Interview: Rashmi Kumar

And today I have on my blog Rashmi Kumar, author of "Stilettos in the Newsroom" reviewed by me here not so long ago. Welcome, Rashmi! 

1. I'd like to begin this interview by asking you what kind of books are there on your bookshelf? What books are you reading right now? Which genre of books do you generally read? Which books do you re-read again and again?

 I am actually surrounded by fiction. I am a huge fan of work of fiction and that's precisely what you'd find on my bookshelf! Currently I am reading Gregory David Robert's Shantaram.  There was a time when I had started reading too many contemporary Indian authors, while that tired me soon, I decided to change my taste to books which have been popular but I could never come around to reading them,Shantaram being one of them. While I have re-read  Marquez's novella Memories of My Melancholy Whores over and over again, I was also fascinated by Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Now I definitely plan to re-read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. There is no particular reason why I have re-read these books but guess, somewhere they've connected too closely to my heart.        

2. Tell us something about your work before "Stilettos in the Newsroom"?

Interestingly, the manuscript for Stilettos in the Newsroom is technically not the first one I wrote, but it definitely is my first official book. Some 8-9 years back, I'd completed a story but when I read it again (after many years!!) I  found it extremely boring, full of flaws and totally unfit for anyone to read so I decided to dump the manuscript and work on something new, that's how Stilettos... came along. 

3. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get into writing? What inspired you to write "Stilettos in the Newsroom"?

Well, I always knew I had to do something with writing but wasn't sure what. There was a time when I considered joining an ad agency, but eventually ended up being a journalist. So, writing was not by default, it was a conscious decision to make a career out of it. Creative writing however, happened when a friend coaxed me into writing the first manuscript. I was too under confident to  believe that I could ever be a writer because when you say the word author, you think of someone  who belongs to a different league altogether. 

As to what inspired to me write Stilettos... Other than being a journalist, I have also been a great observer. I love to observe things so deeply that at times I surprise myself for staring at a thing too hard or thinking about a subject too deep! So I had a raging desire to share my observations about a newsroom and its myriad journalists with everyone.

4. What kind of people do you think this book will reach out to?

I thought the book would have struck a good cord with people of all age groups, but over the months, I realised that it is somehow more popular among youth. It could possibly be due to the language, and many young characters in the book. But, interestingly it has been received too well even by those who do not come from the journalistic fraternity. 

5. What is your favourite thing about books and reading? How have books made an impact on your life?

Favourite thing about books is that it makes you look so intelligent, so intellectual, so well-informed :) But on a more serious note, books can play an important role in your life only when you seriously read them and imbibe them in your life. 

Any person can be impacted by books, that's why we all call them our best friends. Had it not been for my reading, I wouldn't have been able to write. You can never be a good writer, if you don't read enough, and the right kind of literature that helps you enhance your language, thoughts and personality!

6. Quick take. Answer the following with the first words/phrase that comes to your mind, in five words or less:

- Journalism – Be tough to survive it.

- Life – Live to the fullest.

-  Struggles in love – I've had too many :)

  

- Radhika (the character) – Beautiful and strong.

- Books – Precious.