About the Author
A recovering TV journalist from big, bad Bombay, when Sanjana is not inhaling large amounts of caffeine or people watching, she's vociferously talking politics or religion.
Besides broadcast, radio and digital media experience, she has written for the Atlantic, The Establishment, The Debrief and the Quint, on a host of topics ranging from psychological disorders like prosopagnosia to rubbishing the pretentiousness of Kale salad.
Armed with an open mind, foul mouth, a pretty good sense of humour (if she says so herself) and a penchant for the undiscovered, Sanjana currently lives in Mumbai, but plans to span the universe, one galaxy at a time.
She currently writes on food, gender and politics and also dabbles in erotic fiction.
Interview
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a
storyteller?
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. My Std 1 teacher told my
mom I should definitely be a journalist and I totally veered in that direction.
However erotic fiction was entirely accidental and at the behest of my
encouraging editor, Trisha Bora.
What motivates you to write and where does your inspiration
come from?
Sex drives everything. Subconsciously and consciously, it
motivates everything. So pretty much everything inspires me to write. However,
I thrive on sexual tension and imagining even the most non sexual people in
their rawest forms and that really pushes me when it comes to writing erotica.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you
do about it?
Oh my god, all the time. I just go running, it always helps
and allows me to people watch and come back and write.
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or
genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
“I didn’t choose the erotic life, it chose me.” Just
kidding, I am also a journalist and largely write about gender rights and
politics when I’m not talking erotica. However, since I write erotica every
month, I try to give my characters new dimensions each time. I also try to play
around with styles, so the story won’t always follow the same structure.
What do you do if inspiration strikes in an inconvenient
place like (car, restaurant, bathroom/shower, etc..) and how do you capture
that moment before it gets away from you?
While I am often deemed as scatter brained and forgetful by
my friends and family, I have fantastic memory. Nonetheless, since I am
touching 30 I make a note in my phone diary and even write my feelings around
it at that time so that my writing has that much more colour to it.
How do you think you have evolved as a person/author because
of your writing and do you believe your writing has helped others, how/why?
This is a goody. I hope I’ve helped people because I have
the most unlikely of aunties coming up to me and telling me how they absolutely
loved my books. Seeing people comfortable with voraciously consuming erotica
unabashedly makes me happy. It’s not something that I set out to do, but if it’s
happening and I’m a part of it, that’s bloody cool. Besides broadening my
vocabulary and really trying to tell sex differently each time, I think writing
erotica has been cathartic. Not to sound deep, but it is a study of human
emotion and writing about it in different scenarios with people of all shapes
and sizes has only added another facet to my personality.
What is the intended audience for you book?
Really everyone. But I want people who otherwise would deem
it smut, to read my books.
Give us a fun fact about your book(s)?
I always keep it cheeky. I can’t do dark and mysterious ya.
What makes a good story, why?
Fantastic structure. You’re leading the reader on and that
is really half the job done.
Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or
bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad?
I have received some really great reviews and the bad ones
are only people who have accused me of being a ‘smut peddler’ and propagator of
the New World Order. I first wanted to respond to everyone, but that’s not
always a great idea. Appreciate the good stuff, absorb the constructive
criticism and laugh at the vitriolic trolls, always!
Do you view writing as a career, labor of love, hobby,
creative outlet, therapy, or something else?
ALL OF IT!
Do you have a subject/genre you would never write about,
why?
Maybe business and finance. My bank account and statements
are proof.
What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
It’s really unromantic
About the Book
Buy Link
Contact
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Thank you, Ms Chowhan for this amazing interview! I wish you success for all your future works. Keep writing!
