Author Q&A With Dheepa R. Maturi
Dheepa R. Maturi is a New York–born, Midwest-raised Indian-American writer who explores the intersection of identity, culture, and ecology, especially through hope in the face of ecological grief. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and her essays and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She lives with her family in the Indianapolis area. Meet Dheepa:
Did you always want to be an author? I’d say I’ve always been a writer. As a child, writing my thoughts down in poems, stories, and journal entries helped me make sense of the world—and of myself. My career took a very different track, though, and I became a lawyer, then transitioned into business, and later into the nonprofit sector. Through that entire career arc, though, I always heard a voice in my head: I should be writing. Approximately ten years ago, I committed to regularly writing and submitting my work for publication.
Regarding being an author of a book, it was always at the back of my mind, but I didn’t know what form it would take, and even whether it would be nonfiction or fiction. When I began my regular writing practice, I wrote essays, poetry, and short stories about culture and identity, but those themes soon interwove with ecological and environmental themes. Soon, a novel began to take shape in my mind, and I realized that my first book would be fiction, and specifically, an environmental thriller.
What is your most recent book, and what inspired you to write it?
108: an Eco-Thriller is the story of an Indian-American woman who learns she has an ancient ability that can stop a global ecological collapse—if she’s strong enough to use it. Throughout my life, the news of environmental distress has weighed heavily on my heart. In the course of reading and research, I came across the term “ecological grief,” which encompassed the vast array of emotions I was feeling: deep sadness, fear, frustration, and helplessness.
The environmentalist Joanna Macy said that if you face your ecological grief head-on, if you truly sit with it, it eventually reveals its other side: your deep and abiding love for the world. Doing so gave me the energy to resist my despair, to voice my grief, and to act and advocate for the planet. It motivated me to write 108.
How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? There are numerous despairing stories about climate change and environmental catastrophe circulating in the world, and this makes me wonder: are these despairing stories contributing to our own despair? Are they making us think that a total climate catastrophe is a foregone conclusion?
I wanted to share a more hopeful story with the world, one that acknowledges the magnitude of the challenges we face, but also shows that individuals have power and agency, and as a group, we can have a tremendous impact.
What are you most excited about with this book?I wrote this book to express my own ecological grief, but I didn’t realize it would also offer others a pathway to express their own grief. I’m grateful to readers who have gotten in touch to tell me that the book has helped them move through their own feelings of despair and has inspired them to advocate for the Earth. I’m delighted that 108 is creating space for these conversations!
How do you handle setbacks and criticism? I initially struggled with sharing my work with editors and beta readers. Still, I’ve learned how profoundly important it is to receive and incorporate constructive criticism into my writing and into my writing process. Having a critique group that phrases their feedback with both honesty and compassion has been excellent training for me! The feedback I’ve received from others has made me a much better writer, and I’m genuinely grateful for the time they have spent to offer their thoughts and input.
How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? How do you structure your day and make time for writing? This is a great question, because when I know I have a lot of work ahead of me on a particular day, I often want to curl up in bed! When I first began my writing journey, I had an accountability partner with whom I checked in on a weekly basis. Personally, I find that having an external deadline from an external source is the most motivating.
Once my writing practice became more regular and I’d built up enough momentum to continue without check-ins, I realized that it was still helpful to me to “externalize” my accountability. I scheduled blocks of time in my calendar for writing and placed them in front of me as I worked. I also love to cross things off my to-do list, so I add my writing sessions to it for the sheer pleasure of checking them off!
It’s helpful to set both big-picture writing goals and daily writing goals. Journaling helps me with this process because it lets me introspect and sort through what’s important to me in life and work, and then re-prioritize my plans and tasks.
Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage all your publicity and social media and keep your engagement up with readers? This is such a good question! I heard this when I started down the road to writing and publication, but I don’t think I fully realized the extent to which it would prove true. And to be honest, I’m figuring it out as I go.
For me, it has required a significant philosophical shift. I dislike self-promotion, and I worry that discussing my own work will be off-putting to others. I’ve come to learn that (1) people do want to know about authors’ work, projects, and perspectives, and (2) talking about one’s work is simply a part of being an author in today’s world.
I’m finding that as I schedule writing time, I also need to schedule blocks of time in my calendar for publicity and engagement. Having it planned in this manner alleviates some of my stress around these obligations, ensures that I address them at least weekly, and also protects my creative time.
What book uplifts you? About six years ago, a friend presented me with A Gentleman in Moscow and told me it was about a Russian man from the “old guard” in the aftermath of the Bolshevik revolution. It was definitely not my usual subject matter; however, I trusted my friend, whose recommendations have always been spot-on. The book indeed became one of my all-time favorites, not to mention an excellent reminder of the value of reading outside my usual genres and topics!
In the book, the protagonist’s life becomes severely constrained, as the entire world around him changes dramatically, chaotically, and painfully. Nevertheless, he finds ways to engage with life and people in a way that is gracious, humane, and open-hearted. I find that circumstances often daunt me, but this book always puts me in a better frame of mind. It reminds me that how I experience my life is always in my own hands and my own power.
Anything else you’d like to share with your readers? I want 108: an Eco-Thriller to be a reminder that total climate catastrophe is not a foregone conclusion. Though timing is critical, we do have time. Not only that, but we also possess the resources, technology, and ingenuity to reverse the climate crisis. What’s missing is willingness. I hope that this reality check will become a larger part of the cultural conversation.
Connect with Dheepa and get a copy of 108: En Eco Thriller via her website.
