Disha Bose was born and raised in India and attended University College Dublin, where she got her master’s degree in creative writing. Her poetry and short stories work has been featured in several publications, including The Incubator Journal, The Galway Review, Cultured Vultures, and Headstuff, and she has been shortlisted for the DNA Short Story Prize. Now, a Good Morning America Book Club pick with her novel Dirty Laundry, Disha continues to pave a promising path as an author and lives in Ireland with her loving husband and daughter.

Tell us about your latest book I Will Blossom Anyway.

I wrote this book as a journey of self discovery from a female immigrant’s perspective. I wanted to explore what it means to feel connected to two places that become home, all while making meaningful connections along the way—of love, friendship and family.

You’ve spoken openly about how I Will Blossom Anyway was inspired by your own journey from India to Ireland. How did you strike a balance between lived experience and fictional storytelling?

I suppose I’ve been carrying this story with me throughout my own journey, for over a decade now, which inspired me to write this book. I tried to remain true to and capture those emotions I experienced, and used them as a driving force to place my characters in fictionalised settings.

Your debut novel Dirty Laundry was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and leaned into domestic suspense. What inspired you to pivot toward a romantic coming-of-age story for your second novel?

I think I’m the kind of writer who writes what they know, inspired by lived experiences. While writing Dirty Laundry, I was in the thick of the early years of motherhood, which dictated the tone of frustration and loneliness captured in the book. It seemed appropriate to set it in domestic suspense. I had the story and characters for I Will Blossom Anyway niggling at me for years, and when I finally began writing it, I knew it wouldn’t fit suspense. I wanted to stay true to the tone of this story, remain authentic, and not worry about which genre it fit into.

What did your writing process look like for this novel—did it come easily, or was it one of those stories that demanded to be unearthed slowly?

I suppose I’d been writing the story subconsciously for years, so when I began actually putting words to paper the characters and arc of the story came to me fully formed. I was busy juggling writing and being a mother to a five-year-old, and oftentimes found myself writing frantically on my phone at the playground—so I could get the words out.

Your protagonist’s journey mirrors the emotional stakes many writers wrestle with: identity, reinvention, and finding voice. How did writing I Will Blossom Anyway transform your own sense of voice as a writer?

Like the protagonist, Durga, my most crucial life lesson has been acceptance and self love. This has been true too for me as a writer. I’ve struggled for many years to fit a mould, my aspiration to become the writers I’ve admired often overpowering my sense of self. Through writing Durga’s journey, it did feel like I was going on my own journey of self discovery. This book has been a transformative experience for me.

What’s one piece of writing advice that didn’t work for you—and one that changed everything?

The writing advice that has never worked for me is to write every day. It’s good advice—to practice the skill, to get thoughts flowing etc. But I only end up feeling frustrated on days when I’m uninspired. I’m better off not forcing it and only sitting down to write when I’m motivated. The advice that changed my process was to read profusely and to read widely. I used to be inclined to read books in the genre and style I preferred, which I now realise was too limiting for me as a writer. Now I make it a point to read a variety of genres, translations, and from different periods of time. I strongly believe that all books have something to teach us.

What’s your favorite writing podcast?

I enjoy listening to Totally Booked with Zibby.

What’s a book that transformed the way you write and think about storytelling?

There are truly so many! Every time I read a good book, I feel like it’s inspiring a new outlook on storytelling. Galgut’s Promise, Backman’s Beartown series, Mellors’ Cleopatra & Frankenstein are only a few examples of books that had several teaching moments for me as a writer.

Do you have any rituals or practices that help you drop into your creative zone?

I knit as a meditative practice. On days when I can’t seem to calm my mind or begin leaning towards procrastination, I listen to an audiobook and knit for a while. This really helps me relax my thoughts and focus before I start writing.

What’s something about the publishing process that surprised you as a new author?

I was surprised by how many steps there are between completing a manuscript and a book finally going to print. As a reader, the thought never crossed my mind that a writer’s manuscript is more of a blueprint. I wasn’t aware of the importance of the guiding hands of a good editor and how many creative minds are involved in bringing that manuscript to bookshelves.

If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be?

It would be an absolute dream to co-author a book with Taylor Jenkins Reid.

What is a book you always recommend to fellow writers?

From a craft standpoint alone it would be The Great Gatsby.

I Will Blossom Anyway by Disha Bose

Durga’s family is shocked when she is the first to move away from their home in India on an uncertain path at a tech company in Ireland. Once she arrives, she realizes she is free from her parents’ expectations, her siblings’ judgements, and from her namesake, an ever pure and goodhearted Bengali goddess, an expectation no one could live up to. Now that she is on her own, she is finding her independence while building new friendships and relationships, but never fully escaping the small voice in her head that questions her choices. This voice grows even louder after her boyfriend breaks her heart, leaving her unmoored and wondering if she should return home to India and take on the role of the goddess she was named after, or stay and step into the new role, that of Kali, a fierce warrior goddess who serves as the counterpart to Durga.

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