Interview with writer Chitra Ramaswami

Writer Chitra Ramaswami joins me today to chat about her memoir, But First, Rumi.

Bio:
Chitra Ramaswami was born and raised in the Middle East by Indian parents, and her childhood was spent reading every book she could lay her hands on, or writing stories and lines of poetry. As a result of traveling the world extensively and being a natural linguist, she is an amalgamation of many cultures and tastes and is constantly looking for the next experience she can immerse herself in.

When she isn’t writing, Chitra rides horses, climbs mountains and is a passionate advocate for the Omani Mau/ street cat. She currently lives in New York with her husband and a very spoiled cat and hamster duo.

Please tell us about your current release.
But First, Rumi is a memoir where I talk about a time when life had me cross paths with a street cat in Oman named Rumi. It’s currently available worldwide as ebook and paperback on Amazon as well as select bookstores.

What inspired you to write this book?
Rumi, of course! I believe the circumstances we met in and the events that followed would hold relevance to my readers at many levels. And besides, Rumi’s personality is unmatched and I wanted the world to experience a bit of what I did.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Good question. Too many street cat stories on my mind at the moment. I’ve just begun writing my next but I don’t want to give anything away! I’ll say one thing though – Expect it to be magical!

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Hmmm. I’m not sure how to answer that. I’ve written for a long time. Maybe the first time I ever wrote was when I was nine. And I continued to write poems, stories and even songs at one point. There’d be papers strewn all over the house with my writing. As naive as it might sound now, I thought everyone wrote just as I did. It wasn’t till I was much older I realized that was not the case. So the answer to your question is I never demarcated myself as a writer. Writing simply came naturally to me, almost compulsively.

Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
At the moment, I’m in the midst of unexpected travel but I still keep time aside for writing. It’s usually, a couple of hours early in the morning and I end my days with reading. But as my schedule changes over time, my writing hours get moved around. However, my preference is still writing in the morning – the earlier the better. I’m also a thought trapper aka note taker. If I have a relevant thought during the day I quickly jot it down no matter what I’m doing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Don’t judge me but this used to be the case. Every notebook I used to write in, I’d begin from the end of the book and proceed to the beginning. It’s just the way I wrote. So say what would be the first page of a book for you would be the last for me. There I said it! It’s all digital now so no more of that!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Hmmm so many things. It changed with the season – a scientist, an astronaut, a soccer player…..the list goes on. Then I grew up and became another set of things doctor, educator, climber, equestrian, writer …. haha life has its ways.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
We hope you get a chance to read But First, Rumi. It’s a story straight from our hearts to yours. Hearing from our readers makes our day so do reach out to us. You can DM us at Rumi’s Instagram handle @rumionamission2017 or mail us at rumionamission2017@gmail.com.

Links:
Website | Instagram | Amazon

Here are all the Blog Tour Dates for Chitra:

March 15th @ WOW! Women on Writing 
Join us at the WOW blog, The Muffin, to celebrate the launch of Chitra Ramaswami’s book But First, Rumi. You can read an interview with the author, find out more information about this touching memoir, and win a copy for yourself!
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com 

March 16th @ Hook of a Book 
Join Erin as she shares a guest post by the author about Omani street cats.
http://www.hookofabook.wordpress.com 

March 20th @ Boots Shoes and Fashion 
Visit Linda’s blog to read her interview with author, Chitra Ramaswami about her book But First, Rumi.
http://bootsshoesandfashion.com 

March 20th @ Pages and Paws
Visit Kristine’s blog today to read her review of But First, Rumi by Chitra Ramaswami.
https://pagesandpaws.com

March 21st @ Shoe’s Seeds & Stories 
Visit Linda’s blog today to read her review and spotlight for But First, Rumi by Chitra Ramaswami.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com 

March 25th @ Keeping it Real 
Join Lisa as she shares a guest post by the author about how to get past writer’s block.
https://www.lisambuske.com/ 

March 26th @ Author Anthony Avina 
Visit Anthony’s blog as he shares a guest post about cats and mental health and reviews But First, Rumi by Chita Ramaswami.
http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

March 28th @ The Faerie Review 
Visit Lily’s blog where she interviews author Chitra Ramaswami.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com/ 

March 29th @ Beverley A. Baird’s Blog 
Join Bev as she shares her thoughts about But First, Rumi by Chitra Ramaswami.
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/ 

March 30th @ Lisa’s Reading 
Visit Lisa’s blog where she reviews But First, Rumi by Chitra Ramaswami.
http://lisasreading.com/ 

April 1st @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy’s blog and read her review of this touching memoir for pet lovers, But First, Rumi. You can also win a copy of the book too!
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/ 

April 5th HERE!

April 5th @ Note to the World
Come by Mahnoor’s blog today and read the review of But First, Rumi by Chitra Ramaswami.
https://www.notetotheworld.com/

April 7th @ It’s Alanna Jean 
Join Alanna as she shares a guest post by Chitra Ramaswami about the misconceptions about cats. https://itsalannajean.webnode.com/

April 13th @ Deborah-Zenha Adams 
Join Deborah as she shares a guest post about writing process by the author of But First, Rumi. http://www.deborah-adams.com