Hello to my Readers

[Anand]

Chitra wrote: "Anand wrote: "HELLO Mrs. Divakurni
I LOVED CONCH BEARER AND IT WAS AWESOME
SO I WANTED TO ASK YOU WHAT LANGUAGE DO U SPEAK IN INDIA"

Thank you Anand. you have the same name as my hero in Conch! I ..."

Wow. I got the book because the name was the same. Where do u get ur influence from and how do keep writing forever. Whenever I try and write I can never finish the story

[Laurie]

I was introduced to you when my daughter's Israeli friend gave me the gift of "Sisters of the Heart." From there, having shared her love of this wonderful story, I have been devouring all of your adult fiction. I am a high school teacher in a fairly diverse suburban South Florida community, and your stories have provided me with invaluable insight into the culture shared by so many of my students. You inspired me to learn even more about your culture and exploring other authors, films and food of India. Thank you for being an inspiration.

[Jon]

Jon wrote: "Hello Chitra - im just starting Mistress of Spices, i notice theres a commendation from Amy Tan on the front cover, i love 'Thejoy luck club' have you read any of her work?

Do you have a top 5 c..."


Thanks Chitra - i havnt read any of these so i will give them a try.

[Chitra]

Laurie wrote: "I was introduced to you when my daughter's Israeli friend gave me the gift of "Sisters of the Heart." From there, having shared her love of this wonderful story, I have been devouring all of your ..."

Hi laurie
Thanks for your kind words--and thanks for sharing the books with readers who come to you. I'll be going to Miami in May, to teach at the Writers Institute & to give a reading--is that close to you?

[Ash]

Hello! I'm so excited to be able to talk to you here. To be honest, I had never heard of you or any of your books until this last year when my sister introduced the Conch Bearer to me. I read in two days and then asked for the sequel, which I read in about a week. I was even more excited when I found out that there was a third book. I'm really looking forward to reading it! So, when I start to write a story, I find that my plot kind of "dies" after the first few pages and then I am left with a really short and confusing story. How do you write long novels? Is there something I can do or read to learn how to write longer, better stories? Thankyou so much :D

[Indu]

How can I, as a parent, improve my children's writing skills? They are 12 1/2, 10, and 6 and all love to read.
Thank you.
Indu

[Chitra]

Ashlee wrote: "Hello! I'm so excited to be able to talk to you here. To be honest, I had never heard of you or any of your books until this last year when my sister introduced the Conch Bearer to me. I read in tw..."

Ashlee, 1.create an outline first.
2.read a lot--that will give you structuring ideas
3.write regularly--there's nothing as helpful as regular practice
4.don't give up. i struggled with my short story "Mrs. Dutta writes a Letter" (now in my collection Unknown Errors of Our Lives) for 7 years. i would give up and put it away, then go back to it after a month. but finally when it was done it went on to be published in the Atlantic Monthly and was included in Best American Short Stories and is now in many college lit anthologies.
hope this helps. good luck. writing is a great gift--and like all great gifts, it requires great effort to flourish.

[Chitra]

Indu wrote: "How can I, as a parent, improve my children's writing skills? They are 12 1/2, 10, and 6 and all love to read.
Thank you.
Indu"

Hi Indu
it's great that they love to read. that is already a fine start.
see my reply above to ashlee.also,
have them write and illustrate stories for you, and then make them into little books that they can give friends and family. with the desktop programs, it's easy now. that will inspire them.

[Harvee]

Hello Chitra: I mean to read some of your books in the not so distant future. Which would you suggest I begin with? I am interested in women's issues as well culture and society. Thanks.

[Chitra]

Harvee wrote: "Hello Chitra: I mean to read some of your books in the not so distant future. Which would you suggest I begin with? I am interested in women's issues as well culture and society. Thanks. "

Hi Harvee
Start with Sister of My Heart if you like contemporary realism. Or Mistress of Spices if you like the magical. Or Palace of Illusions if you like stories set in ancient epic times. All are centered around strong women.

[Laurie]

Chitra wrote: "Laurie wrote: "I was introduced to you when my daughter's Israeli friend gave me the gift of "Sisters of the Heart." From there, having shared her love of this wonderful story, I have been devouri..."

Miami is not far. When and where is your reading? I've never attended such an event; it would be cool to be there and hear you read your work.

[Harvee]

Chitra wrote: "Harvee wrote: "Hello Chitra: I mean to read some of your books in the not so distant future. Which would you suggest I begin with? I am interested in women's issues as well culture and society. Tha..."

Thanks for the suggestion. Sisters of My Heart will be my first. There are quite a few genres to choose from!

[Ms. S...........]

Hello Ms. Divakaruni,

I enjoyed your book, Palace of Illusions, very much. Your writing is beautiful. I read it awhile ago, so please excuse my slight confusion, but I have a question... the mountain that they climbed at the end of the book? I thought I remembered that one of the characters said this was the mountain that people climbed when they were ready to die? Is there such a tradition in India? Is there a certain mountain peak that has this reputation, or was this a metaphor in the book?

Thank you so much for your wonderful writing,

Ms. S.

[Chitra]

Ms. S........... wrote: "Hello Ms. Divakaruni,

I enjoyed your book, Palace of Illusions, very much. Your writing is beautiful. I read it awhile ago, so please excuse my slight confusion, but I have a question... the mou..."

Ms. S--That mountain range is the Himalayas, and that tradition of going there to die is unique to the Mahabharat, though even now in India there is a tradition of old people retiring to a holy city to live out their last days there. So glad you liked the book.

[Ram]

Hello Chitra:

First off, i love reading your books. I have a question.

I have a 10 year old boy, i would like to encoutage good reading habits in him,, what are some of the good boks for children from your expereince? I would like to know what were your favourites when you were a child ?

thanks
Ram

[Chitra]

Hi Ram, thanks for your kind words. Of course I want him to start with my books! take a look at The Conch Bearer & its 2 follow up volumes, magical adventures set in India with Indian characters. Books I loved/love: Black Beauty, almost all Enid Blyton books (esp the circus series), the Narnia books by CS Lewis, The Magic Compass series by Pullman, Heidi, the Harry Potter series, Lemony Snicket's books. Children's Ramayana and children's Mahabharat, and Indian folk tales (there are many good collections).Also King Arthur tales and Robin Hood tales.

[Karen]

All I can say is that I love your books, both the adult and the children's. Thank you for writing.


I have a favor, please ask your publisher to make all of your books available for an ereader. I now have a Kindle from Amazon, and I love to read my books on it.

Thank you so much,

Karen

[Elaine]

You, Eduardo Galeano and Gloria Anzaldua are my favorite authors because you all welcome us into a complex and (perhaps) unfamiliar culture with powerful story and characters that resonate.
Who are your favorite authors?

[Diane]

Hi Chitra -

Not sure if you will remember me, but I was your "Author Escort" a few years back when you attended the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA! You wrote the nicest inscription in my copy of The Mistriss of Spices. I am a member of a book club and we read The Arranged Marriage. How beautifully written and poignant! It's one that we'll never forget. So glad to be able to say hello to you on goodreads!

[Chitra]

Yes, I remember you, Diane!! Great to meet up with you again. So glad your book club liked Arranged Marriage. Thanks for recommending my work to friends.
You might be interested to know that about 3 years back we rescued a golden retreiver mix and she is now the darling of the household!

[Diane]

I love that you rescued a golden retreiver AND that she is the household darling ! Thank you for sharing that with me :) (I tried to find the poem you mentioned that you wrote about her that is on your blog, but I couldn't find it.)

I'm so glad you remember me and to see you on goodreads!

[Kara]

Hello,
I just wanted you to know I love your writing. Your story telling abilities are phenomenal. I have fallen in love with all of your characters.
Thank you
Kara

[Chitra]

Diane wrote: "I love that you rescued a golden retreiver AND that she is the household darling ! Thank you for sharing that with me :) (I tried to find the poem you mentioned that you wrote about her that is on..."

Look on my website under Divakaruni's Muse. Her photo is there too!

[Chitra]

Kara wrote: "Hello,
I just wanted you to know I love your writing. Your story telling abilities are phenomenal. I have fallen in love with all of your characters.
Thank you
Kara"

Thank you Kara!

[Elaine]

Hi Chitra -- I am hoping you will reply to question 68 soon, and I thought of an addendum. Is it your intention when you start a story to introduce your readers to a fascinating crossroads of cultures, or does that just evolve out of the context of the lives of the people you choose to write about?
Look forward to hearing from you -- EE

[jo]

hey elaine, she already answered your first, see 44 above. of course, nothing prevents chitra from adding authors...! :)

[Elaine]

Thanks, Jo - I joined a little late and did not read through all the messages. BTW, I love your graphic, we have that have that hanging in our window at home! Elaine

[jo]

you do? where do you live? it's italian, right?

[Elaine]

Yes! I live in San Francisco, but a few years ago we went to Italy, at the height of opposition to the Iraq War. We saw that banner flying from small country cottages in Piemonte, storefronts on Lake Como, apartment buildings in Rome and even on some canal-side palazzos in Venice. We even happened to be there (and joined) a peace demonstration in Rome where that banner was carried by 10,000 people! I knew that's what I wanted to remember that journey to Italy.

[Chitra]

Elaine wrote: "Hi Chitra -- I am hoping you will reply to question 68 soon, and I thought of an addendum. Is it your intention when you start a story to introduce your readers to a fascinating crossroads of cult..."

Hi elaine, sorry i missed that earlier post somehow. as Jo said, do take a look at the earlier post on favorite writers. yes, i like to write about indian culture--it's something i know and love and want to share with readers of all backgrounds.

[Molly]

Welcome to Goodreads. I love this site. I also really enjoyed reading Arranged Marriages. My Aunt recommended it to me and it was truly inspirational. I look forward to reading your other books. Thank you.

[Nikki]

Hello Chitra,

I have written to you earlier too. I have read all your books and have waited for each new one with enthusiasm. I believe I may have been the first few to read your latest !! Have you already picked a new project so that we can look forward to something in the near future ?

[Diane]

Hi Chitra!
It was wonderful to sit in on your panel at the LA Times Festival of Books last week! What a great discussion, I enjoyed hearing all of you speak, and especially your reading from your new book,One Amazing Thing. I bought it after the panel, and it was great to say hello and have you sign it for me. I can hardly wait to read it.

Take good care, Chitra