January
has always been my favorite month of the year.
As a kid, it was based solely on the reasoning
that my birthday falls in this month. For my
mom, the month presented itself as a challenge
since her only daughter's birthday cake
request was usually strawberry shortcake. Yes,
it's kind of tough finding fresh, sweet
strawberries in the dead of winter. I guess that's
why my mom and husband agree that I can be a
little high-maintenance …at times.
 All kidding aside, it's refreshing to
be able to start anew. We all dream of
cleaning that slate that needs dusting off and
embarking on a journey that knows no bounds.
This month's jewel epitomizes that reality
through not only her life, but also in her latest
release, The Sound of Language. Her
eloquently written novel follows the transformation
of two lost souls, an Afghan refugee and a Danish
widower, who must come to terms with the hand
that each has been dealt. Despite a language
barrier, they manage to find a  commonality that
guides them into uncharted waters which ultimately
threatens their very existence. Honestly, this
book is perfect for the time of year which encompasses
change and new horizons. After reading it, I
do think you'll agree.
As part of this interview, Ballantine
Books has graciously donated
five copies for my contest section. So, please
look for the trivia question and enter to
win your own copy of The Sound
of Language. I
hope you enjoy my interview.
Find in the library's catalog.
Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your
educational and professional background so that
my readers can get a better sense of who you
are and how your background has influenced your
writing.
Amulya:
I have a bachelor's degree in engineering
and master's degree in journalism. I went
into journalism because I have always been a
writer. I wrote my first book (all 50 handwritten
pages of it) when I was 11. I think my affection
and affinity for writing has influenced my academic
choices. After finishing journalism school I
worked in the Silicon Valley as a copy writer
and marketing manager.
Jen: I truly believe
that writers are born, not created. Do you agree? Have
you always had that burning desire to put your
thoughts on paper? What was the driving force
that led you to embrace this career?
Amulya:
I can't say if writers in general are born
or created. I always had the writing bug. It
started early for me and never left. I'm
a writer, it's part of my personality—I
can't switch it off. And there have
been times I wished I could switch it off, especially
in those days when I was collecting rejection
letters from agents.
Jen: How did you arrive at the premise for your
latest release, The Sound of Language?
Amulya:
Living in Denmark as an immigrant makes you ask
many questions and makes you aware of being
an immigrant—more so than it does in
the United States. So I knew I wanted to address
this in a book. Then I took Danish language
classes and met some wonderful women, mostly
refugees from Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iran.
That's when the story started to form.
Jen: I was fascinated
with the diary entries by Anna, the beekeeper's departed wife,
at the beginning of each chapter. First of all,
why beekeeping? Secondly, how much research
went into the novel to accurately describe the
life of a beekeeper?
Amulya:
I am so glad you liked the diary entries. I was
worried when I put them in—I didn't
want it to look like a gimmick. It was
my way of introducing Anna to the reader even
though she's dead.
Every language has a sound. Try hearing a language
you don't have any clue about and it has
a sound. Some sound like music, others like stones
rattling in a steel container and some others
like the buzzing of bees.
When I first
moved to Denmark, that's
how Danish sounded to me: like the buzzing of
bees. In Scandinavia, Danish is the hardest language
to learn because it's the hardest language
to understand. People speak as if they have a
hot potato in their mouth. They randomly shorten
words and make four words into one sound. Now
that I understand some Danish, the buzzing has
lessened, but it's still there when people
speak too quickly or they're speaking with
a heavy Northern Jylland accent.
So it had to
be beekeeping because I kept thinking of buzzing
bees when people spoke Danish.
The
research part actually came easily because my
husband's uncle is the top bee expert
in Denmark. And Flemming was wonderful. He helped
me throughout the book and even read it a couple
of times to make sure the beekeeping material
was correct.
Jen: One of the things
I liked best about this novel is the way in
which you intertwined two cultures without
condemning one or praising the other. For you,
what was the most difficult part of the novel
to write and why?
Amulya:
Thank you! As you can imagine, it didn't
come easy.
The most difficult part was to get off
the soap box—to avoid getting preachy about
the racism that still exists and can make life
difficult for immigrants who try to create new
lives for themselves in Denmark.
I have always
had a great respect for Afghans, their strength
and their cultural values. So I had to make sure
I didn't overdo that
bit either.
I was worried throughout the writing
process about how I was depicting one culture
or the other. I'd read stuff out to my
husband and ask him “So, am I being unfair?” He's
a Dane so helped me with the Danish parts. I
hope I did the Afghan parts justice. The readers,
I'm sure, will let me know.
Jen: I think the pinnacle
point of the story (without giving too much
away) is of course the act of violence towards
Raihana that forever alters her relationship
with Gunnar. What was your motivation for taking
that turn and subsequently, how did it further
define the tone of the novel? Did
you debate the necessity of the scene in relation
to the plot?
Amulya:
I always knew that this scene would be part of
the book—so I didn't debate whether
it should be in or not.
Just a couple of years
ago, seven neo-Nazi teenagers attacked a Somali
family in the town of Langeskove on the island
of Fyn. The family was in the house when the
young men started to break the windows with
bats. The family had to run with their children
to a neighbor's house to avoid getting
beaten up. This attack caused quite an outrage
in Langeskove. When I heard about the incident,
I knew I had to write about it. This was a terrible
act of violence that showed that trouble is brewing
in Denmark and that there are Danes who will
not tolerate it either.
Jen: With each chapter,
you enabled the reader to get inside Raihana's mind and see the
world in the way in which she viewed it. We see
her evolve from a scared young woman to a strong,
vibrant person ready to face life's challenges.
What message, if any, were you sending through
this character?
Amulya:
I wanted to show that no matter how bad things
get, the human spirit finds a way to stay alive.
My editor once told me that I write books about
women trying to find their place in society,
and that is what Raihana's story is about.
The society is Danish and at times unwelcoming
but she finds her place all the same, thanks
to the help of people like Christina and Gunnar.
Jen: Gunnar is a complex
character who struggles with his own demons. Like Raihana, he has
to come to terms with the reality that sometimes
there is no justice. Will Gunnar's voice
be heard? What life lessons has he learned from
Raihana?
Amulya:
I think Gunnar's struggles, he realizes,
are not as complicated as Raihana's struggles.
He lost his wife and that is difficult—but
no one murdered her and he probably finds some
relief in that when he compares his situation
with Raihana's. He learns from Raihana
that he needs to be happy again—if she
can find happiness despite all that she's
been through, he probably feels he has a higher
responsibility for getting on with his life.
Jen: Despite being
from a male dominant culture, the men in this
novel take a backseat to the women. For example,
now that Raihana is in Denmark, she is able
to contemplate a marriage proposal instead
of being told to whom she must betroth. In
your opinion, how has the view of women shifted
in cultures such as Pakistan? Afghanistan? Or
has it at all?
Amulya:
Pakistan is very different from Afghanistan.
Pakistan has its radicals but mostly people
are just like they're in India—women
in cities and those coming from liberal families
have the same freedom I do.
Afghanistan is probably
not the same, but women who leave and come
to another country have more freedom, depending
upon the men in their life. In The Sound
of Language, Kabir is open-minded,
which helps Raihana make her own decisions.
Jen: As you well know, this novel incorporates
many parts of you in the sense that like your
main character, Raihana, you are a foreigner
living in Denmark. Please tell us what the most
challenging part of living there has been and
how have you overcome it?
Amulya:
I have been an immigrant twice now. I was an
immigrant in the United States, which was very
easy. I was accepted easily and I became American
for that duration. Living in Denmark hasn't
been that easy. I still feel like a tourist
sometimes. But now that we live in the city
of Copenhagen, which is very cosmopolitan,
things have become better.
Jen: The Sound of Language is
your fifth release. (Congratulations!) If you
had to pinpoint the defining moment in your career
thus far, what would it be and why?
Amulya:
Oh that's easy. That would be when my agent
called me on my way to work to tell me that there
was a two-book offer on the table from Ballantine—that
was the first time I felt like a real writer.
Jen: If you could go back and do it over again,
what one thing in relation to your career would
you do differently and why?
Amulya:
Absolutely nothing!
Jen: Has there been any talk of seeing any of
your novels up on the big screen?
Amulya:
Once in a while someone will send an email and
ask something but nothing “real” so
far.
Jen: Are you currently
at work on your next novel? If so, what
can you tell us about it?
Amulya:
I am now working on a book titled All
the Colors in Between. This
book is set in the San Francisco Bay Area and
is about an Indian woman, Naina, who is going
through a divorce (Indians don't divorce),
her American and white stepmother (her father
married Miranda just a year after Naina's
very Indian mother died), her best friend (a
black woman who's dating a slimy Indian
man who will never marry her)—and last
but not the least, her dead great aunt, a famous
actress in black and white Bollywood, who haunts
Naina's dreams, visiting her on black and
white Hindi movie sets. Between a Bollywood
director screaming “cut” in her black
and white dreams; her future ex-husband promising
to wage war against the much-needed divorce so
that he doesn't have to tell his parents;
and her attraction to her cousin's husband
as well as a man whose name she doesn't
know, Naina has to navigate treacherous emotional
minefields and grow up. I'm having
a great time working on All the Colors in
Between; it's a good change from my
last two books, which were quite serious.
Jen: Please tell us
about your website. Do you have a mailing list?
Email notification of new releases? Do you
participate in author phone chats? If
so, how would my readers go about arranging
one?
Amulya:
I update my website as often as possible. This
is my calling card to the world—and my
readers come here to learn about my other books
and me, so I make sure it's in good shape.
You
can sign up for my newsletter at: http://www.amulyamalladi.com/newsletter.htm.
You can also sign up for an author chat at: http://www.amulyamalladi.com/bookclubs.htm.
A special joy for any author is to meet and speak
with readers. I love calling into book club meetings
and answering questions about my books, my life,
my writing process and everything in between,
even though it sometimes means waking up at 3
a.m. to call into a book club meeting in Minnesota.
I have talked with book clubs all over the United
States and it's always a wonderful experience.
Jen: Thank you so
much for taking the time to chat with my readers. Your novel is so
insightful and well-written. I highly recommend
it to all of my readers! I wish you only the
best in 2008!
Amulya:
Thanks so much for such an insightful interview.
Your questions were very thought-provoking and
I appreciate the time you took to read The
Sound of Languageand come up with
the questions.
Why not start off the New Year with a bang and
win The Sound of Language?
Five of my lucky readers will do just that! Be
one of the first five people to email me at jensjewels@gmail.com with
the correct answer to the following question
and the book will be yours:
What is the title of Amulya's next release?
On the 15th of the month, I will be bringing
to you my interview with mystery writer, Roberta
Isleib, whose latest release titled Preaching
to the Corpse is now in stores!
Want more interviews or book reviews? Then why
not check out www.jennifervido.com ?
Your ultimate source of what's hot and
what's not in the world of publishing is
just a click away!
Happy New Year….Jen
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Meet
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