Richa Gupta's Blog

My new book, a collection of short stories titled 'Slices of Life' has just been released. When I am asked why I am publishing a compendium of short stories, I am reminded of a quote by Maya Angelou, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” It is this compelling urge that prompts an outpouring of words and emotions that take their own shape. There are stories within each of us, but only a few find expression and still fewer find their way to a printing press. I don’t do much; I merely define a starting point from where characters take on a life of their own and a tale grows organically. Though the process of being a wordsmith is self-rewarding, it needs to be shared and vindicated by a reader. Hence, the need to publish one’s creation.

I consider these stories to be vignettes that provide an immersive experience of life and their success lies in reverberating in the heart and mind of the readers.
The diverse themes provide a peek into lives that are on the verge of bursting or knotted into tangles. Woven into the plot, they give us hope, highlight ironies, satirize social idiosyncrasies, highlight the strength of a woman, show the inevitable result of our choices and mourn at manmade disasters. My aim, as that of all writers, is to touch a chord in the readers by a masterful mix of language, plot and character so that the stories linger on in them long after they read the last page.

Richa Gupta