Jaishree Mishra

Is your new book chick lit?

I’d call it popular fiction or beach read.

Why don’t you like to call it chick lit?

Because the term chick lit tends to put people off. Besides, it raises expectations of there being an element of romance or comedy in it.

Do you wish chick lit had been trendy in India when your first three books came out?

To some extent, yes. All Indian writing in English then had to be literary fiction. I didn’t fit in and publishers didn’t know what to do with me.

Why are all aspiring Indian writers trying to fit into the Booker Prize mould?

We have talented writers of literary fiction who for a while almost colonised the Booker. I made the same mistake, trying to be more consciously literary than my natural calling.

Your advice to chick lit writers.

Persist. Indian women have the right to be on the covers and within the pages of popular fiction. And we don’t have to read Bridget Jones to understand the preoccupations of women.

Is there any difference in the women they portray compared to literary fiction?

Women in Indian fiction so far had to be downtrodden to be interesting. But now they lead fairly glamorous lives.

Your book is about four female friends.

As I get older, I find female friendships matter more to me. I am happier to write this book in my 40s rather than my 20s.

Do you find the marketing strategy has changed since your last book?

Absolutely. It’s no longer at a five-star venue but has shifted to coffeeshops and bookshops.

Do your books appeal to younger readers?

I get e-mails all the time from younger readers, especially college-going girls.

Your life’s aim is to open a small school for people with learning disabilities.

Yes, for my daughter and few others. If it’s larger it’ll become like institutionalised care.