The Social Satire

Well, my loyal blog readers, I have a confession. I have been putting this off for some time because I don't actually know how to say it. I feel that I might be letting many of you down. However, the reality is that I have no choice, and sometimes you just have to do things for money. In short, what I have to say is this: I am writing a chick lit novel.

And it's even worse than that. It's going to be an Indian chick-lit novel.

You may hurl your samosas at me in disgust.

Look, you knew it was inevitable. I've been pondering it for much too long, and I'm much too broke. The problem is, my irritation with the genre makes it impossible for me to just whip one out. I have to think. I have to ponder. I have to like the heroine, like her Mr. Right, like her Best Friend and even like the Gimmick. And as for trading on the Indian part, well, what can I say. It'll probably sell.

Actually, I make some promises about the Indian-American chick-lit book. They are listed below, and I will count on you, my anonymous public, to make sure that I don't break any of them.

1. Despite the fact that this is in fact a chick-lit novel, I will do everything in my power to move it away from the "chick lit" category and into the "social satire" category. (Category title courtesy of my cousin Siva).

2. There will be mention of some Indian things that I like. However, the phrase "As the scent of curry wafted through the air..." will never be found in this book.

3. References to a) arranged marriage and b) Bollywood will be kept to a minimum.

4. You will, hopefully, like the heroine. Really. Because I have to first.

5. I will NOT give the book a stupid pun for a name: "Exes and Ohs," "Original Cyn," "Better Homes and Husbands" "Bride and Prejudice."

5. This promise is very, very important. I promise you, all of You Who Read My Writing, that if this book is published in any way shape or form, it will absolutely not have a quirky, girly cartoon of a woman with a shopping bag and high heels on the cover. I swear to you. I will make them put a dead fish on the cover before I add another badly designed, obnoxiously colorful cartoon woman frolicking gaily on a cheap mass market paperback to bookstore shelves.

Other than that....Mea Culpa. I'm writing chick lit. What can I say? Curry sells.