To Sue, everything in her life is filled with a lingering sadness. From a depressive childhood to a hauntingly lonely youth, she tries to live with what life offers her. As she moves away from the sunny skies of Colombo to settle down in Central Rome, she realizes that she is leaving behind not only her own birth roots but also her counterpart, Avi - the boy with whom she shared her childhood. Even though their friendship has ruptured, Avi and Sue lead parallel lives, with the same notes of discontentment and disillusionment about the worlds they live in. As they both search for meaning in life, they cannot leave behind the monstrous memories and struggles of their past: to Sue, her mother's deviated sexuality; to Avi, his dream of a better life... Until one dreary night when Avi accidently walks into trouble, witnessing the bloody murder of a helpless woman. He struggles to fight the demons of that night but the shadows of his past haunt him until a way to escape his misery walks into his life.  

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

                I always found that the themes of sorrow, separation and loneliness to be very interesting. The story in Sorrow that You Keep slowly developed within me and I realized that if continuously worked on developing the plot, the result would be a great story. Since I felt like the story was moving a bit too slow, I thought to make it interesting and gripping by adding several features of a thriller.

Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? 

                Actually, it was not a choice. The story moves among different genres. Some readers like to call it a thriller, some call it a mystery and some name it as literary fiction. I think the novel belongs to all these genres. I wanted a vivid narration, not a story that sticks only to one genre.

If you write more than one, how do you balance them?

                I have never tried to write more than one, it’s always being one story at a time. Being a university student, I don’t really have a lot of free time, but when I do have some free time I try to spend it on writing or reading.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?

                I think it came from my mother. She always made me read books. I can still remember how she read me poetry of Wordsworth, Keats and Coleridge when I was small. She loves the Romantics and she is the first person to gift me with books. My favorite childhood book The Wind in the Willows which I have read for more than 10 times was also given by her.

How long have you been writing?

                Ever since I was a small girl. I used to write very small stories. They were funny stories about talking fruits and talking animals.

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

                The hardest part was to keep within the limits of the story. This became a novella because of this reason. I worked so hard to stay within the peripheries of the small timeline and events that were taking place in the story. I knew that if I added more characters and incidents the story would lose its essence.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

                I enjoyed putting all my thoughts on to paper. It was very satisfying and I was glad to see that I would complete this manuscript, unlike many other books which I have started to write, but never came to the finishing end.

What is the biggest thing that people THINK they know about your subject/genre, that isn't so?

                I think most readers believe that books like Sorrow that You Keep are boring and carry only negative features about life. But I think that they mirror life and many hidden facets in our day to day routine.

What is the most important thing that people DON'T know about your subject/genre,  that they need to know?

                I think that readers should understand that books like this are different but that difference is what makes them interesting and praiseworthy.

What inspires you? 

                Many things. Stories. People. Incidents. Music. 

     I read in my free time. I find inspiration from the books I read. When I visit new places, I usually go alone so that I could talk to new people; get to know their culture, their language and their stories. Blending in with new people is a unique way to get to know their struggles and derive inspiration from them.

What process did you go through to get your book published?

                It wasn’t easy at first. I talked to many publishing houses but they did not reply to my messages or emails. When Notion Press replied to the submission which I shared with them, I was glad that there will be a publisher to take the book forward. They worked very well on the publishing process and especially the cover design was done in the same way I wanted. My first publishing experience became a good one because of Notion. But later on, I got two more letters of acceptance from two other publishers.

What makes your book stand out from the crowd?

                Readers have told me that the mixing of several genres was very interesting and they would chose to read it because of the interesting plot line. And also the title. Many readers have found that the title to be very catchy and I also thought that it would attract a wider audience.

How do you find or make time to write?

                I usually write during the evenings, when I’m home. I don’t make time to write. But I write when I feel like I can sit down peacefully and concentrate properly.

Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two?  Summarize your writing process.

                I think it is a combination of both. Intuition is guided by the creative process. The story flows through intuition but through logic I try to place the events and characters in the necessary places. So that the story flows with a good momentum.

What question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has? Write it out here, then answer it.

This is a tough question.  Most of the time I get questions about the title and story. But one question that puzzles me also is that; will any one of the characters in the story eventually find themselves by being happy?

I think many readers will eventually come to this question at the end of the book, but since there is an open end, they can only arrive at a guess that it may or may not. But I think more weight is given to the fact that they will not. None of them would find the contentment they need.

Buy Links:  Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642491330/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520398996&sr=8-1&keywords=9781642491333

           Book Depository

https://www.bookdepository.com/Sorrow-That-You-Keep-Ruvindra-Sathsarani/9781642491333