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June 23, 2009 4:34 AM

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jaishree Misra

Jaishree Misra is the author of Secrets and Lies, a novel about friendship and mystery that's due for release on 25th June. (And trust me, it's going to be one of this summer's most addictive reads!)

Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer.
‘Secrets & Lies’ is about four women who share a terrible secret from their schooldays. 

What inspired you to write ‘Secrets & Lies’?
My own girlfriends, and the realization that women are capable of going to great lengths in the name of friendship. It’s a sort of celebration of female friendship, really, but with a dark heart.

Where do you do most of your writing? 
Sounds decadent, but I do like writing in bed. Mostly because my bedroom’s got a cupola on the ceiling through which morning sunlight pours in on good days. Then, before the rays reach a certain part of the wall, I have to get up and go to work! The rest of the day’s writing is scrappy and unpredictable, depending on work, hubby, daughter, home, social stuff etc etc. A friend once described the pressures faced by women authors as ‘writing between two whistles of a pressure cooker’.  

What is your favourite chick-lit book?
I enjoyed ‘Ralph’s Party’ by Lisa Jewell and I like everything Marian Keyes says and does. Humour takes precedence over romance for me, I have to say.

Do you have a favourite heroine?
I remember identifying, for all kinds of curious reasons, with Fanny in Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ – this, when I was a teenager growing up in Delhi and 19th century England couldn’t have been further away! Much as I tried liking Elizabeth Bennett, Fanny always came across as nicer, possibly because she wasn’t setting her cap at the richest man in the neighborhood!

Are you working on anything new at the moment? 
I’m working on my next book for Avon Harper Collins - it’s a story about hooking up with old flames, exploring the thrills and spills that can follow.  

Do you have any tips for readers who want to become published authors?
Persevere, if you really believe in your writing and know how to enjoy it even for very little reward. Then, when the manuscript is complete to a high standard (making sure there are no grammatical errors) send it around to carefully chosen agents who have had success with the kind of book you have written. Don’t be disheartened by a few rejections. If it all seems to be taking an inordinate amount of time, use the delay to start writing your next book (I did say you’d have to enjoy writing enough!). If your work is any good, an agent will soon appear on your horizon who will be doubly delighted if you have two manuscripts to show, rather than one. The rest will fall into place pretty quick. Good luck!

Thanks, Jaishree!

To find out more, visit Jaishree’s website. Or to pre-order a copy of Secrets and Lies, head on over to Amazon.

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Posted by Elle Symonds on June 23, 2009 in Interviews | Permalink

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