Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anju Gattani. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anju , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

ANJU GATTANI BIO:

Fiction author, international freelance journalist, blogger and former newspaper reporter, Anju was born in India but grew up in Hong Kong. She has also lived and been published in Singapore, India, Australia, USA and finally dug her roots in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two dashing boys. DYNASTIES, Book 1, Winds of Fire Series is Anju’s debut novel.

Dynasties was reviewed, “Downton Abbey-style saga, but set in India!” by BooksByWomen.org and selected a January 2023 International Book of The Month Pick by the International Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guys Book Club Reading Nation. The Winds of Fire series followed the life of an Indian woman in modern day India and her struggles against all odds toward justice and self-empowerment.

Anju hopes her books will Bridge Cultures and Break Barriers.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Writing is breathing.

I grew up in British Hong Kong and was first published at the age of nine in the country’s leading newspaper, The South China Morning Post. Seeing my published piece and name in print was an incredible experience and embedded the seeds to keep writing. I felt seen and heard and in a bustling city which never sleeps I felt like my voice made a difference. As a teenager, I continued to fill diaries with poems, won a few essay competitions and some of my works were published in poetry anthologies – the writing bug continued to bite.

I lived and continued to get published as an international freelance journalist for publications in Hong Kong, Singapore and India in short fiction, travel, perspective pieces to feature articles, columns and cover stories. I learned how to work with editors, grow a thick skin to handle feedback and rejection and still improve on the craft. Shortly after 9/11 we arrived in the U.S., my international journalism career came to a stop, I was on a visa that didn’t allow me to work and life came to a standstill.

That’s when the seeds of the Winds of Fire Series fell in my lap.

I knew nothing about writing a novel but pounded out the initial draft over 18 months. I rewrote the manuscript and learned with the help, critique and guidance of NYT Bestseller, Haywood Smith and USA Today Bestseller, Jade Lee. These women took me under their wing, taught me how and what it takes to write a fiction novel and guided me. I joined writing organizations, attended chapter meetings, observed, listened, researched and continued to hone on my craft. I learned there is no one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to writing. That you have to keep at it and believe in yourself, your story and your ability.

If you won’t believe in your story, then who will? Who else can tell your story except you, the story teller?

After having been represented by 4 literary agents, and about 500 rejections from the publishing industry over 17 years of submissions, my husband and I decided enough was enough.

I launched Book 1, Dynasties, on Jan 11, 2023.

Dynasties was selected as an International Book Of The Month Pick by the International Pulpwood Queen & Timber Guys Book Club Reading Nation (the largest online book club in the world with 800 chapters across 20+ countries).
Dynasties ranked #7, #10 and #12 on the Amazon Bestsellers List in 3 categories just 72 hours after its launch and received a Florida and Atlanta book and series launch in January 2023!

Florida Launch – Amelia Island, Girlfriend Weekend Conference, held by Kathy L Murphy, CEO, International Pulpwood Queen & Timber Guys Book Club Reading Nation

Atlanta Launch – Poe & Company Bookstore, Milton, GA

The Winds Of Fire Series follows one woman’s journey in modern India against all odds toward justice and self-empowerment.

Book 1, ‘Dynasties’:
To uphold family honor and tradition, Sheetal Prasad is forced to forsake the man she loves and marry playboy millionaire Rakesh Dhanraj. Sheetal’s world splinters into webs of lies, deceit and betrayal, and she must stand up against two family dynasties in order to protect her infant son from the families’ tyranny.

My hope: To Bridge Cultures and Break Barriers

Over countless rewrites, I learned the Winds of Fire Series touches on several themes.

‘Dynasties’ is the first book, considered book-club fiction and explores:
Domestic violence & abuse
Awareness of mental health
Tradition vs. modernization
Socioeconomics of poverty vs wealth
Love vs. arranged marriages
Culture and its effect on people
And other topics…

I’m an avid reader and read across genres. I believe you need to read other authors’ works to improve your own writing and I am inspired by other authors’ works. However, my characters taught me that true inner growth and power comes from your core. You have to love yourself first and accept yourself for who and what you are in order to succeed. The best help is self-help. Everyone has the ability to empower themselves… you just have to look deep within. My characters’ beliefs reflect in the story and echo cross the series.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

It’s not easy being a creative. We create something out of nothing. With crafts like music, writing, painting and others, we are challenged as artists to create a product that spins entirely from our imagination. How we choose to express that art form is our medium or channel of expression. For a painter – the story / art form is expressed through paint and color.
For a musician – the story / art form is expressed through sound
For a writer – the story / art form is expressed through words

I knew that ‘Dynasties’ and the Winds of Fire Series was different right from the beginning. I also learned over countless rejections that there was no shelf for my story. However, after 17 years of submissions and about 500 rejections, representation by four literary agents who tried to find the books a publishing home, I learned that I had to take a different path. The agents’ inability to succeed didn’t devalue my work. It just meant I had to create a new shelf for an audience that was waiting for this series. The readers were out there. We just needed to find each other.

Everyone talks about diversity, minorities, ethnicity and we have trendy hashtags on social media platforms for them. However, trending is one thing and breaking ground is another. I chose to stick to my story and my characters and revise and rewrite until the manuscript was ready and polished. I had also developed an understanding for what feedback is acceptable to the story and what isn’t. When to say yes and when to say no.

As creative artists, we begin with a creative vision but that can easily get distorted with influx of critique and feedback. Knowing when to hold your ground and when to let go some is key to moving forward to nail that vision.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

For the longest time ever, I worked on the Winds of Fire Series not knowing what was driving me to continue. I just knew that there was a force larger than myself that propelled me on.

Several books into the series I understand that my mission is to raise awareness to the atrocities of domestic violence and abuse and help silent victims find the courage to empower themselves. I hope my stories will Bridge Cultures and Break Barriers and readers will find some of their answers in my stories to empower their own lives, to make a difference and if needed, break free.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anjugattani.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anju_gattani27/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Anju.Gattani.Author/?ref=bookmarks
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anju_Gattani
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChijH5uk4DoWU9AlBq0rzFw
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Dynasties-Downton-Abbey-style-India-Winds-ebook/dp/B0BFG3JMX8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dynasties-anju-gattani/1142520669?ean=9798986652405 https://www.target.com/p/dynasties-winds-of-fire-by-anju-gattani-hardcover/-/A-88110008#lnk=sametab https://www.walmart.com/ip/Winds-of-Fire-Dynasties-Series-1-Hardcover-9798986652405/1533496355 https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dynasties-10 https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Dynasties/Anju-Gattani/9798986652405?id=8728536484258

Image Credits
Author photo (headshot) Credit: Daryl O’Hare Photography