In Conversation with Kamini Kusum | Author Interview

Reading A New Dawn, her recently published book, gave me an insight into her characters. I wanted to know more, as a reader and as a reviewer, and here we are. With two published works under her belt and a third one well on its way, doing this interview with Kamini Kusum was a complete delight. 

Interview

Q1. Hello Kamini, welcome to Bookish Brat! Please tell our readers something about yourself.

Kamini Kusum – I hail from a small town in Bihar and have spent my childhood there but now Delhi is my home, where I live with my husband and kids. I worked for 13 years in corporate after my post graduation in management but the writing bug in me kept prompting me to write. That led me to write books. Apart from writing, good food, yoga, travel, meeting new people and movies keep me going.

Q2. So tell us, why romance as a genre?

Kamini Kusum – I am a romance lover and prefer reading books that have romance and drama with strong characters. The same taste of mine is visible in my writing as well.  But my stories won’t be just romance; they would be more than that- social issues, inspiration and many more things which we can relate to.

Q3. What is your inspiration behind the characters of A New Dawn, especially Mugdha’s?

Kamini Kusum – The main protagonists in my stories are usually strong, ambitious and daring and that’s how Mugdha and Shravan are. Though it’s a work of fiction, I have seen characters like Mugdha in real life who are loving, daring and inspiring. Rest, I think is a writer’s imagination that carves out a character.

Q4. The world that you have created in this book has a certain old world charm, was this demand of the story or something that came about organically?

Kamini Kusum – I think that was natural and as per the demand of the story. The novel unfolds when the main protagonists were kids and I think the society, culture and the aura were the same as, say 25-30 years back. Moreover, the story is set in a small town of Mughalsarai and small towns in India, I feel still have that old world charm which we can’t find in metros.

Q5. The title of the novel, A New Dawn, gets a whole new layer with the ending. Do you think it was a risky move to end the novel in this manner? What was your thought process behind the ending?

Kamini Kusum – The end of the novel is the biggest twist and I think that aptly justifies the title. I feel that a writer shouldn’t work on his/her creation thinking of the risks and gains or what the readers would like. The moment a writer starts thinking about these things, creativity takes a backseat.  Every mind has its own thoughts and it’s good to keep it original and not get inspired by what is trending in the market.

Q6. This is the second book you have written. What is the one major difference you see in yourself from your first book to your second?

Kamini Kusum – For me it’s been a good learning, graduating from being one book old to two books old. I have worked on my narration, dialogues and have gotten to understand many other finer things. Learning is a continuous process and with every book I write in future, I am sure I will learn something and try to improve myself.

Q7. As a writer, do you find the promotion of your book a daunting task?

Kamini Kusum – It always is. Initially, for a new writer, it’s a big task. But gradually when a writer comes out with more and more books, people start knowing him/her and the unique style of writing. A set of reader base and a brand is created for him or her. And then promotion becomes easy. But everything else apart, a writer should be in sight and his/her presence should be felt on the social media, which makes promotion an ongoing process.

Q8. Is there something you would like to say to your readers?

Kamini Kusum – Readers make authors what they are and my sincere thanks to all my readers.

Q9. Are you working on another book at the moment? What can we look forward to?

Kamini Kusum – The next novel is complete. It’s a romance- bold, contemporary and something that a modern-day couple can relate to.

Q10. Lastly, tell us what inspires you? Is there an ideology or a quote? What is the driving force behind your zeal to write?

Kamini Kusum – Writing takes me to a whole new world. Every character I create gives me immense satisfaction. The only driving force is the passion to weave stories. For me, I would say writing is an ecstasy.

That is all for the interview Folks!

I am working on the review of A New Dawn and if the productivity gods are in my favor, it will be out soon.

Blurb

Shravan is a son of a rickshaw puller and Mugdha, daughter of a Railway officer. He has lived in penury while she has had all the material comforts. He dreams of being a soldier and serving the motherland while she lives in the world of colours. Childhood friendship converts into pure love ignoring the boundaries of a bungalow and its servant quarter. However fate has some other plans and tears apart the two innocent souls, throwing Shravan into a life that has thorns all its way. Will the two live their dreams? Will destiny bring them together again? A novel that will make us believe that life is all about never giving up.

You can grab a copy at Amazon.

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Happy reading!

Bookish Brat