Author Interview: Hitesha Deshpande, Author of 'Horseshoe Garage'

This was interesting interview for me. Because, there is the fascination for Michael Schumacher, of course. And also, a few of the characters in her book, whom I thought were picked straight from my life. And the Dad element, that she mentions in her interview.

When I reviewed the book, ‘Horseshoe Garage’, I felt that abundant research has gone into it with so much precision and captivation. As an event manager, she sure knew how to get her stuff right. The how and why, she discusses in this interview...

How did the idea for Horseshoe Garage happen?

Honestly, in a garage! I had scraped the sides of my car against the pillar in our parking lot during my effort to learn driving. I was feeling so guilty about it that I decided to accompany our driver to the garage to supervise the repairs.

I was the only woman there standing with my hands folded across my chest frowning at the mechanics working on my car. That made me wonder, about the life of a female mechanic in the testosterone driven atmosphere of an Indian garage. As much as it is Sarvesh's story, it was created for Naaz.
 

Obviously, a lot of research has gone into it. How did you put it all together?

Dad! He has been leading the engine research and development division of various automobile companies for over forty years. Quite often evenings were about Dad and his colleagues discussing some technical detail and why it work or would not work. Surprisingly, instead of being bored to death with all that talk, it fascinated me!
 

Who are your real life heroes, racing wise?

That's a tough question. I really haven't grown out of my Schumacher fascination ever!

Who was it that told you that you could become the storyteller, you have become?

Nobody and everybody. I started writing for myself. I love writing! Blogs were a welcome release to all the words spilling from my fingertips. I always knew I could never write about a personal moment. Be it a life crisis or a celebration. My moods translated into tiny bites or snippets of stories, which went in my blog.

When these posts started being appreciated, I decided to try and something more consistent, longer, like a novella.

How would you relate the life of your characters to the lives around you? Any similarities?

Quite a few. I confess my characters have always been a mix and match of personality traits from people I have met, loved and despised in equal quantities.  

Of course, there is a certain amount of exaggeration always thrown in. But I won’t be surprised if someone I have met reads one of my books and wonders… is she talking about me?
 

Who is your inspiration? Also, is there an author you take inspiration from?

The inspiration for every book is different! Right from Wolverine in X-Men to my dogs, things, moods and people have tempted me to suddenly write, straight from the heart.

I don’t know if I consciously emulate any of the authors, but I love reading David Baldacci. I look forward to him putting a new book out on the stands.
 

What is the best and the worst part of being an author?

The love and the criticism. When people praise your writing, it makes you put yourself on a pedestal. It is a very heady feeling. But when the same writing is torn to shreds, it crumples the soul.

I remember being terribly upset the day I read the first book review not in favour of ‘Knots and No Crosses’ (my first book). I was shattered. 

It took me a couple more negative reviews and a lot of positive ones to learn to take criticism in stride. You learn eventually that you cannot keep every single reader happy.
 

Any advice to writers that would like to be published today?

If you are writing to get published, it is a very competitive world out there. There are a lot of story tellers with mind blowing stories making the rounds. You have a really tough job ahead of you. 

But if you are writing because you have a story to tell and it must be told, if you are writing because there is nothing else you can think of doing till you have put all the stories in words, your story will always find an audience.
 

How tough is it to be published in India?

Not tough as much as competitive. With English being one of the more popular languages in India the number of people, who are proficient story tellers are on a rise. It definitely puts a tempting array of books from Indian authors on the shelves to pick and choose from. 

It also makes it very difficult for the editors of many publishing houses to turn down one book in favour of the other.  I would hate to be an editor at this point and I have a deep respect for them for doing what they do. Rest assured, I think if you have a good story which is told well you will always find a publishing house willing to put it in print.
 

Who are your favourite authors and why?

 

Like I said earlier, I eagerly look forward to reading a David Baldacci. The sheer pace of the book and the finesse of the detailing keep you glued to his stories till the very last word.
 

Which book are you currently reading?

The 'SixSuspects' by Vikas Swarup.
 

Which book is coming next from you? When do you see it released?

The next book is a fantasy fiction titled ‘Milaan’. It is so different from the two books on the shelves that I am eager to check the responses it earns. It should be on the shelves, early March 2014.
 

What do you like to do daily basis?

I run an event management firm which keeps me on my toes day and night.   

When I need to break free from the madness of the events I take to the words and get writing.