With a title as intriguing as Half Burnt Cigarette and a Little Love Note, it’s no wonder that Vandita Mishra, as she herself reveals, is slowly gathering steam in the modern reading scene. In this interview with Writers Melon, Vandita talks about writing, her first book, her inspirations, and about herself.
Answering the question of when and how she began writing is difficult for Vandita Mishra because she has ‘been writing since she has known herself.’ This philosophy filters down into the interview as she answers a few questions about herself. “I am a keen observer of the little things that prevail around me on a daily basis, I love interacting with people and I like both, telling them stories and listening to their stories. I’ve always been bold and vocal about my thoughts. The inner me has been constant throughout these years, I am the same philosophical, and sometimes an over-thinker individual; the thing which has changed though is the medium of expression. What was confined to my personal diaries yesterday is reaching many more people today because of the social media buzz and of course due to some wonderful channels.”
Vandita Mishra is a periodontist and a health care manager with a full-time clinic of her own and who loves writing. When the question of balancing it with writing comes up, she has an easy answer. “I do balance writing with my dental clinic. I do face questions like “How do you do it?” “How do you find time for both?” etc. The only answer which I have for any such questions is because I want to do it! I don’t think we need to find time for something we love doing, instead, time finds us and makes us do it.”
While every journey is unique, not many can call it beautiful. Vandita Mishra is one such person who can do this without any qualms. “My journey as a writer has been beautiful till now. Of course the word beautiful has a lot of hidden struggles which I face on a daily basis, but I guess the rewards in the form of honest reviews which I have been getting on a regular basis has made this journey really beautiful. In fact, the best of my moments have been reading emails which say how after having read the book they are able to communicate in a better way with their partners, or how it has influenced them in some other way in their life. I think that’s the maximum a writer can expect, isn’t it?”
Vandita Mishra drafted her first book, Half Burnt Cigarette and a Little Love Note almost two years ago. But she decided to go ahead and publish it only recently. Here’s her dishing more on the tinier details: “I didn’t start Half Burnt Cigarette and a Little Love Note with a story in my mind, but I clearly knew what I wanted to convey through it, the story got naturally woven across my thoughts. This book is about the journey of my protagonist Vaani. Vaani is a work-oriented, and a modern Indian girl, who gets entangled in a web of joblessness after her wedding, social stigmas, and two different kinds of love relations one old school and slow kinds and the other, fast and modern kinds!”
“Through Vaani’s journey in Half Burnt Cigarette and a Little Love Note, I have raised an important question in the book which is, “we talk about saving and educating the girl child, but what after we educate her and make her capable? How many married women are actually able to use their education to the best of their capabilities?” Also through the two different kinds of love relations, I have portrayed how the meaning of love and romance has changed over a period of years. The other main characters of my book besides Vaani are Akash and Sahil and I am sure you will be able to relate to either of them and will have a lot to take back from the book. My observations on the changing trends in love relationships and my own struggle with work made me write this book; I have added more depth to it by writing about the glimpses of changes which follow in a woman’s life after her wedding. Through the means of my book, I take my readers to the corners of India where the huge debates on women equality and education are still unheard while simultaneously I also give them a glimpse of life on the other extreme metropolitan end. Most of my readers have loved the book in totality; they have found it relatable and engrossing.”
“Khalid Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner and Mitch Albom’s The Timekeeper have been my all-time favorites. I have always looked up to these writers. I have learned a lot through their books.”
“Focus on delivering a heartfelt or well-researched content to the readers because the rest just follows. There is a very long and new journey which starts after having finished writing. My advice on that would require a separate write up altogether, but as writers, your target should be solely your work to write first because reaching out to people is much easier nowadays than it was ever before.” Author(s): Vandita MishraPublisher: Notion PressRelease: July 2018Genre: Fiction/ContemporaryBuy this book from Amazon – Please buy this book via affiliate links and show us some love! If you are an author, share about you and your book(s) in Author’s corner and do take a look at our unique community approach to Book Marketing.
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