{"id":317455,"date":"2025-11-25T06:54:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/art\/chickpea-curry-lit-and-literary-satnavs-duncan-grant\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T06:54:53","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:54:53","slug":"chickpea-curry-lit-and-literary-satnavs-duncan-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=317455","title":{"rendered":"Chickpea Curry Lit and Literary SatNavs < Duncan Grant"},"content":{"rendered":"


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My last blog <\/a>featured the book covers I designed for debut author Lucy Elena<\/a>\u2018s love story, set in Rome, The Starling Dance<\/a><\/em> and (via Liberty) Anna Burns\u2019 2018 Booker Prize winning novel, Milkman<\/a>.<\/em> That made me think that although I\u2019ve featured visual artists, printers, photographers, performance artists, musicians and community art projects on this blog, I\u2019ve rather ignored the writers. So I\u2019m putting that right today.<\/p>\n

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I first met author, Ritu Bhathal, through my wife, Davina, when they both worked together in the same school. Years ago, when I was starting to paint again, I knew I had to do something about the figures I was painting \u2013 they just didn\u2019t look right. So, I made an appeal on Facebook<\/em> for people to send me pictures of themselves, so I could practice, and Ritu kindly sent me one of her. She still has that early portrait. Since then, Ritu has gone on to write three successful novels and continues to work as an Early Years Teacher as a sideline to her writing. I don\u2019t know how she does it!<\/p>\n

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Ritu was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents from Kenya, of Indian origin. This colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration for her writing, and she\u2019s coined the phrase \u2018Chickpea Curry Lit\u2019 for her particular style of fiction.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s Chic Lit with an Indian twist\u2019, she says, \u2018You\u2019ll find culture, romance, laughs and, quite possibly, you\u2019ll learn something new.\u2019<\/p>\n

Her first book, Marriage Unarranged<\/a> <\/em> (2022) combines a visit to India seen through the eyes of main character Aashi, best friend Kiran, and her protective brothers, with a slice of Indian culture back in the UK, in Birmingham. There\u2019s drama, fun and romance, mystery, and a feast of vibrant colours, high fashion, appetising smells and delicious food when the group visits Delhi.<\/p>\n

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Although they\u2019re funny and fun, Ritu\u2019s books aren\u2019t afraid to deal with more difficult cultural issues The second book in the Rishtay Trilogy, Straight as a Jalebi<\/a> <\/em>(2023), which continues to follow the family and friends featured in her first book, explores attitudes to gay relationships, and her third book In God\u2019s Hands <\/a><\/em> (2024) looks at the impact of infertility. These are enjoyable, fast moving, thought-provoking books, which I\u2019d urge you to try \u2013 details below and via the links in the blog.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, that\u2019s enough from me. I\u2019m not a writer, so I invited Ritu to contribute a guest blog.<\/p>\n

My Literary Satnav: How my story gets from A to B <\/em>was first published on Ritu\u2019s own blog in 2020 and asks, \u2018Are you a planner or a pantser?\u2019<\/p>\n

As an artist, I\u2019d say I\u2019m a pantser. I only really plan if it is a commission or book cover type thing. I might have an idea for a picture, but when I draw it, it just comes out how it comes out. What\u2019s your approach to life? Read what Ritu has to say and decide.<\/p>\n

My Literary SatNav<\/strong>: How my story gets from A to B<\/p>\n

Ritu Bhathal<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Today, in a(nother) Facebook group I am a member of, a question was asked.<\/p>\n

Are you a planner or a pantser?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I have always laughingly referred to myself as a\u00a0Plantser<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a mixture of the two.<\/p>\n

I was asked what I plan, and where I pants, and I came up with this analogy of my Literary SatNav.<\/p>\n

Let me explain.<\/p>\n

I have a basic idea of where I want the story to go, who will be present at the start and how I want it to end.<\/p>\n

Then the characters are given the destination (aka the end)\u2026 with key places I want them to visit on their way.<\/p>\n

They are like my Literary Satnavs. They take me to my conclusion in their\u00a0own way.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like a roadtrip with imaginary friends.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I have to stop the writer car, let the engine idle, while I reprogram the route, because we\u2019ve gone wildly off the map, but most of the time, it works.<\/p>\n

We even pick up hitchhikers along the way, in the form of new characters who I didn\u2019t even know existed! (Note to younger readers \u2013 I am not advocating picking up hitch hikers in reality, but extra characters, that\u2019s a different matter.)<\/p>\n

There are the key points we\u2019ll stop at, as I specified when I originally gave the characters the basic travel plan, to savour the scenery, but more often than not, we carry on down the road to our HEA \u2013 our Happily Ever After.<\/p>\n

It worked for me with Marriage Unarranged<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s hoping they are as good at guiding me and my story this time too!<\/p>\n

What? You haven\u2019t read it, yet? Well, what are you waiting for?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Head on over to Amazon to download or order your copy using this link<\/a><\/p>\n

Find out more<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ritu Bhathal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Links to all Ritu\u2019s books, poetry and social media can be found here<\/p>\n

Linktree:\u00a0https:\/\/linktr.ee\/ritubhathalwrites<\/a><\/p>\n

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