SAWN Monthly Spotlight: Savita Harjani

Featuring our second author of the summer, #SAWNSpotlight spoke with Savita Harjani, Esq. about her debut memoir and her journey to becoming a published author.

1.     Tell us about your work and what drew you to becoming an author?

Thank you SAWN for this opportunity to share my thoughts with you and all your readers!

I think becoming a published author is a dream shared by many. And like many, I had always dreamt of writing and becoming a published author. We all grew up hearing the age-old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” And it is. But using language and words to paint a picture in the reader’s mind is priceless. I grew up in a home where there was a lot of emphasis on words, language, and communication. I remember one time; I called my older brother “mean.” I was about nine years old. My father made me sit with a dictionary and read the precise meaning of the word and then asked me if that was what I intended to call my brother. And of course, it was not. As annoyed as the nine-year-old me was at having been taken to task, I remember, I was also very intrigued by not just the precise meaning of the word “mean” but also how many distinct meanings that word had. And thus began my love for the written word, inspired by my father. That lesson taught me the importance of choice of words and expression. I started to appreciate what a talented and gifted writer can do - evoke so many emotions and make the reader a companion on their journey to wherever it leads.

I have been very fortunate in my journey as an author. My debut book – Postcards from Within: Random Ramblings of an Ordinary Human, a memoir, has been well received and I am humbled by the fact that my words have resonated with many of my readers and the book is the recipient of multiple literary awards. Postcards from Within is my memoir of an introspective journey of self-discovery that I took as my mother’s caregiver. It is a mother-daughter story of love, loss, and grief. It is an expression of my coming face-to-face with my own humanity, vulnerabilities, and failings. And I also stumbled upon what it is to discover courage in the face of adversity, and I have come to believe that everyone has access to this secret stash of courage that becomes accessible when the need for it arises. Since the publication of my book, I have talked about the book in different fora, such as libraries, and various other organizations. My hope in sharing my story is that readers will find a shared experience whilst on their own challenging and unique journeys and feel less alone. 

2.     Can you talk to us about your professional journey? What are some of the challenges you faced when you were starting out?

One day I came across a book with the title, “Thinking about Writing, is not Writing.” This I realized was the first challenge I faced as an aspiring author – the actual writing. In my case, from adversity came the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I did not set out to write Postcards from Within. Caring for one that gives one life, even though a privilege can be very challenging. As a caregiver, I discovered the power of journaling. I started jotting down my thoughts, emotions, frustrations, insights, and experiences. After my mother passed away in 2020, I returned home to the United States and discovered that I had written a lot and had sufficient material for a book. The first challenge related to having content had been overcome.

The second big challenge came as a decision of whether or not to publish. Postcards from Within is a work so personal that it took a fair bit of courage and determination to decide to put myself out there. The fear of exposing one’s inner self, the fear of humiliation and rejection was real. I realized that many of the authors who have inspired me, are the ones who have exposed their own vulnerabilities and humanity with authenticity. My work, regardless of its merits, was certainly authentic and I mustered the requisite courage and decided to publish.

In addition to the art of writing, producing a book also involves the craft of writing. This was my first project, and I was clearly a novice. Learning the craft was the next challenge and I spent about a year taking my random thoughts to a final manuscript.

 The completion of the manuscript coincided with the next challenge. The art and craft of writing a book are completely distinct from the business of publishing and selling a book. After completing my manuscript, I was struggling to figure out how to publish. And one day while watching the evening news, I saw a segment that featured an interview with a first-time author with work similar to mine. I was inspired and looked up the book and found the publisher, it was Beaver’s Pond Press. I called them the very next morning, met them and within the week was on my way to getting my book published.

It is difficult to describe the joy I felt when I held my first book in my hands. Not in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined my book journey to be this amazing. To summarize, there were many challenges, but commitment has power and magic in it! I could not have done it alone; community has power and magic in it!

3.     What do you consider your biggest accomplishment so far?

It is difficult to point to one thing that I would consider to be my biggest accomplishment. I take pride in many different aspects of my life. It may sound clichéd, but it is success in small things that constitute the biggest accomplishments. At a human level, my biggest source of satisfaction is that I was privileged and fortunate to have been able to care for the one that gave me life at the end of her life. At a community level, I am so grateful to be surrounded by amazing and inspiring people both in my personal and professional lives. I cherish and treasure these relationships. At a professional level, it gives me great satisfaction to say that I have been able to express myself professionally in my own unique way. As an author, I am humbled and filled with awe and gratitude that I have an award-winning book that has been well received. And most importantly on a personal level, decidedly my greatest source of pride and joy are my husband and my family!

4.     What advice would you give someone who is interested in starting out in their writing path?

 To those who aspire to write and become published authors, I would say — write! Don’t just think about writing. Whether you set out to write a book in order to publish or like me you first write and then decide to publish, regardless, write, and write for an audience of one – you! The reason I say that write for yourself is because in my experience, the moment I start to focus on how my writing will be received, it changes the writing. I start to worry about what will be said, how will my writing be received. Write unabashed and in your true voice without regard to rules and without regard to whether you think it is good or bad.

5.     What are you most excited about in 2024?

At a personal level, I am very satisfied with the attention Postcards from Within has received thus far and am very excited about continuing to work on getting the book out to new audiences and in different formats such as audio and digital. I am also very excited about continuing to work on other writing projects. There are several in various stages of inception and completion. At a community level, I am enormously excited about becoming more engaged such as becoming a part of women’s organizations like SAWN. My circle continues to grow, and I continue to be inspired by so many amazing women who are up to great things in ways big and small. At a macro level, globally we are facing unique challenges. I am an optimist and have a lot of faith in humanity. I am most excited about seeing what solutions we come with up to create a better existence for all, everywhere.