Acclaimed wordsmith, Jaishree Misra, holds forth on her creative muse as she dips into history for her latest book, Rani

Hailed as ‘the most vivid and exciting voice from the subcontinent since Arundhati Roy’, she spins gripping stories that are simultaneously imaginative and offbeat, with a real feel for human emotions. Formerly a radio-journalist in London, her debut novel, Ancient Promises, drew from her personal experiences to create compelling characters. She followed it up with Accidents Like Love And Marriage and Afterwards. Her latest book, Rani, is due for release.

My parents... taught me to be tolerant of all issues and people. Today, I’m still learning new values from my mother.

I began writing... for my school magazine at Materdei School, Delhi. Writing had a way of transporting me into another world, making me forget everything else.

My first husband... was someone my parents had chosen for me on one of my trips to Kerala, while Ash was at university in England. Far too young to comprehend the situation, I trusted my parents’ judgement. But I was unhappy right from the beginning, struggling with – and in a very conservative joint family that despite all its literacy, lived within closed doors.

My daughter... Rohini was born with a disability and needed special care and attention. I was shocked and hurt to see the prejudice that we both faced. I had to fight for what was best for her.

My first book... Ancient Promises happened by chance. I had divorced my first husband and my father had also passed away. Initially undertaken as a cathartic process, for me to get rid of old baggage and start afresh, it was written as an extended love letter to Ash and a memoir to myself. I never thought that it would get published.

- Nisha Paul in London