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In Conversation — Dr. Sonia Sharma
Tell us about yourself and how your writing journey began
By training I am a Cosmetic Dentist and Implantologist — a profession I have pursued for over two decades. But somewhere beneath the clinical precision lived a writer who had been quietly waiting. For years, professional commitments and family life kept that voice buried, until one day I simply decided to let it out. What began as an outpouring of long-carried thoughts shaped itself into characters, plots, and stories. That is how Afterlife was born — the first of a four-part series. Imperfect Lives and The Battle Ahead followed. Writing remains a work in progress for me — a space where I continue to evolve with everything life brings my way. It is both my refuge and my deepest connection to the world.
The Battle Ahead is unlike your other books. Where did it come from?
From a deeply personal place. I was born in Jammu & Kashmir. For years, the implications of Article 370 didn't affect me — I was married to a resident of the state. But when my daughter came of age, one question struck me hard: would she be entitled to the same rights if she married outside the state? For me, it was never about inheritance. It was about dignity. That question became the seed for the book.
How is The Battle Ahead different from other books on Jammu and Kashmir?
Most accounts of Jammu and Kashmir are either academic or biographical — important, but not always accessible. My intention with The Battle Ahead was to present this complex history as fiction: emotionally gripping, reader-friendly, and honest. The story follows Srishti, a young woman who does not realise the inequality embedded in her own constitution until it threatens to define the limits of her life. Through her journey, the book explores the struggles of border communities, the disenchantment of West Pakistan Refugees, and the silent suffering of displaced Kashmiri Pandits. At its core, it questions what we have been taught to accept as official history — and asks why so much of it was never written down at all.
What surprised you most while writing it?
How much of what we accept as history is incomplete. While researching The Battle Ahead, I encountered significant omissions — whole narratives that never made it into textbooks, passed quietly from one generation to the next. It made me question the versions of events I had grown up accepting. I believe our historians, as custodians of our social and cultural memory, owe us a more honest picture of the past.
Where do your ideas come from?
The Battle Ahead came from my own life. I was born in Jammu and Kashmir. For years, the implications of Article 370 did not directly affect me — I was married to a resident of the state and my rights remained intact. But when my daughter came of age, I found myself asking a question I could not shake: would she be entitled to the same rights if she married outside the state? It was never about inheritance for me. It was about dignity. That question became the seed of the book.
The Afterlife series grew from watching modern relationships — shaped by divorce, single-parenting, and mental health pressures — and feeling that we desperately need more emotional depth in how we approach love and connection.
Imperfect Lives came from a simpler, quieter place: a desire to celebrate flawed, complex people without passing judgment.
What is your writing process?
Spontaneous — or what I prefer to call the wandering style. I place my characters in the open and follow wherever they lead. They converse with each other, ask questions, meet new people, create diversions I never planned. It plays like a film in my head. I did not know there was a formal name for a writing process until I began meeting other authors and editors after publication. I have not found the right name for mine yet. I believe in creating my own path.
What is your writing schedule like?
Erratic, honestly. I actively practise dentistry, and writing has to fit in the spaces between clinical commitments, family life, and the demands of children in their most demanding career years. Looking back, I think writing was my quiet act of rebellion — stealing time to do something that belonged entirely to me. It has given my life a different pursuit, a different perspective. I am glad I wrote those first hesitant words.
What makes a good story?
One that plays like a film in your head and touches something real in you. A plot that refuses to be predictable. Words that evoke genuine emotion — not performed emotion, but something that rises in you without warning. And an uninterrupted flow that carries you forward without effort. Those are the things that make me stay with a book.
What advice would you give an aspiring writer?
Follow your heart. Your story should come from what you believe — not from the rules someone else set. When you read your own work, it should talk back to you. If the humour does not make you smile, if a difficult scene does not move you to tears even on the tenth revision — rewrite it. In fiction especially, Emotional Quotient is the most fundamental requirement. Everything else can be learned. That cannot.
Book Reviews/ Reader's Feedback
Testimonials
Top customer reviews on Amazon
16 September 2018
Loved the way emotions are coined in words. It makes u yearn for more and the surprises life gifts u. The book is full of positivity and leaves u with a smile at the end. Kudos to the author in making me fall and believe in love AGAIN. I am ur fan already Dr Sonia. Love u. Already waiting for more stories by u
A slice for everyone as the story unfolds. 16 September 2018
Though the story is more romantic as a genre, there are a lot of thought-provoking observations, which relate to each one of us in our day to day life and give an alternate perspective. A must read for those who believe in dynamism of the relationships.
#3 Deepali Deshmankar
9 October 2018
AFTERLIFE by Sonia Sharma ... I was quite intrigued on how a doctor would handle the very deep emotional aspects of human relationships.. but I am pleasantly surprised a very method oriented doctor would handle such complex emotions and sensualities so well .. AFTERLIFE is a very interesting read. Single parent topic dealt with lot of compassion. The character’s are relatable... Kush and Anna being catharsis for each other.. Thoroughly engrossing with right amount of romance and sensitivity.. appealing to higher senses.. kindling affection for the protagonists... highly recommended reading for people who want to reinstate their belief in love and romance...
# 4. Hira Lal Kher
9 October 2018
Finished reading Dr Sonia Sharma's book" Afterlife". A nicely presented book with relevant narrative. Successful presentation of modern day relationship crisis and approach of resolution. An excellent presentation with lots of matter, material , silk and salt. I enjoyed reading it and recommend it.
Book Reviews/ Reader's Feedback
Book Reviews/ Reader's Feedback
Testimonials
One of the reviews I instantly connected to, though it was not taken up by Amazon for reasons I don’t know, so the reader sent it me on my social media handle, and I quote;
‘I grew up listening to how my mom felt as a step daughter of the state after she married my father who was in Indian Air Force. She wondered why her own state would snatch away her rights and sense of belongingness when for her home, Nation always came first. She understood boundaries across borders but not within her own country.
I fell in love with this book the moment i held it. It took me down the memory lane and the time spent listening to ma came back
Read the book with lump in my throat and tears wouldn't stop
I am glad that the daughters of the state will not go through what my mom did
Kudos to you Dr Sonia for penning this book. I love you and your writing
All the best for your upcoming work
Waiting for the next eagerly
Shanaya Sharma’
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Testimonial
he Battle ahead…?’, the novel is an amazing build up from a simple Love story to an intense socio-political potboiler woven around the most controversial and now abrogated Article 370 which provided a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir for past 70 years. .......read more by clicking @ the link below.
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