Author Highlight: Parveen Discusses her Book ‘Ankahi’ and Stories from her Life

It’s time for another author interview. Today, with us we have Parveen Matharu, she lives in Udaipur (Rajasthan), India.

Kindly tell us a bit about you.

Nearly 2.5 years ago I moved back to India after completing my studies in the UK. I did my undergrad in Accounting & Financial Management from Loughborough University and then pursued MSc in Marketing from the University of Bath and currently I am working with my father in his business.

Since childhood, I was inclined towards the creative industry. In fact, there was a time when I wanted to become a film director. But my family always encouraged me to complete my education first before jumping into the glamour world. It was during my time at the university that I discovered that I am a decent writer and hence I decided to polish this talent of mine. I love to travel and my aim is to highlight at least of my favourite places with each piece of my writing be it my blog or my novels.

How do you handle the success of your first novel Ankahi?

It’s still hasn’t sunk in yet that I am a published author and that a book written by me is out there in the market and people can buy it. Most of the reviews that I have received about the book have been positive but still it is very early to say what benchmark of success does this book set for me. My only aim while writing this book was to take the readers on a nostalgic journey of their college /university days or probably their first love. I wanted my book to bring a smile on my readers’ face.

Now, tell us what’s your area of interest (genre) when it comes to writing novels? Is it general fiction or something else that you want to reveal later with the upcoming books?

I enjoy reading fiction the most and naturally I feel that my strength is in this genre. I want to write something with which the readers can relate. I don’t want to write a piece in which I don’t believe myself. I feel that a genre like romantic fiction appeals to a lot of readers, as love is a kind of emotion which is universal. I want my books to touch the readers at an emotional level.

Do you think writing a book from the comfort of bedroom or study room is possible?

Yes, I definitely believe that. For me, personally, I don’t think that in order to write one needs to isolate themselves from the world and head to the woods. However, isolation is important when you have to edit the book and read it again and again for spelling and grammar checks. 

Anyways, jokes apart I feel that it is much easier to write and to make the ideas flow when you are in a comfortable surrounding and what could be more comfy that your own bedroom or study room.

Where do you write from? Do you go to some specific place, like beachside or into the hills?

I do not have one specific spot, which I can dedicate as my “writing chair”.  Penning a book depends on ideas and you can come up with an idea anywhere. However, I usually write in my office or in my TV room. But my phone is my best friend because whenever I get an idea which I feel I can use and I don’t have my journal with me I just jot down the thoughts on my mobile. Yes, you heard it right, in this age of all sorts of technical advancements I still depend on my journal for gathering my thoughts. I feel writing the ideas yourself with pen and paper is much more personal and satisfying.

Did you do proper research before penning down this book or was it something based on personal life?

Well, “Ankahi”, the story is based in Loughborough University (UK), which is my alma mater, and hence it is very close to my heart. I would say that “Ankahi” is everyone’s story yet it no one’s story. The characters and situations are so relatable that when you would read it, you will feel that ‘Oh! This happened with me or my friend’. Most of the inspiration for these characters I have drawn from my circle of friends or acquaintances. In my university days I used to be a very good listener and my friends used to share their hook ups and break ups with me and this quality of mine gave me the vital inspiration for “Ankahi”.

What inspired you to write this book?

I have been writing since I was very young. When I was seven years old I used to write the “mono-acting” script for my school competitions with my father and that I continued till the very last year of my school life. However, when I went to the university I wrote and directed plays for the annual extra curricular event organized by the university clubs and it made me realize that I can write serious stuff as well.

What was your biggest learning experience throughout the publishing process?

I think the biggest learning experience throughout this publishing process is that I have learnt to be more patient. I feel writing is the easy part, what comes after is challenging and you need ample of patience to deal with it. Pitching for your own book, the constant emails, convincing people and editing the book again and again takes a lot of time and energy.

Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in as a writer?

I feel that the thing that I did right which helped as a writer was that I kept it a big secret until the final stages of publication. Otherwise it is just added pressure to deal with constant questions of people regarding ‘When is the book releasing?’ ‘What is the book about?’ ‘Is it your story?’ etc. and despite keeping it a secret for so long yet I experienced all these questions. I know all these people mean well and ask out of curiosity but it’s just not my cup of tea. I announced the book when I felt I was ready.

Any best piece of writing advice from your side that we haven’t discussed?

Just believe in yourself. Many times when I was writing my book, I doubted myself that whether I am writing what people want to read or whether the book will be successful or not.

I feel that one should only focus on their writing and should not think about the numbers or the success rate. I know it is important but it takes away the joy of writing and what you want to convey to your audience.

Something personal about you people may be surprised to know?

I am a lot like Zara, the female protagonist of the book. When I was writing her character narration, I was wondering in what way I could leave a part of myself into the book without being too bias and hence I decided to pass on some of my quality traits to her such as being a good student, being disciplined and most importantly being a die-hard Shahrukh Khan fan.

Any future books that you would like to discuss now?

I have a story in mind, which belongs to the fictional genre too. It is just that I have to polish the idea a bit more before I can start writing it down.

Connect with Parveen:

www.parveenmatharu.com

Facebook: https://goo.gl/wudtoS