Sonali Dev

Last updated
Sonali Dev
Bornc. 1972
Occupation Novelist
LanguageEnglish
Genre Romance fiction
Years active2014–present
Website
www.sonalidev.com

Sonali Dev (born c. 1972) is an Indian American writer of contemporary romance novels.

Contents

Early life, family and education

Dev's early life was spent in Mumbai.

Career

While in Mumbai, Dev wrote some Bollywood scripts, but these did not progress from the development phase. She began writing romance novels in 2010, inspired after reading the work of Catherine Coulter and realising the genre's similarity to Bollywood movie themes. [1]

Dev experienced racial discrimination from multiple publishing companies because the protagonists in her novels are of Indian descent, and she is writing these diverse characters in the romance genre. [2] [3]

A Bollywood Affair, Dev's first novel, was published in 2014 by Kensington Publishing Company and was shortlisted for the RITA Award by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). [2] [1] The novel was placed on the American Library Association Reference and User Services Association's Reading List for 2015. [4]

In 2018, Dev provided the Librarian's Day keynote speech at RWA's annual conference. [5] [6]

Themes

Dev commonly blends American and Indian cultures in her works, often with an emphasis on Bollywood style. [7] Her characters come from a variety of backgrounds and fall all along the spectrum of wealth. [8] [9] Some of her characters experience discrimination due to their race, gender, and culture. [8]

In Dev's first published novel, she addresses the issue of child marriage. [10] [11] Dev has been clear that in her opinion, that there is a difference between child marriages and arranged marriages. [11] Characters within Dev's novels often deal with the pressures of family and tradition, as well as how society can react to people with mental illness and fame. [12]

Her novel, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, is a mash up of Dev's normal Bollywood themes and Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice . [13] [8]

Personal life

Dev relocated to the US around 2006 after marrying her husband, Manoj Thatte, as an arranged marriage, with which she has expressed great satisfaction. [1] [11]

As of 2019, Dev resided in Naperville, Illinois, [1] where she has participated in multiple local events arranged by the city. [14] [1]

Selected works

TitleSeriesPublication YearISBN/ASIN
Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them2014B00HPQN55O
A Bollywood AffairBollywood #120149781617730139
The Bollywood BrideBollywood #220159781617730153
A Change of HeartBollywood #320169781496705747
A Distant HeartBollywood #420179781496705761
Pride, Prejudice, and Other FlavorsThe Rajes #120199780062839053
Once Upon a WeddingMorning Glory #4.520199781944048099
Recipe for PersuasionThe Rajes #220209780062839077

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Levitt, Aimee (September 22, 2016). "Sonali Dev's Bollywood happily ever afters". Chicago Reader . Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  2. 1 2 O'Brien, Kelley (February 20, 2019). "Here's Why We Need More Inclusivity In Romance Novels". Women.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  3. ↑ Rosman, Katherine (October 10, 2017). "In Love With Romance Novels, but Not Their Lack of Diversity". The New York Times . Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  4. ↑ Speace, Gillian (2015). "The Reading List 2015". Reference and User Services Quarterly . 54 (4): 63–65. doi: 10.5860/rusq.54n4.63 – via Academic Search Ultimate.
  5. ↑ "RWA Librarian's Day Keynote Speech by Sonali Dev". RA for All. July 27, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "RWA 2018 Librarians Day Keynote from Sonali Dev". SoundCloud. Romance Writers of America. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  7. ↑ Hartz, Taylor (October 29, 2019). "Naperville library event Saturday lets would-be writers talk to and learn from local published authors". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 Nesa, Kamrun (May 11, 2019). "'Pride, Prejudice, And Other Flavors' Is More Than Just Reheated Austen". NPR. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  9. ↑ Altar, Alexandra (July 7, 2018). "The Changing Face of Romance Novels". The New York Times. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  10. ↑ Nesa, Kamrun (March 11, 2019). "Misconceptions about arranged marriage abound. Romance authors are here to help". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 Shima, Nisha (May 30, 2019). "Nisha Sharma & Sonali Dev On Writing Arranged Marriages In Romance Novels With Respect & Honesty". Bustle.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  12. ↑ MacLean, Sarah (November 20, 2015). "Love Blooms in Many Forms". The Washington Post.
  13. ↑ Ramsdell, Kristin (April 1, 2019). "Romance". Library Journal. 144 (3): 69–70 – via Academic Search Ultimate.
  14. ↑ Mullins, Michelle (September 19, 2019). "This Week in Naperville". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
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