Shuchi Kalra Sizzles up Love with Humour

Done With Men by Shuchi Singh Kalra

The Blurb

Travel journo, Kairavi Krishna (Kay) has had it with men. After a series of disasters (losers, philanderers, leeches, mama’s boys and possessive psychos), she is all too tempted to walk out on the prospect of ever finding love. Accompanied by her best friend and flat-mate Baani, she sets off for Goa, hoping to get away from her miserable love life and vowing to stay clear of the male species. 

Goa however, has a host of surprises in store for her. Ricky, her pesky ex-boyfriend, is busy painting the town red with his hot new girlfriend. Now what is poor Kay to do other than overdose on vodka, smoke pot, get an outrageous tattoo and fall off the hotel balcony? She wakes up in the hospital to the tender ministrations of Dr.Vivian D’Mello–young, suave and handsome as hell. Will Kay stick to her guns or will she fall for his ridiculously sexy charms? And what’s up with the mixed signals he’s giving out?

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Meet the author

The Author’s Thoughts

Shuchi Singh Kalra is a writer, editor and blogger based in India. She has been writing since 2005, and has freelanced with popular magazines such as Femina.in, Good Housekeeping, Home Review, Parent & Child, Vista, Investors India, Dogs & Pups, Women’s Era and Time ‘N’ Style among many others. her short stories have found a place in anthologies such as Love Across Borders and New Asian Writing’s upcoming collection (to be published in 2014).

Shuchi is also the owner of Pixie Dust Writing Studio, a writing and editing firm that services a global clientele, and the Indian Freelance Writers Blog. She currently lives a nomadic life with a fauji husband and a livewire toddler. 

Done With Men is her first book.

     

  

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And now…meet the author, Shuchi Kalra

Congratulations, Shuchi on the launch and instant success of your book. Getting on to the bestseller lists with your debut book is no mean feat.  Let’s begin with the title of your book. It’s catchy, it’s got sex appeal… how easy/tough was it to come up with that title? Did the title spark the story or the other way round?

Thank you Adite, and I’m so glad you found the title interesting! I didn’t have a title in mind when I started writing the book, and it hit me somewhere midway in one of those eureka moments. I was going through my twitter feed and someone had tweeted the phrase “done with men”. I realized that it captured the essence of the story and the mood of my protagonist perfectly and so I decided to keep it.

Does humour writing come easily to you? Is it your preferred style of writing or are you open to experimenting with other genres/styles?

I enjoy reading humour the most and that is the style that comes most naturally to me. However that doesn’t mean I’m not going to experiment with other genres.

You have been a freelance content writer. How did that experience help you in writing DWM?

Well, being a professional writer does help in several ways, especially when it comes to discipline and time management. The process of writing is also less of a struggle when you have been doing it everyday for several years.

There are plenty of chick-lit (for want of a better tag!) novellas/novels being published. How did you ensure that DWM wasn’t just one more of those titles?

To be honest, I didn’t really make a conscious effort to be “different” or unusual. I just set out to write a book that readers would enjoy and I wrote whatever felt right for the story. I consider myself lucky that people have connected with the characters so well.

Self-promotion seems to be as important a tool in an author’s toolkit as writing skills. While the upside of it is evident, can there be a downside to it?

It’s a massive pain in the butt, isn’t it? I consider it a necessary evil and I believe that active participation from the author encourages the publisher to put more marketing resources behind the book. On the flipside, it leaves you with lesser time to focus on your writing.

What was the part of the DWM writing journey that you enjoyed the most and what was the bit that you hated?

There is a scene in the book where Kay eats shrimps to please Vivian even though she is allergic to them and what follows is complete mayhem. I enjoyed writing that part the most. I wouldn’t say I hated anything about the journey but I find promotional activities extremely exhausting.

What is Shuchi Kalra’s deepest, darkest secret? 😉

I ain’t telling!  No seriously,  I dont have any 😉

What’s next on your book writing agenda?

I’m working on another rom-com and the sequel to DWM. There are a couple of other half-baked manuscripts in the waiting as well.

Thank you Shuchi and I eagerly look forward to your next title. Good luck!