AUTHOR INTERVIEW - SHUBHAM CHOUDHARY

We recently interviewed published author Shubham Choudhary.

Short Bio :

Shubham Choudhary is a Final year student of MNIT Jaipur, pursuing a B.Tech degree in Electronics and Communication. Being an active blogger, he has written over a hundred articles, stories and poems. His works mainly include humour based on daily life. Besides writing, he likes travelling and reading biographies and fiction. He also has a deep interest in music and has taken training in the field of Radio Jockeying as well. He is actively involved in the start-up TalEx India. He has written for many websites, noticeable among them being, Youthdiaries. in, Bewakoof.com, News That Matters Not and TheWittyShit. Com.

So, here goes : 

Q: Tell us something about your debut novel.

A: My EX Fell In Love, is a story of every guy who has ever been in a confused state. It describes the life of three friends pursuing engineering, the fun they have and the problems they face. It is a humorous story of a guy “Yatharth” who breaks up with a girl to concentrate in his research work, just to find out that she is now in a relationship with someone else. The story revolves around his research work and the funny things that happen in the course.

Q: How did this book happen and why did you choose to write it?

A: The book isn't a thought that occurred to me in a single day, neither is it my own life story which most people confuse it to be. I have been blogging for quite some time now and just when I felt that I could make people laugh with my writing, I thought of converting that into a book. The reason I chose this story was because most youngsters can easily relate to it and people who like funny stories, would like to read it.

Q: When did you take up writing?

A: That’s a little difficult to answer. I always loved to write. I used to write Facebook statuses and jokes that I created myself. After that I started writing wits for a website “TheWittyShit.com” and soon I started my own blog “ABugInMyMind” in July 2011.
Without any efforts of mine to publicize or promote, a few posts of the blog became quite viral and were appreciated by many. I started working on “My EX Fell In Love” sometime around that and here it is.

Q: Where do you usually write? What is your favourite setting to write in?

A: On my study table which I never used to study, on my bed when half of the world is asleep, in my class confronting a boring lecture, etc. etc. There is no specific time or place for ideas to come. But I do like either of these two conditions. 1. On my bed with laptop in front of my eyes and music in the background. And 2. On my table with umm… the same conditions, except that I am sitting this time.

Q: Did this story come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer’s block sometimes?

A: Every story starts with an idea or a real life incident. Mine started with a funny title (My EX Fell In Love). Just the title came to my mind out of the blues and it made me laugh. I made the story and the characters after that. But yes, once you’re in the middle of writing a freaking 200 pages, you do get stuck and it isn’t a bad thing. How you tackle that shows how serious you are for the whole thing.

Q: Does this story have anything to do with your personal life? Or is it a story of someone close to you?

A: No. Some instances at some points might be inspired by things happening around me. But in no way possible this is my story. Neither is any character a replica of me or any friend of mine.

Q: Tell us about your life online and the sites you maintain.

A: Sometimes, to mess with me, people tell me I am popular, while I like to refer that as active. And by ‘that’ I mean I am active on almost every online portal.
My blog: www.abuginmymind.wordpress.com

My Facebook Profile: www.Facebook.com/AwesomeShubham

My Twitter Profile: www.twitter.com/shubhamtweets

And the book can be found here. www.facebook.com/myexfellinlove , www.bit.ly/bookgoodreads , www.bit.ly/booklinks.

Q: What are your thoughts on life – The one thing that it takes to live it?

A: Live in a way that you don’t have regrets afterwards. Be confident with what you do. Have fun.

One thing? I think it just takes a smile to live life to the fullest.

Q: How has been your experience so far in the literary world? Any highs or lows being a part of this space that you would like to share here?

A: Experience is great. Though I would like to say this, writing is a noble profession and you write to express things that you want to tell the world and to record your ideas in form of words. Unfortunately, people don’t leave a chance in making this a 3^rd grade business as well. There is a difference in being a writer and being a businessman, and sadly in our country, you have to be the latter to become the former.
When I wrote the book, making it a bestseller was not there in my mind. All I wanted was to have that feeling of seeing my name on the book cover and to see my parents’ reaction when they saw the book. With that thought, no highs or lows have affected me yet.

Q: Tell us something about your work & hobbies?

A: I am a 22 year old undergraduate. Right now I am in final year of Electronics and Communication Engineering in MNIT, Jaipur. I have my own start-up TalEx India and a live online retail store www.EStyleBuy.com. And I have been placed in Oracle Financial Softwares as well.
I like watching Football, dancing, writing (Duh!), I watch TV all the time and I am kind of an unheard Radio Jockey too. :P

Q: So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?

A: Happy. Ecstatic. Light. Freer. Amazed. And a little surprised!

Q: Top 3 All-time favourite books.

A: In no preferential order.

·         Wings of Fire by A.P.J Abdul Kalam

·         P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

·         Memories of Midnight by Sydney Sheldon.

      We would like to thank Author Shubham for this interview. Best wishes from Team Book Readers Lounge.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - NIKHIL MAHAJAN AND AAKHYAA PANDEY

We recently interviewed published authors Nikhil Mahajan and Aakhyaa Pandey

Blurb of the  Book: “An email to an author saying I hate you, suddenly turned into a Love Story”

 

 

FOREWARD of the book: 

We always fail to consider that the best days of our life are the vexatious periods that make you wise with each catch; we blame our problems to others, but we never consider our strings being controlled by the destiny.

Journey of a Physiotherapist, a loser in love and carrying a relationship stepping into the boots of a successful writer was never been so smooth.

But, My Co-Author thinks, my book which was my autobiography was an idiotic love story and it needed to be reprised ( titled MY LOVE NEVER FAKED) as but I still think nothing completes without it. After reading my book she said: "What a Shit it was! Do you think something like this can happen?"

But still my readers were always interested to know what happened further to the protagonists Abhi and Mani namely me in the books. So being fair to Aakhyaa, to my readers and adding to the magic of love again here I and Aakhyaa together presents our book titled "my little love incident" which is accidently a love story; hope it will take love to a new heights, because every end is a new beginning.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

NIKHIL MAHAJAN

Nikhil Mahajan is an author of two best-selling novels “My Love Never Faked”@ 2010 and “As Long AS I Love You”@2011.

Mahajan, 26, born and brought up in the city Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir had his primary education from Army Public school, Udhampur and then persuaded physiotherapy from JCOP, Jammu. Currently, he is into clinical after finishing his P.G. from Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Ambala. 

AAKHYAA PANDEY

Aakhyaa Pandey, 19, a medical aspirant, currently pursuing her PMT coaching from Allen Career Institute, based in Kota, Rajasthan. Being a diligent person since childhood, she had an aim of doing the responsible job of a doctor. And apart from that her soul pushed her to fall in love with a pen and a diary and a writer is born.

Basically, she belongs to Bahraich, UP, a small town located in the Terai region of North UP, bordering Nepal. She did her schooling from Seventh Day Adventist Inter College, Bahraich. 

Q) How did the book happen and why did you choose to write about it?

A)  NIKHIL: It is an appetite for my essence. My first book was just like a dream come true, I always wanted to write, but whilst I was keeping with my studies afloat there was no time for anything else but now more or less, I never forget to write few lines before I go to bed.

Writing this book was somewhere in my subconscious mind, but I had no one to share with. Then I came in contact with Aakhyaa; she enlivens me in a distinctive way to write this book, illustrating prospects that can be explored and trying a new writing style. We talked a lot about our own experiences and finally decided to frame it to our best efforts.

AAKHYAA: I and Nikhil have been good friends for two years now. Back, a year ago, I shared about my past relationship with Nikhil. A genuine heart that he is, Nikhil listened to my story with keen interest. And then, one chilly November evening, I got a call from Dr. Nikhil Mahajan, a well-established writer of two books, who offered me a chance to co-author with him in his upcoming third novel. So, we worked over the story and have come up with this unusual romantic fiction based on real-life events.

Q) When did you take to writing?

A)  AAKHYAA: Writing for me, has been a way to express my thoughts, so at the age of 13, I started writing short-stories for various local newspapers and magazines in Hindi. I also wrote English poetries for my school magazine. In12th Std., I became one of the editors of my school magazine. And by the time, I stepped out of my school; I had a story to write about, and hence, this book.

NIKHIL: Being a medical student I was unaware of the writing world, its ethics and styles. I was neither a blogger nor some one who had ever written for news papers and magazines. All my work that has been published is basically my routine diaries and its updates.

Q) Where do you usually write? What is your favorite setting to write in?

A) AAKHYAA: Back at home, I had my room which, at night, offered me the best atmosphere to write. And now in my hostel, my study-table facing the wall that is full of the best quotes and my study lamp, added with the mood and desire to pen down the thoughts and stories jingling in my mind, provide the best settings. But my favorite setting to express my feelings on a piece of paper would be a lonely house on the hills, surrounded by the picturesque valleys n waterfalls, where nobody can disturb me.

NIKHIL: Short of time these days, I try to pen whenever I get a chance to; carrying a pen with few pieces of paper is a habit now.

Q) Did this story come to you easily or did you find yourself stuck with a writer's block sometimes?

A) AAKHYAA: No, I never found myself stuck with a writer's block because this story was an account of the experiences that I had with life. Like I mentioned before, this book is based on real-life events. It also contains the fictional part but then the imaginative human being in me and Nikhil worked the story out to a perfect happy-ending.

Nikhil: I love to write about the incidents which are part of my life or had happened to people around me, it may be my friend or a colleague. This is one of the reasons that a reader connects to my books so much – my books are the real life incidents of mine.

Q) Tell us about your life online and the sites you maintain.

A) NIKHIL MAHAJAN

·         Website: www.nikhilmahajan.com

·         Blog: response-niks.blogspot.com

·         You can also follow official Fan Pages of the Book on FB

Q) What are your thoughts on life? The one thing that it takes to live it?
A) AAKHYAA: The word ‘Life’ though sounds n spells little yet it’s too vast to be explained in a few words. Still, trying myself in summing up what I think about it, I would say that life is the only truth. I don't believe in the word 'fate', for I know that whatever I'm today is because of whatever I did and what I don't have is simply because I did not stive for it. So, I take life as a gift to be celebrated and allow myself to be possessed by it in all possible forms, colours, dimensions, the whole rainbow, all notes of music.

Nikhil: There may be several definitions of life, but I feel is present is what is true, future is something we cannot predict and past is something needed to be graved. Every day when I wake up in the morning I don’t forget to thank God that I survived and every night when I sleep, I take my time to evaluate what moral duties are left to be done.

Q) How has your experience been so far in the literary world? Any highs or lows being a part of this pace that you would like to share?

A) Nikhil: I love the sense of possibilities in writing, and I have been remarkably fortunate to get published at the right time. Those initial years were hectic and very strange. The attention from the press came first, then bloggers, and finally; I learned about it, maintained the sales that press, interviews and articles generated. Really, I am hugely surprised by the success.

However, at the same time, I believe in Groucho Marx's quote: “I don’t belong to any club that has me as their member.”  Anything I manage to achieve never quite feels like a real achievement, so I end going for more. This is a fuel for me; it drives me.

AAKHYAA: Well, I, m quite new in this field. And therefore, I don't have many experiences to share. Yet, I would say that the people here are very welcoming.

Q) Tell us something about your work and hobbies?

A) AAKHYAA: Well, currently, I'm just a writer but most probably,I'll be in a medical college next year, pursuing my graduation in MBBS.

As per hobbies are concerned, I'm an avid reader. A booklover.  Apart from this, I am an amateur dancer. And as studies are not going to bid me a goodbye soon, therefore, studying, too, has become my hobby, for now at least.

NIKHIL: I love music; Sufi genre is my favorite on the playlist. Good music and long drives, a perfect blend when I need to talk to myself. And when I am not alone, one may find me in the hottest party of the country.

Q) So how did it feel when you finally finished writing the book?

A) NIKHIL: For the criticism and love I received from my first two books, I finally decided that I should write to entertain myself, and even if rejections rolled in, I could at least enjoy the process and be proud of the result. Happily, this book was received openheartedly and I suspect this manuscript is the most authentic I’d ever produced.

AAKHYAA: When I saw the soft-copy of the book, I remember my expression, it was- "phew" ! I have so many experiences to share about life, but, due to limitations with the word and the 'thickness' of the book, I had to seriously think about which event I should share and which not.

But when I went through the pages, I felt delighted. I said to myself, "This can't get any better." I am satisfied that I did justice with the story that had been wanting to be written and shared.

Q) Top 3 all-time favourite books.

A)  AAKHYAA:

·         Nothing Lasts Forever - By, Sidney Sheldon

·         For As Long As the Skies Exist - By, Kavita Padgaonkar Ajmera

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - By, Robin S. Sharma