Namrata Gupta, a graduate of the prestigious Hans Raj College of Delhi University and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Delhi, has not one but four Amazon bestsellers to her credit.
Ever since the release and subsequent success of her debut work titled A Silent Promise (published 2015), Namrata has never looked back and has consistently delivered bestsellers including The Full Circle… Stumbling Upon A Sinful Mystery (2018), Together We Were (W)hole (2020), and Lost Love Late Love (2021).
Her books have garnered much hype over the years and are loved by readers all over India. She also has two short stories titled One Wedding Three Murders (2018) and If Only Love was Enough (2021) to her name.
Her books have consistently ranked within the top 30s in the Crime, Thriller, and Mystery and Contemporary Romance categories on Amazon.in Her latest Lost Love Late Love (2021) was best ranked at #3 in the Romance category.
Namrata is a social media buff and loves to interact with her followers online. When she is not thinking of her next book or working on a current one, she loves to indulge the travel enthusiast in her and explores new places.
Her first book, A Silent Promise was launched by the Bulgarian Ambassador to India, Mr. Petko Doykov, and was subsequently released by the Indian film director Mr. Sudhir Mishra at the Gurgaon International Film and Literature Festival, 2015.
Namrata loves reading new books and exploring different genres. As an author, she believes that it is imperative to read as many books as possible because it means that an author can perceive how the reader would receive a particular book.
Namrata Gupta can be reached at @authornamratagupta and @namrata511 on Instagram.
We at bookGeeks got a lucky chance to interact with the young and talented author. Here is what she has to say about her writing, her various works, and the publishing scene in India.
| Who is Namrata as a person? What are her likes and dislikes? |
| I’m an ambivert who loves to seek escape in literature and let my imagination take charge. I have varied interests. I like science as much as I like literature.
I was a science topper till class 12th and a state topper in Physics in class 12th board exams but later took up English Literature at Hans Raj College, Delhi University as I wanted to explore that area more. I’ve won awards in fashion shows and sports championships alike. But I’ve always loved reading and writing. My poems were published in national newspapers like Punjab Kesari when I was 10. Deep down, I’m just another girl trying to make a place for herself in the world. I like travelling and exploring new things. I dislike monotonous and fixed routines. |
| How did you come up with the idea of a contemporary corporate thriller? |
| I wanted to explore the romance thriller genre a bit more after my second book, The Full Circle, and at the same time, I wanted people to relate with the plot while adding the undercurrents of power plays, deceit, lies, and games. The corporate world seemed like a good fit to me because it allowed that flexibility.
Anyone who’s entering a new phase in life, be it academically or professionally will be able to relate with the plot as the protagonist is a fresher taking her first step into a renowned multinational company. The corporate setup allowed me to put in romance, suspense, lies, deception, misunderstandings, betrayal, revenge, deceit, and power plays within the narrative. The plot has business partnerships, corporate life, a warm love affair, and a thirst for vengeance. |
| Your characters are young, independent, urban individuals who are battling to balance the personal and the professional. To what extent do you think urban readers will relate to the struggles of these characters? |
| Often, the self that we showcase in public is very different from the one we find ourselves to be when we are alone within four walls. The characters in Together We Were (W)hole are no different. Mr. Kashyap’s character is shaped by the traumas, insecurities, and ridicule he was subjected to. And thus, he wears a mask in public to hide the loneliness deep within him.
Similarly, after looking into the heart of betrayal, Sanaya is completely transformed to right the wrongs done to her. Yet deep in her heart, she yearns to go back to old times and to her unfiltered self. Siddharth runs from his own emotions in the book. In running from his feelings, he showcases a variety of shades and at times, contradictory traits within him. These are the struggles that everybody faces at some point or the other in life. We, as humans, experience betrayal or heartbreak, wear a mask in public, pretend to be strong when we are breaking down inside, become a victim of misunderstandings, have trouble healing from a relationship or an event, transform to become a stronger person or run from ourselves. The characters in the book are just human like us and so, it’s easy to relate to them. Moreover, Young Adults will also connect with different familial and romantic relationships showcased in the book, given the variety of characters in different life phases, and highlighting a wide range of emotions. |
| Tell us a bit about how much time you spend in a day on writing. Are you a disciplined writer or a spontaneous one? |
| I’m a spontaneous writer. There’s no fixed schedule. I write whenever I feel like writing because I believe that creativity can’t be forced.
For me, little breaks are important to stimulate creativity. So if I have a plot in mind, I might end up writing every day for a month. And in other months, I might not write at all. |
| How crucial is it to read books of a particular genre before writing in that genre? |
| Reading books gives you a range of perspectives. When you’re reading a book of a particular genre, you know how you feel about it as a reader and so, can better understand the effect different writing styles have on the person reading the book. It definitely helps you shape your plot as per how you would want the readers to perceive it.
I would personally suggest reading books of a particular genre before writing in that genre. |
| How far do you think modern, urban relationships are reflected in Sanaya and Siddharth’s? |
| Sanaya and Siddharth are the voice of modern lovers. Both are strong in their own ways and both have their own struggles and issues that they have to face before coming together.
While Sanaya is completely transformed by the end of the book, rising from the ashes like a phoenix to right the wrongs done to her, Siddharth has contradictory traits and different shades that are embedded in our personalities in general. He is seen running from himself in the book. Sanaya’s transformation is a necessary change that she has to go through in life to move towards the ladder of success. Just like modern relationships require us to deal with our individual issues first, and it’s only after we put in efforts to resolve conflicts that we can fix or mend relationships, Sanaya and Siddharth’s relationship is no different and mirrors modern relationships. |
| Would you call yourself a voracious reader? |
| Not a voracious reader but I read often. |
| Who are your favourite thriller writers? |
| I like James Patterson, Agatha Christie, and Dan Brown. |
| Tell us a bit about your other books One Wedding, Three Murders, The Full Circle, A Silent Promise, and Lost Love Late Love. |
| A Silent Promise offers an alternate view on constructed notions about societal norms and makes us question humanity through the eyes of an eighteen-year-old college fresher. Making the readers a witness to the life of differently-abled, A Silent Promise incorporates ongoing debates on the favouring of boy child over girl child and the question of the real blood within its narrative.
The Full Circle captures the story of a traveller named Aditya, who on his journey to finding a ‘home’, ‘home’ in the spiritual sense, becomes a part of various stories and helps people in his own way. In the book, the concept of ‘home’ is shifted from the physical domain to the spiritual one. The book breaks stereotypes at many levels and questions ‘settlement’ as being related to ‘fixedness’. Lost Love Late Love is about toxic relationships, their psychological impacts and has the concept of soulmates within its narrative. The book is a guide to navigating toxic relationships and explores soulmate relationships in depth. Unlike other books which give out the message of what you should do, Lost Love Late Love tells you what not to do. It explores the all-consuming disastrous side of love. One Wedding, Three Murders is a thriller. It is set in the 1980s. Abe Town is run by a wealthy family headed by a shrewd businessman, Eric Durant. His daughter, Erica Durant, is one of the most desired ladies in the entire county, who isn’t as kind as she looks. On the day of her wedding, tragedy strikes when her father is mysteriously found dead, with a bloody knife found on an unsuspecting waitress. Multiple witnesses create a confusing timeline. Sheriff Jake Palmer must work with what he has got but is perplexed when one of the witnesses pointed towards the groom being the architect of the entire plan. |
| How challenging was it for you to pen this novel, considering the intensity of the plot? |
| It was challenging to pen the characters as all the main characters are complex individuals in the book.
The plot required more thinking and logical reasoning but the characters required the intensity of feeling as sewing the past experiences of characters and where they come from within the narrative while justifying their present complexities as rooting from the past or being a result of various psychological and socio-cultural influences, and at the same time keeping those intact and running along in the narrative requires efforts from the writer’s end. Plus, they also have to grow as persons within the story and that too has to be highlighted, keeping their integrity intact, without making them come out as whimsical if they’re not supposed to. |
| What kind of research did you have to do to increase the practical possibility of the plot? |
| I had to learn more about business partnership laws, shareholders’ rights, HR policies in multi-national companies, whistle-blower rights, and similar laws. I researched the locations that were shown in the book, especially the one where the climax took place. |
| Which one would you prefer – writing in the comfort of home or writing in the mountains? |
| I prefer writing in the comfort of my home. I’ve been sticking to that. |
| One quote that never fails to inspire you? |
| They tried to bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds. |
| One thing that you wish you could change in Indian publishing? |
| Better royalties for the authors and more efforts for marketing the book from the publishers’ end.
Currently, majority of Indian authors receive peanuts when it comes to royalties and are seen marketing the book by themselves only. A more holistic approach towards making the book a success can increase readership and help in the emergence of new readers, as teamwork can do wonders! |
| Any new projects that you are currently working on? |
| A short story, written by me, If Only Love was Enough, has just been released in August this year. The genre is Romance. It’s a short and engrossing read. Right now, I am working on a romance novel. I’ve just started with it so let’s see how it goes. |