Friday, 28 May 2021

EXCHANGING WORDS WITH PRIYA SIDHARTH SETHI

NEWS OF BOOKS 22:25

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Priya is a lawyer based out of New Delhi. Priya’s journey as a writer began with her humble diary which progressed into blogs and short stories. A self-taught artist and a student of Hindustani Classical Music, Priya believes that ‘Creativity is not a quality, but a way of life’.

Mother of two boys and married to a lawyer, Priya is often seen juggling her roles as a lawyer, a mother and a writer.

1. Who and what inspired you to write? 
 
I have always found comfort in writing. I started maintaining a personal journal in my teens. It gave me a sense of satisfaction whenever I penned a new entry. I fell in love with my world of words. I gradually started writing short stories. However, I never really thought of publishing any of those; and writing was more of a stress buster for me. And I would write random stuff whenever time permitted. One day, my husband read a story that I had written and prodded me publish it. The reviews from my readers were very encouraging and inspired me to continue writing.
 
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
 
Writing a short story or a blog is one thing but conceptualizing a story idea for a fiction novel (requiring an elaborate development of characters and meticulous structuring etc.) is an arduous task. More so, for a mother with kids, as it is time consuming and demanding. Quite naturally, taking out the time was one challenge which I faced. However, once I had finished writing the novel, my next big challenge was to convince a literary agent and publisher that my work was worthy of being read. Most publishers are hesitant to give debut authors an opportunity to get published. And so, many publishers either rejected my manuscript or did not show much inclination towards my work. I was then lucky to find The Book Bakers. 
 
 3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?  
 
Google! 
 
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them? 
 
The team at The Book Bakers reviewed my manuscript and loved the plot. I found their approach very professional and encouraging. Once they were on board, they assisted me in pitching my work to different publishers. With their guidance and efforts, a renowned publisher – Locksley Hall Publishing – agreed to publish my work. 
My sincere gratitude to The Book Bakers – which is being run by an enterprising leader like Suhail Mathur - for all their efforts and assistance. 
 
5. How supportive is your publisher of your work?
 
I would give Locksley Hall Publishing a 10/10 for this. They have been prompt, extremely supportive and forthright in their approach. 
 
6. How do you see literary success for yourself?
 
Success is a matter of perception. Meaning of success is not the same for every person and it depends on myriad situations and personal expectations. Being able to get one’s debut novel published is itself a great achievement, and I am thrilled about it. As a writer, my manuscript being selected by a publisher, is progress. And most importantly, an honest feedback from my readers would mean that I am definitely on the right track! 

7. When can we expect your next book?
 
I am already working on a new fiction novel, with a promising and exciting story line, and god willing, I intend completing the manuscript and editing by year end. 
 
8. How has your experience being working with Locksley Hall Publishing? 
 
Smooth, seamless and professional. 
 
9. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
 
1. Be a keen observer and a good listener.
2. Trust yourself with your ideas; and never underrate them. 
3. For the first draft, get everything on the paper/computer screen without worrying about the language.
4. Once the draft is complete, do a thorough review and if possible, discuss the story line with close family and friends for their feedback.
5. Don’t get hassled or discouraged by a rejection.
6. Try to remember your dreams, a lot happens in your mind when you are asleep.

BOOK NAME : SUMMONS FROM THE CREATOR
PUBLISHER : LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB : 

The plot revolves around Ameeya, a 35-year-old corporate professional, suffering from panic attacks till she sees a psychiatrist, who suggests she tries ‘past-life regression’ as a therapy. The play of a person’s karmic influences on one’s life is the prominent theme which runs through the book. 
 
Blood stained frocks, heavy rains, staring strangers, crying babies and a sweaty pillow. Ameeya woke up to this, trembling with fear, every midnight. What she seeks as a cure to her recurrent dreams turns out to be even more terrifying. Unravelling the dark shadows lurking her own past, leads her to the Creator himself with questions about her existence. Will Ameeya follow the Creator’s orders to get rid of her demons by taking tough life decisions? Will this quest answer her existential questions?


Thursday, 27 May 2021

EXCHANGING WORDS WITH AMRITA SHARMA

NEWS OF BOOKS 21:38
AUTHOR’S BIO:

Amrita Sharma is a journalist by profession and an author by choice. 
 
She has worked with DD News, NDTV, Hindustan Times and is currently with the BBC.
 
She has authored several non-fiction books including a book on relationships, called "What Did I Ever See in Him" besides "Dictionary of Religion" and "Dictionary of Literary Terms". “Taken for a Metro Ride” is her first fiction.
 
She has been writing on relationships for over 20 years and several of her articles on the subject of love and relationships have been published in various leading Indian newspapers and magazines, including the online portals of Femina and The Indian Express.
 
She feels strongly about wellness and mental health and enjoys writing about work-life balance and emotional health and well-being. She is passionate about chai and her Twitter handle is - @amchaivinist

1. Who and what inspired you to write? 

I have always been interested in observing people around me and the kaleidoscope of their lives, their relationships and the way they approach things. That has been the underlying subject of all my writings. 
The idea of writing this book – Taken for a Metro Ride – came about when I started taking the metro to work – in the pre-Covid days. The different types of people I travelled with everyday and the various shades of experiences I had during those rides, started emerging like a tapestry before my eyes. 
Every day was a new experience – sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes even extraordinary. My bucket of experiences kept filling up and I suddenly felt I wanted to share this kaleidoscope of lives and experiences with everyone. And that’s how the book came into being.

2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?

Discipline is one of the main demands of writing I feel. The drill to put random thoughts coherently into words requires a lot of focus and effort. When I was writing my novel, I would often have days when I would stare at my laptop screen and eventually give up with a feeling of frustration. But when I finally managed to finish the book, the feeling was beyond words!
However, the task of finding a publisher has been quite taxing. Often it seemed like a walking into a blind alley since they take eons to respond. One loses the enthusiasm after a point and it can be really challenging to keep the faith. That’s when I was told about literary agents and how they could facilitate the publishing process.      

 3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?

I remember reading an article in a newspaper about literary agents making inroads in the Indian publishing scene. My curiosity was piqued and I started doing some research about them. Of all the agents I read about, The Book Bakers seemed to have a certain conviction, which inspired a lot of confidence in me. That’s when I got in touch with Suhail Mathur, the man and the mind behind TBB and things started looking up.

4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them?

When I approached Suhail Mathur, the co-founder of The Book Bakers, it was a sheer delight in the way he took charge and guided me through – not just with the process but also with his valuable inputs. I guess it came with the fact that he is a celebrated author himself and knows the nuances of writing. Kudos to him for doing full justice to his vocation and being so involved with the work he represents. 

5. How do you see literary success for yourself?

For me, literary success means penning several acclaimed books and reaching out to as many readers as possible. Since I take immense pleasure in writing, I aspire to achieve many milestones by writing stories, self-help books, memoirs and even anthologies of short stories to connect with a diverse group of readers. Screen adaptations of my work would also define literary success for me.

6. When can we expect your next book?

My next book, which is a sequel to my earlier work on relationships – What Did I Ever See in Him – is expected to be out in the next few months since it is already in the publication stage. 

7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Always stay focused and make sure to finish what you have started. Remember, your work is your expression and your voice in the world. Also, it’s very important to believe in yourself and your work. Stay true to your feelings when you write and you will never be disappointed in the final result.

BOOK NAME : TAKEN FOR A METRO RIDE
PUBLISHER : TREESHADES BOOK

BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:

When Aliya, an NRI from the US, revisits India after almost two decades, she has no idea
that the city and its vibrant metro rides will change her life forever.

As Aliya takes the metro every day and brushes shoulders with all kinds of people, she
discovers a whole new world – both inwards and outwards. The daily rides also become the
landscape against which her life starts to unfold, and her past and future intersect through her turbulent and clandestine present.

“Taken For a Metro Ride” encapsulates the journey of relationships, harsh realities, losses,
and acceptance with the metro playing the supporting role.

Saturday, 22 May 2021

EXCHANGING WORDS WITH MEENU MEHROTRA

NEWS OF BOOKS 07:15
AUTHOR’S BIO :  

Meenu is a published Author & Poet of 7 books & has been associated with writing for the past 32 years. She’s a Certified Archetypal Consultant, NLP Practitioner, Tarot reader, Light worker, Healer & Spiritual Director. Empowering souls  and showing them the light through written and spoken word is her soul’s calling.

1. Who and what inspired you to write?

 I, my own self inspired myself to write this book. My life experiences and my need to understand and process them triggered this journey.
 
 
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?  

I did not really face any. I won’t call them challenges but rather propelling forces which helped me deliver my best. Every writer goes through a creative process where he/she wants to be as lucid and simple as possible so that he/she can connect with the reader at a deeper level and that’s always a part of the creative journey.
Getting published was not an issue since I had published 6 books earlier.
 
 3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS? 

A dear friend, Ritu Lalit who is a bestselling Author herself introduced me to Suhail.
 
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ?

 Working with Suhail has been a lot of fun and the whole publishing process has been enlightening and enjoyable. It was (is)great to have an ally and a friend in Suhail who believed in my book and the energy, time and effort that he invested came from a space of love & kindness and that was the most special part. I have never worked with a book agency before and the ease and support of being with The Book Bakers made it all worth it.
 
5. How supportive is your publisher of your work?

 The fact that they chose to publish my book says it all and that they understood how to represent my work in the best possible creative manner in terms of designing the book, paper quality, insistence on the best cover design, color schemes and so much more.
 
6. How do you see literary success for yourself?

Depends on what one defines as success...for me literary success is being able to touch someone’s life or lives through my written word and being able to reach out to souls that need to be seen and heard.
 
7. When can we expect your next book?

 I have a first draft ready for my next book but it needs lots of work so I should be able to start work soon - still in euphoric state of the release of NOTES TO THE BELOVED so maybe another year, Inshaallah!
 
8. How has your experience being working with Locksley Hall Publishing ? 

Joyful and easy 
 
9. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Just write from the deepest core of yourself.
Don’t over think. Get the mind out of the way. Write from your heart.
The initial drafts will be crap but that’s a part of the cleansing process. Do not get disheartened.
Do not take rejection personally. Be impersonal about it. Look at it as baby steps towards climbing the mountain.
Write for your own self first. Be authentic because that will show in your writing. 

BOOK NAME : NOTES TO THE BELOVED
PUBLISHER : LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING

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Thursday, 13 May 2021

EXCHANGING WORDS WITH LALU KRISHNAN

NEWS OF BOOKS 09:07

AUTHOR’S BIO :

An IIEST and XIMB alumnus and e-learning industry leader, Lalu manages myriad situations for a living, and writes to live life. He experiments with drama, romance, satire, psychology and mystery in his short story blog – Bohemian Ruminations. He won the Sparsh Short Story Contest, 2018 for “The Questions of Choice”. His story, “The Lounge”, was part of the Top Stories section of one of India’s leading online publishers and received rave reviews. He has been conferred the title of Literary Colonel by a leading online literary platform.
 
1. Who and what inspired you to write? 
 
Since childhood, I had a fondness for the written word. However, through many years of undivided focus on making a living, the thought of writing a book had never occurred to me - until much later in life. Around five years back, I received feedback that I was losing my personal connect with my team at Tata Interactive. As one of the interventions to address this feedback, I sent a series of fortnightly emails to the team. Apart from the minimal, mundane business updates, my emails would recount random tidbits from my life that week. The anecdotes included the amusing, but happy anticlimax of my daughter’s school admission, to the (then) five-year-old’s stress about which of the two proposals should she choose as her boy-friend. These also chronicled my clumsy goof-ups during the intra-office futsal tournament and the law of the irreversible growth of the male waistline after thirty-five. These emails triggered very positive feedback on my style of storytelling.
 
That’s when I took to writing seriously and worked on my debut novel - The Robotmaker - a drama centred around the themes of work, family and relationships. Other than that, in the last four years, I have written more than fifteen short stories. I have published some of them in my blog - Bohemian Ruminations. My short stories have received rave reviews. One of my stories - The Questions of Choice - has won the Sparsh Short Story Competition, 2018. Another story, the Lounge, was part of the Top Stories section of one of India’s leading online publishers and received rave reviews. I have also been conferred the title of Literary Colonel by a leading online literary platform. These accolades motivated me even more and drove me to believe that I should keep writing.
  
The inspiration for my writing stems from a combination of reading, observation, and experiences. I don’t stick to any particular genre for reading, but have a strong bias for short stories by Roald Dahl, Maupassant, and O’Henry. I read and ‘re-read’ these stories. I love the credibility of the plots, the simplicity of the characters and the numbing twists. More recently, I have been influenced by the works of Khaled Hossaini - not so much by his style or language, but by how he uses the concept of family to stitch the plot together.
 
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
 
The biggest challenge has been to find the time to write and to make it a habit, while balancing the priorities of a high pressure day job. The Writer’s Block is another challenge that I try to beat through the combination of reading, observation and experiences. However, the challenges faced while writing the book was minuscule in comparison to what I faced in getting published. I think most debutante authors would agree with me that it is an ordeal to find a home for her/his work - especially fiction. So, I consider myself fortunate to be in the situation that I am in.
 
 3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?  
 
In my quest to find a home for my book, I did a lot of research on publishers and agencies in India who accept first time authors. It was during this quest that I came across a few web sites and blogs that referred to The Book Bakers as an agency that accepts and encourages debutante authors.
 
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them ? 
 
It is very simple. First things first - if not for The Book Bakers, the manuscript of The Robotmaker would have been lying in a folder in some obscure corner of my laptop. I had a good experience interacting with Suhail and The Book Bakers team through this journey. Suhail has been very approachable and promptly resolved any queries that I had. The agency also helps to promote their books and authors through various channels and modes. Apart from getting help on the book, these interactions have helped me better understand the dynamics of the industry. I would recommend The Book Bakers for any first-time author.
 
5. How supportive is your publisher of your work?
 
I would like to thank Locksley Hall Publishing for their trust in accepting my book. They have been very supportive so far and have promptly responded to and addressed any queries or concerns that I had. They are also helping me in promoting the book and helping with marketing material such as posters, video trailer, launch, etc.
 
6. How do you see literary success for yourself?
 
Like in any profession, I believe that the key is in going through the process and ticking the boxes. In this case, it would be important for me to continue the rigour of writing, improve on it, look for ways and means to connect with potential readers and promote the writing. Literary success would be an outcome of this process. Therefore, I may not want to define or go after literary success. Rather, I hope to follow the process with as much sincerity as possible and happily accept whatever comes my way.
 
7. When can we expect your next book?

I have started working on a couple of titles - both of them are genres different from The Robotmaker. I hope to narrow down on one and complete the writing by the end of this year. The book can be expected after that, and would depend on how much time I’ll take to find a home for it.

8.  Any message or tips for aspiring authors?

Take the plunge; Keep writing and improving; Getting published will be tough - so, don’t get disheartened by those rejections.

BOOK NAME : THE ROBOTMAKER 
PUBLISHER : LOCKSLEY HALL PUBLISHING


BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB :

Sid’s entrepreneurial dream drives him into the depths of despair – a tottering marriage, financial insecurity, a narrow escape from death and thirty-four days in jail. Then – the death of a colleague. He is shattered. 
 
He seeks answers in his tragic childhood – his murdered trade unionist father – and transforms himself around his father’s ideals. This pushes him through a series of uncertain, yet intriguing experiences. 
 
Where does this lead Sid to? Does this resurrect his life, his company? "The Robotmaker" takes the reader through Sid’s journey, to explore for themselves. 

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