SHIVA DANCING
THE BOOK NICHE IS PLEASED TO PRESENT AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SEATTLE AUTHOR BHARTI KIRCHNER. MS KIRCHNER HAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED FOUR COOKBOOKS, INCLUDING THE BOLD VEGETARIAN. SHIVA DANCING IS HER FIRST NOVEL.
TBN (The Book Niche): How
difficult was the transition you made from writing cookbooks
to a book like SHIVA
DANCING?
BHARTI KIRCHNER: It is
a big transition. Cookbooks are how-to, step-by-step approaches and the
structure is inherent in the subject. A novel is an author's imagination
process. The author has
to figure out what the story is and how best to tell it. I took novel writing
workshops at writers' conferences and read many self-studies on "How to
write a novel" before I attempted one. I liked the challenge and before
long had given up cookbook and food writing altogether. I thoroughly enjoy
novel writing.
TBN: What would you describe as the cathartic scene, the most thought-provoking, or emotionally moving scene from SHIVA DANCING for you personally?
BHARTI KIRCHNER: The scene where
Meena goes back to India after twenty-eight years. (A bit of the story
here: Computer expert Meena, an Indian American woman based in San
Francisco, wants to reconnect
with her past in India. She had been abducted by bandits on her wedding
night (at age seven, as is the village custom). Her husband Vishnu is also
seven. Meena is adopted by an American couple and brought to San Francisco.
Now with her adoptive parents dead, Meena feels a pull toward India.) The
scene is poignant because Meena doesn't know her mother is dead, the reader
does. So she asks everyone she runs into where her mother is. She remembers
much. The breeze that rose every afternoon, the camel
droppings, and the earthy taste
of the well water, etc. It reminded me when I went back to India after several
years abroad. The story is not an autobiography, by the way.
TBN: India has a rich culture and tradition of story-telling. Are there particular authors who have influenced you, or inspired you?
BHARTI KIRCHNER: I like the writings of many of the Indian writers. Pico Iyer and Vikram Chandra especially.
TBN: What will be your next book project?
BHARTI KIRCHNER: My second
novel SHARMILLA'S BOOK will be published by Dutton in Spring
1999. It's the story of an India-American woman raised in Chicago
(by parents who are Indians) who goes back to India for an arranged marriage.
I just finished the book.
TBN: How does the city of Seattle's mood or ambiance, and society, affect your writing?
BHARTI KIRCHNER: Seattle
is a wonderful, magical place for me as a writer. The gentle rain acts
as a barrier against noise and distraction. The day the sun shines is almost
a
poetic celebration. This is
a city friendly to booklovers. And there are terrific bookstores here as
well as support for writers.
Thank you, Bharti, we'll look
forward to reading and reviewing SHIVA DANCING soon.