Sutapa's new genre with 'The Cursed Inheritance'

Sutapa Basu is the winner of the JK Papers AutHer Awards 2020 and has the bestselling Padmavati, The Queen Tells Her Own Story to her credit among anthologies and other historical fiction. Sutapa has explored beautifully a very different genre.

Set in a huge, dilapidated mansion in Kolkata 'The Cursed Inheritance' is the journey of a young, intelligent, and digitally savvy woman whose idealistic, ethical beliefs are pitted against an older, corrupt, immoral mindset. Sutapa also runs a live chat show Bistro Buzz Conversations with Sutapa Basu that hosts unique people from across spheres and the world. One can read her works on her website storyfuntastika.com and Readomania.com.

Sharing about 'The Cursed Inheritance', Sutapa shares, "It is a cozy mystery set in a heritage mansion. The protagonist, Anahita Sarkar, born and bought up in London inherits a mansion in Kolkata. At first, she decides to sell it. But after a few days of living in the mansion, she changes her mind. She is utterly charmed by its elegance and beguiled by the aura of her family's history that permeates the mansion. Each day, she finds the residence becoming more and more a part of her. However, she soon discovers that the mansion holds deep secrets. She is visited by a mysterious person who seems to know too much about her. She encounters a friendly foe who leaves cryptic riddles that are clues leading to a bewitching curse."

Later, the enigmas pursue her and threaten her values and her family's reputation. Anahita wants to overcome all the obstacles to dig out the truth; not for personal gain but because truth must be revealed.

The Cursed Inheritance asks to main questions to the readers in the start; Is she able to succeed in her mission? Will she be able to turn her inheritance from a curse into a blessing?

Sharing about her inspiration behind the book, Sutapa shares, "I am inspired by great authors from the past and the present. Books have always been my getaway vacations from the real world. When I read stories by authors such as Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, O Henry, Maupassant, Nevil Shute and so many more my imagination soared to parallel universes. I have wished and I dreamed intensely that one day, I would also write like them and create new worlds for my readers. The main trigger for The Cursed Inheritance has been my abiding fascination with old mansions of Kolkata.

Whenever I saw one, I would try to imagine the people who had lived in it over the years maybe centuries ago. I would wonder what secrets it held. Invariably, it led me to think about treasures hidden in it. For a long time, I wanted to weave a story about an imaginary mansion that appeared in my fantasies. Now here it is; in The Cursed Inheritance, the mansion with all its magic."

Before beginning to write this book, Sutapa had to do a lot of research on old mansions, their secrets, their appearance and what their owners are doing with them. She also had to study about Kolkata and its special features.

She adds, "I had to also find information about a special mythological aspect of the spirit world that I wanted to introduce in the story. There were gaps in my knowledge about Egyptology, Indian Mythology, Tantric practices and the state of old heritage buildings in India. The research to bridge these gaps took a month or so. But once I began writing, the story flowed, and I was surprised to find that I could turn the book around in about a month's time."

The AHA moment in Sutapas life came when her hands held, for the first time, her first published debut titled Dangle, which is a psychological thriller, whereas the OUCH moment for her comes when people mispronounce her name.