An Interview with Author Pallavi Joshi | “Don’t Uglies Have Right To Love?”

About the Author:

Pallavi Joshi is an Engineer by profession and is currently, working with the Government of India. Her home is where the heart is – Delhi, since 1996. She is an enthusiast about writing, poetry, hoop embroidery, sketching, reading, and everything that is fun to learn. Writing being her passion, she wants to build a world where imagination meets reality. Obsessed with the pen, she runs a Blogspot: Wing2words.

Exclusive interview with the author

Q: What Inspired You To Write This Book?

A: Initially, a friend gave me the title – Don’t uglies have right to Love? and asked me to do justice to it. I didn’t have a story at that time, but one day I was stuck at the metro and I got my pilot chapter. I knew, how my main characters are going to look and by the time, I finished the story, a lot of life lessons inspired me to bring out what is missing in our lives, why we all are searching for love and are not able to find it easily, while it should be everywhere, for that matter mankind should exist. We all read or hear poems/quotes about 90s love, like that was the era of real love, just want to inspire people to bring it back.

Q: Can You Tell Us About The Book?

A: Dhwani, with a tragic heartbreak after 7 years of her love story, ended up believing Relationships and love are all lies and they fly away as soon as reality hits life. Jai, a child of divorced parents, carried the baggage of never having a family. Don’t uglies have right to Love? is a story of unbounded love, togetherness, and hope. This book is dedicated to all, whosoever felt they are not worthy of being loved, because somebody made them feel ugly, while they are actually the most beautiful people out there with their kind hearts, which makes them just ‘magical’.

Q: What Does The Title Mean?

A: Don’t uglies have right to Love? is a title which explains our society, ‘ugly’ is not a word which my book or thoughts endorse, it is what society speaks, sometimes people come into your life and leave you, that’s okay it is life, indeed, but when they leave making you feel that you are not worthy of being loved, just because you don’t have nice curves, good height, fair complexion and what not, it shatters you in pieces and makes you feel, you are just not enough. So, it is acceptance, okay I may not be like what society measures, but why do then my heart has to suffer and pay the price of loving someone so deeply?

Q: Was The Character Inspired By A Real Person?

A: Yes, somewhere down the line, I got inspired by real-life scenarios and the so-called ‘society’ around me. Definitely, the people who know me closely would relate as I don’t want to disclose, further. Personally, I feel, a writer pens down true emotions, what they have truly felt, let it be a pain, happiness, loss or love. Life around you is the biggest inspiration.

Q: What Do You Think Happened To The Characters After The Book Ended?

A: I fell in love with my main characters, Jai and Dhwani, for me their story is what gives me chills and makes me curious, about how their life grows over their lifetime. So, definitely, there might be a sequel to this novel, as I don’t want to leave my readers away from the 90s kind of love.

Q: How Long Does It Take You To Write A Book?

A: It took me 2.5 years, initially, I thought it would be just a short story on my blog but then it turned into something big, a novel. Writing a book is a very long journey, emotionally and mentally, as a person you experience different emotions throughout your life and a book is all about writing emotions, so when you don’t feel love at all, in your life and your plot says it is a love story, it becomes a challenging task, but yes, still you have to stand by your plot, your characters beliefs, their needs and it actually takes a lot of hard work. Sometimes, it becomes just a document on your laptop, but you have to keep going to turn it into your manuscript.

Q: Do You Try More To Be Original Or To Deliver To Readers What They Want?

A: I believe in originality, plastic contents don’t work for me. Maybe some groups of readers have different choices but ‘Love’ is a concept which could touch anybody’s heart if you pour your true emotions and it becomes what readers want.