Today we’d like to introduce you to Shree A. Mukherjee.
Hi Shree, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to Canvas Rebel and Voyage Houston for featuring me and my work time and again. Below are the links from my previous interviews with your magazines:
https://voyagehouston.com/interview/meet-shree-meandering-thoughts-shree-online/
https://canvasrebel.com/meet-anushree-mukherjee/
In these above interviews I have shared a lot about my journey and experience both as an author (pen name – Shree) and as an entrepreneur (legal name Anushree Mukherjee).
In this interview, I would like to share more about my upcoming book ‘The Crimson Thread.’ I have been thinking about this project for a few years now. I kept on writing this fiction as and when but took time to nurture the premise and the characters. The topic is very close to my heart and extremely sensitive; hence I had no option to rush with it and go wrong. I did a lot of research on the plot so that, as a narrator, I do not sound indifferent from the reader’s point of view or, by any chance, hurt anyone’s feelings. I had to handle it with a lot compassion and empathy to bring out the theme realistically for the readers. It will be published by an Indian publisher, ‘Abhijoy Prakashani,’ who is dealing with this fiction with an equal amount of love so that the end product catches eyeballs. The cover reveal is already done and got a lot of appreciation.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
‘The Crimson Thread’ is a realistic fiction, and it deals with the premise of a couple’s fertility journey, which is still an unexplained and unexplored topic for the majority of the society. The treatment does not always seem to be the way it is advertised. And I had a lot of challenges in making the story sound as close to reality as possible. Many times, I was not satisfied with writing how the characters were evolving, how their emotions were gyrated and how the upheaval left an impact on their state of being. Many times, I was stuck and could not understand how to proceed with the story. At several instances, I stopped penning down because I was not exactly clear how to create the unprecedented experiences, turbulent situations, and disturbing outcomes of the couple’s journey. Hence, I had to rest the story sometime and percolate my thoughts. I had to make sure that I dealt with complete compassion to describe the unimaginable encounters which completely staggered their faiths and convulsed their existence. I am hoping the readers will be able to connect with the journey when they eventually read the book.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have been writing since my school days, but I eventually became a published author in 2015. My debut book was a collection of two short stories -‘Secret Expressions – Two Stories’ published by iUniverse. Publishing this book was a huge learning process for me. The primary thing I learned was that there is a massive difference between just writing for love and writing to publish. The editor was fantastic and walked me through acceptable methods and technicalities of writing for the publishing industry. This took my craft of writing to a different level. It changed the way I envisaged the plot and the characters and helped me to explore various genres of writing, even writing for films.
I am deeply grateful that almost all my solo books and scriptwriting received some or the other accolades. Below are some recognitions I received so far:
1) Quarter-Finals winner of ScreenCraft Hollywood Cinematic Story Contest 2017 for the novella “Silent Invaders”.
2) Author of the Year 2019 for the short story book “Secret Expressions”.
3) Best Author 2021 for the novel “Daffodil”.
4) Official selection of short film “Ritual Curry” for screening in the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival and Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati in 2021. Also acquired by the famous banner Pocket Films.
5) Panorama Golden Book Awards Nomination 2022 for the collection of poetry “Prana”.
6) Selected for Dada Saheb Phalke (the Father of Indian Cinema) Award 2023 for short film “Paani”.
What sets me apart from others is that I keep on learning every day, regardless of the recognition my work gets. Instead of competing with fellow writers, I compete with myself. If my previous work has set a bar, I always want to do better in the next project. Hence, I have worked harder for my upcoming book ‘The Crimson Thread’ and have gained more knowledge in the process of writing this fiction.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I mostly rely on my imaginations which are fueled by the characters and incidents happening around me. I observe everything and everyone very meticulously to transform them to a creative premise. Life’s experiences also feed my creativity. And, of course, fellow writers, writing communities, social media, watching movies, and reading a wide range of genres and subjects help me a lot. The most important thing is to keep progressing and staying relevant. Hence, I participate whenever I get invitations from author fairs, book fests, book discussions, and other similar events.
The upcoming event I’ll be joining is the Lone Star Festival on June 1st at Seguin, Texas. I’ll be revealing my latest book, ‘The Crimson Thread’, at this festival. Please come and join to support my work. Below is the link to my feature in their website:
https://lonestarfestival.fun/index.php/authors-list/2024-2/s-z/shree-m
Contact Info:
- Website: https://meanderingthoughtswithshree.wordpress.com/my-solo-books/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shreeauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shreeauthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreeauthorpoetess/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShreeAuthor
- Other: https://lonestarfestival.fun/index.php/authors-list/2024-2/s-z/shree-m
