Author of The Housewife
A current resident of California, USA, Aarti was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. she holds a Master of Arts degree in Psychology, Master of Business Administration in Marketing and also an Engineering degree in Computer Science.
Working as a technical professional in the IT sector for over 15 years hasn’t curbed her enthusiasm to continue exploring art including writing, one of the few art forms she is passionate about. Cherishing her passion for arts, she played lead actress role in a lyrical music video in Mumbai, India; as well as performed in theatre in the bay area. She has cooked with celebrities like Sanjeev Kapoor on his tv channel and continue enjoying cooking different kinds of world cuisines.
She is a doting wife and a mother, lives with my husband and two children in sunny California, USA.
Sharon - Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Author Aarti - Being one among the WoMEN is intimidating as the word WoMEN itself manifests "World of MEN". Like many others, I too dream of a world where every individual is free to pursue a happy life regardless of color, race or gender. The general understanding of our society is that women lie, betray and manipulate each other. We have stereotyped women: you are either this ice queen persona - cold-hearted, aggressive woman who doesn’t care about anyone but herself or you are like this housewife persona– subdued, weak and powerless.
I wanted to break this myth that women can only be jealous of each other. In the book, “The Housewife” you will learn how women, best friends Ava and Jennifer build each other strong in difficult time instead of pulling each other down. You will find my books, my blogs are driven by this passion and belief and you will recognise that most of my thoughts resonate with yours!
Sharon - Tell us more about your book?
The Housewife” has two main characters, both main characters are female characters. It is a story of a model housewife Ava and her best friend forever Jennifer. The characters are so real that they bring alive our own life experiences. Many moments from the story, you will instantly identify with and relate to!
Ava and Jennifer both find themselves thrown off balance from their otherwise routine and serene family lives when they meet an old friend after many years. The foundation of friendship rests on love, trust, and mutual respect but what happens when secrets start thriving? It’s simply impossible not to think of what will happen next especially when Ava wakes up in a pool of blood of her good friend.
Trust breaks, secret finds its centerstage and friendship is put to test. A lot happens that will hold you to the pages till the end.
I can promise you it is one of the greatest stories ever told before of true friendship.
Sharon - What Genre is your book and why did you make that choice?
Author Aarti - The genre of my book is fiction- murder mystery. The characters are so real that they bring alive your own life experiences. Many moments from the story, you will instantly identify with and relate to! Though my characters are fictional, they are inspired from real life situations which can arise in any of our lives. Situations that force us to doubt the choices we make, sometimes even our own capabilities! One thing that majority of people would agree is that we should continue to believe in ourselves. As humans, we tend to do the best that we can to take care of our own life and of that of our near and dear ones. I have tried to capture in my characters the real nature of humans and the typical actions and reactions that real life people would probably undertake to address real life situations.
Sharon - How long did it take for you to complete this book?
Author Aarti - I have been working on the concept for over a year but the actual writing probably took 3-4 months.
Sharon - What was the hardest part while writing this book?
Author Aarti - Looking at the complexity of life of Ava and the hardships that she had to go through in her life, l was determined to focus on each part of her life journey to give justice to the events. I actually had a mixed combination of writing- the initial part was written in order of the text, but as the mystery got more intriguing, I rewrote some part to follow the actual order of events. In fact, this I believe has been my biggest accomplishment as an author.
Sharon - How did you come up with the Title of this book?
Author Aarti - The title is driven by the main characters of the story, both women who are strong leads running the story through a roller coaster. The title “The Housewife- the end is just the beginning” hints to the sequel of the book that I am currently working on which should be published next.
Sharon - Did you design your book cover or hire a professional?
Author Aarti - I hired a professional.
Sharon - Did you self-Publish or use a publisher? Who was the publisher and how much time did they take to publish your book?
Author Aarti - My book was published by The Write Place/Crossword Bookstores Ltd. They published the book in approximately 3 months
Sharon - How did you celebrate after you completed your book?
Author Aarti - My family has been very encouraging throughout this writing journey, so a celebration with them was guaranteed!
Sharon - How do you deal with negative reviews on your book review?
Author Aarti - I think life is not black or white. So are the life experiences. I learn from all – white, black or gray. I believe in continuous improvement.
Sharon - When did you start writing?
Author Aarti - Writing is my passion. I probably wrote my first poem when I was in second standard. So far, I have written at least 100 odd literary pieces. I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of fiction-writing, it is like telling unreal stories that have the ring of truth to it. You get to be the magician who can cast a spell that makes the reader believe that these unreal stories are indeed real.
Sharon - How many books have you written?
Author Aarti - As a published author, “The Housewife- the end is just the beginning” is my first published book.
Sharon - Who is your favorite Author and why?
Author Aarti - Too many to highlight. If a book makes me think out-of-the-box, holds me on the edge of my seat, either to be shocked or surprised or brings even a slight smile on my face, it is a winner for me!
Sharon - Can you tell us exclusively about your next book or projects around writing?
Author Aarti - Yes. The sequel of “The Housewife” is underway and should be coming out next, packed with more mystery and more surprises. Not to reveal much, my readers be prepared to be mesmerised by the characters of my story once again, in ways you would have not imagined!!!
Sharon - What advice would you give to a writer, for their first book?
Author Aarti - My writing aim is always to convey some greater “truth” in the process. Like in the book “The Housewife”, I have focused to convey the important message of women empowerment. I know there are probably many definitions that are out there today for it but for me, it means that as a woman we need to empower each other in addition to self- empowering. From one writer to another, I would like to encourage writers to find their truth to tell.
BUY FROM AMAZON
https://www.amazon.in/HOUSEWIFE-end-just-beginning/dp/9389058457 
To Follow the Author
FACEBOOK link
https://www.facebook.com/istandforwe
INSTAGRAM link https://www.instagram.com/istandforwe/
TWITTER link
@iamaartii
SELF WEBSITE link
www.iamaarti.comWe wish Aarti all the success for her book.
Interview by Sharon Swathi Gaddala