Summary of the book: Meet Rosie, an absolutely adorable Streetie living in Bangalore. Rosie is fluffy, and brown, and has a pink flower perched behind her ear. She relies on the kindness of people to give her snacks and pats! Otherwise, she’s not always able to find food and some days she goes hungry. Rosie has special powers which allow her to talk! She doesn’t speak because she’s nervous about what could happen if people find out about her secret powers. One day, Rosie meets Laila, a nine-year-old child whose favorite subjects are math and drama. Once they meet one another, their lives change forever! They go through a series of adventures together all the while encouraging love, empathy, compassion, and kindness to one another and others.
- Can you tell us a little about your book?
Rosie, an adorable streetie, lives in Bangalore. As a streetie, food isn’t always easy to come by and most nights Rosie sleeps under cars. Her life changes when she meets Laila, a kind nine-year-old child. As their relationship deepens, Rosie shares her big secret with Laila. Rosie can actually speak! She doesn’t speak to anyone openly because she’s nervous about what could happen if people find out about her special powers. Once Rosie spills the beans to Laila, they discuss and share everything (in secret of course). The book takes children and parents through a series of adventures where Rosie and Laila teach the world about love, compassion, empathy and understanding. This book is for children between the ages of 6 to 11 years.
2. Is there a specific event that inspired this story or was this an out-of-the-blue idea?
As a dog lover, I knew I wanted to write about a female dog and build a series of characters around her who are loving and honest. Around this entire set of characters, I wanted to create adventures that would excite and delight children. Underpinning the stories are universal values of love, compassion, empathy, and understanding. My inspiration was centered around my love for dogs and animals and the bond shared between humans and animals. Writing about an Indie street and her human bestie felt natural and was an extension of my experiences with animals.
3. What got you writing in the first place?
For years, I’d harbored aspirations to write children’s books. What better way to share a piece of your heart with the world and in doing so, hopefully positively influence young minds and leave the world a little better off? In 2022, I decided to bite the bullet and get deep into writing. And I’m so glad I did so I could exercise that creative part of my personality more. Creating the world of Rosie and Laila has been an absolute pleasure and I’ve fallen in love with both of them so much.
4. Which part of your story connects the most with you? Why?
I’d say it is really two aspects that connect the most with me. One is the love shared between Rosie and Laila and that they are one another’s pair bond. I was an only child for the first 11 years of my life and got my first dog when I was 2. For my childhood and adulthood, dogs have been in my life so I know what that feeling of love between animals and humans is like. The second are the themes of love, compassion, empathy, and understanding which run through the book. These are positive, universal themes that resonate with many.
5. What makes your book the one to read?
The stories are sweet, heart-warming, and easily relatable for kids! The two protagonists, Rosie and Laila, are also dog-gone cute!
6. What was the best advice you got while writing?
My aunt who’s an author told me to write for pleasure and to immerse myself in the process.
7. Who’s your all-time favorite author? Which book of his/hers made you fall in love with them?
I like authors who speak to my heart and in doing so, leave a mark. Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music and Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha are two of my favorite books.
8. What is your evergreen tip to the writers out there?
It’s only one life so if you want to write and create, go ahead and take the plunge!
9. What was your hardest scene to write?
While there was no hardest scene to write per se, the dialogue was something I kept coming back to. I’ve worked in the corporate world for over two decades and found that my style of writing at certain points was formal and more in line with business writing. A friend who reviewed the draft manuscript shared this feedback with me early on. This timely feedback showed me that I needed to switch off that corporate part of my brain and think more about the characters connecting with one another with the real-time language they’d use as young children… so basically, more fun, light, and sweet dialogues.
10. Do you have another plot brewing?
Haha, yes! I have most of the next book written for Rosie and Laila. These adventures take Rosie and Laila to some new, undiscovered places and inform their thoughts, perspectives, and service to others! There are also some new characters that come into the stories! too!
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9358128992?ref=myi_title_dp
