Fire to Write + A Writer’s Legacy by Meera Ekkanath Klein

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bKmdGi98yHTSe70pLcbyf?si=0cf963dc6d5546a7

Subscribe, listen to, and share Happiness Between Tails Podcast on most any platform; from Spotify and Apple Podcasts and Breaker, to Pocket Casts and RadioPublic and Castbox, plus many more and an RSS feed. The full list of 50+ places is H-E-R-E.

At six years old, I woke from a dream so vivid that I forgot about breakfast and dashed to set it on paper. “The Mystery of the Missing People” came to me as an entire book (really a booklet), the title included. The cover featured a silhouette outline, a question mark filling the head. The physical book didn’t stand the test of time, yet my desire to write and publish has only increased. Click here to read about the novels I’m seeking representation for.

This is the sort of artwork I did around those days…

Today’s guest, author Meera Ekkanath Klein, started as a journalist. An award-winning author, you can get to know her a little better and find out about her books (that are available on Amazon and Kindle) at her blog. Here’s what inspired her to write them…

A Writer’s Legacy by Meera Ekkanath Klein

I have always loved writing and have dabbled in this art form since my teenage years. However, my writing journey didn’t really begin until my mother’s death in 2003. 

In 2008, a version of My Mother’s Kitchen was born. It would take another six years for it to be published. The book was written for a mostly female audience. A decade later, I realize there is someone else I want the book to resonate with: my grandson. My books are my legacy to him and the next generation.

Years, perhaps decades, from now he may pick up one of my books and learn a bit about himself (and me). He may want to try making Mother’s Lemon Rice or Tea Stall Potatoes. Or maybe he’ll be curious about one of the South Indian festivals mentioned in My Mother’s Kitchen and want to learn more. Or better yet, he may want to observe Kerala New Year or Kerala Harvest Festival. And when he does, he will keep my memory alive. That’s the way books live forever and that will be my legacy.

Second-generation Southeast Asians who have lost touch with their roots can find their way home through my books.  It’s important to fit in and be part of American society, but it’s also good to know your ancestral traditions and customs. My books are filled with Indian traditions, myths, and, of course, food. I hope the next generation of Indian Americans (and anyone curious about South India) will pick up a copy to learn more about Kerala festivals and celebrations.

MY MOTHER’S KITCHEN: A Novel With Recipes

This first book is a tribute to my mother, Leela Sadasivam. My younger sister was barely a year old when my mother enrolled in a teaching credential program. The college was just 43 miles away, but in the 1960s, it was not within commuting distance, and my mother visited us only on weekends. We were cared for by her aunt, my great-aunt, whom we called Muthi.

Later, after my father’s retirement from civil service, my mother became our family’s sole breadwinner. Every morning, she would get up, make us breakfast, and pack our lunches before heading to the bus stop. For a few years, she had more than a two-hour bus ride to the school located in a small village in the Nilgiris (Blue Mountains of South India).

Her cooking style reflected her lifestyle. It was no-nonsense, decisive, and delicious. She whipped up gravies, rice dishes, and delicate dosa pancakes quickly and efficiently in our tiny kitchen.

My cooking was deeply influenced by her and later by cooks like Laurel Robertson and Carol Flinders.

I developed the recipes in the book based on my memories of cooking with my mother. The book is fiction but the descriptions of Onam, Vishu, and Deepavali celebrations are based on my childhood. The book will take readers on a sensory journey of South India.

 

SEEING CEREMONY: A Novel With Recipes

Seeing Ceremony is a ritual associated with arranged marriages. Decades ago, my mother tried to arrange my marriage. Luckily, I dared to say no and was even more fortunate to have an uncle and aunty who invited me to visit and attend college in northern California. My trip to California in 1982 was the start of the next chapter of my life.

Living in California, especially with my uncle, aunty, and their friends, was an educational experience that profoundly influenced the rest of my life. My uncle was proud of his matrilineal heritage and passed this on to me. My aunty was a lover of Southern literature and decadent chocolate desserts.  Under her guidance, I read William Styron, Eudora Welty, William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Russell Baker, and Ann Tyler, to name a few. I also learned to make chocolate mousse cakes, truffles and the best fresh strawberry pie.

Seeing Ceremony is a story about a young woman named Meena finding a way to remain true to herself while respecting her mother’s wishes. It is romantic and perhaps a bit starry-eyed. This book is what I call uplifting literature.

SUNSHINE CLINIC: A Novel with Recipes

The final book in the series is about Meena’s younger sister, Sunny. I was once interested in becoming a doctor, and I never lost my love for all things medical. This book is my tribute to the medical profession.

If I had become a doctor, I wanted to live in a rural village, meet quirky characters, and later write about them (like my favorite author, James Herriot). Sunshine Clinic is my fantasy novel.

A doctor’s life is never easy, and Sunny, working in a rural hamlet, faces some difficult situations. The book is peppered with strong women who nurture and feed the young doctor. Like all my books, this is a feel-good novel with a happy ending.

What ignites your fingers to type or pen something?