‘Pain is not defined by its origins’

There is a part of Gulab in almost every young girl who is a victim of love, who has had the misfortune to fall for the wrong man. I am sure many of us would be able to relate to her. Honestly, I can see Gulab in many of my friends and relatives.

I have grown up reading classics like Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, which define love as pure, everlasting and all consuming. With time, I realised that in this age of technology, the old world love has lost its charm. The invariable link-ups, break-ups, betrayals, crumbling marriages, is the truth of today. India has witnessed so many cases of love gone awry, resulting in acid attacks, rapes, murders and other such heinous crimes. My book reflects this techno-crazy society we live in and the sham world of romantic love it endorses.

I think pain, just like joy, is not really defined by its origins. Pain can be caused because of failure, loss, rejection or any other reason. But irrespective of its cause, eventually it just seeps into your soul and you wallow in its aftermath. Most of us have experienced this at some point of our lives. So have I. So, yes, I did have a reference point while penning down this story. Otherwise it’s very difficult to explain such profound emotions and make your readers relate to it.

Mysteries are plot-driven books. Everything hinges on the perfection of the fundamental nuances. The pace of the book, placement of red herrings, clues etc are paramount. The reader should instantly be sucked into participating in solving the riddle. To instigate that kind of engagement is the basic challenge of any mystery writer.