Meet the Creator of FULL CIRCLE
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| Yamini Vijendran (Pic Courtesy: www.indireads.com) |
Sundari: How much of the book is from real life and how much is from your imagination?
Yamini: First of all, thanks for hosting me on your blog Sundari. You are one of the authors in the blogosphere and ‘authorosphere’ whom I admire and respect a lot. It is a pleasure to be interacting with you.
Well, yes, parts of this book are from real life. Malini has shades of me, my aunts and my mother. The setting is very similar to a retirement home I have visited in Pollachi, Coimbatore. But the story that weaves through these real entities is imaginary.
Sundari: Thank you for saying that about me Yamini. That’s really big of you. I think you are an excellent writer too. To continue... usually the protagonists of romantic novels range from age 14-40. How did you land up writing about senior citizens?
Yamini: I did not really start with a specific intention to explore that demography. However, I have always wondered how it would be if I were to meet my youthful crush after many years, how we would interact, and what feelings would run through us. So that and the song from Aandhi, “Tere bina zindagi se koyi”, were my biggest influences in conceptualising Full Circle.
Sundari: That's truly interesting! And who do you think is the target audience for your novel?
Yamini: I think because of the demography Full Circle explores, it will find patronage among an entire range of people. Whether you are in your twenties or your sixties, Full Circle is a story that offers something for everyone. Although it is not fast paced and steamy the way young adults would like it nowadays, it has that rustic charm that many will find attractive.
Sundari: I agree with what you say about the rustic charm. You have set the story in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu with a lot of detailing. Incidentally, it is my place of birth and helped me connect with the story. How did you do the research?
Yamini: I have relatives in Kumbakonam who helped me with the setting, information about the temples and the life in the agraharam. My own paternal aunt has lived in one such agraharam, so her experiences and inputs helped. And as always, the internet is ever present as the biggest tool for research, so what I did not find anywhere else, I found on the web.
Sundari: I agree with you completely about the internet. I do most of my research there too. Now, imagine yourself in Rumi’s place. What would have been your reaction if it had been your Grandmother who had found the love of her life at 60?
Yamini: To tell you the truth, it would be a bit difficult to digest, not because I have anything against my grandmother or love, but because of the way we have been brought up and the way we have conditioned our minds to think. It would probably take time, but I would like to think that I would eventually be able to accept it. My Rumi is what I would aspire to be in such a situation.
Sundari: And hopefully you are creating more Rumis out there in the world as people read your book. I could not but admire her character. It has been a little more than a year since Full Circle was published. When should we expect your next? Can you tell us something about it?
Yamini: I have been working on a couple of scripts, progressing a bit and fizzling out mid way. So I am not sweating it out to churn out books fast. I take my time as a writer and am confident that whatever I write, even if it just one more, will be something that will leave a mark of its own.
Bravo Yamini! With that we come to the end of our little chat session with the Creator of the lovely romance novella Full Circle. If you like to read a soft love story in a small town setting, then you will surely love this one folks! Go for it.
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