Last week I posted a review and commentary on an important new non-fiction biographic picture book written by SHRUTHI ROA and illustrated by Srinidhi Srinivasan, HERE. I'm delighted to say that Shruthi took time from her busy life (book birthday celebrations, travels related to family schooling, and LIFE!) to respond to some questions I had about her experiences in writing and releasing this new book.
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| SHRUTHI RAO, Author |
As I wrote in my review post, I had the pleasure of working (virtually) with the author of this book while we shared responsibilities on a nonfiction CYBILS AWARDS panel. I enjoyed her thorough readings and comments, her balanced discussions and considerations of nominees, and her strong science background. That makes this interview especially fun for me, allowing me to learn even more about her and her writing.
I wanted to build my understanding of her author journey before asking my questions. After exploring her website, (and I hope you wiIl do that, too, HERE) I turned to the "ultimate authorities", YOUTUBE and Google. There are some fascinating interviews available, and I urge readers to check them out. Among them, I particularly enjoyed the personal interview of SHRUTHI with Ninad, a very impressive boy who was quite well prepared. I urge anyone to click and enjoy it! While you’re at it, readers, check out the many books she has written by going to her website.
Without further delay...
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| Margaret K. MacElderry Books October 14, 2025 |
SB: Shruthi, thank you so much for taking time out of this busy release period to reply to my questions. As my review indicated, I found WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL: How S. Chandrasekhar Predicted the Existence of Black Holes to be a compelling biographic account of the lifelong brilliance and persistence of Chandra. The text is both accessible and comprehensive, pairing perfectly with illustrations that evoke the mysteries of the night sky, the intellectual spark of a boy-become-man, the high drama and daily drudge of being a scientist, and the ultimate expansiveness of validation, acceptance, and even accolades. Can you take us through the journey of how Chandra‘s story came into your life and moved to the front of the list of the many titles you write about?
SR: Thanks for taking the time to do such a thorough, in-depth analysis and review of our book, Sandy. I appreciate it highly.
In 2014, my father quietly handed me the book Chandra: A Biography of S Chandrasekhar, written by Kameshwar C. Wali. It is a personal, intimate portrait of an unassuming, gentle, yet larger-than-life scientist. I also learned a whole lot about the science of stars, the intricacies of the working of the scientific community. It was quite the pageturner. I came away from it with a deep respect for a man who navigated life’s challenges with grace and elegance. What fascinated me most was how Chandra was able to brush aside the deep disappointment and betrayal he faced right at the beginning of his career, and moved on with his life and went on to other great things. Ever since, I’ve been itching to tell this story to young people, but kept putting it on the backburner.
Around 2020-21, I began studying the art of writing picture books, and attended an online nonfiction SCBWI course. Then, this idea came back to me in full force, and I began to try writing it.
Details were woven into the narrative very effectively, and many other elements of Chandra’s life and his science were presented well in back matter. How did you go about deciding which facts to incorporate into this story and which to include in extra material at the back?
SR: I wrote several drafts of the story, right from a skeleton draft to a very wordy, detailed one. The challenge was that astrophysics and the science of stars is such that it has to be described with perfect accuracy. Not mentioning science at all in the story would be a disservice, but too much science was weighing it down and I wasn’t able to find the rhythm and the cadence that a picture book demands.
It took me more than 60 drafts to get this right. What finally worked was writing a very basic “song” with a swinging rhythm, and then going back in and adding just the right amount of science into the story for it – enough for it to shoulder a bit of weight but not so much as to cause it to collapse. The rest of the science I moved to the back matter.
SB: This certainly reflects other repots I've heard and my own experiences in writing. That's a truly lovely bit of advice about writing a "song". Writers are so often adviced to start by just "getting it down", then going back to work it more after all the ingredients are on the page. The number of drafts certainly shows in the quality of the text you eventually achieved. I reread the text after your "song" response, and it's advice I'll be using myself. Not because I am a song writer, but because the structure of songs provides an ideal frame for writing effective text-- showcasing particular and figurative language, repetition and rhythms, internal sounds that catch our ears even without being aware of them. Wow! You should be leading a class on narrative nonfiction writing!
Back to my questions: Can you share any surprises, challenges, or delights that rose to the surface during your research for this work/
SR: I discovered transcripts of detailed oral history interviews with S. Chandrasekhar. I was able to read in his own words all that had transpired in his life and work. I ended up reading them again and again even though I didn’t understand much of it and it didn’t relate to the book I was writing. I felt like I got to know Chandra, the man, personally, and my respect for him only grew!
SB: What insights that access must have provided! Your respect for him underscores the entire telling, and likely accounts for why, as a reader, I connected so personally to him. The individual, from curious child to remarkable scientist, felt like someone I knew, or would want to know. Thank you for achieving that. It's a reminder to young people that even the most brilliant and competent folks are humans.
Now a tricky question- How well do you think you understand BLACK HOLES? Speaking from first-hand experience, my capacity for this aspect of science is at an elementary school level, but I have met some kindergarten kids who have far surpassed my grasp.
SR: Einstein supposedly said: “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
I took this to heart – and made it my business to understand the life and death of stars as best as I could. At the end of it, I think I understood enough to put it down in words. I ran it by those who’re better at physics than I am, until I was satisfied. Also I don’t claim to understand anything beyond the narrow scope of this book. And I have no doubt whatsoever that some child will school me on black holes at some point! They are so much smarter than we are.
SB: First, I know and love that Einstein quote. Experiences of some of my science-writing friends support your assumption that kids you meet are entirely likely to pose questions (or offer explanations!) that will boggle your mind. What's great about that is how it makes for a prime example of needing to explore further, or collaborate, or question sources, or any of the other steps that are essential to MOVE science forward! Sounds like fun!
Here's a closing question: Are you able to share any details about upcoming books or projects? In one interview you said that ideas come so fast that you take a whack-a-mole approach to hold some back while working on others. I’m intrigued to know which ones survived the attack!
SR: I have another picture book releasing this November called THE FIRST GIRL ON STAGE: A YAKSHAGANA STORY, published by Sambasivan-Parekh, about a little girl in a remote South Indian village who wants to learn a dance that’s predominantly performed by men. I have another nonfiction PB in the works with the editor of WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL. I have also just gone out on submission with a middle-grade novel-in-verse that I am very excited about. I’m also plotting a funny MG light fantasy, too. Some more books are brewing for the Indian market as well.
Readers, I hope you'll click the many links above to learn more about Shruthi, the new release, her interviews, and even ask your own questions on her web page. While you're at it, check out some of her other books:
Loved this interview! So many takeaways that the lessons in this could be a masterclass—story as song, the number of drafts, the research of first person materials, the inclusion of just enough science to shoulder the story... thanks so much for sharing!
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