I introduced Shikha in the guise of a vamp in my book The Runaway Bridegroom. She’s a powerful character and is as objectionable as one can get. She drinks, smokes, swears loudly and is bitchy into the bargain. More than all that, she wants to marry a rich guy and settle down for good. She's so objectionable that some beta readers and an editor told me that I should do away with this one as she was getting more than her share of the limelight as a secondary character.
But somehow, Shikha refused to let go of me. She insisted on remaining in my book, grabbing a number of scenes and sequences.
And till date, I have never regretted the decision to let her do what she wanted. The best part is that I could create a separate novel for Objectionable Shikha called His Drunken Wife as she wanted her story told.
Yeah, that way I listen to my characters and go with the flow as they demand for space in my books. I feel that makes writing more of a joy to me, letting imaginary people tell their tales to their satisfaction, through me.
About Objectionable Shikha…
Shikha was a few months over thirty-one and had worked hard throughout her life, always keeping her eye on the main chance. Her prime goal in life was to strike it rich by making the right marriage. She had moved around a few companies, working as a secretary trying to get the attention of her bosses. But it seemed that she always seemed to garner the wrong kind. All the men she had met so far had been ready to share her bed, but not her life. It never struck Shikha that those were the vibes she was emanating and that every man was only responding to it.
