Chatting with a writer of romance – Shoma Narayanan
tgbc: What’s your personal brand of romance?
Shoma: Fun, flirty and feisty
tgbc: The nicest gift you have received from a loved one!
Shoma: The Kindle Paperwhite my husband gifted me last birthday.
tgbc: What would you cook up for a romantic dinner?
Shoma: Soup, grilled vegetables, freshly baked bread, and a totally decadent chocolate dessert.
tgbc: On a date – would it be a chiffon sari and bindi, or a long sexy gown?
Shoma: A long sexy gown. Always.
tgbc: Your favorite fragrance.
Shoma: Damp earth. Citrus and orange blossom. Oh, and if it’s coming out of a bottle, Chanel No 5 is near perfect ☺
tgbc: Who is your favorite character in your book/books?
Shoma: My favourite character from the seven books I’ve written so far is Neil Mitra ffrom “Secrets and Saris” He’s a single dad, and he’s a perfect mix of cool good sense and absolutely gorgeous looks.
tgbc: Difference between love and lust?
Shoma: Romantic love doesn’t work without a good dose of lust, but it’s a lot more than just physical attraction. There’s been a lot said on the difference between the two, but my favourite quote on the subject is Euripedes “Love distils desire upon the eyes, love brings bewitching grace into the heart”.
tgbc: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Shoma: Everywhere! From people around me, books, movies, life….
tgbc: How do you do your research?
Shoma: I read up on locations and settings, do lots of googling on food.
tgbc: Does Tall, Dark and Handsome work for India? Or would it be Tall, Fair and Handsome?
Shoma: In the West, ‘dark’ refers to the colour of the hero’s hair – in India pretty much 99% of the eligible male population has black or brown hair, so the ‘tall’ and ‘handsome’ are what matter!
tgbc: In what way (apart from the Indian characters and Indian setting) are the Indian Harlequin/M&B’s different from their western counterparts?
Shoma: The characters are perhaps more influenced by their families than in the Western books. And there’s a deference to tradition and convention that very uniquely Indian.
tgbc: Your favorite M&B author or a memorable one you read years ago!
Shoma: My favourite romance author is Courtney Milan. I like Fiona Harper’s books and Sarah Mayberry’s as well.
About Preeti Singh
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