Tea for two (and a piece of cake) Tuesdays!

Starting today, I am hosting a Tea-for-two (and a piece of cake) Tuesdays. It will run till the end of February. Every Tuesday, there will be a creative prompt.

What do you have to do to take part? You just have to answer the prompt on your blogs and leave a link, linking the specific post where you have answered the prompt in your blog, in the gadget below. That's it!

Simple isn't it? :)


Of course, I would be delighted if you are kind enough to include my new Banner too in your posts, which I put up below:

The creative prompt for today is

"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be .................................." 


Use as many words as you want! Say as much or as little as you want. If you are participating, you can let all of us know by leaving a link. (do not link your whole blog, just link the specific post). In the 'Link Title' field, use either your name or the name of your blog, whatever you prefer.Please do not post any random links that are not relevant--they will be promptly deleted!

And yes, it's nice to visit other participants and see what they have done with the prompt!

If you leave me a link here, I would love to  read :) (and dont forget to leave a comment after linking!)

Happy Tea-for-two tuesdays! :)

Tea for two and a piece of cake --Preeti Shenoy

Tea for two and a piece of cake.  Click, then right click (view image) and click again to enlarge.

Here it is finally! My baby which I mentioned in the previous post :) Pre-orders are now open! You can place your order here and you can pay cash on delivery.

All the pre-ordered copies from Flipkart will be signed by me!
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For more sizzling hot updates and to read the reader reactions on the pre-order,
follow my Facebook page! :)

On writing a book

A lot of people write to me asking me where I get the ideas from to write a book. Also,  Satish did a post yesterday which spoke about what it means to be married to an author which generated a lot of interest. So I thought I would do a post on  what it involves to write a book.(giving you a view from my side)

Writing a book is really like giving birth to a baby. At first there is the inception of an idea. Then you carry it around. Then there is labour and finally you give birth (with all the accompanying labour pains) and lo behold--a book is born! After that it is not yours anymore. It is out there. For all to see.

For me, for an idea to take inception,it has to be something which I feel  really enthusiastic about. For all those who have read my books and my blog, you would know that I always do something different.


"34 bubblegums and candies" was  a non-fiction book. It was, to be precise, creative non-fiction. It was a first book straight from the heart. It was a compilation of my very popular blog-posts adapted to suit a book, written with a lot of humour. Many people who read it write to me saying they really laughed out loud and they don't remember when was the last time a book entertained them or moved them so much.

"Life is what  you make it" was  based on a true story which deeply moved me. I did a lot of research to write this book. I spoke to people in the Mental health field. At the time I was living in the U.K where there is a lot of awareness about Bipolar disorder. There are associations for people who are suffering from it as well as support groups. I attended a painting exhibition organised by the Bipolar artists association. The depth of the images they painted, blew me away.  When I traveled to India, I visited NIMHANS and spoke to people there. The real life Ankita of course gave me a lot of inputs too. It took me two years to write this book.
I put myself in the shoes of Ankita and truly lived her life. It showed.  I have got hundreds of mails where people have told me they cried reading the story.
The phenomenal success it has received has taken me by surprise and I am elated about it. The book was in  "Top books of 2011" as per the Nielsen list which is published in Hindustan Times. It was also on Times of India.

Both my books are also among the 'Top selling books of 2011' on flipkart.

Of course, I worked even harder for my third book. I have put in much more effort than I did with the first two.The third book has nothing to do with Mental disorder.  The second book was set in the eighties. But the third book is a story of our times. The closest people to me, who have read it told me that the story was so gripping that they could not put it down. They simply had to know what happens next. The third book is again based loosely on some true incidents. Of course, any identifying details have been changed.

There are many many revisions and changes that happen before a book goes into print. The manuscript flies back and forth. Each and every sentence is dissected, mulled over. Each comma, each full-stop has to be analyzed. Not easy when there are 75000 words! Some days I  truly felt like I had been reading and re-reading till my eyes bled!

In a regular job, you can switch off on weekends and take a break. But when your work lives inside your head, it is hard to switch off. The characters in my books really feel like my long lost friends. One of the places that the book is set in is Pondicherry (a place that I have lived in and loved). After I wrote one particular scene in the book, I was so engrossed in it and I was so carried away myself, I very badly wanted to visit the place! (And we all did. We drove down and took a  holiday there where I also caught up with one of my closest friends who lies there :-))  Pondicherry is indeed a gorgeous place.

As you can see, I really live my stories. I go through everything that the protagonist goes through. For a while, I become a different person. At times,I feel like I am living a double life as of course I have to switch back. I have to do my mummy bit and housewife bit. I am always home when the kids come back from school. I spend a lot of time with them. I read them stories, we talk about stuff. I also tell them about my book and how many words I wrote that day and whether or not it was a good writing day.

But I enjoy it so much. As much as I enjoy my art.

And though it is an awful lot of hard work, I wouldn't have it any other way!

The Author picture for my third book (yes, yes, I will announce details for pre-order soon! Pre-ordered copies will be signed by me too!) was finalised yesterday. This is the photo (clicked yesterday) that will be in the book.

I am really excited about this baby of mine which is going to arrive soon! (Watch this space!)

And yes,  as always, I do need your wishes and support too. You will help, won't you?

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You can interact with me on my Facebook page too. I do reply back  :)

What it is really like to be married to an author. Behind the scenes :) --A guest post by satish

What is it like to be married to an Author. A behind the scenes account
 By Satish Shenoy

 I am an avid reader and collect every book of certain authors whom I like reading. It’s great when an author is recognized and the book becomes a national or international best seller. So when people ask me what does it feel like to be married to an author (a best-selling one at that) there is a lot I have to say. There’s an awful lot that takes place behind the scenes before a book comes out in print. It seems quite simple and straight forward to a layman - write a book, get it published, make a name and earn some money too. Simple eh?!! Not sure why it takes so much time for books to get published.

 Any idea what it takes to write a book? My dark side, the one which suffers in silence, would probably say “A lot of effort, stress and work for the spouse and family”. My other side (the sane one – which is well disguised and does not show up too often) would highlight a few key points which go in to producing a good read:

 1. A sharp brain: High intelligence and tremendous forethought is required to write a book. The reader finishes the book and discards it after a read. But has one ever thought of how difficult it is to come up with the plot and then actually pen it down in a way that would entice a reader and hold someone’s attention? Make no mistakes – you need to have a real sharp brain to be able to write and hold someone’s attention, , apart from of course the literary skills.

 2. Gigantic Effort: Running a home is not an easy task. In fact it a much tougher job than going to office and dealing with all kinds of people, which by itself is bad. No questions about it. Added to that, if you also have to write a book it becomes extremely challenging. The only time available after incessant demands on your time ( I must hasten to add, no demands at all from me on Preeti. I am that proverbial Gem with a perfect halo around my head), is probably late in the night after everyone has slept and you finally find some peace. An author, who manages a home, has to first unwind after more than a full day and then be able to get in to the writing act late in the night, as if the day has just started off.

3. Passion: Responding to each comment on a blog or at the very least reading every comment is very onerous. There are some comments which make you smile, some which make you think and then there are the idiotic ones. I classify idiots as those people who have never written two bits worth in their life (including an essay or a letter in school leave alone a love letter) but whose parents gifted them the right to criticise writing of all and sundry. I am a smoker and I believe it is extremely creditable for a smoker to bring in a ban on smoking. But if you have never smoked a cigarette in your life and bring in a ban then it’s no big deal. So write first and then criticise is what I would say.

 4. Sacrifice: Spending time on writing is a lot of sacrifice, as it does eat into the time you could have spent in the company of your loved ones or whatever gives you kicks in life – it could be just watching a movie, sleeping late on the weekend, going on holidays & not picking up calls, getting unexpectedly licked in the face by this huge black Doberman or just curling up in a hammock and reading a book. Majority of the time as an author you end up sacrificing many little things that bring you joy.

 5. Stress: There is a lot of work to be done and very stiff deadlines. You need to make choices as to what aspects would work best. Most people assume this is a fun and easy job and “what the hell – I can do it too. If you get money for it too, then even better”. Let me tell you – It’s not easy at all. There is so much tension and worry which one goes through that at times it makes you feel it is all not really worth it. And then the book becomes a best seller, people like it and write back some really sweet comments and the smile on the face for your effort makes it all worth it again.

 Having been married to an author and an artist for 16 years, I must tell you I truly deserve a medal. Like Preeti says life has had its fair shares of ups and downs. Artists & authors are quirky (literal translation--insane) and Sagittarians are crazy too and she is both. Would I change any of that? The answer clearly is no.


Preeti has been working non-stop for the last few months on her third book. It’s been a very tough & challenging job, full of stress and hardly any sleep for her. Am glad this is the last stretch – but then I guess there will be book 4 and 5 and …. more to come and life goes on. There are days when we hardly ever speak to each other since she is busy writing, or on the phone or penning down some ideas that struck her and does not want to be disturbed or just catching up on a bit of sleep. She has gone through a lot, spent many many sleepless nights apart from having to put up with me and the kids interrupting her, every now and then. She is extremely passionate about her work and would prefer answering comments on her blog and writing out a plot, as compared to just spending time with me. Imagine! Okay--Not really but what the hell, this is my post so I get to say what I want. Ha ha.

 There are times when she has got so stressed and in turn stressed me out. She comes up with scripts  that are amazing and at the same time so simple. So many people relate to it and write in to her. I just wonder why I could not have done all of that, as well as she does. That cannot, be my fault as I am sure you would agree.

 I have had the pleasure of going through her third book as it unfolded chapter by chapter and I must tell you it has come out beautifully. I am sure you will enjoy it too (the law of averages says that there will of course be a few idiots, described above, who will of course contribute their bits). But I am sure the majority would love it. And after seeing what it takes to write a book I take my hat off to Preeti and also to all you authors out there and say well done.

 I have the best of ALL worlds. Married to a wonderful person, an artist, a published author (three times over and counting and National bestsellers to boot), have something imaginative, creative and nice to read all the time in-house, not to mention the lovely discussions we have about the characters in the book and how the plot turns. I have absolutely no ‘Kidas’ in me which make me want me to sit down and write a book – would rather just enjoy life as it comes.

But if I did catch the bug someday, then would dedicate that book to Preeti at the same time giving her the first hand experience of what it feels to live with an author.

  PS – To any intelligent ones who may raise the question after reading this post. Just to clarify, I am not part of the minority group mentioned above - after all even though I have not written a book, have written this blog post, right.
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Pre-order to Preeti's third book will open soon! Follow her Facebook page for details!