Born and brought up in Pune, children’s television producer Manjiri Prabhu has transformed herself into a full-time writer and film-maker. With the love for writing since the age of 7, she has had six of her novels published till date. Her novel, The Cosmic Clues was selected as a ‘Killer Book’ by Independent Mystery Booksellers Association, America.

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The Astral Alibi was honoured as a Notable Fiction Book 2007 by the Kiriyama Prize. In conversation with Shweta Dandekar, Prabhu talks about her latest novel The Cavansite Conspiracy and why Pune is an ideal setting for a thriller novel.   Your new novel The Cavansite Conspiracy was recently published. What inspired you to write this novel? The Cavansite Conspiracy is a romantic thriller about the theft of a rare cavansite from The Crystal Museum of Minerals in Pune. This cavansite is full of metaphysical powers that has left everyone puzzled.

Koyal Karnik, a lecturer working in Hamburg, Germany, arrives in Pune to attend her best friend’s wedding. However, somehow she gets caught up in the cavansite theft and is accused of murdering her friend.

With the help of her ex-boyfriend Neel, she runs like a fugitive and travels across countries to solve the mystery. I had a lot of fun writing this novel as it has all the elements of a Bollywood masala film — romance, mystery, suspense and action. Also, there is a small social message, which is in a way an integral part of the mystery.   Why do you think Pune is an ideal setting for a thriller novel? I was born and brought up in Pune. There is so much scope in this city. It has the right locations with lakes, rivers and hills surrounding the city, and old landmarks make the city rich with culture. Even though people here have the right attitude, they are neither too conservative nor too forward. I view Pune as a raw, uncut version of Paris. It has a river that runs right through the city, dividing it into two parts and yet, it does not have the polish that Paris has, which makes it even more exciting.   What attracts you to writing thrillers? I grew up reading Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie books and I was influenced by them heavily. All I wanted was to either become a writer or a detective. We are four sisters and one brother and as kids we had formed a detective club. We would ride on our bicycles in the lanes of Pune and follow any person we found suspicious.

Our mother even conducted treasure hunts for us. There is just something about mystery that captures my imagination. Besides, writing thrillers is extremely challenging. You should be able to surprise the readers and yourself.    What is your advice to budding writers? There is a writer in everyone, but I believe that one should be a writer only if you really want to be one. You must have a unique story to tell. There is a famous saying, ‘Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration’. This is so true when it comes to writing. Rejection too is an important part of the process and you just have to believe in yourself and your writing.