Rumki Chowdhury
Photo Credit: New York Book Festival
Rumki Chowdhury was born in Bangladesh and grew up in the USA. She has also lived in the UK and Sweden. With an MA in English Literature from The Queen Mary University of London and a BA in English Writing from The William Paterson University of New Jersey, her literary experiences expand from journalism to publishing companies like Simon and Schuster Inc., Pearson Higher Education Publishing, The Herald Newspaper and The Record Newspaper.
Rumki’s previous book publications include So Complicated: A “he vs. she,” a romantic comedy/women’s fiction that won Honorable Mention at The New York Book Festival, Second Place at UK’s The Wishing Shelf Award and Finalist for Humor at The Pacific Writer’s Award. She has also authored Her Feet Chime, the first and only Bangladeshi version of a Cinderella story written in English. Moreover, 100% of profits from her poetry book, Unveiled, go to helping the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh via Restless Beings. Another poem was published in Hijri, a collection of stories by various authors. Her memoir was also published in Your Story with Musart, a collection of inspirational stories by various authors. Secrets in the Wind is her first work of fiction/thriller in the YA department.
Marina Raydun: You've lived here, there, and everywhere! How do you think this affects your writing style?
Rumki Chowdhury: I have lived in the USA, UK and Sweden. Not to mention, I was born in Bangladesh! I consider myself so fortunate to have experienced numerous cultures and learned how to live within those societies, all of which inspires my writing, especially the settings and characters in my stories. I have had the opportunity to have book signings in London, Stockholm as well as New York City. It's a blessing.
MR: On a similar note, you're multilingual! Do you remember the moment when, as a child, you first realized the power of language?
RC: Having grown up in a Bangladeshi household, my primary language was Bengali. I took ESL up until the age of seven when my ESL teacher felt I was fluent enough to stop.The moment I realized the power of language was not when I stopped ESL though; rather, it was when my second-grade teacher granted me a medal for being the best reader in the class! It showed me that learning a new language and advancing in literacy could open up so many doors. It was from then on that I dared to take the stage by storm and participate in speech competitions, and became editor of the newspapers at the schools I attended throughout my childhood and into college. When I moved to Sweden, I had one goal: learn the language well enough to write an entire book in Swedish. I did have an article published in a Swedish newspaper, but the next step is to translate my books to Swedish and promote them to Swedish publishing companies.
MR: Your formal education is in writing and literature. Did you always know you wanted to be an author?
RC: I always wanted to write a book, but the concept of becoming an author came to me when I saw my journalism teacher's book in the university library. I picked it up and realized that I wanted to write a book too, a story that would mean something and a story that would represent where I came from. I did research and realized that there were numerous cultural versions of the Cinderella story, but because Bangladesh was founded in 1971, it was fairly new and did not have that. I created one and now, it is not only a novella, but it is going to be a childrens' book to-be-published in 2025, with the publisher-Global Bookshelves.
MR: Why do you think you write?
RC: I write to impact in a positive light; words can move and I want my words to move and raise awareness about issues that we normally would not talk about. "Secrets in the Wind," for example, is fiction, but it is based on the real life stories of stalker victims and victims of child marriage in Bangladesh.
MR: What is your writing process? How long does it take you to produce a book-beginning to end?
RC: I edit, edit, edit, and edit. A writer is a perfectionist, but eventually, we have to settle. My writing process involves starting with a general concept and surprising myself along the way. Most of the time, I have no idea how the story will end. I also have my fellow author friends, family and relatives give me constructive feedback. It helps to have a literary support system. Each book took me a couple of years to complete. This is also due to the fact that I am a full-time teacher and I am a mother of three, but very soon, I will be taking a break from teaching to focus on writing full-time, and spending more time with my children.
MR: What inspired Her Feet Chime--the only Bangladeshi version of Cinderella in English?
RC: I was always intrigued by the rags-to-riches story of Cinderella so I researched at my college library to see which cultures had their own variation of the story. I felt it was sad that we, Bangladeshis, did not have our own. Thus, I focused my honors thesis on creating "Her Feet Chime."
MR: Secrets in the Wind is getting plenty of accolades! Congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about it?
RC: Thank you so much! I feel truly blessed and am so happy that the topic, itself, has been brought to light. Bangladesh is a beautiful country, but like all beautiful countries, there are those dark alleyways that need to be lit. Unfortunately, older males stalking younger females is a common issue in Bangladesh and there aren't many resources available to help resolve the circumstances. Many females find themselves fighting the battle in silence due to social pressures, due to fear and due to the fact that the legal system needs work. Asha is the American-Bangladeshi protagonist who realizes that her cousin, Kushi, in Bangladesh, is being stalked by an older male, and she has a difficult time understanding why her cousin is so silent about it. Asha decides that she is going to save her cousin.
MR: What are the best and worst reviews you've ever gotten?
RC: The two best reviews I often get that really warms my heart: firstly, when the reader can relate to my work and secondly, when the reader has learned something new. The worst review I received from one reader was that my symbolism was repetitive, at which point I reminded myself that this person took the time to read my work and that in itself, is a tremendous honor.
MR: What do you think about when you're alone, driving in your car?
RC: My mind is always racing. It's like a non-stop marathon; either I am brainstorming, planning or trying to organize a mental calendar on writing events and deadlines.
MR: What are you currently reading?
RC: I am currently reading your book, "Year One." I am looking forward to reviewing it.
In addition to writing, Rumki provides her own editing services to authors and various media. She is an active blogger on writing advice via www.rumki.com and social media:
Facebook: Rumkitheauthor
Instagram: Rumkitheauthor
TikTok: Rumkitheauthor
LinkedIn: Rumki Chowdhury
About the Book:
★ 2024 “Bronze” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category of
The Independent Publisher’s Award (IPPY).
★ 2023 “Runner-Up” in the YA Fiction Category of The New York Book Festival.
★ 2023 “Distinguished Favorite” in the Multicultural YA Fiction Category at The New York Big Book Awards.
★ 2023 “Honorable Mention” in the YA Fiction Category of The London Book Festival.
★2023 “Finalist”in UK’s “The Wishing Shelf Book Awards”