Sunita's Writing Journey
“From a very young age, words have always interested me,” says Sunita Shastry. “ In fifth grade, I was delighted to receive my first Chambers Dictionary. I spent many hours pouring through it, checking out the meaning of many words,” she says. But there were not many opportunities to develop her skills as a writer. “I did have a small story published in the school newspaper,” she says. But there were few avenues for children in those days.
She pursued other educational opportunities, doing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Home Economics and Child development respectively. But she did have one experience of wiring as a job. She worked as an Editorial Assistant for a book agency for 18 months. “I used to read the books they published and wrote the About the Author and About the Book descriptions. They appeared on the dust cover and inside the book. It was a great experience, actually and broadened my knowledge and experience on so many topics in India.”
But soon thereafter, she got married, emigrated to the Unites States, and pursued a doctorate degree in Special Education, and took on teaching opportunities that came her way, as well as keeping up with the roles of homemaker, wife, parent, and family responsibilities.
Only in 2012 or so – “I suddenly got this idea in my head,” she says. What followed was the development of the idea into the book “An Unfortunate Accident.” It was published by Authorhouse in 2014, and was followed by “The Hancock Letters” in 2019.
Then came the COVID pandemic. “My life,” she says, “became a truth that was much stranger than my fiction.” So she moved on to writing a book on gardening which was another interest of hers. A Garden Primer was published by Authorhouse in 2021.
Does she have more fiction books in her? “ I don’t know, ” she says. “I found writing fiction to be an experience that requires a lot out of me. It can also be a very emotionally exhausting experience. I found it impossible to continue it during the pandemic and the subsequent care- giving responsibilities that came my way.”
So what now? “ I have done some blogs. But I would really like to help others meet their writing goals,” she says. “I will share more about that soon on this platform.”
Stay tuned.
Sunita's Books
A Garden Primer
A Guide to Gardening in the Midwest for the Novice Gardener
Designing and planting a garden can be a daunting task for the novice gardener. How do you start? What plants do you choose? What style of garden should you have? In this primer, the author provides a step-by step guide. Covering a wide gamut of plants – from trees and shrubs to herbs, annuals and perennials, fruits and vegetables, she provides suggestions of top picks, as well as details on maintenance and plant care. Ideas of how to deal with problems in the garden are also provided. Garden design principles are covered so that the resulting garden can be one that suits the goals and life style of the gardener. The book ends with a discussion of the gardening trends of the 21st century. A great addition to the library of the novice gardener.
