FAQ
Writers all need a one sentence summary of their book to hook a publisher. What was your elevator pitch for Shiva's Arms?
Will the power struggle between a Brahmin matriarch and her American daughter-in-law grind the man in the middle into chutney?
What if the elevator stops between floors?
I'd add this: when Alice marries Ramesh, she is plunged into a battle of wills with her mother-in-law. Namesake of a god, Amma reigns over Alice's household until a family secret is revealed that costs the old woman everything. It is up to Alice to heal the rift, as Shiva's Arms opens into an exploration on cultural identity, the power of reconciliation, and the meaning of home.
How do you negotiate with those in your real life when portions of them appear in your work?
Deny, deny, deny. After all, everyone knows an Amma, an Alice, a Ram, so if a person thinks they see a bit of themselves floating around my pages I chalk it up to a guilty conscience.
What's something your readers might not know about you?
Let's see. Do they know that I've played the piano with a symphony orchestra? A law in physics bears my family name? That a boat was named after me?
Describe yourself in three words
Fluent in subtext.
The imagery you create of India is amazing! How many times have you been there?
India came to me in the form of my husband, his friends and relations. I did plenty of research however –read the books, cooked the cuisine, learned a bit of the language, celebrated the feasts, fasts, and festivals.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." (Samuel Beckett)
What is your true subject?
In my work, the past is present, and the future is, too. Outside or within the mortal there is always the immortal. That conflation is my true subject.
Will the power struggle between a Brahmin matriarch and her American daughter-in-law grind the man in the middle into chutney?
What if the elevator stops between floors?
I'd add this: when Alice marries Ramesh, she is plunged into a battle of wills with her mother-in-law. Namesake of a god, Amma reigns over Alice's household until a family secret is revealed that costs the old woman everything. It is up to Alice to heal the rift, as Shiva's Arms opens into an exploration on cultural identity, the power of reconciliation, and the meaning of home.
How do you negotiate with those in your real life when portions of them appear in your work?
Deny, deny, deny. After all, everyone knows an Amma, an Alice, a Ram, so if a person thinks they see a bit of themselves floating around my pages I chalk it up to a guilty conscience.
What's something your readers might not know about you?
Let's see. Do they know that I've played the piano with a symphony orchestra? A law in physics bears my family name? That a boat was named after me?
Describe yourself in three words
Fluent in subtext.
The imagery you create of India is amazing! How many times have you been there?
India came to me in the form of my husband, his friends and relations. I did plenty of research however –read the books, cooked the cuisine, learned a bit of the language, celebrated the feasts, fasts, and festivals.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." (Samuel Beckett)
What is your true subject?
In my work, the past is present, and the future is, too. Outside or within the mortal there is always the immortal. That conflation is my true subject.
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