'I am not a liar," says Royreudee "Airky" Kenny, whose Internet novel has been labelled "exaggerated and unreliable" by some.

Critics assert it's not based on fact, as the author claims.

Allegations have been levelled at Royreudee since she published the semi-autobiographical "The Melancholic Life: A True Story from the Computer", and allowed it to be made into "Songkram Nang Fah", or "War of Angels".

"First my ex-husband's family charged me with flirting with other men while I was still married to him, and then they said I had posted a picture of "Cherry" on the Internet along with her real name," says the 46-year-old former flight attendant.

The latest accusation is that Royreudee, who portrays herself as humble-girl "Rin" in both the novel and the soap, is in fact the notorious "Cherry".

Real-life drama

Confused? Well, "Cherry" is the villainous female character in Royreudee's story who seduces the Casanova pilot-husband of "Rin". Meanwhile, "Rin" works hard to save her marriage.

Both "Rin" and "Cherry" are flight attendants on the airline "Captain Ning" flies for.

When the soap hit the small screen, viewers sympathised with "Rin", seeing her as a victim of the evil "Cherry". They empathised with the ordeals of "Rin", believed to be the author Royreudee.

But after the last episode aired, friends of the real-life Captain "Ning" turned against Royreudee.

She's been defending herself against accusations that her work is fiction and it is she who is the villainous "Cherry".

"I have told readers hundreds of times not every part of the novel is true," she says. "I'm a writer, and I use my imagination to add colour to the story, but that doesn't mean the entire novel is fictitious, either."

"What I wrote about 'Cherry' is true; all the pressure I got from the family of my ex-husband [read "Ning"] is true; the miscarriage of my baby is true too. I'd say 80 per cent of the novel is based on real-life incidents," she says.

What is not in dispute are the complications caused to the lives of the people the characters are based on.

"I know 'Ning' has lost face, and I'm sorry," Royreudee says. "My intention was not to take revenge or hurt anyone. I just wanted to warn women not to fall for anything just because it's good-looking".

She concedes a different title could have nipped misinterpretations in the bud.

By Rupak D Sharma

SUNDAY XPRESS