Author Jaishree Misra shares the 'Secret' of her storyline

If author Jaishree Misra were to work for a newspaper, she would have been completely at home meeting daily deadlines, though she complained about the ones her publishers set for her at the launch of her latest novel, A Scandalous Secret (HarperCollins India) on Tuesday evening.

The high point of the evening was the conversation between the author and Koel Purie Rinchet, host of the Headlines Today celebrity talk show, On The Couch With Koel. That was after Koel unveiled Misra's third and final novel of the Secrets and Lies series at the reinvented Sampan restaurant at The Suryaa in New Friends Colony.

Early on in the conversation, Misra confessed, "I shouldn't be saying this on the day of the launch but I would have done better justice to the books had I been given more open- ended deadlines." That didn't sound like a problem she should be worried about because she has not only succeeded in writing a book a year in the past three years, but also got critical acclaim and the approval of readers, who have backed her with their wallet.

A Scandalous Secret is the story of a mother-daughter relationship in the shadow of a dark secret. It is the story of an 18 year old named Sonya who sets out to confront her biological mother, Neha, for giving her up for adoption soon after her birth.

Neha had become pregnant when she was an undergraduate at Oxford University, but was persuaded to give up the baby.

She returned to India and kept the entire matter a secret, not even sharing it with the man she eventually marries. Eighteen years later, when Sonya is set to launch herself into university life, she writes to her biological mother to ask her all the questions she had always wished to.

Sharing the unusual story of the genesis of the series, Misra said, "It came from the publishers. It was the peak of recession and publishers were running on tight briefs. That's when my agent called to tell me that publishers wanted not one but three books with the theme of 'secret'. So, it was not so much about money but about the publisher's commitment to three books over three years." Secrets and Lies was out in June 2009 and it was followed by Secrets and Sins, published in July last year.

Right at the start, Misra said it was her dream to be on 'Koel's couch' and she was happy for it being fulfilled at the launch of her new book. To make the 'couch' effect genuine, Misra said she had asked for a couch as close to red as possible. Koel, too, had come wearing red to make the experience complete.

When Koel asked Misra where her stories came from, the London-based author replied, "I have always maintained that the best fiction comes from facts." She recounted the real story of the British politician, Clare Short, whose reunion with her biological son whom she had given up for adoption after his birth was widely reported in the British media.

"I had read that news report nearly seven-eight years ago and it remained in my mind," Misra said. "The newspapers had carried happy pictures of the two at their reunion. Adopted children in Britain have the right to information on their biological parents after they turn 18," she added.

The fact that Misra had worked with the social services sector in London for a few years must have helped her gain a deeper understanding of the subject.

At the end of the conversation, when Misra thanked all those whom she wanted to, she referred to her husband, Ashutosh, as "my mister - I had heard someone call her husband like that a few days ago," and invited him on the stage to wish him 'happy birthday'. "I wouldn't be what I am without him," she signed off to a thunderous applause from the audience and a 'happy birthday' song too.