I recently interacted with author Saumya Kaushik who has written the book Daughter of a Drunkard Monk. She has written several books and proudly says that, "My mother inspires me to write".
-- Interview with author Saumya Kaushik --
Q: “Daughter of a Drunkard Monk” made you a published author, how did it feel holding a copy of the same in your hand?
A: I am extremely grateful, that my first book came out right after I had finished my 1st year at college. I devoted all my time to writing while studying English Literature at Delhi University. When I first got the book in hand, my eyes were all teary and I had nothing to say for a few minutes to my publisher. When I look back on those memories, it feels surreal!
Q: Tell us about the three books that you have published?
A: Actually, they are not 3 solo books penned down by me. I have written Daughter of a Drunkard Monk, Minds at Work 3, Miles Apart, Meri Kalam and Life beyond Expectations. Out of which 3 are anthologies and 2 are full-fledged novels.
Q: What can we expect from you in near future? Any books lined up to be published?
A: Two of my books are coming out this July and November. Life beyond Expectations is set out to release in July-August and the other one will be launched in November. I cannot give away the details yet for the latter one.
Q: How do you plan for your books? Is there a process that you follow?
A: I plan a book for about a year. I plan out the plot first and pen down the ideas that spring up during the outlining procedure.
Q: What was the reaction of your friends or family members when you first told them that you wanted to be a writer? Can you tell us something about the support that you received from them?
A: My family never gave a strong reaction about me becoming a writer because my father was a voracious reader and so was my grandfather. My mother reads a lot of magazines and writes poetry so, I have inherited this articulation of words from her. My mother is my biggest inspiration to write. My friends however, always saw me as an artist. So, everyone around me was all cool!
Q: You took up writing as an intentional move or multiple sequences of events led to writing? Or you think you were destined to be a writer?
A: I don’t think I was destined to be a writer, it did not fell on my lap, and I worked hard for it. It was not at all an intentional move, I got myself published first when I was 10 years old in my school’s monthly newspaper. I only write when I feel too much, I wrote extensively when a dear friend passed away back in 2012 and later I began writing again when my father wasn’t keeping good health.
Q: Being a published author is a different feeling altogether. How do you make sure that this feeling stays alive?
A: There was a time when I did not want this feeling to stay but in the later course of events I came up to the inference that if I do not write, I might go insane. So, I make sure to write every day, even if it is for 10 minutes in 24 hours. Hence, the feeling stays alive.
Q: Your books, stories mostly revolve around females and their viewpoint, why is it so?
A: I have met some amazing women in my life at different times and events. I have learnt a lot from them, I draw anecdotes and their behaviour from their lives and pen them down. I’ve been friends and still am, with a lot of men too. But, I believe my feminine side can express more than the other one. Someday, I might pen down as a male narrator too.
Q: It would be a difficult choice, but out of the three books that you have written which is your personal favourite?
A: Ummm.
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| Interview with author Saumya Kaushik |
Q: Your stories are inspired, real or completely fictional?
A: My stories are inspired and drawn from real-life incidents. Some of it is fiction – keep guessing, which part it is! *Laughs*
Q: Your books have received many good reviews, any particular review that made you go wow?
A: Yes, it was from my high school teacher, Ms. Anjali Sareen, she dedicated a facebook post to me saying “proud to have taught you once, honoured to receive an autograph book”.
Q: Tell us about, how writing is a part of your daily life?
A: I write what I feel and I don’t care what exactly the content is about. A lot of my written work is not published – it is out there in different forms by my pen name. I have a day job where I write advertorial copies and for my personal growth – I write my personal diary, blogs and guest posts for different leading sites.
Q: Apart from being a writer, is there anything else that you do professionally?
A: Yes, I work as a food reviewer for Zomato.
Q: Tell us something about your experience of getting the books published? Is there a change from your first book to third?
A: There hasn’t been much change from publishing point of view, but the feeling of holding a new book fresh out press is still incomparable.
Q: If you get a chance to live one of your characters, which would that be and why?
A: I don’t want to live any of my characters – they are a part of me, I can never be a whole lot of them!
Q: Do you read as much as you write? Which are your favourite books?
A: I read a lot. A lot! I read books recommended by my professors, friends from college and literature fraternity. My favourite books are: The Unabridged journals of Sylvia Plath, Train to Pakistan, Eleven Minutes and The Fundamentals of Caregiving.
Q: You prefer reading e-books or the traditional paper back/hard cover? Why?
A: I read e-books when I commute long hours to work but I prefer paper back, any day! Paperbacks make one feel as though you are personally attached to the prose and with the one who has penned it down.
Q: If one of your book should be made into a movie, which one should it be?
A: I don’t think, I am ready to sell my script for a movie.
Q: Two things that you like and dislike about being an author?
A: I like the fact that everyone I meet, greet and observe becomes a part of my art and obviously the royalty pay check aside from my day job! I dislike the fact that if you’re an Indian author, especially as a commercial one you’re stereotyped as a scribbler of bad prosed! That’s crap! Also, I am not available on digital media for answering “how to get published?”
Q: If you have to give one reason to our readers to pick up your books, what would that be?
A: Dear Reader, I am no extra-ordinary woman, so aren’t my books. You might find what you can relate with your life as you continue to unravel my made up stuff!
Q: Any message you would want to share with our readers?
A: I am grateful and thankful to all of them! I feel naked before people when they come up to me and relate me with my main characters. This feeling is like the ocean – you feel insignificant when you stand in front of the ocean. I feel the same, simple woman when a reader asks me, ‘Who is Naina, Anjali or Tanya’?
Q: How can our readers connect with you?
A: My e-mail id is: kaushiksaumya05@gmail.com. They can write to me, if and only if they’ve read my work. I am available on the digital world as “isaumyakaushik”
-- End of Interview with author Saumya Kaushik --
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