24 Oct Namita Mehra and THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU plus a GIVEAWAY!

EL: I’m so excited to have my PBSpree Sister, Namita Mehra, with us on the blog today. Her story, THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU, tells the story of Diya who has moved away from her country, her culture, and her home. She is excited to go back to India to spend Diwali with her grandmother. Although this is specifically about the beautiful holiday of Diwali, it is a universal story about discovering the unique light within all of us.

Welcome, Namita! Now that we’ve talked a bit about the book, will you tell us a little about yourself?

NM: Hi, I’m Namita, I am a full-time mom, full-time writer, and full-time entrepreneur! PHEW! My kids are 10 and 5 years old, and we live in Singapore. I’ve been in Singapore for 12 years and lived in New York for a decade before moving out here. My family lives in India and that’s where I’m originally from. I used to work at Facebook and have a whole corporate life I did for about 15 years before starting my own business and becoming a writer. When I’m not writing, I’m running my small business Indian Spicebox and running after my kids! I also host monthly food pop-ups, practice yoga, enjoy trying new foods, and travel a lot!

EL: Wow! I’m exhausted just reading this! What was your inspiration for this book?

NM: My children go to an international school here in Singapore and I wanted to write a Diwali story that children from all cultures and backgrounds could relate to. I’m a third culture kid and have grown up primarily outside my home country of India, and I wanted to write a story that would connect with children in the same situation. Traditionally, Diwali stories heavily emphasized the Hindu mythological stories –which is hard for young children to wrap their heads around. Some of the stories are a bit violent too! I wanted to write a story with universal appeal that highlights the spiritual side of Diwali rather than the religious aspect.

EL: You certainly did that! Also, I think the illustrations are perfect for your book. Did you get to communicate with your illustrator?  When did you see the roughs? Tell us everything!

NM: Kamala Nair is amazing! Yes, I discovered her on Instagram and suggested her to my editor. I saw how her art played with light and truly lit up…and I knew she would be perfect for this book. Luckily it all worked out! Kamala and I chatted right through the process . . . which I know isn’t always the case but it was amazing. She asked me for photos of my family and we discussed details about Nani’s jewelry for example. She was very open and easy to work with. We both come from different parts of India and Diwali celebrations tend to vary regionally—so it was nice to be able to talk about some of those details with her. Her work is incredible, and she is absolutely warm and lovely.

EL: I agree. I love the illustrations! Do you have anything else in the pipeline you can talk about?

NM: I am very excited for my next two books. Next year’s book published by Kids Can Press is a story about a girl’s journey during the Partition of India and is based on my grandparents who migrated to India from Pakistan. My 2025 book is called The Greatest River published by Harper Collins and is a lyrical story about the Holy River of India, the great Ganges. This book is being illustrated by Khoa Le and I’m a HUGE fan of hers . . .so I’m super thrilled about that one and it’s a very different style of writing and a quiet story from me. I think a lot of people will be surprised by that one

EL: Sounds wonderful! I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for these! Congrats!  Writing doesn’t always flow the way we want it to. What do you do when the words won’t come?

NM: I only write when the words come haha! This is why I can’t write daily- sometimes I feel guilty about it but I asked Andrea Wang when I met her at Singapore American School and she said she doesn’t write daily either- so I feel better now! I’m sure there are plenty writers who don’t write every day. I also run a small business and manage a busy household with two young children, so there are plenty days that just pass by in a blur. And then there are days when I am ‘sparked’ and charged with an idea and the words just come pouring out.

When the words won’t come, I move on to the other 27 things on my to-do list! Often I find, when my mind is quiet…like during yoga or on a plane staring out the window, the words quickly come again. This is going to sound bizarre- but many of the words and full sentences, in fact, in my upcoming lyrical book about the holy river of India (THE GREATEST RIVER, HarperCollins March 2025) came to me during yoga.

EL: I think that makes perfect sense. Do you have any words of advice for aspiring kidlit writers or illustrators?

NM: Have a group! You can’t do it alone! I would highly recommend being part of a regular, in-person critique group (online ones are great too but I LOVE seeing my group in person) I have been part of the same Singapore SCBWI picture book critique group since 2016! You learn so much, you give, you take, you support each other…it’s incredible and I’m super grateful for my amazing group! I couldn’t have come this far on my writing journey without my critique group.

EL: Thank you so much for coming, Namita. I love THE LIGHT WITHIN YOU, and I look forward to the other books.

And now a

Namita is happy to give away a book OR a picture book manuscript critique. It’s the winner’s choice! Just comment on this post to enter. Please let me know if you share this post or you are a subscriber to get an extra chance to win.

Until next time,

Ellen

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