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Sunday, November 26, 2017

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Jyoti Arora, Author

Jyoti Arora, Author
YOU CAME LIKE HOPE
THE LEMON GIRL
DREAM'S SAKE
Jyoti Arora brings us her third romance novel, YOU CAME LIKE HOPE, about Peehu who believes no one wants her and has assumed a false identity; and Adih, who hates all women. She writes them as ordinary people who have reached the end of their rope. Although the story is set in India, the novel offers the universal theme of love and romance.

Her first three novels are romance with a social theme. Jyoti next wants to write a purely romance novel without a social theme. Given that she is a patient of Thalassemia Major, she has a special appreciation for technology and the internet, which have enabled her to achieve much of her livelihood.

Q: Why/how does your novel YOU CAME LIKE HOPE fit into the genre of contemporary romance? How is “contemporary” romance different from “traditional” romance?

Jyoti Arora: YOU CAME LIKE HOPE is a romance because its main focus is on the love story. Although it is a realistic fiction with realistic characters, it has several romantic elements and scenes.

Contemporary Romance is a sub-genre of Romance and deals with people and themes that are current and contemporary. So, I labeled YOU CAME LIKE HOPE as a Contemporary Romance because the characters and situations are all based in the current times. The main conflict of the story is also based on a current social issue.

Q: Tell us a summary of your plot. Who are the main characters? What happens to them? (Do not divulge the entire story, but just offer some description of the plot.)

Jyoti Arora: The romance in the book revolves around Peehu and Adih. Peehu believes nobody wants her and has assumed a fake identity. Adih believes he needs nobody and hates all women as cheaters. Love is their only hope of salvation. But it cannot succeed until they overcome the blighting shadow of their past, battle with their fiery emotions, and accept their new realities.

Running parallel to the romance of Peehu and Adih is the tragic history of Adih’s brother Arunav. It is his story, told through tiny chapters (50 – 400 words), that raises the issue of fake cases filed by women.

Q: Did you write YOU CAME LIKE HOPE to entertain your readers or did you intend to deliver some messages and influence your readers?

Jyoti Arora: I wrote  YOU CAME LIKE HOPE to deliver a message in an entertaining way. That is why it has a social issue woven in the fabric of a romance.

Q: Do you believe that YOU CAME LIKE HOPE has universal appeal? Will readers world-wide appreciate and relate to it?

Jyoti Arora: Yes, I believe so. Although the location and characters are Indian, the story is such that it can happen anywhere. My heroine believes she is an unlucky loser. My hero hates all women as cheaters. These people can grow up in any country, and still feel the same. The main conflict of the story is a rising social issue in India, but it is not restricted to India.

Besides, YOU CAME LIKE HOPE is a romance. Romances have universal appeal, I feel.

Q: How do your characters engage the reader? Why will readers care what happens to them? Are they super-heroes or ordinary people in extraordinary situations?

Jyoti Arora: My characters are ordinary people hanging at the end of their rope. My heroine, Peehu, feels trapped in the web she herself has created under the mistaken belief of giving happiness to her parents. My hero, Adih, is denying himself all the pleasures of life and youth to take care of his orphan niece. They are both good people caught in bad situations. I believe they will tug at readers’ heart and readers will want them to be together and happy. The story shows that Peehu and Adih need each other. Readers will want them to realize this, stop running away from love and be happy.

Q: Does the concept of hero vs villain apply to your story? What makes an effective villain?

Jyoti Arora: There is no villain that thwarts the hero or heroine at every step. However, there is one woman whose treachery causes a lot of pain to the hero and his family.

As for an effective villain, the ones that I like best are the ones that can chill your heart with one quiet word. A villain that can sway everyone with his cunning is very effective.

Q:  What inspired you to write YOU CAME LIKE HOPE? Did you base the characters or events on someone or something in your own life?

Jyoti Arora: I got the idea of writing YOU CAME LIKE HOPE when I got trolled on Twitter one day! My second novel LEMON GIRL is a Feminist Fiction. One of my tweets about it got trolled a lot one day. That’s when I realized that there was an opposite side of the problem I discussed in LEMON GIRL. I decided to write a book about it too and YOU CAME LIKE HOPE developed.

Q:  You are also intrigued with the world of technology and have written an award-winning technical blog. Does the world of technology help you to create your stories? Are romantic fiction and technology somehow related?

Jyoti Arora: I don’t know where I’d be today had it not been for the advancement of technology. The magic of internet has done wonders in my life. Due to my medical problems (Thalassemia Major), I live a very home-bound life. I wouldn’t have been able to do much had it not been for the support and opportunities granted by internet.

I don’t think the technology helps me in imagining my stories. But it helps me in everything else. As for relation between technology and romance, well, I don’t think there is much relation. Although, I do use characters inspired by my experience as a tech. blogger. The hero of LEMON GIRL is a Technology Blogger. And one of the characters in YOU CAME LIKE HOPE is developing a smartphone app.

Q:  What’s next?

Jyoti Arora: I have written three novels so far: DREAM’S SAKE, LEMON GIRL, and YOU CAME LIKE HOPE. All three had love stories revolving around a serious social issue. I want to try my hand at something purely romantic now, for a change.

Q: Tell us something about yourself. What do you like to do when you’re not writing or blogging?

Jyoti Arora: I am a hopeless bookworm. I fell in love with books ever since I learnt to read. When I am not writing, I am reading mostly. I also enjoy listening to old Bollywood songs, watching English TV shows and Hollywood/Bollywood movies. I used to be good at drawing and handicrafts too, but don’t get the time to indulge in this hobby now. I’m addicted to technology and love talking about it. I’m currently living in Ghaziabad with my parents. And through my writing and the magic on internet, trying very hard to reach the readers worldwide.


Jyoti Arora is a novelist and blogger from Ghaziabad, India. YOU CAME LIKE HOPE is her third novel, coming after DREAM’S SAKE and LEMON GIRL. She is Post Graduate in English Literature and Applied Psychology.

Jyoti has over five years of experience working as a freelance writer. This experience includes abridging over 24 famous English classics like Jane Eyre, Moby Dick etc.

Jyoti Arora is a patient of Thalassemia Major. But she does not let this stop or discourage her. For her determination and achievements, Jyoti has received appreciation from Ms Sheila Dixit, Ms Maneka Gandhi and the Ghaziabad wing of BJP. Her life story has been covered in various local and national TV shows, radio programs, newspapers, magazines and websites like YourStory and Inspire India. She was also one of the ‘100 Women Achievers of India’ that were invited to witness the Republic Day parade of India (2016) as special guests.

Besides reading and writing novels, Jyoti also enjoys blogging and has won several blogging competitions. She loves checking out latest technological innovations, watching movies, and listening to old Bollywood songs. Reach her at jyotiarora.com.


YOU CAME LIKE HOPE tells the love story of a girl who considers herself an unlucky loser and takes up the identity of someone else. Her love interest is a young man who belongs to a family wrongly accused of abusing and torturing a woman. He’s scared of love and happiness and has decided never to trust any woman or think about getting married. Love brings them together and gives them the strength to overcome their weaknesses and fears. More than the fate, they have to fight against themselves to win this love and attain their bliss.

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Twitter: Jy0tiAr0ra


Paperback: Not yet available, but will come soon on Amazon, Flipkart and PayTM.






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