Mini-Edit 6: Readers and writers! Author Sonali Dev is back with a new book and lots of great tips

🎙️ The Indian Edit: Mini Edit with Sonali Dev – “There’s Something About Mira”

Welcome back to The Indian Edit! In this special mini edit, award-winning romance author Sonali Dev returns to the podcast to discuss her newest novel, There's Something About Mira (Feb 2025). We dive into the inspirations behind the book, themes of identity, love, and community, and the layered characters that travel from Naperville to New York to Darjeeling and beyond.

📚 In This Episode:

• The origin of There's Something About Mira and how a New York Times article inspired the plot

• Exploring “Brown Town,” community expectations, and finding emotional safety

• The story within the story: a powerful queer love story in 1980s India

• What draws readers to wealthy romantic leads and how Sonali rethinks that trope

• Creative energy management and the joys and pitfalls of newsletters & social media

• Travel tips and favorite cities: Mumbai, Darjeeling, Chicago

• Sonali’s recent reads and book recommendations

📘 Books & Media Mentioned:

• There's Something About Meera by Sonali Dev → Buy on Bookshop / Amazon

• The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev → Read more

• Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen homage in Sonali’s series)

• All We Imagine As Light (film about Mumbai life) → IMDb

• The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese → Amazon

• People of Means by Nancy Johnson

🎧 More with Sonali:

• Visit: https://sonalidev.com

• Instagram: @sonali.dev

• Newsletter: Sign up on her website for The Three R’s: a recipe, a recommendation, and a really bad joke!

• YouTube archive of Lit with Love: Lit with Love on YouTube

📍 Cities We Discussed:

• Mumbai – a city of grit, warmth, and humor

• Darjeeling – majestic Himalayas and spiritual beauty

• Chicago – architecture, lakefront, theater, and cozy big-city charm

✨ If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, and share! Catch Sonali’s previous appearance on The Indian Edit in Episode 57.

Hear our latest chat now on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoyed this, PLEASE SHARE THE EPISODE WITH A FRIEND!