What a lovely treat to have Rashmi Sirdeshpande in The Reading Realm today to talk about her new book, ONE LITTLE LAMP, which is illustrated by Navya Raju…
Before we settle down in The Reading Realm for a chat, what’s your drink and snack of choice?
Tea. Darjeeling. No milk. And roasted cashew nuts.
Tell us about your book in three sentences and then three words!
My latest book ONE LITTLE LAMP: A Diwali Story is a picture book illustrated by Navya Raju and it’s about a little boy who is excited about Diwali. As he notices that some people around him are feeling lonely, a spark of an idea takes hold. And he decides to find a way to spread that little light of joy.
In three words, it’s about DIWALI, EMPATHY, and COMMUNITY.
If one of your characters could come to dinner, who would you invite and what would you cook them? What do you think you’d talk about?
100% Hari Kumar from my Hari Kumar doodle diary series with Mamta Singh. I’d cook a mild onion-free chilli paneer and some chaat and we’d totally be talking about BOLLYWOOD FILMS.
What’s the funniest word you know that always makes you laugh?
Nincompoop.
I mean… do I need even to explain???!
What’s the silliest or strangest thing you’ve ever researched for a story?
Hmmmm… maybe whether you can actually use maths to figure out how to chuck a foam javelin really super far on sports day? That was for Hari Kumar: The Race Day Disaster.
Do your characters ever surprise you?
NO. Because I need to know them inside out BEFORE I start to write. But I do notice if I’m trying to make the plot do something that just doesn’t feel right for a character. I have a voice in my head saying, they’ve NEVER do that.
If your writing desk could speak, what would it say about you?
My writing desk is either super neat and supremely organised or a total MESS. Which feels very me because I’m autistic with ADHD. I think if my desk could speak it’d say, ‘yep, that’s basically what she’s like… absolute extremes.’
Did you like reading when you were a child? If so, what?
I DID! I didn’t find long dense text easy though. I loved books with pictures and bitsy chunks of text. Things like comics, the Usborne Puzzle Adventures, and these big DK fact books full of pictures. And poems! Loved poems.
What’s your favourite book that isn’t yours?
Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell. Fabulous series. So funny.
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
I know why people ask this. Because there’s a magic to experiencing something for the first time. You know something funny? I don’t worry about that. The way my brain works, I often forget details entirely. I just remember the FEELING books give me. So, I can enjoy every book again as if for the very first time (YES, BE JEALOUS… I love this…).
What’s the funniest thing a child has said to you?
In a signing queue, a kid told me his brain is just like mine (SWEET!) and then said he wanted to ask me to sign his arm, but he figured I wouldn’t be allowed!!!
If you weren’t an author, what would you be?
I DON’T KNOW!!!!! I used to be a lawyer and I loved that job actually. But I love being a writer so much that now I can’t imagine doing anything else. Maybe standup comedy??? I mean I’d be terrible but that wasn’t the question, was it!!
What BAD advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
BAD advice would be… don’t read anything. Who needs to read to write, right?? Who needs to know the current market? Who needs to learn from great writers? Just sit down and write your own random genius stuff. It’ll be fiiiiiiiine.
SPEED ROUND:
Cake or biscuits? Biscuits!
Dinosaurs or unicorns? Dinosaurs!!!!
Pirates or astronauts? Astronauts!
Museums or theme parks? Museums!
Cats or dogs? Dogs!
Summer or winter? SUMMERRRR (summer baby here!)
Aliens or robots? Oooooh…that made me think. ALIENS?!
THANK YOU Rashmi for joining us in The Reading Realm today!
