Kashmira Sheth's Weblog

Keeping Corner Wins Another Award

On April 9th I traveled to Chicago to attend the Friends of American Writers Awards Luncheon.
The Friends of American Writers was established in 1922 in Chicago to focus on American Literature and to encourage high standards among new American Writers.  Since 1928, awards have been given annually for outstanding books by authors coming from Midwestern states, or books which have stories that take place in Midwestern settings. The Annual Juvenile Book Merit Awards began in 1960.
The Friends of American Writers gives four awards each year—two to adult books, one to a children’s picture book, and one to a children’s chapter book—and this year I received news that my book, Keeping Corner is the winner of the 2008 Friends of American Writers Award for Children’s Chapter Book.
It was a wonderful celebration and I enjoyed meeting the members of the club as well as other award winners.

The Reviews are in for Keeping Corner.....

2007 Parents' Choice Gold Winner

"This powerful and enchanting novel juxtaposes Leela's journey to self-determination with the parallel struggle of her family and community to follow Gandhi on the road to independence from British rule. Among the vivid and appealing characters is India itself."
Starred Review, Kirkus

"Sheth (Blue Jasmine, 2004) sets up a thrilling premise in which politics become achingly personal as Leela’s brave, tumultuous coming-of-age plays out in intimate detail against the backdrop of her nation’s independence. Idealistic teens will be caught up in the human-rights issues, and the vivid cultural specifics, memorable characters, and the bold adolescent’s challenge to tradition will attract a wide readership."
Starred Review, Booklist

"……absorbing, atmospheric novel…. Sheth expertly weaves rich descriptions into the day-to-day activities (“Ideas sank into my mind like monsoon rain into soil”)."
Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly

 

As in Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet (Hyperion, 2006), Sheth provides a first-person narrative with a strong protagonist and rich sense of place, with the added bonus of an unusual historical perspective.

Starred review, School Library Journal

Keeping Corner - Kirkus Starred Review!

In Gujarat, India, during World War I, Mohandas Gandhi has opened an ashram attracting followers to his movement for Indian self-determination. In a nearby village, Leela, 12, married at age nine, looks forward to moving to her husband’s home. When he dies unexpectedly, Brahman custom requires her confinement at home for a year, “keeping corner.” Prohibited from ever remarrying, her head shaved and pretty saris put away, Leela faces a barren future. Her loving family is heartbroken, but only Leela’s brother has the courage to buck tradition, hiring a tutor to educate her. This powerful and enchanting novel juxtaposes Leela’s journey to self-determination with the parallel struggle of her family and community to follow Gandhi on the road to independence from British rule. Among the vivid and appealing characters is India itself. Natural and human cycles—dry and monsoon seasons, landscape and animals, customs religious and secular—are rendered with a rich sensual palate. We leave Leela and her country poised to cross the threshold of autonomy at that enchanting moment when anything seems possible. (Fiction. 12+)

- Kirkus (Starred review, 10/1/2007 issue)

Keeping Corner out in October

My next novel, Keeping Corner, is historical fiction for young adult based on my great aunt's life, and it is set in Gandhi-era India. It will be available in October.

From the publisher:

"Pretty as a peacock, twelve-year-old Leela has been spoiled all her life by everyone in her Gujarat village. She has never been interested in school and barely takes notice of the growing unrest between the British colonists and her own countrymen.  Why should she? Her future has been planned since her engagement at two and marriage at nine. And now, as the day she moves in with her husband's family draws near, she's too busy collecting bangles and ribbons to care about much else.

But when Leela's husband dies, her life changes forever.  Instead of being showered with  gifts and affection, she is is forced to shave her head and give away her beloved saris and bangles.  Leela is considered unlucky now, and will have to stay confined to her house for a year to keep corner in preparation for a life of mourning for a boy she barely knew.

When her schoolteacher hears of her fate, she offers to give Leela lessons at home. For the first time, despite her confinement, Leela begins to open her eyes to the changing world around her.  India is suffering from a severe drought, and farmers are unable to pay taxes to the British. She learns about a new leader of the people, a man named Gandhi, who starts a political movement and practices satyagraha, a non-violent protest against the colonists as well as the caste system.  The quiet strength of satyagraha may liberate her country. Could it be that she can use the same path to liberate herself?"

On trusting the process

When I first started writing I heard some writers talk about, “TRUSTING THE PROCESS” and wondered what it meant. Wasn’t the process dictated by the writers?

It took me a while to realize that sometimes it is hard to know how our mind puts a story together: not only does it vary from person to person, but also from novel to novel. For my first two books, I wrote more or less what I knew about, and it was a linear process of going from point A to B and then to C. My third book, Keeping Corner, was different and I found it hard to write it in a straight, simple way.

Keeping Corner is historical fiction set in the India of 1918-1919, based on the life of my great aunt who was a child widow. My parents told me about her life and about other widows’ lives, but I wanted to anchor my story in the time and place to make it come alive. I did extensive research on the political and cultural changes taking place at the time in India and particularly in the state of Gujarat where my story is set. I realized that I had two parallel stories running side by side in my mind and I had to weave them together so that it became one indivisible tale. I went back and forth in the story and it took me a long time to finish it.

Right now, I am trying to write a book about a subject and a place that I know little about, but have  a huge interest in. It has been a very challenging and sometimes frustrating experience. It would be easy to abandon this project and go on to write something I know, but I am determined to do it because once I finish I will have grown as a writer. I don’t know how to do it, but as I put words down, I will discover a process or maybe I will stumble upon it. Once I finish the first draft I will probably have to tweak it, layer it, and maybe even change the point of view or rewrite it.

I have no clue how this project will turn out, but I have to  “TRUST THE PROCESS” and proceed.

REVIEWS for My Dadima Wears A Sari

San Francisco Chronicle April 29, 2007
Jaeggi’s pastel watercolors create a warm, feminine tone, contrasted with sepia-tone “photographs” of moments in Dadima’s past from girlhood to adulthood. It’s a multilayered book that cleverly tells the story of a relationship while exposing readers to an Indian cultural tradition.

Booklist, Mar. 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 13)
The text consists mostly of dialogue between Dadima and her granddaughters, and the continuous, loving exchange heightens the intergenerational warmth that's extended in Jaeggi's delicate watercolors, particularly in scenes of Dadima and the girls unfurling luxurious lengths of cloth.

Children's Literature
Transparent watercolors project the delicacy and colors of the materials of the saris as well as the various scenes, both real and imaginary, where the saris are worn or used. Warm family affection is evident in both story and illustrations. The end-papers are a plus, adding almost a dozen patterns, some of which appear incorporated in the saris or decorations in the story. The author adds a personal note on the sari in her life, along with instructions.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 4))
A strong depiction of family, this story shows how meaningful traditional clothing can be.

Bank Street College
A wonderful book, My Dadima Wears a Sari perfectly captures a loving relationship between grandmother and child while conveying a special regard for the clothes and customs of other cultures. Told mostly in dialogue, the story will leave readers feeling that they know the characters.

Paper Tigers
My Dadima Wears a Sari is a sure-bet for young girls who will be anxious to try out sari-wearing themselves. The author includes step-by-step photos on “How to Wrap a Sari” at the end of the story. This book warmly captures the sweetness of a close relationship with a grandmother who takes palpable joy in sharing the traditions of her native culture with her American granddaughters.

Book signing

Dear Friends,
It was so nice to see so many of you last night for my book signing. For the past four years your enthusiasm and support has been great. My Dadima Wears a Sari is my first picture book and I am happy that it has been received well. I hope to see you all soon.

Kashmira

NEW BOOK: My Dadima Wears A Sari

I just received a copy of My Dadima Wears a Sari. It is my first picture book. The art work by Yoshiko Jeaggi is sari-soft and flowing. I am happy and proud to have had a chance to publish a book with her. I have posted upcoming events for March and April and will provide updates over time.

To purchase, please click on any of the following links below:

• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• BookSense

Hattie Big Sky

I’m a big fan of historical fiction and read Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson before it received the Newbery Honor. I loved it. It is a story about a sixteen year old Hattie who takes a chance on a homestead claim in Montana. The story is set in 1917 when war was raging in Europe. I enjoyed the writing which is full of details of that time. Hattie’s days are filled with taking care for her livestock, planting, harvesting, worrying over money, dealing with bitter cold in the winter and drought in the summer.

The story touched me deeply because the character of Hattie is based on the life of the author’s her great-grandmother, who proved a claim in Montana when she was just a girl. My next novel is a historical fiction based on my great aunt’s story and I know how satisfying and important it was for me to tell her story. I hope you enjoy Hattie Big Sky. It is a beautiful story.

Some of my favorite books....

....are Laura Ingalls Wilder’s LITTLE HOUSE series since it inspired me to write my own story. I liked all these books but THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS is my favorite. I also love NUMBER THE STARS by Lois Lowery and A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle.

Even though  I was a mother of two by the time I read these books, it still felt like I was discovering them as if I were a child because I read them with my daughters. This is the magic of shared stories.