Cover Created By Mischa Temaul
My last blog post was in July...wow. LOL. I do apologize for the lack of updates, but not much was happening to share. I haven't written or worked on any of my stories, but I'm hoping to jump back into my writing.
I believe I mentioned last that I was shelving Namaste India! from the query trenches in order to focus on my next YA story: Wicked Game. I've actually been contemplating changing the title of the story to Space Girl. Whenever my co-worker, Rachelle, and I chat about my writing, she always says "Space Girl" in reference to that story.
If the title of this blog post wasn't a hint, I am happy to say that Namaste India! is exclusive on Wattpad for those wanting to read the story. I've been contemplating in my head about doing it for quite some time now. I had a lot of hope that once Space Girl landed me a literary agent, Namaste India! would get the chance it deserves. I really did not want to lock it in a box of unpublished stories.
Plus, I was tired of waiting. I wanted to go the traditional route with getting a literary agent to help my career as an author. However, it may be quite some time before I obtain a literary agent. There are so many platforms and other alternatives for writers out there---especially now with social media platforms to help promote your art. I had once considered self-publishing---but again, I really dreamt of having a literary agent---but it demanded a lot of work and time. Some people who self-publish are blessed in having their art become recognized.
I've seen a lot of success stories come from stories being posted on Wattpad. While I'd love for something like that to happen for Namaste India!, I really just wanted to share this story with others. It may not be read by many people---some may hate it, some may enjoy it, but at least I know it's out there in the world instead of being locked away.
Now, Namaste India! was previously published back in March 2009. I got caught up in the excitement of knowing my book was going to be published--I was a novice. I didn't do my research, I didn't do my homework in regards to that particular publisher. It was such an absolute bad experience and I waited seven years to get my book rights back (if I wanted it back early, I had to purchase it and it was $$$$$. So, I waited.) After receiving my book rights back, I gave this story a brand new, fresh start.
I've had a few people look at the cover and ask me why is she [the character] white? Namaste India! was written during the years where diversity or representation in books did not exist---not as it does today with numerous books being published by writers of colour. Had I written the character as an Indian-American teen, would it have been published? No. That's the sad truth.
The story I wanted to tell with Namaste India! was about an American teen girl having her life turned upside-down after relocating to Mumbai---she's placed out of her comfort zone; experiencing a culture shock, having to adapt to the food, the environment, etc. The commentary of some people would be that I can't or should've written such a story in regards to the character. Well, perhaps the character is based on someone I know or that I was inspired by their travels to write such a story. Or that it was my own experience after living in America that I chose to put a twist on it where it's a Caucasian girl living in India.
Of course, I could've gone in the direction of making the main character be half-white, half-Desi such as Lara Jean Song Covey [half-white, half-Korean] from Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I can still go in that direction with the story if I adapted it into a screenplay---make changes to have the character be half-British, half-Desi like Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra from film director Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham. I can even switch gears and make the character be a Guyanese-American. Possibilities are endless.
However, as I stated, I just wanted to share this story and build a readership (saying fans is weird.) WattPad is a platform that is available to me as a writer to share my art, my work and I love that I'm able to do that.
With that being said, if anyone has a moment, then please do read, comment, and vote for Namaste India! on WattPad.
Lastly, I have a few days off coming up which I hope to jump into working on Space Girl---also, to study Korean. I know I'm not the best with updating, but I'm working on a few projects that I do want to share on my website. So, stay tuned for that!
Stay safe & God Bless.
Kindest Regards,
Mischa
Комментарии