In Conversation with Ekta Bhandari, Anurag Kothari, and Kalpak Chavan of Read A Kitaab on my debut novel - The D'Costa Family.

The Goan Indian D'Costa family descends into glorious chaos after patriarch Don Theodore's death. His widow Rita, who never loved him, launches a campaign to install their gravedigger son Jason as the new Don, bribing tenants, and manipulating family members. Meanwhile, her pregnant daughter-in-law Annette juggles a secret lover, stolen jewelry, and an accidental shooting, while Inspector Gaitonde - allergic to family drama - stumbles upon the D'Costas' most absurd secret beneath Jason's manicured graveyard. As real estate schemes collapse, guns are mishandled, and a Catholic-Hindu wedding spirals into hullabaloo, Rita recognizes the madness of the patriarchal power game she had been playing, finding unexpected solidarity with the tenants she once chose to exploit. The D'Costa Family is a wild ride packed with over-the-top characters and crazy twists that come fast and unexpected - sometimes emotional, sometimes macabre, but always gripping.

'A darkly comedic family caper filled with gangsters, gold, and Goan grit, The D’Costa Family is a madcap saga of greed, deception, and one last shot at legacy.' -- Jesal Shah, Filmmaker

'From the very first page, the story keeps you hooked, filled with dark humor, warmth, and an undeniable charm.' - Priyanka Tanwar, Filmmaker

'Rochelle masterfully crafts each character with such rich detail that they leap off the page, making their world impossible to resist.' - Namrata, Literary Consultant

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While at the Indo-Danish Kurindan International Writing Residency 2024, curated and directed by Claus Ankersen, two participants: Lærke Helene Askholm and Rochelle Potkar informally chat about their literary journeys.

Bio notes -

Lærke Helene Askholm is a Danish writer and singer. She writes fiction, non-fiction, lyrics, and creative texts for music and films. She holds a B.A. in International Corporate Communications as well as a M.A. in Social Work. In 2023 she published ‘Ude ved postkassen’, (Outside by the Mailbox), an illustrated collection of fiction texts on growing up speaking to young and adult readers alike. Her second book of fiction, ‘Andalucia in My Eyes’ (Andalucia i mit blik) is currently under publication.

Rochelle Potkar is a poet, author, and screenwriter based in Mumbai. Her books include: Four Degrees of Separation, Paper Asylum, Bombay Hangovers, and Coins in Rivers.

As Saritha told the audience at the @madrasbookclub, she had 2 confessions to make.

One that she knew me (aka) @rochellepotkar for 20 years. So the evening was a conversation between friends as it was a discussion about my book of poetry, Coins in Rivers.

Two, she didn't normally read poetry. She felt Poetry was subjective both to the poet as well as the reader, and Indian schools have done a disservice by teaching poetry as a subject for scoring marks instead of teaching us how to appreciate it and relate to it based on our own life experiences.

So what a wonderful time was had between poet and non-reader of poetry talking about words and imagery and verses and lines. When Rochelle read/performed her poem, Harry Mendonsa, it was a revelation about how poetry can be read. 'Pav' was a Haibun that showed Saritha and the audience layers of thought in a limited word count. 'Toys of Chitrakoot' was a telling commentary on capitalism.

Saritha concluded:'I may, after all, have learned there's more to poetry than just the rhyming and structure that I remember from my school days.'

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It was lovely to meet Sivakami Velliangiri and Chandramohan Naidu and everyone else. Maya Sharma Sriram was sorely missed.

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The next day saw book-signing events at Higginbotham and Odyssey bookstores. You will find an author-signed copy of Coins in Rivers if you drop by these bookstores.