PVPF 2024

Interview with Divya Anand, author of "Written In the Stars"

on Feb 14, 2022

Frontlist: You won Juggernaut’s Times LitFest Contest and gave two bestsellers till now. Have you thought of what if one of your books fails to impress the audience? How would you deal with that peer pressure?

Divya: That's a very real fear that readers may not like my book. As a writer, I endeavour to write what I'd pick up as a reader. And that (I think) keeps my writing honest. I'm thrilled that my readers have liked all my books so far, and I hope this continues with my future books too!

Frontlist: You have added a spice of horoscope to write down a romantic story. How did you come up with the story idea?

Divya: I once had a co-worker who mentioned that he followed a particular horoscope. He mentioned that he even set up meetings based on whether it was a "good" day. That thought struck me, especially since it's very odd to hear anyone in the tech world admit to believing in astrology or luck. And I imagined what it would be like if someone decided to use such an obsession to manipulate the believer, and what if it all went wrong because of some astrological mixed signals.

Frontlist: As your profile says, ‘you are a product manager by day and an author by
night’. So how do you manage to write in between everything?

Divya: I spend a lot of time in the evenings and during my time off with my books. I tend to write in spurts so there may be weeks where I don't write and then weeks when I'm writing everyday. I find writing to be therapeutic and that's what keeps me going.

Frontlist: When did you discover your passion for writing?

Divya: I've always been a reader, and I think every reader also harbors a wish to write. My first attempt at writing a book came when I was 13 years old - I had just moved and I was missing my old life, school and friends. I wrote a very derivative Enid Blyton-like school story where the characters were all based on my friends. But I ended up password-locking the file and haven't been able to read it since. I've also always had diaries, and wrote a blog as well. So I've always written, it's only recently that I began to share my writing publicly.

Frontlist: ‘Written in Stars’ portrays the challenges a woman faces at the workplace.
Have you co-related the situation from your daily life or the activities around you?

Divya: Yes, a lot of the challenges are based on my own experiences in the corporate world. Of course, the events and people are all fictional!

Frontlist: What should a writer avoid while writing romantic stories?

Divya: I actually enjoy all romantic tropes! But I think it's important for the writer to really work on the characters and their chemistry when it comes to romance novels. Because as the characters fall in love with each other, you want the readers to fall in love with them and root for them.

Frontlist: Do you think romance is an interplay between loneliness and our need for
intimacy?

Divya: I think romance, especially romantic fiction comes from our need for companionship. There's a desire to find that one person who makes you laugh, makes you think, and brings out the best in you. Having said that, I think all of these can also come out in a really great bond of friendship! That's one of the reasons why I also put in a lot of effort in the friendships in my book, and not just in the romantic relationships.