Pump Up Chats with Women’s Fiction Author Shobhan Bantwal

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Shobhan Headshot Besides authoring five novels, Shobhan Bantwal is a freelance writer and award-winning fiction writer featured in publications such as The Writer, India Abroad, Little India, India Currents and New Woman India. She regularly donates a portion of her book earnings to women’s charities.

For information on her books, contests, events, recipes, photos, contact, and favorite charities, visit her website at www.shobhanbantwal.com or her facebook page at www.facebook.com/ShobhanBantwal.author

Thank you for this interview, Shobhan. I (Jaime) have been working with you for four years now to spread the word about your books online. It’s been a wonderful pleasure. Can you tell the readers here about how things have changed since promoting your first book?

A: Things have changed quite a bit since my first book was released four years ago. I have now garnered a large readership as book after book has come out. Some of my readers are supremely loyal and supportive. My fans write beautiful and uplifting email notes to me and eagerly wait for my next release. The work, the stress and the excitement of going from raw manuscript to book and then promoting each year have remained the same. I am now in the process of promoting my fifth book, The Full Moon Bride.

I’ve come to enjoy this time of year because I know it’s when I will begin working with you for your September tour. Do you have any advice for writers out there who hope to increase their consistency in writing (and hopefully later, releasing books)?

A: Whether a manuscript actually turns into a book is difficult to predict but my experience has been that if a writer puts passion and heart into a story it has a better chance of getting published. Aspiring writers need to remember that the craft of writing and breaking into the world of publishing can be very challenging, but eventually very satisfying. They need to stay on course.

Your books are always filled with rich Indian culture, but inspiration still needs a plot. How do you go about fleshing out your ideas? Do you carry a notebook around with you?

A: I wish I were disciplined enough to carry a notebook with me at all times. Unfortunately I am what some call a “pantster” – someone who writes by the seat of their pants. Ideas seem to get lodged in my brain when I think about certain experiences, both childhood and adulthood, and they slowly become the germ for a storyline.

For example, The Full Moon Bride is about the young, Indian-American immigrant experience. I watched my own daughter and her friends experience the challenges of straddling two very diverse cultures as children and then teenagers, and gradually emerging as successful and well-rounded adults. This is the story of one such young woman who navigates the gulf between desire and tradition.

What is your favorite part of the writer’s life? Any regrets?

A: My favorite part of being a writer is creating a story from nothing. A mere hint of an idea turns into a 320-page story and the process of fleshing out a concept is loads of fun. My only regret is not having tried my hand at writing fiction much earlier in life. I could have had a longer, more successful career.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A: Since all my writing is done on a computer, by default it is the home office that my husband and I share. It is a cozy room with a couple of crammed bookshelves, two computers and a printer. We even have a futon, for those occasions when I get drowsy and tired from long hours of writing and need a short power nap to get rejuvenated.

I remember thoroughly enjoying carrying my copy of The Dowry Bride around with me and the way people would love to look at the cover. How involved are you with your book covers and what do you think of them?

A: I was somewhat involved in the cover for The Dowry Bride because it was my debut book and the model on the cover is my daughter, dressed in her bridal finery on her wedding day. It is a very special cover for me. All the subsequent covers have been entirely designed by my publisher. They don’t ask for my input. Apparently that is the standard practice at all publishing houses.

What are you working on now?

A: I am working on my next book, due for release in July 2012. It also has a young heroine facing the challenges of finding the right man, who will give her all the passion she needs, yet will fit into her conservative family and meet their expectations.

You have toured with Pump Up Your Book promotion since 2007, I believe. What is it about online book tours that has you continuing to use them to get the word out about your books?

A: With today’s technology the Internet is where all the publicity lies, and with a limited budget, I feel virtual tours and online promotion give me the biggest return on my investment. Besides, you have a been a supportive, patient, and efficient tour operator, hence I love working with you again and again. I look forward to this upcoming tour to promote The Full Moon Bride.

You’re a woman who always has a full plate. What’s on your to do list today?

A: On my daily to-do list on any day is to check my email and make sure that I respond promptly to every message that requires a response. You are right in saying my plate is always full: a full-time day job, a full-time writing career, family obligations, and an active social life. Yes, it is exhausting at times, but I consider myself blessed, for those very reasons.

In all the online tours you have been on, is there a question you have always wanted someone to ask but no one ever has?

A: No one has ever asked me why I write. The reason I write is because I am a storyteller and I want to share a story with as many people as possible who are willing to listen. I want to entertain and educate readers about my unique culture.

Is there anything else you would like to share today?

A: I hope my readers will take away something of value, even if it is purely entertainment, when they read The Full Moon Bride and my four previous books.

Thank you for this interview, Shobhan. Good luck on your virtual book tour and thank you for the pleasure of working with you.

A: Thank you for interviewing me. And the pleasure is mutual. I look forward to my month-long tour.

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Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

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Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

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Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

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Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

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Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

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Bacon Press Books

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T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

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Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

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Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

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Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach