Breathing Two Worlds by Ruchira Khanna
Neena Arya, a Delhi-born goes abroad for further studies and decides to settle down there. Determined to be a 'somebody' from a 'nobody' she blends with the Americans via the accent and their mannerisms while having a live-in relationship with her European boyfriend, Adan Somoza.
When illness hits home, Neena rushes to meet her ailing dad. Tragedy strikes and amidst the mingling with relatives and friends, she finds herself suffocated with the two different cultures that she has been breathing since she moved to the United States. How will she strike a balance between both the cultures as she continues to support her widowed mother? Will she be able to do justice to her personal and professional life after the loss?
Amidst the adjusting she bonds with an ally and learns about ties beyond blood. On what grounds will she be able to form an invisible thread that she has longed for since childhood?
Breathing Two Worlds ventures into cultures and ethnicity allowing Neena to ponder upon her foundation and priorities.
Available on Amazon
An Interview:
When did you decide to become a writer?
When I started to float with loads of emotions. I noticed my life was getting stagnant. That’s when I thought of penning them down so that I could actually swim and move further in life.
What are your ambitions for your writing career?
As an author I too aspire to be a ‘best-seller’ and get all the perks associated with it
Give us an insight into your main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
In Breathing Two Worlds my protagonist, Neena Arya is born in India but immigrates to the USA and is trying to create a balance as she is exposed to two cultures. The story revolves around how she can continue to live life on her grounds rather than get clutched by peer pressure.
Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
I try to write for an hour or so in the morning but its not structured cause creativity has no bounds.
Where do the ideas come from?
The Society that we live in
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
I actually decide upon a theme and the basic plot. Then take off from there as I write.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Writing happens due to heart-mind relationship
Writer’s block usually occurs when the mind or the heart is clogged due to some reasons. Introspection is the key to come out of it and continue to pen.
What can we expect from you down the line?
Currently working on another fictional novel that encircles around trauma and ambitions.
About the Author:
Ruchira Khanna, a biochemist turned writer, left her homeland of India to study in America, where she obtained her Master’s degree in Biochemistry from SJSU and a degree in Technical Writing from UC Berkeley.
After finishing her studies, Ruchira worked as a biochemist at a Silicon Valley startup for five years. After the birth of her son, Ruchira took a job as a technical writer, so that she could work from home. Soon, she began doing freelance writing work as well.
Her love of writing grew and she started working on her own books. After four years of freelancing, Ruchira published her first book, a fiction novel for adults called Choices.
Then came the children’s book The Adventures of Alex and Angelo: The Mystery of the Missing Iguana. She got a thumb’s up review from Kirkus Reviews.
In January 2016, she has published her second fictional novel Voyagers into the Unknown. It talks about the quest for happiness as the heavy hearted tourists travel miles from different parts of the world to Raj Touristry in Agra, India. Return to their respective home with a healed heart. This book talks about their journey!
In Breathing Two Worlds, Ruchira talks about ethnicity and cultures, and helps to strike a balance via a fiction-drama novel as her characters breathe two worlds.
In addition to writing books, she is a holistic healer associated with Stanford Healing Partners and also maintains a blog of daily mantras on Blogspot, called Abracabadra. Ruchira currently resides in California with her family.
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