Storming the
M&B Citadel
The Mills & Boon citadel--- a romance imprint of British Charles Boon as a general publisher---is now being stormed by Indian
authors who have added that Indian publisher Harlequin UK Ltd. founded in 1908 by Gerald Rusgrove
Mills and flavor to
the erstwhile
British romantic formula. A banker, doctor and journalist let their imagination
go….
How
does it feel to be the first triumvirate among Indian authors?
“It’s a great feeling,
being one of the first three Indian Mills and Boon authors,says banker Shoma
Narayanan. I had read Mills and Boon novels while growing up, and always
wondered whether they would work in an
Indian setting. Getting the opportunity to write one myself was amazing
.My editor, Anna, was UK-based and we used to spend hours discussing plot
points and the finer nuances of Indian culture. It was only after I finished writing the book that she told me that it had been picked for a global release, and to
say I completely thrilled is an understatement”.
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“I had not really expected to win the contest but when I did
I was delighted. I was excited at the opportunity of working on my manuscript
under the guidance of an experienced editor. It was a great learning experience
for me. Being offered a two-book contract was the cherry on the cake,”quips Adite
Banerjie, who grew up in a home with a filmmaker dad who worked in the
world’s largest film industry (yes, Bollywood!) and a voracious reader for a
mum: it was inevitable that she would come to love both films and books during
her exciting and fulfilling fifteen-year career as a business journalist .
“It was very exciting being one of the three winners of
Harlequin Passions III contest. Out of the trio I'm the second one to get
published. It was a dream come true and a memorable moment to hold my own book
in my hands,” says Ruchi Vasudeva who wanted to be a doctor or a writer: it seemed
the writing ambition would win when in her first medical exams she scored more
in English than in any medical subjects! (The fallout from reading heaps of
novels!) However, she persevered and became a doctor.
Reading seems to be a common passion…do
you think youngsters still gorge on M& B mush?
“Mills and Boon books are
read by women of all age groups (and some men too!). Most of the Indian
readers who have reached out to me have been women in their early twenties, so
I assume that a fair number of youngsters do read MBs. Also, they’re
quite unabashed about reading romance and chick lit, unlike older women, who
are sometimes embarrassed to be seen reading light fiction”,Shoma avers and is
backed up by Adite who feels romance is a genre that continues to be popular
through the ages and across readers of all ages.. The fact that M&B is
releasing more books by Indian authors every year is proof of the pudding that
readers do enjoy its unique brand of romance.Ruchi feels the inveterate M&B readers are of an older
age group. For women juggling the demands of everyday, these books are the
option to turn to when they want to put their feet up and want a relaxing,
escapist read with a satisfying ending. While the plots are not the thriller-type, they are not very
simple either. “The characters have to be well-etched and consistent. The heroines are strong-minded
career ladies in some of the books. Good authors will give you a look into some
interesting professions and story premises”, she adds.
It’s
not easy to juggle home, full-time jobs, and kids and still find time to
let your imagination go….what inspires and spurs you?
“Writing
is an incredibly liberating experience,” says Shoma,” and except when I am struggling
to meet a deadline, it is the ideal de-stresser .As for the kids , they have been very supportive in spite of the fact that
they are both quite young. I do a
lot of my writing when my ten-year-old is doing his homework, and every ten
minutes I take a break from my gorgeous heroes and gutsy heroines to help him
with his Maths and Hindi.” The journalist in Adite comes to the fore:
“I tend to find inspiration in every day
events, by observing people around me, from newspaper articles, conversations
or even pictures. Sometimes these spark off an interesting train of thoughts or
raise questions that make me wonder ‘what if xyz were to happen to such a
person?’ or ‘what is their story?’ “ “ In many ways, writing is a
reward in itself—a result of the flight of ideas which is almost impossible to
resist. It is not easy to fit it in my
day sometimes”. But then if Ruchi is really in a story, she makes time somehow.
Apart
from the happily-ever-after-endings, is there a message you are trying to
convey through your novellas?
Says Shoma “All my
heroines are feisty, independent women :they do not need to have high-profile corporate careers –
Tara from “Take One Arranged Marriage”
is a research student, and Shefali from “Secrets
and Saris” is a playschool teacher, but they do need to be strong-willed,
contemporary women. The message is
that relationships need to be equal to succeed, and that the days when a woman
spent her life waiting for a man to come and sweep her off her feet are long
gone! “ “ Every story has its own theme and sub-themes
giving the author enough opportunity to
get in-depth into the hero’s and heroine’s characters, their flaws and foibles,
dreams and aspirations, apart from of course relationship issues,says Adite
while Ruchi feels strongly about certain issues
but her aim was to write an
engaging story, not indulge in ethical tutelage.
“One
of the best parts of becoming an author”, says Shoma “is hearing from
readers. The first feedback I got was from a young South Asian woman
based in the US who said that she wished there had been books like “Monsoon
Wedding Fever” published in America when she was growing up, because this was
the first time she felt like she completely identified with the heroine of a
popular romance book. “
“Most Indian readers
tell me that they like the fact that my characters are people that they can
relate to. American, British and Canadian readers have told me that my
books give them a feel of contemporary, urban India that they have so far not
been exposed to.”
Indian readers have commented that my book is a
fast-paced read, and Western readers have particularly enjoyed the Indian
settings and references to Indian culture and customs.,”says Adite.
Ruchi
is exhilarated…”I have got wonderful
reader feedback -the average rating on Goodreads site for Bollywood Fiancé for a Day is 4.5 stars. “
Have
noticed the usage of several Indian words (like nadaswaram)…perhaps a
glossary would help western readers?
“When
I was working on my first book”,says Shoma “ my editor and I had discussed
putting in a glossary. But both of us felt that it would be better
if the words made sense in the context, as having to turn to a glossary would
break the flow of the story. So what I did finally was give some context
without explaining the words fully (e.g.: where I’ve mentioned a nadaswaram,
it is clear that it is a musical
instrument, but not what kind). I have had American and British reviewers and
readers saying that they prefer it this way because it gives an Indian feel to
the book without talking down to the reader.”
Have you
set aside “writing time” that you exclusively devote to your pursuit?
I
do try to spend at least a few hours writing each weekend. And when I’m
close to a deadline, I put in around an hour every day after the kids go to
sleep. Other than that, I jot down interesting ideas when they come to
me, and work on them when I have the time.
“My most preferred “writing time” is early morning. Whether
it is working on the characters, the outline, or typing a few paragraphs, I try
and write every day, says Adite while Ruchi admits it is difficult to carve out time when
you have family and job demands but while working on a manuscript she usually write for two hours in the evening.
Shoma’s first
book, Monsoon Wedding Fever published
in August 2012, followed by Take
One Arranged Marriage in January 2013. With the success of her
first two titles, Shoma recently published Secrets & Saris . Ruchi has authored Bollywood
Fiance For A Day and Adite’s The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal reinforces her
love for the TDH (Tall ,Dark, Handsome) hero!
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