Meet Author Arunima Ghosh:
Dr. Labani Mrinal Ghosh, a physician and Intensivist from Vadodara, Gujarat, is a top-ranking student with numerous gold medals in Medicine from Sardar Patel University. Her Bengali roots and love for creativity led her to write at an early age. Her journey began with a collection of short stories, “GLIMPSES FROM A MOVING TRAIN,” in 2010. Despite a creative sabbatical due to medical studies, she emerged with her first novel, “THE FERAL FATHER,” in 2022 under the pen name Arunima, exploring the darker aspects of human nature. Subsequent works, “THE WHITE MAZE” and “THE KINGDOM OF RASCALS,” continued to captivate readers, earning acclaim as must-reads in 2023. Her latest release, “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SONS,” delves into the intricacies of the human psyche. Dr. Labani, aka Arunima Ghosh, is a successful physician based in Oman, known for her raw and undiluted storytelling that mirrors the complexities of the human mind. Her characters come alive in her stories, offering readers a glimpse into twisted minds, much like their own.
As she states, “They are you. You and me.” Expect more stories exploring the depths of the human psyche from this accomplished author.
Let’s get to know her more deeply.
Q.1 “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.” Who are some of the individuals who have supported you in your writing journey that you would like to thank?
My writing journey started with my father and it is in his spirit that it will continue to go on. An ardent reader, my father loved books more than anything else. It was thanks to him that I was introduced to the magical world, that can be created with an amalgamation of words and imagination. I lost him this September after a long illness, but I still imagine him applauding and tut-tutting my work in turns, with his kind and benevolent eyes on me. His love for writing and reading will live on through me.
Q.2 When and how did you become interested in writing? What was the first book or story that you wrote? Tell us a bit about it.
My writing spree started with a bizarre desire to score a perfect A in Essay writing while I was in school. And then things accelerated when I started writing poems and winning awards for them in school and college. Things took a whirl, rather than a twist when I started writing love letters for my friends in school! I believe I might have acted as a cupid for several of my classmates. My first book was a collection of short stories called GLIMPSES FROM A MOVING TRAIN which was lost in the myriad of new books published each year, just because I did not know a thing about publishing or marketing.
Q.3 Four books published in two years, how does it feel? Could you tell us a little about your books titled “The Feral Father, The White Maze, The Kingdom of Rascals, and In the Name of the Father and the Sons?”
A book is like a baby. That is all I can say about each of my books. I restarted writing after a long sabbatical of almost a decade and a half when I was going through the lowest point in my life. It was writing, that helped me stabilize myself….or rather rediscover the real person I am. The Feral Father was my first novel, which actually started as a short story because till then, that is what I had been writing all my life. That is when my friend and Editor Pastor Philips hinted that all my short stories had the potential to be weaved into full-length books. So, it so happened that I started writing The Feral Father, and I just couldn’t stop….My pain, my dreams, my soul, my fears and desires… everything manifested itself in my first book. The Feral Father is all about love, betrayal, and the way yearning can turn within a person and start making him either the best version of himself or as my book describes….a ‘Feral’ entity.
After I finished writing The Feral Father, I turned a bit into the flavours of the80’s and 90’s, where drug deals were a thing romanticized in movies and books. I tried to weave the lure of easy money, the murk of greed along with the serene shores of a fishing community in Maharashtra.
The Kingdom of Rascals, by far my favourite book is closer to my heart and reflects my writing style in its rawest form. It speaks of twisted minds who think that they are above law and order. But then in a way, the same erratic minds, when they speak about their stories in KOR, you cannot but help empathize with them. After all, it IS a kingdom of rascals out there in the real world, and I bet, most of us will do ANYTHING to continue surviving. KOR is my way of showing the world a mirror. To my pleasure, this book got named as ONE OF THE MUST READS OF 2023.
In The Name of The Father and The Sons is again a completely different flavour. I take gore and madness to another level with this book. It is about lineage, heritage, greed and the lengths people will go to hide their secrets.
Q.4 What are the challenges you faced while writing books and how did you overcome them? From where do you get the ideas and inspiration for writing?
I think the greatest challenge for me was to keep my characters from affecting me in real life. I get so involved with their lives, their dreams and their disappointments, that I start living their lives! I would literally become the avatar of my characters, much to the bewilderment of friends and family. Jokes apart, like any other writer, my nemesis is often the lack of recognition. When a writer’s previous stories are lost in oblivion in a volley of nothingness, I think it works as the greatest stumbling blocks. To be honest, I haven’t yet learned to overcome this one.
Q.5 Which are the top 3 books you would highly recommend to your readers, and what’s your most favorite genre?
The readers of today are very different from the era of Nancy Drews, Hardy boys and Mills and Boons….the books I grew up reading. The present generation (those who still read) are more into self-help books or perhaps books that offer a recluse from the reality of life, at the other end of the spectrum. You won’t believe it when I say that I recommend people to read DEATH-AN INSIDE STORY, by Shri Sadhguru. It will bring you as close to death as a mortal being possibly can, while still alive. Saying that, my favourite genre isn’t non-fiction….I survive on the mystery of the unknowns and what-ifs. Without a doubt, the genre closest to my heart is Murder Mysteries. I worship Agatha Cristie.
Q.6 Your raw approach to writing books is well appreciated by your readers. What are so far the best compliments you got for your work?
The best compliment I have received by far is that from my sister when she finished reading The Kingdom of Rascals. She called me to say that she had started suspecting everyone from the milkman to the wonky neighbours, of their intent, after reading my book! And also from some of the most famous reviewers of India, I had got to hear that my books cannot be read at night….or at one go. The way my stories go, they have to put it down, shake their heads to get a grip of themselves and then restart from where they had left off. While others have said, that my stories are like hot pepper….they hurt, make you cry and yet, you cannot stop reading them.
Q.7 Tell us a bit about your journey from Vadodara to Oman. Was becoming a writer your dream or did your studies for a medical degree land you to write gory thriller stories?
My journey to Oman was borne more out of necessity than anything else. I was going through a rough financial and personal patch. One fine day, I just got up and realized that I was the ‘adult’ of the house. I left behind my old parents and my young son and traveled far, just to make ends meet and to work towards securing a better future for my son. Had it not been for my sister and brother-in-law’s untiring support and presence in my life, I wouldn’t have survived a day.
Becoming a writer was never a dream, to be very honest. I was rather shy and secretive about my stories, worried about people’s reactions. The only people I trusted enough with them were my family and a handful of friends. As for the strong hint of gore in my books? Yes, of course, my med school has helped me write about the human body and psychology, just as it happens to be.
Q.8 What do you consider your greatest strength as a writer? What do you plan to write next? Would you explore any other genre than gore thriller?
My greatest strength is when I sit in front of my laptop writing a new story, the world around me dissolves into nothing. Writing is more of a meditation for me than just an exercise. My strengths lie in my fearlessness in describing things and people AS THEY ARE. I know, my books will rub many tender souls the wrong way….but then, that’s what I am. I don’t think my heart follows any other genre. I am thoroughly, a gore mystery fanatic.
Q.9 Tell us a bit about your likes, dislikes, and hobbies. Do you have any strategies for maintaining a balance and managing your time effectively?
I paint. I love painting inanimate daily still life, like for example a living room, or a chaotic table top of my son’s study desk. Painting, like writing helps me get more centred. As far as managing time is concerned, it is relatively easy as I am a very early-morning person. I get up at 3:30 am every morning. So winding up my daily chores, meditating and then going for work for long gruelling hours becomes easy.
Q.10 Who are your target readers and why should they read your books?
My target readers are young adult women. I really feel that through my characters I have predominantly tried to portray the ‘woman’ with all her weaknesses and strengths….I have spoken about her dreams and her desires….I have broken into her sleep and dug out her soul. They should read the books, just to discover what they are….or CAN be.
Q.11 What factors are most important to you when choosing a book marketer? Any 3 practices that according to you are a must while marketing a book.
For me, a book marketer is first and foremost a friend. Like Nisha from The Book Inspectors. She was a blessing to me, right out of nowhere she came into my life, picked up my books, and brought them to the limelight. That, only a friend can do for you. The second point I would like to stress is that of being like-minded. Sure, a marketer may say many things in order to get you as a client. But it doesn’t work out if the person’s ideologies clash with the soul of your book. There were marketers who had thousands of books on their Instagram wall, all of which were non-fiction self-help books…or say romance. They offered to market my book but I backed out. Because I knew that my books would stand out like a sore thumb in their docile collection. And the third thing is trust. For all my books, I had trusted The Book Inspectors, blindly. Yes, blindly. Nisha recommends a tailored plan for each of my books and I nod my head in agreement because I know that she cares as much for my books as I do. So yes, I think TRUST takes the prize.