Join us in the journey with an extraordinary writer and an amazing person @ who has been a true inspiration to young writers with her marvelous debut poetry book “Knots”.
So, here we go.
- What was your dream job when you were younger?
Deblina: When I was younger, I often dreamed of being an actress or a fashion model. The glitz and glamour of that celebrity lifestyle entranced my naive little self.
2. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Deblina: Tenacious, curious, polite.
3. Can you please put some light on simple yet elegant title of the book ‘knots’.
Deblina: The title ‘Knots’ was actually suggested to me by a very dear friend of mine, Mr. Samya Brata Roy. I found it fitting, because the poems in the book are all about various kinds of relationships, and our emotions that are tied with them. The word ‘Knots’ may also refer to, if you look at it that way, the chaos inside the mind of a mentally ill or depressed person, which is a big theme discussed in the book. In conclusion, ‘Knots’ throws light on the complexity and intricacies of the human mind and emotions.
4. Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
Deblina. In my humble opinion, no. In order to be a writer, you have to dream, you have to feel, you have to empathize. A person who isn’t capable of these things, a pragmatic person with a calculative mind, can never be a real writer.
5. What is poetry for you?
Deblina: Poetry, for me, is storytelling in its simplest form. It’s the direct expression of our emotions, without mincing any words. Poetry comes from deep within the heart. As one of my favourite poets, Robert Frost once said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” That is exactly what poetry is to me.
6. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
Deblina: Publishing my first book has had a huge impact on my writing process, because now I know for sure that, if I write it from my heart, readers are bound to love it. Before, I would often doubt my creative instincts, sometimes pondering on whether I should just write what the readers want. But now, after getting such positive feedback for my debut book, I have understood that I should always write what I want, and not what the readers do. If I do this, I’m bound to see success some day.
7. What’s the best part of your book according to you?
Deblina: The best part of my book, according to me, is the ‘Healing’ section. I truly believe some of my best works are in that section. I wrote those lines when I was myself going through a healing phase.
8. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Deblina: I currently have one unpublished and two half finished books. The unpublished one will probably never see the light of day, haha. I plan to complete the half finished books though.
9. Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
Deblina: Definitely. Writing, for me, is therapeutic. It has healed me several times, when life broke me down, when I thought I would never get back up. It’s definitely a spiritual experience, and for writers, writing is their religion.
10. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
Deblina: Yes, I read all my book reviews. The good ones give me a confidence boost, and are truly gratifying. It gives me immense satisfaction to see that my words have finally touched the readers’ hearts. The bad ones, I try to take them in a positive light, and improve on the aspects they underline. Some bad reviews are left just to troll the authors, and no author should pay heed to such reviews.
11. Do you Google yourself?
Deblina: Yes, I do. Frequently, if I may add! And the ironic thing is, the actress Devoleena Bhattacharjee’s name pops up first in the search results. Life can be funny sometimes….
12. Does your family support your career as a writer?
Deblina: Yes, my family has always supported me in my career as a writer, especially my mother and brother. Without their constant support, I could have never arrived where I am today.
13. Are there any future projects you want to put light on.
Deblina: My debut novel, entitled Dear Paris, is going to be releasing very soon, hopefully by the end of this year itself. So I request all my readers to stay tuned for that!
About Deblina
Deblina Bhattacharya, an English Literature student by day, a professional dreamer by night, hails from the city of joy, Kolkata. A storyteller by heart, she writes to express the feelings she can’t in speech. KNOTS is her debut poetry collection, containing poems on various shades of life. She is currently working on her debut romance novel, Dear Paris. Deblina is an avid reader, a melomaniac and a logophile. If she is not busy writing, you will find her singing along to her favourite songs or sitting with her nose buried in a book. Being a depression warrior herself, she is also a huge mental health advocate and is compiling a non profit anthology called Mindscape to raise awareness about mental illness. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter as @authordeblina and on Instagram as @author_deblina.
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Buy her best-selling poetry collection KNOTS: mybook.to/knots
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