TURNING THE PAGE: SANA SHETTY UNVEILS THEIR LATEST MASTERPIECE

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | DE MODE OF LITERATURE MAY 2025 V1 GLOBAL ( VOLUME VIII, ISSUE LXV)

Article Published on: 25TH MAY 2025 | www.demodemagazine.com

LOST GIRL - BY AUTHOR SANA SHETTY

A psychological thriller set in a small hamlet, deep in the frozen Himalayan valleys, a little away from the enigmatic hills of Fagu, Himachal Pradesh. It revolves around the themes of Love, friendship, trust, betrayal, acceptance and redemption.

Lost Girl opens with a haunting discovery—Vanessa, a former cop, and her husband stumble upon a severely injured girl during a morning trek in the mountains. With no memory of her past, the girl is taken in and named Shanaya. Over two years, she becomes part of their tight-knit family and is embraced by the remote Fagu community as one of their own. But when a mysterious stranger arrives, Shanaya’s buried memories begin to resurface, shattering the illusion of safety and igniting a quest for answers that puts everyone she loves in danger.

Far from a simple tale of amnesia, Lost Girl is a taut psychological thriller that journeys from the quiet corners of the Himalayas to the power corridors of Delhi. As Shanaya’s quest for identity deepens, Vanessa is drawn into an investigation that unearths unsettling truths and buried secrets. Themes of trauma, trust, and resilience unfold through well-crafted characters like Vanessa, Aidan, and Phavit. With its emotional intensity and layered storytelling, the novel explores how the past lingers and how even the most broken must eventually face it.

DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'LOST GIRL' - CLICK HERE  

JOURNEY OF THE AUTHOR SANA SHETTY

SANA SHETTY

Sana Shetty was born in Mangalore, Karnataka and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Growing up in Mumbai’s vibrant culture and diversity, she was deeply influenced by the multitude of beliefs, ethnicities and cultures. it helped shape her worldview and played a role in crafting the complex characters and the social dynamics in her writing. She pursued her undergraduate in Statistics and Computer Programming and followed it up with a Post graduate Diploma in Management studies. Despite her academics in the technical field, her passion for writing and reading remained steadfast. Her early career involved a considerate amount of travel across India and she used it to keenly observe and document behaviours, cultures and interactions with the people she met. These observations served to later shape and inspire her characters and settings in her books.

Shetty’s literary journey began with the self-publication of her debut novel ‘Betrayals and Paybacks’. It was an experimental attempt to connect with readers and gauge their reactions and encouraged by the positive feedback she pursued traditional methods of publishing for her subsequent works. Her latest novel, ‘Lost Girl’, was published by Harper Collins India and is available both online and offline. Shetty specializes in crime, mystery and in fantasy genres and her stories often reflect her fascination with true crime as well as her interest in fantasy and science fiction. In spite of a two-and-a-half-year battle to overcome serious health issues, she continues to follow her dreams of crafting intriguing stories, centred around complex characters and their response to extenuating circumstances. Sana Shetty’s journey exemplifies how true passion can be combined with the determination to follow one’s dreams, can lead to success and fulfilment.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON INSTAGRAM - @shettybooks

INTERVIEW OF AUTHOR SANA SHETTY WITH DE MODE

Q: How has your upbringing in Mumbai’s culturally rich environment influenced the way you build characters and navigate social dynamics in your stories?

A. Mumbai has always been known as a melting pot for different cultures, ethnicities, religions…and people from all walks of life come and live as neighbours, colleagues and friends. We celebrate each other’s festivals, show up for their births and deaths, comfort each other in times of adversity. Acceptance is the norm and people rarely bother about caste, class or gender. These are the types of people I characterise in my stories. These are the protagonists and heroes of my story.

Q: From self-publishing Betrayals and Paybacks to releasing Lost Girl with HarperCollins India, what has that evolution been like for you as a writer?

A. Self-publishing gave me an insight into the world of publishing and helped me grow as a writer because of all the feedback I got from the readers. It gave me the confidence to think that I could pursue that dream. And when a big player like Harper Collins accepted me, it was a vindication of that dream and an encouragement to follow it. It made me better at my craft.

Q: What inspired you to set Lost Girl in the remote, icy valleys near Fagu in Himachal Pradesh? Was there a personal connection to the setting?

A. Personally, I love the purity of the mountains and its people, even though living conditions can be harsh in winters. The embodiment of the gentle, loving people in my story is actually true. They live in the harshest conditions and yet are the friendliest I have ever encountered. It was the perfect setting for the story of a girl who is lost, without any memories and is protected by a gentle, accepting community.

Q: The themes of Lost Girl—trust, betrayal, redemption—are deeply emotional. What was the most challenging part of writing such a psychologically intense narrative?

A. When you write about deeply emotional themes, you have to remember that your characters have to live up to a certain level of maturity to pull them off. So creating characters that can pull it off is a challenge. I have had some criticism that people like that did not exist and my characters have been called ‘dramatic’ or ‘very filmy’ but I believe people are very complex and you never know what a ‘normal’ person is capable of doing in extreme circumstances or when pushed into a corner.

Q: What was the initial spark or idea behind the character of Shanaya, the girl with no memory, in Lost Girl?

A. The idea of getting lost in the mountains came from an actual fear when I went for a holiday there. Then one thing led to another and the idea was born. Shanaya’s character of a girl who goes through trauma and her resilience and courage comes from every girl or woman who has ever fought their own personal battles. We read about them every day.

Q: How do you find the balance between weaving a suspenseful plot and maintaining the emotional depth of your characters?

A. Writing a thriller is like trying to create a puzzle for your reader. Each clue, each character has to fit in a certain angle to create a whole picture. It happens over many edits where you try to reconcile the characters and the clues to the story you have in mind. You keep going till every piece fits perfectly.

Q: Can you walk us through a day in your writing process—do you plot meticulously or follow inspiration as it comes?

A. When the idea strikes, I write a first draft, which is more like a word vomit and may not make much sense to anyone but me. I know how the story has to proceed…it is all there in my head and as I begin to elaborate on the draft, I begin adding the details. It is a process that can have a number of edits till I am satisfied. So, I guess I am more of the follow the inspiration as it comes sort of person rather than a plan-then-write type.

Q: Having battled serious health issues, how did that phase of your life influence your writing, either in tone, themes, or the way you see your characters’ struggles?

A. Being diagnosed with cancer changed me—it brought empathy, insight, and a deep understanding of pain and resilience. It’s not always bravery; sometimes, it’s just surviving. What truly helps is the presence of those who stand by you. How it shapes my writing, I’m still discovering, as I begin this journey of healing and rediscovery.

Q: If Lost Girl were to be adapted for screen, what elements would you insist on preserving to maintain the soul of the story?

A. If that were the case I would like to preserve elements of friendship, love, courage and sacrifice as the themes to maintain. For example, Phavit’s friendship survives his unrequited love, Aiden’s love for Vanessa survives the challenges of her profession, Shanaya’s courage to face the consequences to protect her loved ones and the sacrifices that Shanaya’s friends make to protect her. These are some elements that should be preserved.

Q: What kind of stories do you hope to tell in the future—and are there any genres or formats you're excited to explore next?

A. Crime thrillers are my favourite and I hope to continue to write in that genre. Fantasy fiction is a genre I am excited to explore next and perhaps a personal story someday. I would love to tell a story of what makes us humans, namely love and a desire to be loved.

Q: What message or feeling do you hope lingers with readers long after they’ve finished reading Lost Girl?

A. I write about ordinary people in extreme situations, finding strength and courage when life pushes them to the very edge. Change can only come from us, the ordinary when we have each other's back. That is what I would love for the readers to remember.