Soul Cosmic by Himani

Q1. Tell us something about yourself.

A. An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), I hold two post-graduate degrees in the fields of Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer’s Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, I took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start my blog soniasmusings.com. My blog was featured in the list of Top Indian Blogs consistently from 2019 to 2024.

My articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women’s Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck’s Magazine, and Period magazine. I was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by Women’s Web, Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020 and Crime Literature Festival, Kolkata, 2025.

I’ve written two detective thrillers ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Detective Raya Ray’ and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ and a true crime bestseller set in pre-Independent India titled ‘The Sanyasi who became a King.’

My book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF awards in the Best Fiction Category, 2025.

Q2. Are you a fulltime writer and blogger. Apart from writing what are your favorite past time?

A. Yes, writing is my profession now. I write blogs, articles, and books.

Other than writing, I’m a bibliophile. I love reading books in the thriller and mystery genres.

Q3. “You are the author of three books. How does it feel. Share your emotions with our readers?

A. My first book was released in December 2019. It introduced Detective Raya Ray to the world. The book was well-received and loved by the readers. But the second book in the series took time because I took a break from writing to finish an MFA in creative writing before getting back to plotting the thriller. ‘Diary, Deceit and Death’ was published by Vishwakarma Publications in Sep, 2024 and in less than five months, I had my third book ‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ released by Sristhi Publishers in Jan, 2025. The feeling of holding my creation in my hands, seeing them at book stores like Bahrisons, the Storyteller etc, signing copies at the Kolkata Book Fair, hosting author sessions, giving interviews and attending literary fests is nothing less than surreal.

Q4. What inspired you to write books?

A. I worked with top private banks like ICICI and HDFC as senior branch head. After my son’s birth, I decided to take a sabbatical as we relocated to Kolkata from Bengaluru. Until then, I only read books and occasionally wrote on social media. With an infant in my lap and doubts in my mind, I reconnected with my love for writing. I started blogging in Sep 2017 and then wrote articles for various portals. The idea of writing books came as part of the Blog chatter e-book carnival. While we had the option to convert our A2Z posts of April into an e-book, I decided to take the plunge and write a new book in my favorite detective thriller genre. And there has been no looking back since then. I would say I got the inspiration from my son to turn my passion into my profession.

Q5. Two books are your fiction books and one nonfiction book. Which book was difficult to write fiction or nonfiction?

A. The writing process in fiction and non-fiction are quite different. In fiction, the author chooses what to do with the characters and plot. We can be as creative as we wish to, provided we join the dots and the story has no loopholes. With non-fiction, we are bound to stick by the truth, facts, and information. It is our responsibility to make the book authentic yet interesting. I would say writing in two different genres helped me ace the challenge and hone my writing skills.

Q6. What challenges did you face while publishing your first book?

A. My first book ‘Deal of Death’ was published as part of the Blog chatter e-book carnival. While the book went on to become one of the most downloaded books on their site, I hadn’t realized the intricacies of editing and cover design until I put it up on Amazon. As a new author, figuring out the process was the most difficult part. That’s when Suhail Mathur of The Book Bakers signed me up and my next two books were published traditionally by Vishwakarma and Sristhi Publishers respectively.

Q7 What kind of research goes into your books writing?

A. Intense research went into writing the non-fiction book on Bhawal Raja. I spent hours at the National Library, made frequent trips to College Street in search of available materials on the Bhawal case and collated the information available on internet, newspaper portals and e-books. For the fiction books, I ensure that whenever I state a fact or process, it is accurate in every aspect. So, it’s not only research on the net or through books, but sometimes it’s also by speaking to an expert in the domain. For example, I get the medicals facts mentioned in my books vetted through my husband, who’s a doctor or the legal aspects checked by a lawyer friend.

Q8. Which character in your books you are most connected with and why?

A. Detective Raya Ray because she’s the first character I created and she has some traits from me and some characteristics I wish I could have from her.

Q9 What is the most challenging scene or chapter you’ve written?

A. I feel writing climax scenes for detective thrillers is always challenging because they need to be convincing, all the loose ends need to be tied up with proper logic and every unanswered question or event needs to be attended to.

Q10. How long did it take you to complete your books?

A. I usually take six to eight months to write my books because they are mostly quite lengthy (nearing 1 lakh word count). I spend the next couple of months doing multiple rounds of editing. So, it takes me nearly 11- 12 months to send the edited and refined version of the book to a publisher.

Q11. Are there any authors or books that inspired your writing Journey?

A. There are many authors who have inspired my journey but Satyajit Ray and Agatha Christie are two authors I’ll always consider my reasons for becoming a writer of detective thrillers. I must mention that the character Raya Ray is a tribute to the maestro Satyajit Ray.

Q12. “How did you develop your characters in the book?  

A. I don’t plot my books. So, when I started writing the detective Raya Ray series, I only knew how I wanted my protagonist to shape up. When I say she’s slightly overweight, I ensure she eats a pastry and not a salad in a particular scene. But if her character realizes that she can’t be chasing criminals at this level of fitness, she brings a slow but steady change in her lifestyle. That’s how the character evolves with time and with every new book. Based on what kind of mystery Raya needs to solve, I start planning the characters around her. In my book, the story travels to and around different timelines, so I try building characters who stay relevant as the plot progresses.

Q13. “Deal of Death”, “Diary, Deceit and Death” are thrillers and “The Sanyasi Who become a king” all are different genre and unique title. How did you think of these books. Give a brief insight into all three books?

A. For the first two books, I’m sure my love for alliteration is evident in the titles. I came up with ‘Deal of Death’ as it fitted the plotline. ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ happened after multiple brainstorming sessions with my literary agent. For the nonfiction book, the title was agreed upon by the publisher, editor, literary agent and me after rounds of discussions.

‘Deal of Death’ is a detective thriller which introduced detective Raya Ray to the world. Munshiganj is a quaint town with a rich historical background. Recently though, the peace of this little town has been affected by the paranormal – the temple bell rings by itself daily at midnight. Raya Ray, an ex-marketing honcho, had been dealing with loss when a chance to help her Banker husband, Krishanu, marked her debut as a private investigator. Detective Raya Ray lands in Munshiganj in response to a call for help from Sharmila – the sister of her house- help Sutapa. Soon after, Raya chances upon a secret safeguarded for ages inside the temple. She starts unraveling the mystery, unaware of the danger lurking over her as a pair of blue eyes trail her every move. As she puts the pieces together, Detective Ray realizes that nothing and no one is what they appear to be.

‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ marks Raya’s second adventure. Detective Raya Ray is riding high on her success as a private investigator when she receives an anonymous call. She takes up the case of dual deaths that shook the peaceful beach town of Saptaparni two decades ago. Raya meets a whole slew of characters with a probable connection to these deaths. The intrepid detective traverses through a web of deceit to encounter a well-guarded secret. As she peels away the superficial layers, she’s shocked to discover veiled connections. Will Raya be able to race against the forces of nature to deliver justice to the departed souls and retrieve the secret from falling into the wrong hands?
‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ is a thriller about greed, betrayal, and masked identities of two families spanning three generations in four cities over five decades.

‘The Sanyasi who became a King’ s a true murder mystery set in pre-Independent India that highlights the intricacies of raw emotions, relationships, power, money and betrayal. Ramendra Narayan Roy, the second King of the Bhawal estate, dies under mysterious circumstances in Darjeeling. Twelve years later, an ash-covered sanyasi resembling the deceased King is seen.The King’s family rejoices, but his wife, Bibhabati, refuses to accept the man as her husband. With support from the British government – which does not want the man to reclaim his lost power and wealth for selfish reasons – she demands proof! Was the Sanyasi a fraud? If he was the real King, then whose body was cremated in Darjeeling? What role did Bibhabati’s brother play in this mysterious death? The book takes a reader on a thrilling journey to uncover the truth.

Q14. What was the most surprising review you got from your readers which made you smile?

A. In one of the reviews about ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’, the reviewer mentioned ‘This book is a treat to be with. Even if we feel low, once we read this book, undoubtedly, we gain a subtle confidence. After reading this thriller, we come across on what a person can do if he or she wants truth to prevail. Alive or dead, doesn’t matter, if you want to clean the filth of the society, you can always do it. Urge is the only necessity. The possibility of converting a gloomy person to enthralled one, and finally a glad one, is the nub of this book. You will shift throughout four decades just like that, now and then, but still can visualize history happening. You will jump from North Bengal to South India, but can feel the diversified climate on every leap. The characters will speak to you, and give you immense food for thought. Not only the facts and figures, you will equally envisage faith and truth. The values, the principles, the ethics will speak up to you as if you are amidst the story. Apparently, it is a murder mystery, but no doubt you will find myriads of ways to enrich yourself, through the chapters of resilience, patience, intelligence, compassion, philanthropy and realizations. We always long for good to win over the evil, we always want justice to be delivered fast, but this story will help you confront the reality. We all love to enjoy by finding our niche, but there are few people who find their happiness in the settlement and contentment of others, and we call them Mothers and Fathers. This book has a lot to say. It is not not only a canvas for the imaginary characters, but also a depiction of self-revelation. Coming more to the story – the time shifts, the filling in the blanks, the link-ups for the disconnections created initially, is thoroughly enjoyable. Hope to read many many more Raya Ray adventures in the years to come. All the best and a big gratitude to the author, Sonia Chatterjee, for her immense hardwork and unparallel homework while creating this.’

This review not only brought a big smile on my face but it also made me emotional because weaving the angle of social change in a subtle way in the murder mystery was risky but I was so glad that it had hit a chord with the reader.

Q15. What is the most challenging part of the writing process for you?

A The most challenging part of the writing process is to get started. There are so many ideas that are running in my mind even as I type this. But to pick up one and start focusing on it to create my next is the first step of overcoming this challenge.

Q16. How much your personal experience influences your writing?

A Well, ‘truth is stranger than fiction’! As authors, we always draw inspiration from characters around us, real life incidences and experiences. It’s no different for me. My years in Bengaluru finds a mention through the characters and their lives in the city. Raya’s choice to quit the corporate world and get on an unusual track of becoming a detective comes from my decision to take the plunge and become an author. Having said that, not everything is based on my personal experiences. As writers, we take the creative liberty to plot incidents and experiences not relevant to our lives as well.

Q18. What do you hope readers take away from your books?

A I hope my readers take away the feeling of being taken aback after finishing the book. If they feel that they had never expected such a twist or foreseen the unfolding of incidents in the climax, I would feel I have successfully done my job.

Q19. How do you connect with your readers?

A I primarily connect with my readers through social media. I go by the username @soniasmusings on FB/IG/X/Threads and I also have a small YouTube channel with the same handle where I keep sharing updates about my books. I do online author sessions and interviews. I also so meet and greet and offline author sessions where I meet my readers and listen to their feedback.

Q20. Give some advice to new writers and message to your readers.?

A To all the new writers, the trick is to get started and keep moving. While occasional breaks are important, it’s essential that we bring self-discipline and consistency in our routine of writing.

To my readers, thank you for the immense love that you have showered on my books, especially on the recent releases. I hope to keep you enthralled with many newer books in the future.

Thank you for this wonderful interview, Himani!

The Sanyasi who become a king: https://amzn.in/d/6j93ftj

Diary, Deceit and Death: https://amzn.in/d/f065LNH

Deal of Death: https://amzn.in/d/5nQZfhD