An Interview with Sneha Villalva

Sneha Villalva served as the executive speechwriter for the UCLA chancellor and two Pomona College presidents. She previously worked as a journalist with The Press-Enterprise in Southern California.

A TEDx speaker and the author of Cut to the Essence: What Remains When We Subtract, she lives in Los Angeles with her favorite (and only) husband and a steady supply of extra-dark chocolate.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I am grateful that I have been able to make my career in writing for two and a half decades (there I go, dating myself!). I was previously a journalist and also an executive speechwriter for two Pomona College presidents and the UCLA Chancellor. Over the years, I had my own prose and poetry appear in various outlets and publications — but I had never published a book. It was certainly a dream. And it had been a dream deferred all those years.

Fast forward to my dad being diagnosed with lymphoma the second half of 2024 and him being in and out of the hospital. The months that followed were incredibly difficult ones. If ever there was a worse time to start writing a book, I couldn’t think of one. But if ever there was a better time, I couldn’t think of one either.

I have had a keen awareness of the fragility and brevity of life since a young age. Seeing first my mother (just a few years prior) and then my father fight cancer was a reminder that if I wanted to fulfill my dream to write a book and help others in the process, the spring of 2025 was the time to begin.

My father had published a book some time ago and I grew up surrounded by thousands of his books housed in his garage study. So, writing this book felt like a legacy fulfilled.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I was in my first conversation with my then-prospective publisher, and I was explaining the message I had been developing in my speaking. As we talked, about five minutes in, I said something to the effect that ultimately this message was about “cutting to the essence.” My not-yet publisher stopped me and said that was the title: Cut to the Essence. I loved it immediately. I had the title before I had developed the book. The subtitle was another story. There were countless iterations. But when I landed on it and then shared it with my editors, I decided this was it.

Describe your dream book cover.

The cover I have is exactly my dream book cover.

I gave a thorough briefing, but I was struggling to envision how to represent this message on a cover. I certainly didn’t want scissors or a knife on the cover! I knew typography was the way to go. But how exactly? Not at all sure.

Rekha Sahni’s masterful conception blew me away. It’s absolutely stunning. And smart. It captured the (forgive me) essence of my book.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj Girl on Fire

Ludovico Einaudi’s Experience

Andra Day Rise Up

Sheryl Crow The First Cut Is the Deepest

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

During the actual writing process, except for reading for research, I read very little for comfort. Research meant I was spending time in dozens of books and articles. Writing Cut to the Essence was all-consuming and I was trying to untangle things in my mind and heart. As we all know, writing is deep inner work! My devotional readings were my constant, as was one verse I kept returning to, because I believe work is ultimately an act of worship: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

My TEDx talk is titled Less Is Not Loss.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I caught bronchitis in college and was locked up in my dorm room resting in the dark except for a dim lamp next to my bed. While I hacked away and nursed my throat, I managed to read two books by Anne Lamott: Bird by Bird and Traveling Mercies. Something in me shifted. I had always been a voracious reader but now it was clear to me that I should become a writer. It was a deep knowing.

Where is your favorite place to write?

As a former journalist, I can write just about anywhere. I’ve learned how to focus in the oddest, most seemingly incompatible locations. But most of the time, I end up writing at home, everywhere from my office, to couch, to bed, to kitchen table. No need to buy coffee, snacks, or pack my computer when I need to use the restroom!

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

I would offer encouragement and say, “Sneha, every moment will be worth it when you hear how others are connecting with this book. And remember, your vulnerability is your strength.” It was scary to write so close to the bone, especially because some stories I had never revealed publicly before.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

I hope they feel seen. I hope they are provoked to reflect. I hope they feel stronger, more peaceful, honed in on their purpose, and reclaim their power once they release “the weight of more” and realize cuts don’t diminish us, they shape us.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.