AUTHOR’S BIO:
Leena Chandorkar grew up in an army family and studied in schools across India. After marriage to a merchant navy officer, she sailed the world, but is now firmly anchored in Pune, India.
She graduated in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and acquired her PhD in English from Pune University. She teaches English at Garware College, Pune and divides her time between India and Norway, where her husband and daughter are based.
She is the author of the non-fiction book, Eye Me Myself: A Study of Six Women’s Autobiographies and the novel, Bends and Turns.
1. Who and what inspired you to write?
It was not a particular person or incident. The process was wholly organic.
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
Writing was not the tough part! The difficult part was getting published! It took double the time of writing the novel to look for a suitable publisher. The challenge lay in the lack of accessibility of the right publishing house.
3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?
From Google!
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ?
The Book Bakers helped in the groundwork of connecting a writer to a publisher. For that I am grateful!
5. How do you see literary success for yourself?
Literary success for me means critical acclaim and a literary award or two! Also, more and more people should reach out for my book and recommend it to friends and family as a good read!
6. When can we expect your next book?
Maybe in a year or so!
7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
Never be a copycat! Stay true to your own voice.
BOOK NAME: GULMOHAR LANE
PUBLISHER : PETAL PUBLISHERS
BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:
Madhav Diwan, recently retired, is leading a quiet life on his own in his heritage house in a Gulmohar-lined, upscale locality of Pune. His tranquil existence is disturbed when a new neighbour, Gulnaz, moves in next door. There is nothing he has in common with her and he is determined to keep his distance from the ex-film star. Events, however, move unexpectedly and dramatically, throwing the smooth surface of the reclusive Madhav’s life into turmoil. Through the little wicker gate between the two neighbouring gardens, Gulnaz, the consummate actor, enters Madhav Baag like a ghost from the past and unlocks the doors of secrets that Madhav had locked firmly away.
As the past merges into the present; as reality blends into fantasy; the lives of these two highly dissimilar people intertwine and the boundaries of fact and fiction collapse into each other. Madhav, the pragmatic realist and Gulnaz, the romantic dreamer, are unlikely partners in a journey of healing and recovery. Madhav is not too sure if he can trust Gulnaz completely. But both he and Gulnaz need to let go of long-held beliefs and take a leap of faith into the unknown. The story of these two characters compels readers to travel deep into their own so-called certainties of life.
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