Aashisha was chosen as one of the 75 pan-India authors under 30 for the PM-YUVA scheme for her work of historical fiction, tentatively titled ‘The 13-year-old Queen’, with National Book Trust, India. Her debut novel- ‘Mis(s)adventures of a Salesgirl’ by Rupa Publications is loosely based on her experiences as a sales manager. She was the winner of Times of India Write India Season 2 for Shobhaa De and among the top 6 for both Manu Joseph and Twinkle Khanna. She has written for various Readomania anthologies and e-books by Women’s Web and InsideIIM. Her articles have appeared in The Hindu and she has a Star Wars fan fiction column on SilverLeaf Poetry. A winner of Kaafiya (the Delhi Poetry Festival), she showcases her short stories on Readomania Premium. A compulsive reader and an avid traveler, she is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi and a computer engineer from Jamia Millia Islamia. She blogs on her online diary of sorts - ‘The Mind Bin’.
1. Who and what inspired you to write?
Writing has always been an integral part of my life. Human emotions, reactions and expressions have always amazed me (I know I am writing as if I am not a human myself but trust me, at times, I do feel like I am from another planet). I don't think there is a specific person or incident that inspired me to write but there have been experiences that prompted instant expression.
I write about things I feel strongly about- inclusion of people, kindness, determination, will, persistence. I care deeply when someone is hurt or feels excluded, when someone gets a rough deal for no fault of their own, when someone wins after long hard struggles. I sometimes feel I am a fish in a tree, a chipped sun over a red mountain,a cold brittle flame, basically unreal things which don't make sense and yet somehow exist. I feel somewhere inside, I want to champion the unsaid and the unknown. I want to unravel the thoughts of little mice and feelings of dogs, even when I am thoroughly frightened of both. I share a love-hate relationship with many elements of life and being a deeply emotional and sensitive person, writing automatically comes to me as a reaction.
The authors who fired my feelings and compelled me to overcome self-doubt and let my pen loose are Ayn Rand, Sylvia Plath and JRR Tolkien.
2. What challenges did you face while writing and getting published?
Primarily, I felt a lacunae in the structural understanding of how the publishing system works and how the selections happen. I found it difficult to figure out the authenticity of the publishing platforms and I got duped quite a bit initially. Another key problem was realizing when the written work becomes good enough to be put out into the world. There are times when one's work is unrefined and unready to publish and enthusiasm might result in early exposure. I feel there is no clear stage when one gets to know that a certain work is ready to be published but expert advice surely helps. All these things helped shape my journey and brought me to where I am today.
3. How did you come to know about the literary agency THE BOOK BAKERS?
I googled about the top ten literary agents in the country and The Book Bakers was one of them. I had also heard about it from a couple of authors whose book launches I had attended.
4. How did THE BOOK BAKERS help you and what would you like to say about them?
The Book Bakers opened up a new world for me; I interacted with authors from diverse fields, learnt about the various stages of publishing, starting with the most important one i.e. pitching one’s manuscript. At every stage, I understood the intricacies and the challenges I could face in the publishing process, helping me circumvent them at appropriate times. The people at The Book Bakers are rich in experience and of course, empathy. They know what an author wants and needs.
5. How do you see literary success for yourself?
Literary success could mean anything, right from book sales to becoming a household name. However, when I come to think of it, I feel success for me would be when a reader reads my book and not just tells about it to their friends, but also picks it up again for a comfort read in their times of distress. When this happens, I feel I will have arrived.
6. When can we expect your next book?
By 2022 or max 2023, I am expecting a work of historical fantasy fiction tentatively titled ‘The 13-year-old queen and her inherited destiny’ by the National Book Trust, India.
7. Any message or tips for aspiring authors?
I would say three things: read, read and don’t stop reading. Keep writing. And most of all, trust your gut. You are enough.
BOOK NAME: MIS(S)ADVENTURES OF A SALESGIRL
PUBLISHER :RUPA PUBLICATIONS
BOOK SYNOPSIS/BLURB:
This is the story of a young feisty girl out of college who charges headlong into the sales domain storming the male bastion.
Life is rosy at 25, with love in the air and red-hot ambition flowing through the veins.
Or is it?
Ask twenty-five-year-old Enakshi Chatterji, who is uprooted from Delhi and sent to Chennai to work as a sales intern in the fiercely competitive and heavily male-dominated territory of sales with no place for a city-bred sophisticated girl. Add to that the fact she does not speak a word of Tamil, and you get a heady cocktail of events that promises to take you on a roller-coaster ride.
When a twenty-five-year-old family secret comes back to haunt her, she starts on a course of self-destruction with a weekend getaway with her stalker, a movie date with her manager and a quest to uncover an old family secret.
Will Enakshi be able to battle all the sexual advances, language barriers, male chauvinism, hygiene complications and the scorching Chennai sun and emerge victorious? Will she finally unearth the truth about her mother?
Find out in this thrilling, fast-paced and tumultuous journey how Enakshi learns the hard truths about relationships, life and work while trying to prove herself.
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