Could you tell us about your new book?
Burps, Chirps & Cat-astrophic Turfs is a story born from real life. In April 2024, I rescued, hand-raised, and eventually released a sunbird chick, an experience that forms the beating heart of this book. What unfolds around it is a delightful potpourri of humour and warmth, the kind that nudges us gently toward our more humane selves.
At its centre is Mrs Choudhary…meddlesome, dramatic, and gloriously chaotic. A midlife maven with a PhD in pandemonium and a minor in melodrama, she is an empty-nester (mother to twin daughters off at college) navigating life in Hyderabad with her long-suffering husband and an ever-expanding menagerie: dogs, cats, a sassy parrot, a tortoise, a pet lizard, and a revolving cast of rescued creatures.
Her home is less a household and more a budget wildlife sanctuary, equal parts refuge and riot.
When a fragile sunbird chick crash-lands into her already teetering routine, Mrs Choudhary undertakes the near-impossible task of raising a creature no bigger than a pompom, sustained only on nectar. What follows is a transformative, chaotic, and deeply moving journey…played out amidst squawks, cat conspiracies, mother-in-law manoeuvres, neighbourhood espionage, floral kleptomania, and the occasional tortoise-related crisis.
All this while she is also attempting to write her next cookbook.
Narrated in a voice that is unapologetically sassy and shamelessly self-deprecating, the book revels in chai-soaked wit and the absurdities of everyday life. With a saucy, English-loving house-help, judgmental pets, and enough moral commentary to power a small nation, this is a domestic circus where even the lizards have names…and opinions.
Part family drama, part wildlife misadventure, and entirely a feathered fiasco, Burps, Chirps & Cat-astrophic Turfs is a tribute to the beautiful, unruly mess of love, in all its forms.
With advance praise from Ms Maneka Gandhiji, this is a story that celebrates compassion, chaos, and the unexpected ways in which life reshapes us.
- How long did it take to write your new book?
I began writing this book in August 2024, with no fixed timeline, just a story that insisted on being told. By October, with roughly 10,000 words in place, I submitted it to the Penmancy Pitchfest 3.0 (in association with Readomania), more out of curiosity than expectation.
When the manuscript was long-listed, it became the nudge I didn’t know I needed. What had been a slow, meandering process suddenly found urgency and direction. The story gathered pace; the characters grew louder, and the chaos demanded completion.
By January 2025, after the book was short-listed and a full manuscript was required for evaluation, I had finished writing it. What began as an unhurried idea, unexpectedly, found its momentum and its moment.
- Could you take us through your writing journey?
My writing journey has been organic, growing quietly alongside life rather than following a prescribed path. I don’t come from a formal background in literature, fine arts, or journalism. I hold an MBA in Finance and am the founder of a woman-centric headhunting firm (which sounds mildly cannibalistic, but I assure you, isn’t!).
Writing, however, has always been a constant companion. As a teenager, I gravitated toward poetry, and many of those early pieces found their way into local magazines and newspapers, small but significant affirmations that stayed with me.
Somewhere along the way, life took over, and writing receded into the background. It wasn’t until the pre-COVID years that I found my way back, serendipitously, through online platforms like Penmancy, ArtoonsInn, Momspresso, ALS, Poetry Planet, and Women’s Web. What began as casual blog posts soon developed into a more intentional pursuit.
I started taking part in writing competitions, both poetry and prose, and the feedback I received played a crucial role in shaping my craft. Encouraged, I began experimenting with longer narratives, eventually moving on to novellas (still tucked away, unpublished). Entering national-level competitions and winning a few along the way gave me the confidence to keep going. It felt like a reassuring nudge: you’re on the right path—stay with it.
And so, I did.
In 2021, I published my first poetry collection, Islands in the Stream, which won a few awards. That recognition reaffirmed my belief in my work and encouraged me to carve out a more defined creative space for myself, leading to the launch of my website—www.onsonalstable.com—a platform where my writing continues to find expression.
In 2025, I released my second poetry collection, Between the Shadow and the Soul, which recently received back-to-back awards from Authoropod and The Asian Literary Society.
That said, a genuine turning point in my journey came with Penmancy Pitchfest 3.0. It not only led to a publishing deal with Readomania for my novel Burps, Chirps & Cat-astrophic Turfs but also gave me the opportunity to work closely with my editor, Indrani Ganguly, an experience that has been both enriching and deeply rewarding.
I am currently working on a sequel to Burps, Chirps & Cat-astrophic Turfs, continuing a journey that, much like my writing itself, has unfolded in the most unexpected and gratifying ways.
- What are the driving factors that compel you to write?
Writing, for me, is an act of creative expression, rooted in observation and reflection. I’m drawn to the details of everyday life, the fleeting moments, the quirks of people and situations, and I instinctively catalogue them. Over time, these fragments gather shape, and my stories emerge organically, often echoing the rhythms, realities, and characters of real life.
Pictures from the author
- Tell us about your publishing journey.
My publishing journey so far has been steady and organic, evolving one step at a time. Beyond contributing to online platforms and print anthologies, my first full-length book was my poetry collection Islands in the Stream, which was picked up by Authors Press.
My second poetry collection, Between the Shadow and the Soul, found a home with Ukiyoto.
My foray into fiction followed with Burps, Chirps & Cat-astrophic Turfs, which won the Penmancy Pitchfest and was subsequently picked up by Readomania.
Each milestone has unfolded naturally, shaping a journey that feels deeply fulfilling.
- What’s your favorite genre to write?
Humour sits at the heart of my writing, layered with self-deprecation, a touch of sarcasm, and a healthy dose of sass.
- Tell us about your literary influences.
I’m drawn to any writer who can make me laugh. Humour, in all its shades, has always had a powerful pull on me. That said, I read widely across genres, with the possible exception of self-help.
In prose, my writing has been shaped by authors like Ruskin Bond, Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Their storytelling, pacing, and characterisation leaving a lasting imprint. In poetry, I find myself deeply influenced by voices such as Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, W. B. Yeats, and W. H. Auden, whose work continues to inspire both thought and expression.
- Did you take up courses in writing to develop your craft? If so, which ones?
I haven’t pursued any formal writing courses, but I immersed myself in literary platforms like ArtoonsInn and Penmancy. For a couple of years, I actively took part in their monthly writing exercises, an experience that proved invaluable in refining my craft and sharpening my voice.
- Which books on writing would you recommend to other writers?
I strongly believe that every talented writer begins as a reader. Reading widely teaches us to appreciate characterisation, narrative depth, and the craft behind plot and pacing, insights that are essential to shaping our own writing.
I also feel that writing poetry sharpens a writer’s sensibility for language. It encourages the use of literary devices (metaphors, similes, imagery) that, when carried into prose, lend it richness, texture, and a more vivid, immersive quality.
Who are your favorite authors?
My reading preferences are eclectic, but I find myself returning to authors like Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Khushwant Singh, Khaled Hosseini, and Ruskin Bond. I also deeply enjoy the works of contemporary voices such as L. P. Ell, Beetashok Chatterjee, and Richa S. Mukherjee, whose writing continues to inspire and engage me.
