She currently lives in London and is an author in the romantic comedy genre. Her first novel entitled The (In)eligible Bachelors was an instant bestseller for which she was awarded the ‘Awadh Samman’. Her latest novel entitled I Do! Do I? appears to be heading in the same direction. Her name is Ruchita Misra and she answered some of our questions in an interview, telling us about how she got into writing, about her novels The (In)eligible Bachelors and I Do! Do I?, and about her interests in blogging. Ruchita also kindly shared some tips for all you writers out there who want to write romantic comedy. Read on to find out more.
You have a strong professional background, and have also won several awards. Can you please tell us some more about this, and how your interest in writing stories came about?
I did my B Tech in Information Technology (where I was rank 1) and then an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from IIFT, Delhi (I was a triple gold medallist there including the Gold Medal for Best Outgoing Student). I then shifted to London and now work in the corporate sector in a sales role with a telecommunications company.
I always knew I wanted to write one day but had been so busy with academic work that I never got the chance. It was when I shifted to London and was job hunting that I started penning down what finally became ‘The (In)eligible Bachelors’.
Your first novel entitled The (In)eligible Bachelors was a bestselling super hit, receiving rave reviews, and in particular was credited for being extremely funny. Can you please tell us a bit about this story, and what key messages you wanted to convey through it?
TIB is about a young, highly qualified girl who turns 25 but is still single. Her parents, with best intentions at heart, go into a frenzy setting Kasturi up with a string of some not-so-suitable bachelors leading to hilarious outcomes. Mostly, the story is about how Kasturi meets many Mr. Wrongs before she meets Mr. Right! It is also a story about love, friendship and family and I think that is what struck a chord with my readers.
The book was very well received. As a debut novelist, I could not have asked for more. The book spent about a year on the best seller lists and got me the ‘Awadh Samman’.
Your second novel is the intriguingly titled I Do! Do I? and has been published this year. Could you please tell us some more about this story?
The book is a fun take on a couple’s journey from engagement to marriage. We all think that the courtship period is when everything is hunky dory but the reality is far from that! It’s rife with doubt and confusion and the book deals with that. The book also talks about the parent-child relationship, about how it is okay to make mistakes and about how important friendships can be.
From the feedback I have received, the book is making people laugh, smile and cry- in short it is touching hearts and that’s all that I wanted.
Do you have any other novel(s) in the pipeline? If so, can you please tell us what we might expect from you in the future?
Oh, yes. I am working on the final draft of my third novel which is serious romance. I hope I will be able to find a publisher for it soon.
Can you please share 3 top tips with budding authors who want to write in the romantic comedy genre?
Sure, they are:
i) Have a sense of humour yourself. Even the bleakest of situations have a funny side to them. We all need to learn to see that.
ii) Be honest. Readers can very quickly gauge if the author has not been true to the story, and this rings true particularly for love stories. Write from your heart and learn to be honest while writing.
iii) Never force the humour. As they say, it is easier to make people cry than it is to make them laugh. So in deciding to write a rom com, you have already taken on a huge task! However, please do not get carried away and force in the humour. Humour should flow naturally and even when you are re-reading it for the nth time, should be able to make you smile.
You’re also a very keen blogger and have been blogging since 2005. Can you please tell us about your blogging journey and what you get out of blogging?
I started blogging at the suggestion of my brother when I was in engineering college. I remember it was the term break, and that day in particular I was listlessly roaming around the house with nothing to do when he suggested that I start a blog. For the longest time it was the one place where I vented out my cravings to write. And I made a lot of friends. In fact one of my friends from the initial days of the blog attended the book launch of my second book too!
Unfortunately, now I struggle to find the time to write on the blog though I do try my best. There is always a manuscript (or two) that need my attention, but the blog will remain a big part of my identity as a writer.
How can people find out more about you?
They can follow me on Twitter or on Facebook or visit my website: www.ruchitamisra.com.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]