Author Interview : Ishita Deshmukh, author of ‘Heart Quake' (Part 2)

Read up, the concluding part of the Interview with Ishita Deshmukh, author of ‘Heart Quake' (Part 2). Here, she says, who it was that told her that she could become the author, she is today, advice for writers, today and how tough it can be to be published currently. 

She also tells us who her favourite authors are and why, and what she does on a daily basis, Folks... 

Who was it that told you that you could become the author, you are today?

My creative writing teacher once told me to become a writer, after she read the short story version. At that time, I had not believed her. But I loved to write, and as the passion grew, I decided to pursue it seriously.  

Ishita Deshmukh

What is the next book that you have planned?

I am still working on the plot. It will loosely be based on our family history.

Any advice to writers that would like to be published today? How tough is it to be published?

It is very tough out there, I won’t mince words. It requires a lot of determination, perseverance and patience. But then, every profession, these days, requires the same.

So, I am not complaining. Because I want to be an author, I will give my best to achieve my goal.

Georgette Heyer

Who are your favourite authors and why?

I mostly read romance novels, so my favourite authors are Stephanie Laurens, Judith Mcnaught, Georgette Heyer, and Nicholas Sparks. I love the different styles and genres.

But the best part of reading a romance novel is that you are assured of a positive ending. That for me is the clincher (I never call it a cliché, because I always want it to end happily ever after…)

Preeti Shenoy from Wikipedia

Which books are you currently reading?

Currently, I am reading books by Sophie Barnes and Preeti Shenoy.

What else do you do on a daily basis?

I run a small home business for Indian sweets and specific baked goods in Singapore. Embroidery is another favourite hobby and of course, I write blogs, short stories etc.

I am also a part of the family business of manufacturing Agri Biotech products for various crops in India.

You can Read the Review, here, the  First part of the Interview here and Buy the Book right here, as well.

 

Author Interview : Ishita Deshmukh, author of ‘Heart Quake' (Part 1)

Ishita Deshmukh

Read up, part one of the Interview with Ishita Deshmukh, author of ‘Heart Quake' (Part 1). Here, the romantic answers questions about how the book came out and weirdly enough the Bhuj Earthquake had its own impact on her writing.

How she feels her book is different, the most challenging and the most fulfilling parts of the book are, the character she feels most close to, and why. There is more in the second half, Folks...

How did ‘Heart Quake’ happen? Could you describe the journey?

It all started as a class assignment in 2001, when I was in my 12^th grade. My teacher asked me to write a short story on the Bhuj earthquake, which had to have romance as its central theme. In 2006-2007, I came across it by chance, and decided to turn it into a novel. 

By then, I was already pursuing an online creative writing course from Manchester and working in the family business. A few drafts later, I dropped it to pursue my MBA and then join an MNC for a couple years. In 2012, I took it up again, and this time round, I completed it.

What according to you is different about your book?

There are a few different aspects in my book. Most love stories are either college romances, or set in political crises, such as terrorist attacks, partition, riots etc, in contrast, my story is set in a natural disaster, one of the biggest in Indian history.

Secondly, it is a mature love story, which sets it apart from the usual college romances. And lastly, it’s not just a love story, but a romance in its essence, an emotional drama interspersed with suspense and crime.

How would you relate the lives of characters to the lives of today? Any similarities?

The characters are relatable as the situation is familiar : we frequently are faced with natural disasters, and medical teams are deployed to take care of the victims.

Moreover, in modern times, Indian women passionately pursue their careers and often marry later than the norm. I have also touched upon the corrupt side of any business and how it is so merciless.

What were the most challenging and the most fulfilling parts about writing ‘Heart Quake’?

The most challenging part of writing ‘Heart Quake’ is getting a publisher and to bring out the end product. The fulfilling part is writing the story, living with the characters and imagining what is possible with them.

Which particular character do you feel most close to? Why?

I have always felt close to Sonal because I wrote the story around her. She is the protagonist, who is forced into an emotional journey wherein her decisions, not only affect her life but also of those around her.

You can Read the Review and Buy the Book, here as well.

Book Review : 'Heart Quake' by Ishita Deshmukh

Ishita Deshmukh's ‘Heart Quake’ is set in the disastrous times in Gujarat in 2001, when a major earthquake hit the place. The book begins with nurse, Sonal Patel, who has come to Bhuj to help out a team of doctors at Shanti Vaas. This entire camp was set up in the city to treat the numerous patients, who kept coming to the hospital in the wake of the quake. But Sonal was in the city to also look for her best friend, Smita who lived in the same city. 

One day, when she is busy hunting around for Smita, in the many camps, when she suddenly comes across her ex-boyfriend, Tejas Desai, who apparently was there too. Tejas was here to pick the worst of the cases to treat them in his newly set up multi-speciality hospital. 

The story traces their love story, which had begun earlier and to find true love amongst disasters. Plus, there is also Dilip’s factor, who was her to be fiancé. Dilip who was her friend for all these years, when Tejas was not to be seen, was looking forward to being Sonal’s husband. The mind and the heart were meant to fight each other, as they do in Sonal’s life too.

She also, has to worry about her colleagues, who seem to be stuck at this point too. There is all the mess with her colleague, Nurse Pooja who also seemed to be falling for Tejas. Then, also her other colleagues, a doctor and another nurse, who seem to be in love with each other. This was the case, before the nurse finds out all about it. He, not only has a wife and son, but 'apparently' he also loves the nurse. 

He also, is the wrong person to go to, with him handling the wrong medicines and not treating his patients properly. His flight from the entire situation, explains it all. And there are othe bad causes at work, henchmen in terrible times too. The wrong agents at work are trying to make money from the entire situation. 

The best people of this lot include Sonal’s mother, Chitra who seemingly calmly guides her daughter, into the next phase of her life. As does Dilip, who stays in love with Sonal through the whole story.

In the city of Bhuj, after the entire shock, and the aftershocks it leaves behind, will these people survive it? It is a definite dramatic story, with a mixture of emotions of love, friendship, and a whole bunch of confusion, hate, crime, hope and disaster. The story was alright, but then the range of people was a little high. It was not only a love story, but it was a mixture of so many emotions.

You can Buy the Book, right here...