Marriage and Masti is out TODAY!
I can't believe the last book in the IF SHAKESPEARE WAS AN AUNTIE is finally here.
The last of my Shakespeare rom-coms, Marriage and Masti, is out today, and it’s a bittersweet moment for me. Deepak and Veera were came to me as fully defined characters the moment they appeared on the page in DATING DR. DIL years ago. It’s time to experience their happily ever after and say farewell to my wonderful group of friends.
AUTHOR’S NOTE (Found at the back of the book in Marriage & Masti)
Every time I sat down to write a book in this trilogy, I thought I was wrestling with the hardest Shakespeare play out of the three that I’d chosen. But now, after finishing Marriage & Masti, I’m sure that this last one was the most difficult for me to finish.
For hundreds of pages, I laughed and cried with parts of myself that I crushed like mirror dust and poured into these novels. Now, I’m finally saying goodbye to the characters that have truly become friends to me. When Deepak and Veera first appeared on the page in Dating Dr. Dil, I knew that their love was going to be a complicated messy one. I also knew that they belonged together. Because let’s be honest, friendship will always be a strong foundation for a romantic relationship.
Veera was so sweet and kind, but she also had this acerbic sense of humor that periodically burst through. Deepak, on the other hand, was incredibly rigid and serious, and i knew that he was the perfect foil for Veera’s chaotic quiet sweetness.
Putting both of them in the context of Twelfth Night was an easy decision for me because Deepak didn’t see Veera for the romantic heroine she could be until he realized that Olivia was never the right choice for him. Veera is also a woman operating in a male-dominated industry, where she is succeeding at her job. She has a sister who is on this quest, too. Sana is this fiercely protective character that everyone falls in love with, including our drama queen, Olivia. Then Deepak, as Duke Orsino, is in love with the idea of marriage as a vehicle for something he believes is just out of his reach. When really, he’s in love with the person in front of him the whole time.
I also think part of the joy of writing as a member of the diaspora is straddling two different cultures such as South Asian Punjabi experiences, and the American experiences that are a more direct mirror of Shakespeare. In a way, adapting these narratives was a form of decolonization for me.
I’m so glad that all of you have stuck with me through three books of chaotic love and friendship and have enjoyed my Shakespeare reimaginings as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. Your support has meant the world to me and has truly given my career life.
Thank you, besties.
Mrs. W.S. Gupta signing off for the last time.
If you’d like to support my book, and buy Marriage and Masti, you can pick up a copy at any one of the links included here!
If you are a part of a bookclub reading Marriage and Masti, I have a bookclub question guide that you can get on my website, here!
If you are interested in the Spotify playlist that I listened to when brainstorming this book, then you can take a peek here!
And if you’re interested in seeing me in person, you can sign up for one of three events I’m doing this week!
August 27 // Marriage and Masti Book Launch //The Ripped Bodice, Brooklyn, NY with Sanjana Basker (Tickets Required)
August 28// Marriage and Masti Philly Stop // Barnes & Noble, Philadelphia, PA with Ali Hazelwood (Tickets Required)
August 29 // Marriage and Masti DC Stop // East City Bookshop, Washington, DC with Adib Khorram (Double Launch- tickets required)