Special Author Interview with Meera Iyer

 

We are delighted to present to you our guest author, Meera Iyer, who is an Author and Founder of My Little Book to You, and our Founder Palak Chauhan, ma'am, got a chance to conduct an interview with a talented author like Meera. Here is the sneak peek from the interview. This interview was conducted by us about her book "Everything about Him (not a Fairy Tale)." 

Q1. Your title deliberately rejects the idea of a "fairy tale." What motivated this choice? How does this frame the emotional reality of the collection? 

Ans 1 - I consciously avoided the “fairy tale” label because this book is not built on fantasy but on real experiences. The collection draws from moments in my own life and centres on the man I’m married to. The title sets the tone for the emotional reality of the poems—love as it is lived, felt, and endured, rather than imagined or idealised.

Q2. The poems trace a relationship that unfolds in the digital age. How does contemporary technology shape intimacy and emotional vulnerability in your work? 

Ans 2 - Technology acts as the quiet catalyst of intimacy in the poems. A relationship that begins with an Instagram follow request evolves through messages, shared silences, and growing emotional comfort. The digital space becomes a site of vulnerability, where connection forms before physical presence—an unlikely beginning, perhaps, but a truthful reflection of modern relationships.

Q3. This collection reads as deeply personal while remaining widely relatable. How did you balance self - expression with universality? 

Ans 3 - The collection is deeply personal, but the emotions it explores—admiration, gratitude, care, and emotional safety—are universal. Many women who love deeply recognise the instinct to admire and cherish their partner. By centring the poems on these shared emotional truths rather than on personal specifics, I allowed the work to remain intimate while still accessible to a wider readership.

Q4. You employ a confessional yet controlled narrative voice. What considerations guided your decision on how much of yourself to reveal? 

Ans 4 - 

Although the poems are written in a confessional tone, my primary intention was to make them relatable to women who love their partners wholeheartedly. I was mindful of maintaining a balance between personal revelation and universal appeal. The “measuring tape,” so to speak, was set to provide just enough of a narrative arc for readers to understand the emotional background, without turning the collection into an autobiography.

Q5. In what ways did writing this book alter your understanding of love, attachment, or emotional resilience? 

Ans 5 - Writing this book allowed me to revisit and cherish many beautiful moments, which in turn reshaped my understanding of love and attachment. It made me realise that love resides in the beauty of the moments it creates, rather than in the stature or material wealth a person may offer. True love is often felt in the smallest gestures, and it is this quiet, enduring presence that nurtures emotional resilience.

Q6. Several poems confront uncertainty, fear, and emotional dependence. Was this introspection? Or a conscious thematic focus from the outset? 

Ans 6 - It was introspection in the moment itself. During that time, I was filled with apprehension and perplexity, constantly wondering whether I was truly enough for him. There was also a lingering difficulty in fully believing the sincerity of his confession of feelings. The uncertainty and emotional dependence emerged naturally from what I was experiencing in that particular phase, rather than from a consciously planned thematic focus.

Q7. As this is presented as Volume I, how did you structure the emotional arc of the collection, and what determined its closing point? 

Ans 7 - I have always perceived my personal life in volumes—each phase carrying its own ending, and every ending unfolding into a new beginning. The emotional arc of this collection follows that inner rhythm. It begins with admiration and uncertainty, moves through vulnerability and emotional questioning, and finds its closure in the courage I gathered to reciprocate and confess my feelings. The closing point was determined not by a dramatic conclusion, but by an emotional resolution—the end of a volume I deeply felt within my heart, which I chose to reflect faithfully in the book as well.

Q8.  Your language blends lyrical imagery with conversational honesty. How would you describe the evolution of your poetic style in this book? 

Ans 8 - I am a writer who constantly wishes to experiment with the way I approach each poetry collection. For this book in particular, I felt the need for a style that could seamlessly blend emotional vulnerability with a clear narrative arc, while still preserving lyrical and poetic elements. I wanted the language to feel intimate yet accessible—honest in its confessions, but crafted with imagery that elevates the experience. This evolution in style was intentional, so that the poems could resonate deeply while reaching readers in a way that feels both personal and universal.

Q9. What challenges did you encounter while transforming lived experience into literary form without compromising artistic integrity? 

Ans 9 - The major challenge was the risk of losing the poetic essence while attempting to express something deeply personal. There is always a tendency for lived experiences to slip into a storytelling mode, becoming more narrative than poetic in texture. To prevent that, I had to remain consciously attentive to language, rhythm, and imagery. It required deliberate crafting and multiple rounds of proofreading to ensure that the work retained its artistic integrity while still honouring the authenticity of the experience.

Q10. What central reflection or emotional clarity do you hope readers carry with them, engaging with this collection? 

Ans 10 - I hope readers carry with them the reflection that love is eternal, and that the timing and manner in which we meet our beloved is often beautifully unexpected. Love does not always arrive according to our plans—it unfolds in its own rhythm, teaching us that some of the most profound connections enter our lives when we least anticipate them.