Dheepa R. Maturi is the author of the new novel 108. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Literary Hub. She lives in the Indianapolis area.
Q: What inspired you to write 108, and how did you create your character Bayla?
A: They say that, sometimes, you have to write the story you want to read. And I wanted to read a hopeful climate thriller, about our intelligence and efforts being used to stop an environmental disaster before it happened, not surviving it after the fact.
As I explored the writings of environmentalists, ecologists, and climate activists, that story began to grow on my computer screen. It was a climate thriller in which individual agency mattered and our communal actions had a far reaching impact.
Strangely, the character of Bayla began to visit me long before this story took shape. I had a sense of her appearance, but not her interiority. I sketched her in words until she emerged as an Indian-American woman, a practitioner of yoga and meditation, and a hesitant and introverted soul.
Not the usual sort of protagonist for a thriller full of action and adventure!
But I soon realized she was the perfect anchor for the story, giving me an opportunity to share the principles of Eastern philosophy that I felt needed to be heard in the context of the climate crisis, about honoring Earth and recognizing our interconnectedness with the planet.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I knew the novel would end on a hopeful and optimistic note, but I didn't have the ending planned. I wrote my way toward the ending, and then rewrote it—multiple times. I admit that all the characters died at one time or another, only to be resurrected!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: It's so important to me that readers do not feel despair in connection with the climate crisis:
Total climate catastrophe is not a foregone conclusion, and it is not too late to do something about it. This is certainly a critical moment, but we have the time, as well as the technology, resources, knowledge, and ingenuity to solve this crisis. All we need is the willingness to do it.
Every single effort matters. We mustn't underestimate the power of small actions taken by many people over time. And we are powerful together.
We mustn't despair, because despair extinguishes our energy and efforts. We cannot stop working toward our vision of a future with a healthy planet in balance with human activity.
Q: As someone who writes fiction, essays, and poetry, do you have a preference?
A: I have to say that poetry is my first love! When I write poetry, I feel as though I'm tapping directly into my emotions, discovering what I'm truly feeling. It allows me to write from a place of authenticity and personal truth.
Additionally, poetry lets me simply play. It lets me put together words and concepts in fun and exploratory ways that allow me to bring fresh eyes to my essays and fiction.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am working on a collection of essays that weave stories of my life as the daughter of immigrant parents from India with my reflections on identity, culture, and ecology. I've been collecting notes and writings on these topics for years, and I'm excited to unite them all under an umbrella that's profoundly important to me: the human relationship with Earth.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I'm committed to changing my relationship with Earth—not easy for someone who's a bit of a homebody! I don't want to treat the outdoors as a mere backdrop to my life. It's home. It's a part of me, and I'm a part of it.
I'm trying to go outside every day, even for a few meaningful minutes, to experience the refreshment and wonder and beauty it offers, and to receive insight for writing and living. I'm getting used to my bare feet on the ground. I'm feeling myself connect with the natural world. I'm understanding that it is both my inheritance and my legacy to pass on.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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