Q 1 What inspires you to write?
My whole waking life is centered around storytelling. In my childhood, I used to concoct stories of whales, dolphins, and other fantastic elements and narrate them to my friends. Because of this, my class teacher called my mother and complained, that I deliberately made a nuisance in the class. To answer the question, it’s always there in me. If I don’t write or don’t create stories, I might lose myself.
Q 2 What themes or subjects do you often find yourself drawn to in writing?
“Mostly magical realism “. Reality is boring and we all could use a little bit of fantasy or queerness in our lives to transform the mundaneness into something beautiful, something extraordinary.
Q 3 Describe a lesser-known aspect of Jeet .
I love music. Mostly classical music. I am learning to play flute, but nowhere near to excellence.
Q 4 Are there specific messages or feelings you hope your readers take away from your story?
Mist in a Bottle is a story about growing up and accepting things that are beyond your control. Throughout the story, I tried to make the characters relatable to an average person, who has experienced different shades of complex human emotion. Because, underneath the flesh and bones, we are nothing but a bagful of diverse emotions; and everyone lives it differently.
Q 5 Memorable incident while writing the book.
My daughter was born during the first draft of the book and this phenomenon exposed a side of me that I never knew existed. A completely different set of emotions inundated me and also helped me dig deeper into the complexity of relationships around us.
Q 6 Tell us about the first book you read that made you cry.
I don’t remember quite well. I have been reading books since my childhood and, each and everyone had a different impact on me. It’s difficult to name anyone, but recently I read a Bengali book “Indubala Bhater Hotel”, which is written very beautifully and definitely one of the tear-jerkers.
Q 7 Any advice for aspiring writers?
Write every day.
Q 8 Do you believe that a writer needs to have strong emotions?
Yes. Otherwise, it will be difficult to replicate in the art.
Q 9 Tell us more about the book.
I once read a quote,” If you don’t find a story to your liking, then it’s time to create one”. Not sure from where but it certainly spurred me to write this book. Mist in a Bottle is a story of growing up, standing upright in front of precarious situations, and navigating around difficult circumstances. There are many shades of this story. The more you peel away the petals, the more it will enchant you. It’s a tapestry of friendship, love, self-discovery, romance, and fantasy.
Q 10 Given the complex publishing process in India, what was your experience?
So far, my experience with the Papers Town team has been great. Manik and his team helped in every part of the process.
