Sapna Bhog

  1.  If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of the characters from the book, who would it be and why? 

 I think I would choose Keya from my very first book Take a Chance on Me, because she’s a software engineer like me. She’s successful, she has amazing friends, she gives as good as she gets, and Kabier Sehgal falls in love with her. Need I say more?

  2. What’s the most challenging part of being a romance writer? 

Since I write series romances, giving justice to every character I write and making them different from previously written characters is the most challenging for me.

  3. What role do you think female characters play in empowering readers, particularly young women and girls?

As you know my heroines are all strong, powerful women. They are not weak and helpless. They are their own knights in shining armour and stand shoulder to shoulder with their men. I believe that it’s necessary to depict such women because a lot of women/girls are reading romances nowadays and they can be inspired by their favourite female characters. Women/Girls ought to believe they are strong and that they can achieve whatever they set their mind on. It is important to provide positive female role models for readers  to look up to. 

4. Can you discuss the importance of depicting female characters who are both strong and flawed?

Heroines in my books have a lot of strengths but they have flaws as well because that is what makes them real. No one is perfect. For example: In my most popular Book: My Sinner, the heroine has trust issues, for twelves years she’s believed that the love of her life deceived her. She’s angry and resentful. But she is also a wonderful single mother and a huge support to her brothers. Writing characters with flaws makes them wholesome and believable.

   
  5. What advice would you give to other female writers who want to create impactful female characters?

Make your female characters believable and not perfect. Describe how she looks to make her real. Give her a back story and perhaps something she’s struggling to overcome. She needs to have complex emotions. She has flaws, but she has many strengths too. She is her own person. How you weave the story to ensure she overcomes her struggles, faces her demons and fights her battles and comes out winning, is what will make her interesting and inspiring.

  6. Are there any specific traits or qualities you tend to avoid when creating female characters?

I think every flaw can be made into a strength if tackled properly.

  7. Can you discuss any instances where real-life women or historical figures have inspired the creation of your female characters?

My mother is an amazing cook. I’ve grown up seeing how she used to write recipes down from friends in a book and try them out at home. She tried and tried until she got the dish perfect. Now, at seventy she’s learned how to use the internet so she can scout for healthy recipes. Someday soon I will write a woman loosely based on her. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

  8. Can you discuss the role of female friendships and relationships in your stories?

Family and friendship is an underlying theme in all my books. Strong relationships make the characters stronger and the interactions between the main characters and their family and friends is what makes the book interesting and real. 

  9. Do you see any change or development of female characters and writers in the past 10 years? 

A decade ago there were fewer female writers writing romance. Today, it’s so wonderful to see so many women writers stepping out in the open and writing romance novels with a variety of female characters. Also, in the past the women characters were shown to be very dependent on their heroes. This whole scenario has changed not only in books but in TV and films as well. Everywhere you see, writers are writing strong female characters because that is what women want to see and watch.

  10. Lastly, What’s the one message you want to give to the woman out there?

Take a Chance on yourself. You are powerful and you matter. If you believe you can, then you will definitely achieve whatever you set your mind on. Have a tribe of friends who cheer you and support you. Be their tribe for them. Loyalty takes you a long way forward. Life is even better when you are surrounded by friends and family who love and support you.