When did you start writing?
Being the son of a headmaster, my childhood days were all about discipline and studies. I was taught at an early age that you need to face the consequences if you commit anything wrong. I have so many fond memories of those days. Being the youngest of the siblings, I was loved and protected by all. During summer vacations, my mom would ask us to take a nap post-lunch following which we were allowed to go outside and play with friends. I used to wait till my mother fell asleep and then move out without making any noise. However, I was caught on many occasions. I wrote poems during my college days, which are yet to be published.
You were a banker before you turned an author. How did you take up writing?
It’s very difficult to say why I started writing. I am an accidental writer who had never thought of penning a book in his lifetime. Initially, I tried too hard but didn’t get success. When I started as a management trainee, I thought a bank job was pretty cool since I could leave office by 5.30 pm. At that time, I was single and had enough time in the evening. So, I made an attempt to write a few lines to put forth my feelings and imagination. It all started in 2006. I was inspired by the people and how they deal with their emotions and the things that life throws at them.
Long hours of writing require a lot of concentration. How do you manage to write despite being in a demanding profession?
I believe I am learning the ideal process of writing as an accidental writer. My work hours are from 9.30 am to 7.30 pm. The plots, the characters, the emotions are a blend of real-life characters and a bit of fantasy. Often it becomes difficult to imagine romance in a busy corporate world where everyone is swamped with workloads, deliverables, meetings, appraisals and reviews. However, I managed to find time to write. Most of my writing was done during weekends.
How do you connect banking and writing?
There is absolutely no connection at all. In writing, there is a catharsis of your emotions to create something fictional, you tweak your words, you build a character, you make them sad, cry, happy, heartbroken the way you want. You can play with them, take them to a park, sing with them, hug them and you can console them as a friend, but in banking you are careful, alert and more real. Banking starts with the mind and writing starts with your heart. When your mind gets bugged up dealing with money, the heart seeks solace. I believe you can help people to learn how to use or invest money to get benefits, but you can’t teach them how to remain happy. One is all about creating and managing wealth and the other is about creating happiness. So, for me, it was a compulsion to bridge my profession and passion.
Tell us about your first book As She Told Me and its protagonist.
Aadi is a small-town boy. He was not looking for love when he found it. One was on campus and the other was while doing a job. Aadi met Trisha through a common friend. They started talking, exchanged numbers and their bond grew deeper. Their world turned upside down when they were about to get engaged. Someone else fell in love with Trisha. It’s a different love story with lots of twists and turns and not like a traditional love story with a happy ending. It’s a saga of love, sex, romance, revenge, which will enthrall you till the end. You will laugh, frown, cry, and feel happy and, at the end, you will also have to move on. Emotions never die…relationships change is what As She Told Me is all about.
What are the difficulties that you faced to publish the book?
I had approached around 10-12 publishers, but all of them asked me to pay Rs one lakh, the printing cost of the book. They promised me five per cent royalty on the book. My work, my money, and I will get 5 per cent royalty… not a good deal for me. They forgot that they were dealing with a banker, and I decided I will not pay to get published. I published it in Amazon’s Kindle and through self-publishing platform @pothi.
What, according to you, is the biggest perk and challenge of being a writer? Also, what is that one moment you treasure most as a writer?
The biggest perk is recognition and the addition of one more line to my designation in social networking sites that now reads now – Banker-cum-Author (laughs). The biggest challenge is managing time to write and finding a publisher for your maiden novel. But I was sure I did not want to be published by the vanity publishers.
I treasure the moment when I saw the book trending at No 2 in the bestseller list on Amazon’s Kindle on the second day of its publication and it was selling in the US market.
What is the best compliment you have received from a reader?
My work was appreciated by many. The one that I still remember was from a reader who downloaded the book during his travel to Mumbai and read the book in 90 minutes during the flight without a pause. When he landed at the airport, his first task was to tag me on Facebook and tell me how this book just took him down memory lane of his student life, and he asked me to write a sequel so that he will know whether the protagonist got the true love of his life.
Who is your inspiration?
Real life events, pent up emotions, life, love and I believe that’s where the world of imagination takes over.
Any message for aspiring writers?
Write if you believe it gives you happiness, and don’t write to sell more copies. Even if your books are not sold as per expectations, you get poor reviews and bad feedback, accept them with grace. Remember, there are authors in this world whose books were rejected multiple times before they become bestsellers.
What can readers expect from you in the next five years?
One more book, for sure.
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP