Exclusive Interview With The Author of ‘Daughter of the Night’ Nandini Gupta

Nandini Gupta is the author of Daughter of The Night who is studying Journalism and Dramatic Literature in NYU. She also has a Youtube channel on Lifestyle and is a fan of BTS.

Q1. The MC (Main Character) of your story Laila is from Pakistan who comes down to Udaipur and it is mostly about her experiences that she faced on the way and her past that she discovered, so my first question is, is it loosely even based on the movie Veer Zara?

I remember watching “Veer Zara” as a kid because my parents loved the film. They always made me sit down with them to watch it and I always ended up in tears. Now that I think about it, “Daughter of the Night” might draw some connections to the film, but it’s not based on it. The idea was inspired by my love for Rajasthan and its rich culture and history, and Laila’s character is a mix of different characteristics from people I know and interact with within daily life.

Q2. Regarding this book what came first in your mind, The Characters or the Plot? And How?

The characters. Definitely. Laila’s character was the first character I thought of. To be quite frank, Laila is a mix of different people I know in real life. Portions of her directly relate to me, as well. When you talk about her curls, that’s something I have, so I put it in there because I wanted the character I was writing about to feel really personal and relatable. The plot sort of developed around her: what she thinks, how she acts, and why she does what she does. Once I had her character in mind and a vague idea for a plot, I molded other characters around these two things. But for me, characters always drive the story. As a reader as well, I love to get to know characters on a deep level. I want to understand their perspective and I want to feel like I’m a part of their life. This might stem from the fact that I’m a journalism student and part of the reason why I love being a student reporter is because I get to interview people I’ve never even spoken to before. In some cases, I really get to know them and that to me is really exciting!

Q3. You had another character Gulab as well who is indeed a very interesting character. So, what’s the trickiest thing about writing characters of the opposite gender?

Gulab’s character is interesting because she’s as much the hook of the story as is Laila. Without Gulab, this story would not exist and this puts a lot of weight on Gulab’s shoulders. The trickiest part about writing her was somehow making her relatable to Laila, who’s significantly younger than her. I constantly asked myself questions: Will a person of Gulab’s age say this? Do this? To write her well, I had to mix two different generations, which can always be tricky.

Q4. What is a significant way your book has changed since the first draft?

I remember the longest part of the editing and revising process for me was the climax. Even though I didn’t completely change the climax, the way I wrote it in the beginning and what my readers see before them today are two very different things. Because the climax is what the entire story builds on to, it had to create a mark. And finding that mark wasn’t easy because the readers really need to feel connected to the characters to feel a range of emotions towards the novel’s end.

Q5. How much research did you need to do for your book?

The book deals with the history of two nations, so I had to research quite a bit for those portions. I also had to make myself very well-versed with Rajasthani culture, traditions, monuments, history, food, clothing, and so many other elements because a majority of the novel takes place in the state. Since I’m not originally from Rajasthan, making sure I understood the place and people was a priority for me.

Q6. What was the hardest scene to write in the book and why?

The hardest scene to write in the book was definitely the end when Laila’s going through a lot of different things, none of which she saw coming her way. I was swinging back and forth between giving my readers a lot of explicit detail to make them feel a certain way or leaving them with just enough information that would also serve the same purpose. In the end, I did go with the second option because I felt like everyone reads a character and story differently. So they deserved to feel the end in their own, personal, and most authentic way.

Q7. Last question, can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

All the blurbs provided by some of the most amazing people draw on various aspects of the novel. Something, rather some people not mentioned in the blurbs are the characters of Ibrahim and Asif. Each of them represents someone very close to me in real life. Even though they are minor characters, their role is irreplaceable in the novel. Fun fact: I enjoyed writing Asif’s character the most!

---