Hi Anisha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am the author of THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT, my fiction debut which was released on July 13. I am originally from Mumbai, India and came to San Diego as a student in 2002 to study at San Diego State University. I’ve lived in this lovely city ever since.
I wrote on and off starting 2006 because I didn’t want to forget my grandparents. My family is from the Sindh region, which now falls in Pakistan. My grandparents emigrated to India when the two countries were partitioned in 1947. I grew up listening to stories about their lives in Sindh and the home they left behind. When I moved to America, I wrote simply to not forget. That was the beginning.
THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT is my first novel. It is published by Alcove Press and distributed by Penguin Random House and is listed as book club fiction.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey to writing has not been standard. I didn’t write short stories as a child or created fictional worlds, or any of the foreshadowing that is expected of being an author. Nor did I know that I’d write one day. I didn’t. It’s bewildering and makes me feel like an imposter some days.
Being South Asian didn’t help, as our society doesn’t place a high value on any creative field! Then came motherhood which devoured most of my brain cells, and the writing. In the midst of postpartum depression after my second baby, I took up an evening class just to get out of the house and wake my brain. The class was called Creating Unforgettable Characters and the antagonist auntie in my book – if she can be called that – was the result.
But I still didn’t think I was a writer. I simply didn’t have the courage. Who was I to say that I was a writer? That word was for more important intellectuals. But somehow, I kept at it. I realized I’d only get there if I gave my writing the respect of calling it work. Once I did – and it took a while – it all slowly started coming together.
THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT is the first piece of long-fiction I’ve ever written. And knowing that most debut books are authors’ third or fourth works I am incredibly lucky to have my very first work published.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT is a comedy of manners and takes a satirical look at Indian society’s obsession with marriage through the eyes of 26 year old Zoya Sahni.
Here is a brief overview of the book:
Zoya Sahni has a great education, a fulfilling job and a loving family (for the most part). But she is not the perfect Indian girl. She’s overweight, spunky and dark-skinned in a world that prizes the slim, obedient and fair. At 26 she is hurtling toward her expiration date in Mumbai’s arranged marriage super-mart, but when her auntie’s matchmaking radar hones in on the Holy Grail of suitors–just as Zoya gets a dream job offer in New York City–the girl who once accepted her path as almost option-less must now make a choice of a lifetime.
Big-hearted with piercing social commentary, THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT takes body image, beauty standards and divisive expectations head on to tell a powerful, charming and relatable tale of a progressive life that won’t be hemmed in by outdated rules. But not without a few cultural casualties, and of course, an accidental love story along the way.
Any big plans?
I hope to continue my writing journey and meet other authors along the way. Right now, I am enjoying seeing THE RULES OF ARRANGEMENT in bookstores and hearing from readers how much they enjoyed it and how much it spoke to them. It’s a lovely feeling. Next, I’m hoping to write about mental health and motherhood and an intersection of the two. I am working on the first draft right now and am hopeful that it will reveal its secrets to me soon.
Contact Info:
- Email: anishabhatiaauthor@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.anishabhatia.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anisha.bhatia.author/
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