Mohini has just returned to her hometown, sans job or boyfriend. When she left home, she had left many things unresolved. After several false starts, she begins to rekindle lost friendships and mend strained relations.

Mohini vanquishes all the ghosts from her past. She is even close to achieving a lifelong dream. Just as her life starts getting back on track, Rishi, her old lover, returns. What will Mohini do?

‘Echoes of the Heartland’ is a heartwarming slice-of-life drama that champions faith and hope over despair and dejection.

1. What is your favorite part about being a writer?

A writer has the freedom to express and explore so many emotions and experiences, motives and situations. She can conjure up amazing worlds, and transport the readers, while sitting on a chair in any nook of the world, writing away on a laptop or notepad. That is the amazing part of being a writer.

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2. Can you describe your writing space?

I have a dedicated desk and chair. I’ve decorated the space with a few small Japanese Kimmi dolls, family pictures and such things.  I write poems curled up in an armchair by a window so that I can peek into the sky or watch birds on the trees. I can sit and write anywhere if I’m in the mood though.

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3. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I can’t remember the exact moment. As a teenager, I kept dabbling, writing scripts for a school play, participating in short story competitions and writing poems for the school journal. I’ve known that I wanted to write a novel or two for a long time. But it was around 2004 or so that my uncle enrolled me on a UK based writers’ website. It was a case of being at the right place at the right time.  There has been no looking back from then on.

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4. What do you think makes a good story?

A good story keeps the reader engaged. It must entertain. Throw in a good measure of various permutations and combinations of intrigue, thrill, horror, drama, romance and suspense, possibly a surprise twist – that is good fiction. A subtle sermon or two won’t be amiss if it doesn’t jar and spoil the main narrative.

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5. What might your next book be about?

I have a basic plot for my next book, and I hope to start writing it soon. Once again, my main protagonist will be female, a woman in her 20s grappling with a dysfunctional family and stumbling through life until she realizes what it is she really wants. While Mohini from ‘Echoes of the Heartland’ sought love, this protagonist will be seeking something different. I can’t wait to see where she takes me.

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6. What is your favorite genre to write and why?

I prefer poetry and then short or long fiction. Poetry helps me express my innermost feelings. I’m a storyteller by nature, hence short stories and novels. For novels, drama is always the prevalent tone with a little romance thrown in.  When it comes to short stories, I enjoy writing humour, romance and even horror.

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7. Can you share an instance where real-life events inspired your writing?

Many of my short stories have been inspired by real life incidents from my life as well as those that happened with family and friends. An example would be of the experience my brother had travelling on an international flight sitting next to a nervous first-time traveller. My parents, my grandmother, my husband and friends have all been sources of ideas which I would then dramatize. ‘The Pink Belly’ from ‘the Masterpiece’ was inspired by a funny anecdote from my childhood. I love a good story any time.

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8. How do you handle moments when inspiration seems hard to find?

If I don’t feel inspired, I like to wait it out for a little bit. If I’m still not inspired enough, I just begin to write. Initially it’s all gibberish but I’m eventually able to make something out of it. 

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9. What is the most inspiring feedback you've ever received from a reader?

I’d gone into this phase where my stories had turned dark and gloomy. Someone very close to me pointed it out wondering why I had stopped writing funny stories. She said she was missing them. So, I wrote two of them for her. The incident made me realise that many a times limitations are self-imposed and hence, can be overcome.

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10. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Time constraints have always been an issue. But I work best when I’m challenged for time. Self-doubt was a problem once upon a time, but not so much these days. I get distracted easily and I’m a procrastinator. When I’m called away by a time-consuming commitment, I find it difficult to get back to what I was doing. It involves a lot of wasted effort and lost time.

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11. Do you remember the first book you read?

Yes, absolutely. There were two and I don’t recall exactly which one was first. I must have been 8 or 9 years of age. ‘Lost Cow’ by Christine Pullein Thompson was the story of three children finding a runaway cow and returning it to the owner. Then there was the classic ‘Shoemaker and the Elves’ from the Ladybird series. Both these books had captivatingly beautiful illustrations.

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12. What is the best advice you have received as a writer?

My short story ‘Insomnia’ was about someone who loses a friend to suicide hours after she speaks to her. The review I got was mixed. My uncle, CR Krishnan, also an author, was one of the people who liked the story. His advice then was to listen to the critics but know when to stop letting it affect you. Not everyone is going to like your writing, be it story or style.

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13. How do you hope your work will impact your readers?

Bad things happen in life. Then what do you do? You keep hoping. Keep the faith and place your trust in a larger power at work. I like to remind people to be nice always. No one is below or above another human being or creature in this Universe. I like to remind men that women are equals and as important, powered by their own needs and whims. I find women far more supportive of men than vice versa. That must change. 

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14. How do you build up your characters and plot?

Empathy has been a strong point where my writing is concerned. I’m intrigued by how one person can be so different, think differently, be kind or mean, generous or indifferent, from another. Once I’ve thought of a story, the main characters and the supporting characters emerge out of nowhere. I always have a basic plot that unravels in my head. It takes time to fill up the blanks. Very often the narrative seems to have a life of its own. Many dialogues and sudden twists have written themselves into the story, much to my surprise.

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 15. How would you define success as an author?

Many old authors whom we admire were once banned, overlooked or not recognised. Many authors have been rejected by the press and public time and again before their work finally got the recognition it deserved. They kept writing regardless of how their work was received. It takes self-conviction, determination and discipline. Those for me are signs of a successful writer.

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