By: T. Felder
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/26/22 – Sonali Dev is an Indian American romance novelist. Her work fuses American and Indian culture, emphasizing the Bollywood style. Dev recently announced that actress Mindy Kaling selected her latest novel, The Vibrant Years, as the first acquisition for Mindy’s Book Studio, an imprint of Amazon Publishing. The studio was created to give diverse voices an opportunity to display their work to larger audiences.
In a press release, Kaling reflects on her passion for diversity, saying, “There are so many talented women writing smart, juicy, funny stories. I’m so excited that through Mindy’s Book Studio, I can help bring readers everywhere more books that reflect the diversity of our society. Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years captures the spirit of Mindy’s Book Studio. It’s a joyful and empowering read following a group of unconventional women trying to find themselves.” (Via Business Wire).
During our interview, Dev gave us insight into how her writing journey began and what we can expect from her latest project.
THT: What inspired you to begin writing romance genre novels?
SD: More than any other genre, romance novels deal in emotions, relationships, and agency. At their heart, they’re the very human journey of learning to love yourself enough to feel deserving of love and joy. The pursuit of understanding our own humanity by exploring how we find our place in the world is what’s always attracted me to reading and writing. So, it’s always been a natural fit for me.
THT: How do your works differ from that of American born writers in this genre?
SD: In some ways it doesn’t differ at all. My characters are real people who undertake the heartbreaking and hilarious journey of discovering themselves and learning how to navigate the world around them so they can live their most authentic lives. But like all writers I bring my world view and experience to my stories. So, my characters are often Indian, with complicated extended families without boundaries, and they deal with the unique societal issues, expectations, and pressures that come with that. They also run the gamut of the very diverse Indian cultural and socioeconomic fabric from being raised in rural traditional India to being born and raised in suburban America by immigrant parents.
THT: Did you face any discrimination when attempting to get your earlier works published?
SD: Of course. When I first attempted to pitch my books to traditional publishing it was 2011 and the world was an entirely different place. There was almost no diversity in western media other than the rare stereotype. I was told repeatedly that there was no readership for stories with characters who looked and lived like me, especially in commercial and genre fiction. I had editors look me in the eye and ask if I would consider changing my protagonists to be white. This past decade has seen a paradigm shift. The change has been slow, but readers are starting to see how universal the human experience is, not just in theory but in reality, they get to experience through these stories. There is richness, balance, and sheer fun to reading widely.
THT: Was the Bollywood community in Mumbai receptive to your work?
SD: Absolutely. My writing is often called cinematic in style and my stories are often described as funny, sexy, gritty Bollywood films in a book.
THT: How did it feel to have your first novel A Bollywood Affair shortlisted for a RITA Award by the Romance Writers of America?
SD: It was very exciting, naturally, since back then the RITA award was considered the definitive recognition of a book’s popularity and quality in the romance genre. But it was also extremely gratifying given that it was one of the first books with a non-white cast to be nominated. It felt like the first sliver of space we were being given to tell our stories.
THT: How did you and Mindy Kaling team up for the release of your latest novel The Vibrant Years?
SD: The work Mindy has done over the past few decades has changed the landscape for diverse creators. When she envisioned Mindy’s Book Studio, I believe she was looking for unique and entertaining voices that need to be heard. I had written The Vibrant Years as a culmination of all the things I’ve always wanted to say about being a woman. It was a perfect fit. And given how much I respect her talent as a writer, it is also a huge honor.
THT: Without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about the novel?
SD: The Vibrant Years is the story of three generations of hilarious, unconventional, ambitious women navigating the modern dating scene together. It’s a fun romp full of bad dates, a spiteful HOA board, reemerging exes, and secrets that refuse to remain hidden. But it’s also an exploration of how the world has changed for women over the past few generations and what that means in terms of self-discovery and living our lives exactly the way we want to.
THT: How is this one different from your others?
SD: In terms of genre this isn’t a romance, although I feel like there is great romanticism to it. It traces the journeys of three trailblazing women and it’s my first laugh out loud comedy that I feel confident will also make you tear up.
THT: Who has been your greatest inspiration?
SD: Growing up Mira Nair’s films were a beacon for the kind of stories I wanted to tell. Jane Austen, because of how deftly she poked fun at society and at love without ever taking either one of those lightly. The Marathi author, P L Deshpande, who wrote humorous stories and plays that cut through social masks to pinpoint the ridiculous, the flawed, and the human with unapologetic candor but also gentleness. Vikram Seth, whose book The Suitable Boy was the first time I saw myself in a book, and it made the possibility of seeing my own stories on the shelves someday a reality deep in my heart.
THT: When will The Vibrant Years be released? And how can our readers find you?
SD: The Vibrant Years will be released through the Amazon First Reads program on November 1, 2022. It will be available everywhere books are sold on December 1, 2022. You can find me at sonalidev.com and on Instagram as @sonali.dev
Pre order your copy of Sonali’s book at the link below: