Anjali is the heroine of my romance novel by name An Autograph for Anjali. At thirty-nine, she’s a totally frustrated housewife of the busy multi-millionaire, Jayant, who doesn’t have time for her. As for her only son Arjun, he’s moved to England to study at Kingston University.
This is one character that had been rolling in my mind for a few years before I brought her to life in my book. She could be any housemaker in India. It could be me or you.
Like, I wanted a career when I was in college. That I didn’t know exactly what to do was a different matter. But I wanted to do something, achieve something in life. But being the second daughter of a five-daughter family, my agenda was to get married and have a family. Not having a choice, I did just that, promising myself that I would get myself a job or ‘do’ something once my kids became less dependent on me. And I did exactly that when they began to go to full-day school, getting a job in their school office…
…only to quit when my daughter reached the tenth standard. Till today, I don’t really know how that helped her do better in her exams. But then, I wanted to be a hands-on parent. But boredom set in soon. After all, books can be enjoyed in between tasks. Reading them all waking hours can get boring, like eating only desserts.
The only thing I achieved was abject frustration…
…until I began to write and the rest is history.
That is how Anjali was born. Of course, being my novel’s heroine, everything needed to be larger-than-life and more dramatized:
• She has a husband who treats her like a doormat, has no qualms about having affairs on the sly
• She is a super-rich and thoroughly bored housewife with nothing to occupy her mind
• She has an adorable son, Arjun, who's extremely supportive but lives so far away
• She has an adorable son, Arjun, who's extremely supportive but lives so far away
• And then she meets Parth, who’s not only chivalrous and showers her with the attention she craves, he also happens to be the…
I am not going to tell you who Parth Bhardwaj is. I will let you find out when you read my book, An Autograph for Anjali.
Check out the links of some fellow bloggers from the challenge:
Such an interesting back story to Anjali. You have been my inspiration ever since I started writing a year back. And I'm looking forward to knowing more about your books and characters and gain some insights through this challenge.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Sonia. And I am honoured to be your inspiration. :D
DeleteAnjali is my favourite in all your heroines. The way she reacts to the death of her husband is mind-blowing. Loved this one.
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I know exactly what you mean, Rubina :D And thank you. I know for a fact that you will never forget Jayant :D
DeleteLovely choice of topics for this year's A to Z Challenge. And Anjali rocks!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't she! Thank you for stopping by Devika :D
DeleteI remember reading this book and Anjali has my heart! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding my book review link too :) You are the best!!
DeleteAwwww! Anjali is like that :D Thank you for stopping by Shalini. And I have added your blog for very selfish reasons :P I want to read all your book reviews. The first one on Anna Karenina is simply superb :D
DeleteI enjoyed reading An Autograph for Anjali. Her relationship with her son was so cool and beautiful AND I loved Parth. I remember this story so vividly!!
ReplyDeleteShilpa Garg #AtoZChallenge
That's so nice to know, Shilpa :D Thank you for stopping by
DeleteAnjali sounds like such such an adorable character! Great idea for your theme, Sundari. I have gotten so busy with editing that I find less time for reading for pleasure but this looks like one book I'd love to read. Adding it to my TBR.
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you Dola. You have read some of my books and liked them. You will definitely enjoy reading Anjali's story. Do check it out as soon as you find time :D
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