I like being myself. Maybe just slimmer, with a few less wrinkles.

I was caught on the freeway for hours when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. The entire city had to be evacuated. I observed lives threatened by catastrophes and a whole range of behaviour. What could people do during a crisis?

Strong women, when respected, make the whole society stronger. One must be careful with such rapid changes, though, and make an effort to preserve, at the same time, the positive traditions of Indian culture.

Perhaps what distinguishes my characters is their courage and spirit and a certain stubbornness which enables them to keep going even when facing a setback. I think this developed organically as I wrote, but also it came out of a desire to portray women as powerful and intelligent forces in the world.

I feel I can express the nuances of the Bengali lifestyle and ways of thinking better than other cultures.

It's different for different people, and for a woman it's important to look as good she wants to look. But you don't need to do it for someone else or to impress some male out there. You do it for your own sake. You wear what makes you feel good, you put make-up and jewellery - whatever gives you self-confidence.

I took a little break after 'The Palace of Illusions' to clear my head.

I want my books to force readers to recognise the fact that a woman is a human being just like them.

Often, writer's block will occur when I don't understand a character or his/her motivations. So I will make notes analysing characters.