Bestselling author Preeti Shenoy’s second book was rejected 39 times by publishers, but she did not give up. Today, she has 13 books under her name, and that too in a span of 15 years. Travel+Leisure India & South Asia caught up with the author at the recently held Kerala Literature Festival.
Excerpts from the interview with Preeti Shenoy:
T+L India: What is the major difference between writing fiction and non-fiction?
Preeti Shenoy: It’s like mangos and bananas, both are fruit, but there’s no way you can compare the two. This is because fiction requires a journey into your mind, and nonfiction involves more research. I enjoy fiction more because I get to use my imagination.
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T+L India: I read somewhere that once a project is completed, we experience ‘post-event blues’. Does it happen to you when you finish a book?
Preeti Shenoy: Not really. I’m also an artist, so when I finish a book, I paint. I really don’t get the blues when I finish because I am always brimming with ideas
T+L India: You said in an interview that the word positivity is quite troubling. And nowadays, we see a lot of ‘positivity’ reels and posts on Instagram. What is your stand on this?
Preeti Shenoy: No, see, this is what I address in my book, The Magic Mindset. It’s simply not possible to be positive always. You will have to accept the sadness, and you must accept that it is where you are at. I am sad. But can I be 1% better tomorrow? Today, I have been in bed the whole day, but tomorrow, can I get out of bed? Maybe take one step and drink a glass of water and go back to bed. These small steps can come only if you accept your sad feelings. Social media is designed to keep you scrolling. So even if you’re in a great mood, the moment you go on social media, you’ll see someone having fun and you immediately feel left out. It triggers so much negative emotions.
There is a chapter in my book on how you can avoid these triggers. The algorithm is designed in such a way [that you cannot stop scrolling], but you will feel horrible afterwards. So, I highly recommend limiting your scrolling and being very choosy on what you consume online.
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T+L India: You said that you were rejected 39 times by publishers. What made you keep going? Why did you want to be a writer in the first place?
Preeti Shenoy: My first book was at the age of five. I wrote stories and my own version of whatever I was reading. And I used to draw pictures too.
I had spent two years of my life on that book so I couldn’t give up. It was a story that was begging to be told– it is a story about bipolar disorder. None of the major publishers wanted to take a risk at that time. This was in 2011. This is my second book. When it came out, it sold more than 10 million copies. It was translated into many languages, and I’ve written a sequel to it.
T+L India: What are some of the daily, mundane activities that inspire you and your writing?
Preeti Shenoy: I go for walks; I go for long walks. And when I do, I don’t listen to podcasts or music. I just like to look around, because I feel it’s important to allow yourself the time to relax and daydream. Yeah, that’s when the ideas come.
T+L India: Which is your favourite motivational book?
Preeti Shenoy: It keeps changing. Recently, I read Atomic Habits, which I highly recommend. Man’s Search For Meaning is also highly recommended. I also loved Goodbye Things, which is about minimalism and simplifying your life
T+L India: Which has been your most challenging book to write?
Preeti Shenoy: The latest one, A Place Called Home. It’s the story of Alka, a maid’s daughter. She lives in a small one-bedroom apartment. Mrs Shetty, the one her mother works for, decides to send her to the same school as her daughter. It was very hard to get into the mindset of such a person. How will she behave? How will she see things? Another tough one was Rule Breakers, because it’s set in the 90s in Joshimath.
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T+L India: When you write 15 books in 13 years, what do you do to keep yourself from getting jaded perspective-wise?
Preeti Shenoy: I don’t write books that are similar because then, I will get bored. I ensure that the themes are different in each book. I like that I am able to surprise my readers, and later this year Harper is going to publish my short story collection, which is a collection of dark stories with no redemption.
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