Books corner: The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie

Adite Banerjie

• Ambica Gulati

I had met Adite more than a decade back and kind-of just started my career. I was a novice and she the editor of a B2B journal. And then we lost touch and when I connected with her after a long, long gap, she is a romance writer!

To know her, Adite Banerjie is a screenwriter and published author. Growing up in a home with a filmmaker dad who worked in the world's largest film industry (yes, Bollywood!) and a voracious reader for a mom, it was inevitable she would fall in love with both films and books.

She turned to fiction writing after a fulfilling and exciting career as a business journalist. When she penned her first romantic short story, she won the Harlequin India Passions Aspiring Authors Contest (2012). Her debut title, The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal, based on the winning short story, was released in December 2013 in India. The e-book is available internationally (from June 2014). Her second title, Trouble Has a New Name, releases in India in July 2014.

Adite lives in Greater Noida, near New Delhi, with her writer husband, her mother and their adorable Irish Setter. 

So we got talking about the change from business to romance, editing to writing, fact to fiction. Excerpts: 

Last we met, you were a journalist. How does it feel to be a romance writer?

It feels different and yet quite similar. Different because in fiction you are making up the ‘facts’ as you go along; creating characters and situations out of your imagination. But at another level fiction writing has its own structure and discipline. Just as you would research your subject thoroughly before you started writing an article, so too you have to research the world of your story; develop characters that are relatable and give them a voice that readers can empathise with. 

The book has some sizzling scenes with great physical vibes. How does any writer stretch his/her boundaries?

For me, it was a question of understanding who  my characters were. And what their boundaries were. Once I had thought through my characters' motivations and what made them tick, I had to put myself in their shoes and write from their perspective. 

What inspires you to write romance?

I enjoy reading happily-ever-after stories. So when I started thinking about writing fiction, my first choice was to explore the romance genre. However, having said that, I'd love to explore other genres. For now, I'm experimenting with sub-genres within romance, such as   romantic-comedy, romantic suspense, etc.  

Who are your favourite romance authors?

My favourite romance authors are Sarah Morgan, Kristan Higgins, Penny Jordan and Anne Mather. It's fascinating how each of these authors bring their own unique voice to stories making them rise above stereotypes and well-known romance tropes.

What does the future hold?

My second book, Trouble has a New Name , will be out in July this year and I have been signed up by Harlequin India to write two more romance novels (including a romantic suspense). 

What Ambica feels about the book

Given her background, it’s no surprise that Adite has introduced new themes. The book has a lot of romance and drama. There is revenge, corporate theft, manipulations, the insecurities of the rich and the famous, the hidden agendas behind their lavish lifestyles. But overall, the romance and the love feel is the winner. Love can conquer all and that it does. 

The Lavender Rose project is an innovative theme. But the Indian concept of destiny’s child and providence must intervene has also stood strong. The book can be a good Bollywood story, provided we get the right young actors and the right emotions. 

And Adite has not shirked from explosive physical scenes, she has taken the bull by the horns and expressed the real human emotions, which means the body, mind and spirit have an equal play in her book. The quirks of each character have come out well, such as KD’s manipulations, Krish’s desire to break free from the traditional legacy and express his individuality, Maya’s story of revenge, a family gone wrong, and eventual forgiveness to move on... the book is a happy read and leaves you with a pleasant feeling. 

Like all your other treasured books, it’s something to keep so that you know life can go right despite all the wrongs.

Book details

The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie

Publisher: Harlequin India

Pages: 187

Price: Rs 125