I’m looking outside my living room window but all I can see are rain droplets on the pane. Visibility is extremely poor, only the building very next to ours is slightly in view. I can hear the rain crashing on the window pane and the faint swish of cars cruising on the wet road below. In other words, a perfect day for writing. But I am taking a break to welcome a talented author from India, Adite Banerjie, on this week’s featured segment.
Tell us a little about yourself—don’t’ be shy!
The name is Banerjie. Adite Banerjie. I do wish I could introduce myself with the same swagger and style as 007 does in multiple movies. Sigh! Being an introvert, though, I would never be able to pull it off. But never mind, I have plenty of written (and unwritten) fictional characters for whom I can rustle up interesting introductions in my books and jaw-dropping entrances in my scripts.
A bit about myself: I was a business journalist for well over 20 years before I switched tracks. I have been writing romance novels and screenplays (across multiple genres). Three of my books have been published by Harlequin/Harper Collins. I have had one of my scripts semi-final at the prestigious Academy Nicholl Fellowships (yay, me!) and one of my short scripts titled 7 Lives (on organ donation) is awaiting release. I have recently turned indie author and am enjoying this new phase in my writing journey.
There are so many things one could do. Why write?
I have been a reader and movie viewer for as long as I can remember and I have always wanted to tell stories. Writing is the only way I could accomplish that!
Publishing can be a daunting process. Do you have moments of doubt? If so, how do you stay motivated?
Publishing is the outcome of months of writing and revising. The writing process itself can be daunting. You’re never quite sure whether your story is good enough, your characters are interesting and whether the whole thing will be more than the sum of its parts. There are moments when I wonder why I continue to push myself. What motivates me is experiencing that uncomparable joy of finishing something that I have created. It truly ‘completes me’. 😀
What about your latest book—what can readers look forward to when they pick it up?
Destiny’s Girl is a Bollywood style romance with loads of drama. It’s about a girl who wants to destroy the man who ruined her father. But destiny plays spoilsport when she unwittingly falls in love with her enemy’s son. To know more, you gotta read my book! J
If one of your books were to be optioned for a movie, who would you hope would play your lead character?
As I mentioned earlier, I’m also a scriptwriter. So, yes, I would love all of my books to be made into films. Even when I write, I have a clear image of the kind of actors who would suit my characters. For instance, for my protagonist Maya in Destiny’s Girl, I had Katrina Kaif in mind.
Who are your three favorite writers and why?
William Dalrymple for making history come alive. Sarah Morgan for writing the mushiest, most romantic of books. Khalid Hosseini for making me feel every emotion that his characters do.
If you could be any character from a movie or a book, who would you be?
None. I’m comfortable in my own skin and wouldn’t want to be any other person – real or fictional.
When you are not writing, what’s your favorite way to spend time?
Watching movies!
What is the best way to connect with you?
On Twitter — @adite and On Facebook – https://facebook.com/AditeBanerjieWriter. You can also connect with me via my website: www.aditebanerjie.com
Finally, is there anything else we should know about you?
Hmm… not really apart from the fact that if I weren’t a writer I would probably be working as a dog trainer/handler. 😀
Thank you Adite for talking to us today! I hope we’ll get to see Katrina Kaif as Maya soon. I wish you every success with your new releases.
“Destiny has two ways of crushing us – by refusing our wishes and by fulfilling them.” ~ Henri Frederic Amiel
Here’s the link to Adite’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079MJDM3K
If you have comments and suggestions about featured segment, please let us know below. If there is an author, writer, musician or artist you would like us to feature, do let us know as well.
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Next week, we will be back with another talented artist. Until then, keep reading and writing. I will leave you with this quote to muse on.