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She mastered in Mills and Boon romances during her teens and also got
fascinated by Bollywood romantic movies/ songs and dances, around same period. Her father was a big time
associate with Bollywood being a successful filmmaker. On the other hand her
mother had a great bend of mind towards literature. Growing up between these
two different worlds of art along with a third dimension of her own world of
romance, dance, music, and books; Adite Banerjie landed into a profession of
business journalism. For few years she sustained herself in this profession
writing about real world and reporting about business scenarios. But soon she
encountered boredom with this profession and decided to carve her own
successful path as a screenwriter. In 2012 she acclaimed her first award on the
basis of her first romantic short story that was very impactful to get her
Passions Aspiring Authors Contest Award 2012. She decides to continue to live
with her passion for fiction, romance and writing. Her first novel The Indian
Tycoon’s Marriage Deal is just out and is available on flipkart, amazon,
harlequin.
Please share some of the
best memories of your childhood
My
loveliest memories are of the times I spent listening to my dad narrate
stories. He was a great raconteur and could keep us all spellbound. Whether it
was a story that he had made up on the spot, a recounting of something he
had observed or a story from his childhood he could really give it an
entertaining spin.
About your education
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I grew up in Bombay
where I did my schooling and college. After finishing my B.Com from Narsee
Monjee College I did a diploma course in Journalism from K.C. College.
What career did you plan
during your education days?
I always planned to be
in the writing profession though in those days I was more focused on becoming a
journalist. So my plan worked out well as I ended up working as a
journalist for more than 15 years. J
What is your biggest
source of inspiration in life?
Well, inspiration for
me comes from different sources at different times. I can be inspired after
watching a moving film; reading a great piece of writing or by the
actions/deeds of people who strive to achieve their goals against all odds.
What hurts you most in
this world?
I am a dog lover and I
often come across people who bring dogs into their lives and then abandon them
for the most frivolous reasons. It angers and hurts me to see such cruelty to
these beautiful creatures that have nothing but devotion, loyalty and love to
offer to human beings.
What is the biggest
challenge you have faced? Were you able to overcome it? How?
I guess challenges are
part and parcel of life and whenever you face one you feel overwhelmed by
it and struggle with it before you get around to dealing/overcoming it. In my
writing career, I have always challenged myself to explore new options. After a
15 year career in journalism I went into economic research and content
development which had its own unique set of challenges. Later I got into
screenplay writing and then dived into novel writing.
As for overcoming the
challenges, I guess it's all about the mindset--deciding what's important to
you at the moment and working towards your goal.
If you had to live a day
of your life as one of the living or dead personality, who would it be and why?
Frankly, I would
rather not be in anybody else's shoes -- whether dead or alive. But if given
the opportunity I would like to take a sneak peek into a day in the writing
life of Rabindranath Tagore.
What is your favorite
genre and why?
I like to read all
kinds of books including thrillers, literary fiction, romantic thrillers, and
non-fiction. I am a huge fan of Amitava Ghosh and love every single book that
he has written. I also love reading Jhumpa Lahiri, Khaled Hosseini, William
Dalrymple. I will read pretty much anything that is entertaining and well
written. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a dog lover and love stories that feature
dogs in it. James Herriot's books are on top of my list as
"evergreen" reads and so are P.G. Wodehouse's books. I also read a
lot of screenplays. One of my early mentors in journalism had told me
that if you want to be a writer you must read anything that you can lay your hands
on. And I think that's the best piece of advice that I have ever
received.
What is the purpose of your writing?
I read to be
entertained and similarly I would hope that my writing would be able to
entertain my readers.
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Which of your work
published so far?
My debut novel titled
"The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal" has been published by Harlequin
India and is available from September 2013 at online and offline book
stores.
What are your forthcoming
writings?
I am writing a second
book for Harlequin India which is expected to come out early next year.
What are your future
plans?
I plan to pursue both
screenwriting and novel writing. One of my scripts which is based on a true
life story is going to be made into a film soon. I have also co-written a
family comedy script with an Australian screenwriter which is being pitched to
Hollywood production companies. I have a bunch of ideas for movies and books
that I plan to work on besides of course writing more books.
What four top most things
you take care of while writing a book?
The premise of the
story, the plot, the characters and the entertainment quotient of the story.
Your dream destination on
Earth?
The Greek islands -
Santorini & Crete.
Your origin of birth and
other countries you have visited/ stayed. What best things you liked in these
countries around the globe?
I was born in India
and I love travelling. I have visited some of the most interesting destinations
in Hungary, Slovenia, the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and the US. I
love the manner in which these countries have preserved their cultural heritage
sites and the sense of space that I get when I visit these places.
What is your zodiac?
Virgo.
One thing in your life you
wish had not happened?
I consider myself to
be lucky enough to say that I truly don't have any regrets in life.
What is your definition of
fear and how to overcome it?
I have not experienced
a life and death situation -- in which case fear for one's life or safety would
perhaps be too real to intellectualize about. But yes, fear of failure, loss,
rejection is something that we all go through. To me the only way to deal with
these fears is to deal with the situation that is causing it and try and take
steps that help resolve the situation in a positive manner.
How would you define God
in your words?
A source of strength
that helps me strengthen my self belief and get through difficult times.
Thanks Jaideep for
hosting me on your blog and for your thought-provoking questions. Wish you
all the best in all your endeavors.
------------------------------
The buy links for my
book are:
Harlequin India: http://www.hqnindia.com/series/indianauthor#970
