Subhechcha Ganguly 
Q1) Tell us about your first experience when you started writing?
Ans: I had a dream to be a novelist right from my schooldays. But it stayed on the backseat because other things demanded attention like completing one’s studies, the demands of a high powered job, the duties of family life… I was only able to revive this schoolgirl dream when I left a structured government job for creative self-exploration. A novel is an ambitious proposition compared to shorter writing. But I persevered, moving from one chapter to the next, until my debut novel “Blossom Showers” was a thick printed book that went on the shelves of major bookstores. When people reported their enjoyment with my work, it was a happy feeling that rewarded my choice to be creative.
Q2) You have recently written the book “Vectors in the Void”. Tell us how you decided the plot of the book. Also attach the link of your book.
Ans: Ms Orna Sagiv, Consul General of Israel at the time released my debut novel “Blossom Showers” at the Landmark bookstore in Mumbai. At this event, I committed to her that my next novel would touch on her country. This would indeed be the case, as my protagonist’s life is affected by the birth of three countries- India, Pakistan and Israel. Additionally, my interest in history took me to India’s Independence and Partition. I worked out a plot where the Second World War in Europe and the Partition of India would find a meeting ground in the emotional life of my characters.
I also thought it would be interesting to view a long sweep of history through the eyes of a single person. She experiences some major events in her lifetime not just as an observer, but as they shape her destiny. There are also dramas within the family, like dealing with the competing needs of children and their different personalities.You can find the book at https://amzn.eu/d/af8tJzm
Q3) What do you think is the USP of your latest novel?
I give utmost importance to characters who are crafted to be realistic and lifelike. I am heartened that readers have responded with overwhelming warmth to this aspect of my novels. I have been especially blown away with how they have related to the persona of my protagonist Zara in “Vectors in the Void”.
Plots of my novels also possess a strong pace that keep the pages turning, often with a surprise element. While aiming for the reader to be entertained, I also make sure to impart information and insights that they may find enlightening in the long term.
With “Vectors in the Void”, I’d say there is an intricate crafting to be appreciated, for how diverse events and elements ultimately fit around a central point.
Q4) Your debut novel was “Blossom Showers”. Tell us more about your first book and attach the link of the book as well.
Ans: This is a story that covers three generations of a coffee cultivating family. It is narrated from the perspective of three protagonists over different periods of time- two male and one female. It is an engrossing tale of emotions that is also hugely informative about the setting it deals with. https://amzn.eu/d/92AbCtH
Q5) Do you think hobbies keep a person cheerful and active in life? Tell us more about your hobbies.
Ans: Of course, we all need a point of diversion from our primary occupations. I am lucky in the sense of doing what I enjoy and enjoying what I do. I feel stimulated to chase up on information of various kinds that might find its way to creative pursuits. I enjoy public speaking to different audiences. I love music, both as a listener and even to compose. I am fond of dancing, from ballroom to Bharatnatyam; I am currently learning the latter. As a vegan, I am active in the food space coming up with new dishes and interesting menus. The most soul satisfying activity for me is feeding street animals and being there for various causes related to fellow living beings.
Q6) If we had to describe Author Giselle Mehta in a few words, how would it be?
Ans: “Epic imagination, Powered by the heart”.
Epic imagination is a description I received from one of my readers. I relate to it because both my novels are epics/ sagas in their form, going beyond the lifetime of a single person for issues to work themselves out over longer periods of time.
I also see myself as someone centered in the heart, sensitive to all it means to be human. My creative work also comes from a place of compassion and concern for what I feel to be major issues confronting our day and age.
Thank you, Interview Times for this opportunity to share aspects of my creative persona.
