The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal

Why did you pick the setting you used in your story? I'm not looking for -- "because I live there". I want you to dig deep and tell us...

I wanted the setting to suit the rather conservative facet of India's culture that I was trying to portray in the book.

Why you chose that particular setting?

My story needed to be set in a small and tightly-knit town. A big, bustling city would be too modern and wide open for the kind of story I had in mind.

What does the setting add to the story?

It adds to the intrigue and fear factor, especially in the opening scene, when my traumatized heroine is running through dark and deserted streets to save herself from death by fire. An urban setting would not quite adapt itself to that.

Could you write the same story in a different setting?

I honestly doubt it, because I more or less had the setting in mind well before I started writing the story.

Why or why couldn't you use a different setting?

I have a beautiful river in my setting, narrow, semi-rural streets, and a conservative bunch of residents. Another setting wouldn't have all those elements.

Did you use a real place as a basis for your setting?

Yes I did, more or less. When I pictured the setting, I clearly saw the small town I grew up in, including the streets, the flora and fauna, the smells and colors.

Or, did you create the setting from scratch?
No, I didn't.

Is there anything else about your setting that we need to know? Feel free to share.

I gave the town in my book a fictitious name: Palgaum, which rhymes with the name of my hometown, Belgaum. It's not all that hard to figure out the connection.

Please provide your website link.
http://www.shobhanbantwal.com

What is the link to buy your book?
http://tinyurl.com/24dlec

Tell us some specific details about your setting. What would we see? What sort of people are there? If we were traveling to your setting, what should we bring with us? For visitors, what do they need to know to visit your setting?

Since my setting is entirely fictitious, there would be nothing to see. Everything the readers see is through my eyes and by reading my book.

Thank you for sharing details about your book setting. Now, what's the title of your book and where can we buy it?

My book's title is THE DOWRY BRIDE and it's available at all major bookstores and on line through all national on line stores. The Amazon link is http://tinyurl.com/24dlec

Thank you for inviting me to talk about my story and setting. I've enjoyed this immensely since I love talking about my story.