Author Interview with Kirthana Ramisetti

This week we had the great opportunity to chat with author Kirthana Ramisetti about her recent release, Dava Shastri's Last Day, out from Grand Central Publishing. Check out the Q&A below! 


1) How did you come to write Dava Shastri's Last Day?

Dava was my third attempt at writing a novel in about twenty years. So for this time around, I decided to really go for it, and pour in all the ideas and themes I had long found fascinating. Some of these things included celebrity gossip, media and legacy.

I was specifically inspired by time as an entertainment reporter, one of the stories we often had to cover was the deaths of celebrities. As a part of that coverage, we had to be attuned to the public response on social media. And each time I saw the collective outpouring of grief in response to the news, I was curious if other notable figures would see the reaction and wonder what would be said about them when they passed away.  

That led me to come up with my novel's premise: What if there was a famous person so obsessed with their legacy that they leaked news of their death in order to read their obituaries? And I really wanted to know who this person would be, how she would be able to accomplish it, and what would drive her to do something so extreme.

2) What are you currently reading?

Three wonderful novels and a beautiful short story collection: Turmeric & Sugar by Anna Vangala Jones; The Baddest Girl on the Planet by Heather Frese; Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel; and an galley of Circa, the highly anticipated novel by The Atlas of Reds and Blues author Devi S. Laskar. 

3) Do you have a personal favorite book of all time? If so, can you share it and tell us why?

If I have to narrow it down to one book, I'll say it's the first book that enraptured and delighted me: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. As a child, I had always been a reader of books by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume, plus the The Babysitters Club and Nancy Drew. But The Westing Game was a transformative experience, so fun, witty and imaginative, and unlike anything I've read before. It deepened my love of books and reading. 

4) Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to the publication of?

Another all-time favorite is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, so I can't wait to read Goon Squad's sibling novel The Candy House. I just read an excerpt and it heightened my anticipation even more.

5) What’s next? Any upcoming book projects in the works that you can tell us about? 

I’m currently working on a second novel for Grand Central Publishing that is also steeped in pop culture. I like to think of it as sort of a pop culture detective story--if you’ve ever gone down an internet rabbit hole, then you’ll find this book very relatable. It’s been a lot of fun to write.


As a former entertainment reporter for Newsday and the New York Daily News, Kirthana Ramisetti has written her fair share of stories about the lives (and deaths) of the rich and famous. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Emerson College, and her work has been published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Dava Shastri’s Last Day is her first novel, and she lives in New York City.

 

Tags: 
Dava Shastri's Last Day By Kirthana Ramisetti Cover Image
$28.00
Not Available
ISBN: 9781538703861
Published: Grand Central Publishing - November 30th, 2021

Turmeric and Sugar: Stories By Anna Vangala Jones, Carolyn Brandt (Cover Design by) Cover Image
By Anna Vangala Jones, Carolyn Brandt (Cover Design by)
$16.99
ISBN: 9781734515879
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Thirty West Publishing House - May 28th, 2021

The Baddest Girl on the Planet By Heather Frese Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781949467840
Availability: Not In Stock - Usually ships in 3-5 Days
Published: Blair - November 2nd, 2021

Tell Me How to Be: A Novel By Neel Patel Cover Image
$26.99
Not Available
ISBN: 9781250184979
Published: Flatiron Books - December 7th, 2021

The Atlas of Reds and Blues: A Novel By Devi S. Laskar Cover Image
$16.95
Not Available
ISBN: 9781640093416
Published: Counterpoint - February 18th, 2020

The Westing Game (Puffin Modern Classics) By Ellen Raskin Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780142401200
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Puffin Books - April 12th, 2004

Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club #1) By Ann M. Martin Cover Image
$6.99
ISBN: 9781338642209
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Scholastic Paperbacks - May 5th, 2020

A Visit from the Goon Squad: Pulitzer Prize Winner By Jennifer Egan Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780307477477
Availability: On hand at one or more locations, see product page for details
Published: Anchor - March 22nd, 2011