Can You Be follows a woman living a self-imposed, sheltered life who, after receiving a mysterious box, starts to open up and discover who she is and starts to heal from her past. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I like to write stories of self-development and self-discovery, focusing on the pivotal moments of a character’s life. This is what I did with Naina in Can You Be, and was the inspiration for this novel. Naina is about to turn thirty and receiving the box sets her on a path where she chooses to face herself, her fears and insecurities, and explore who she wants to be. Naina is an underdog and learns to become her own hero. I want to showcase that anyone can change their life and bring their dreams to reality. It can be as simple as making a choice, which Naina did. She chose to be different, heal, forgive, take a chance, and go on a life-changing trip. She learns and grows tremendously through the course of the book.

What was one scene in the novel that you felt captured the morals and message you were trying to deliver to readers?

The best scene to capture the morals of the story is one towards the end where Naina and Holy Man are sitting on a towel at the beach on Sullivan’s Island. The location is special to Naina, and she regularly goes there when she needs solace, but she usually does it alone. This time, Holy Man joins her. She has already grown a great deal through the journey she’s been on but needs a final push, if you can call it that, to get out of her own way. The conversation she has with Holy Man helps her.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I have already shared the theme of self-discovery and self-development, which are tied into the topic of exploring who we can be. There is the theme of “being” in discovering who Naina is as a person, but also not having the pressure to “do,” which comes up for her a lot, and rather to “be,” which she struggles with. Food and travel are featured in the book as an avenue to showcase diversity and multicultural elements. Naina is born in America but of Indian descent, Raiya is Indian, and there are other characters from other countries. Naina travels to Stockholm, the Baltics, and Helsinki, yet most of the book takes place in Charleston, South Carolina. I also explore spirituality in a grounded way through crystals, mindfulness and meditation, Angel Oak, and a mysterious Holy Man. All of them help Naina on her journey.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

I have a few projects I am working on. I have a daily reflections deck of cards that I am collaborating on with Jess Fowler, an artist based in Australia. It will be a deck of 77 cards that encourage daily self-reflection. I also am working on another poetry collection called “Journeys.” It’s a collection of books that explores journeys through various facets of life such as travel, health, relationships, love, faith, and so much more. The cards and the first book of poetry in the Journeys collection should be available in 2024. I am also working on my third novel, which is a story about a woman who leaves everything behind to become a tarot card reader. It follows her struggles and how she overcomes them to evolve into taking on her dream career. This should be available in 2025.

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