were in elementary school in the US when I wrote and read out my own short stories in class. I continued writing short stories for my own satisfaction until I was asked to write for the Indian Chicken Soup series in my 20s. That’s when I realised that writing books and stories was my calling. So I left my full time job at the region’s biggest newspaper here in Kolkata and started writing short stories for children’s magazines, feature articles for newspapers and magazines, non fiction books for a publisher, and then my own kindle books as an authorpreneur. It’s been a learning experience going from aspiring writer to serious writer who treats writing as a small business now.

What is your best marketing tip?

Read up as much as you can about book marketing and always start marketing each book a few months before its release. Traditional publishing and self publishing both require marketing effort from your side, so work on building your author brand.

Why write what you write? As in romance or suspense or thrillers?

My books span multiple genres. I started with nonfiction because the publisher commissioned me to write two non fiction books based on my writing expertise and samples. Then I wrote some kid lit books because I refuse to grow up and love children’s books even now. Romance novellas came as an experiment for me because I saw all my author friends writing romances and wanted to try my hand at it. And finally, humor, that’s something that you’ll find a bit of in all my books because that’s just me – it always comes out into my writing. Along with my love for cats.

Is there a certain scene you find difficult to write? Eg: Racy or action etc.? Why?

Action and racy both. My romances are usually funny and /or sweet. I am not confident about being able to write a scene that will be sexy and real. Yet. And violence and action are two things that I avoid when I watch movies and read books, so I think I’m too sensitive to attempt those.

Is your writing character-driven or plot-driven?

Character-driven. I let my protagonist tell me what she wants and my protagonist’s are often similar to me in their thought process and behavior, so it works out well.

Naturally, in part you are all your characters (they come from your head) but which of your characters is the most like you? Or resonates in you the most? Why?

Sue in Crazy Cat Lady Finds Love. If you read the book and know me well, you’d see that she IS me. Her love for stray animals including cats. Her instant attraction and love for a man who feels the same way about animals. Even her name is the same. Haha. That novella is basically the love story that I desire.

What do you wish to convey through your writing?

Empathy for stray animals and rescue cats. Understanding that women in India don’t have to be married by a certain age. Or that women don’t have to get married at all if that’s what makes them happy.

What can we expect from you next?

I’m taking a mental health break at the moment but am brainstorming for a sweet romance with a dash of humor. And of course, like most of my books, there will be a cat. Or two. Or more.

To end lets try a Rapid Fire round. Your answer should be the first word/s that pops into your head when you think of:

LIFE: Love

PASSION: Writing

HERO: Shah Rukh Khan

LOVE: Everlasting

HATE: Harmful

Thank you once again, SUE, for being here and talking to me. It was fun!