Sonali Dev is an Indian American writer of contemporary

romance novels A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

Life

Dev was born in around 1972. She spent the beginning of her life on the west coast of India in the city of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. She moved to the United States around 2006 after marrying her husband, Manoj Thatte, and she has expressed great satisfaction with this arranged union.

Career

While in Mumbai, Dev wrote some

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

scripts but these did not progress from the development phase. She began writing romance genre novels in 2010, inspired after reading the work of

Catherine Coulter Jean Catherine Coulter (born December 26, 1942) is an American author of romantic suspense thrillers and historical romances who currently resides in northern California. Biography Early years Coulter grew up on a horse ranch in Cameron County, ...

and realising the genre's similarity to Bollywood movie themes. Dev experienced racial discrimination from multiple publishing companies because the protagonists in her novels are of Indian descent, and she is writing these diverse characters in the romance genre. ''A Bollywood Affair'', Dev's first novel, was published in 2014 by Kensington Publishing Company and was shortlisted for the RITA Award by the

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

. In 2018, Dev provided the Librarian's Day keynote speech at the annual Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference. As of 2019, Dev resided in Naperville, Illinois, and has participated in multiple local events put on by the town.

Themes

Dev commonly blends American and Indian cultures in her works, often with an emphasis on the popular

style. Her characters come from a variety of backgrounds and fall all along the spectrum of wealth. Some of her characters experience discrimination due to their race, gender, and culture. In Dev's first published novel, she addresses the issue of child marriage. Dev has been clear that in her opinion, that there is a difference between child marriages and arranged marriages. Characters within Dev's novels often deal with the pressures of family and tradition, as well as how society can react to people with mental illness and fame. Her novel, ''Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors'', is a mash up of Dev's normal Bollywood themes and

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's classic novel ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''.

Selected works

Awards

''A Bollywood Affair'' - 2015 The Reading List (Reference and User Services Association)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dev, Sonali 1972 births Living people American people of Indian descent American writers Women romantic fiction writers American women novelists 21st-century American women writers