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.
My EX Fell In
Love is his debut novel. He has also published a short story in an anthology by
Grapevine India Publishers. He is actively involved in the start-up TalEx India
with his own online retail store www.estylebuy.com.
He has written for many websites, noticeable among them being, Youthdiaries.in,
Bewakoof.com, News That Matters Not and TheWittyShit.com. He has also been awarded the blogger of the
month award by YouthInc.
Q: Congratulations on the release of your debut novel “My
EX Fell In Love!” What kind
of initial response you are receiving?
A: Thanks a lot. The response is great, better than what I
expected. The book went out of stock twice from many online stores. And I am
sure it will only improve once the book comes to bookstores.
Q: Tell us about
yourself?
A: I am a person who has too
much to tell. No matter what, I’ll somehow find something to talk about. I love
being messy, lazy and love being late at parties! I always give first
preference to friends and family and although work comes after that, it still takes
up most of my time. And did I tell you I am funny?
Q: How tough the
publishing industry is for new comers? Is it tough? Are you rejected by some
publishers?
A: It’s not tough for people
who have patience and some idea of networking. If you have any good contacts,
works fine in our country. For people like me, who lack both, if you’re not
looking forward to be the next Amish Tripathi, it’s not tough either. The problem
is with the third kind who target big but lack the resources. It can be one
hell of a test of your patience in that case.
I was also rejected by a
few. A few didn’t even care enough to reply to me. But one acceptance was
enough for me to ignore the emails that came after that.
Q: What is the best thing
about being a published author?
A: People would expect me to
say The fame, the feeling of signing books or maybe having your own fanpages!
But frankly, I am still waiting for feeling as good as I felt the day I saw my
first copy and my name on the cover. So I’d say the best thing is seeing your
work converted into those 200 pages. No one who wrote for his passion would
aspire for a thousand fan mails or becoming a bestseller.
Q: Tell us something about
your book?
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 much of Yatharth
is Shubham?
A: My
friends can answer this better. Everyone imagines the writer in the
protagonist; this is something I knew, so I tried making ‘Yatharth’ as
different as I could. But still, his confusion about relationships, his love
for science, his supercool parents and his dedication towards friends is
something we have in common.
Q: Is your novel based on a
real story? Can you please throw light on it.
A: No. It’s not at all a real
story. The back cover says ‘fiction’ and that’s 100% true. Although 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: You run a company, you’re
pursuing
B.Techin Electronics and Communication,trained in the field of Radio Jockeying,
an active blogger andhave written over a hundred articles, stories, poemsand your first novel is just published. When writing became part of your
life? How do you manage to write from your busy schedule?
A: It does sound a lot when you
say it like that! But it isn’t. I’ve always been a writer, it just kept getting
bigger and I hope it continues. I write when I want, it’s never scheduled. And
I believe that if you really feel like doing something, you will find time for
it. Although it doesn’t hold true for my personal life where I keep delaying
things.:P
Q: Who are your favourite authors? What kind of books you
read?
A: I read light fiction, biographies, mystery and what not. I
can read Cecelia Ahern, Sidney Sheldon and Abdul Kalam anytime.
Q: Tell us your thought behind this particular book?
A: My thought… well… read this when you’ve a few free hours
when you don’t want to stress your mind and have a laugh. I didn’t have to
think much before writing this, so I kind of want the readers to do the same.
Q: This is your first novel.
What is your expectation with the book and are you ready for facing critical
review of your book?
A: Expectations aren’t much. All I wanted was to show the
world that I write, and that’s done. So nothing’s left now. A bestseller tag
won’t be a harm I guess. And critical reviews… I’ve been fond of them for like
ever. I’ve been a blogger for a long time and it’s like a part and parcel of
life now. As long as the reviews tell me where I can improve and what I lack, I
am happy about them.
Q: How excited are you after
all it is your first novel?
A: Too much. Every time I get a review, every time I receive a
mail or a wall post, I feel ecstatic. And the feeling when you write a personal
message for someone on that first page of the book, believe me, the writer
feels happier than the reader while doing so.
Q. You said My Ex
Fell in Love is a work of fiction but is the girl Sanchita the same you portray
one for yourself? And is there some “Sanchita” also in your life too?
A: I have never
portrayed any Sanchita for myself. Or Samantha or Pratishtha for that matter.
The previous answer makes it obvious that I don’t have a Sanchita in my life
right now. Although, if I had to think of one, the ‘Sanchita’ in my life would
be quite similar to ‘Sanchita’ in the novel. Except that I won’t be the
Yatharth she saw in first 5-6 chapters!
Q. What is “Love”
in your opinion?
A: “Love” is to feel
for someone without any expectation of getting it back. Although, I’d not
recommend falling deep into it.
These days, “Love” is an overrated feeling of attraction towards someone when
your peer pressure overcomes the love given to you by people around you. That’s
what people do.
Q. How much your
life has changed after the book?
A: A lot. Being judged for everything you say, blamed for
being busy even when you’re not, teased for being a ‘celeb’ and being asked
repeatedly for a ‘free copy’ is a part and parcel of life now. At the same
time, I enjoy that little extra attention I get for being a writer. Even the life
on Facebook is absolutely different now. In terms of both
likes and blocks, if you know what I mean.
Q: Who was the first to read your book? What was the first
reaction?
A: That’s something people would want to know. It was my elder
sister, Shilpi. And unlike all other readers of mine till now, she told me that
it was an ‘okay’ book. And I could totally believe it since she is an avid
reader and her taste includes Sidney Sheldon and writers from that category. So
for me, getting a 3 star rating and an ‘okay’ was more than enough. In fact
better, because if she had given me 5 stars, I’d have thought she was being
biased.
Q: How do you rate your experience with your publisher?
A: Average. Could have been better, surely could have been
worse. I don’t complain since no debut authors in our country get the proper
environment they deserve. But I am very much thankful to destiny for giving me
a chance to get published with Leadstart which is by far the most professional
publishing house I’ve come across. The cover is wonderful all thanks to them,
and you can see how awesome it turned out to be.
Q: Future literary plans?
A: I’ve started working on my second novel. And it’s driving me
crazy. I’ll always be a blogger and I am sure ABugInMyMind will keep driving
the readers crazy.
Q: Any message for
HimaniVashishta’s Diary readers...
A: Stay happy and
enjoy life. Keep reading. A book just costs as much as a coffee these days, and
you’ll never get to live a whole different world for a few hours in a
cappuccino.
Rapid Fire
Questions(No thinking, spill what comes first)
- If you get a chance to date who would you choose, Megan Fox or
Scarlett Johnson?
A: Scarlett
Johansson.
- On Valentine’s day, Die Hard-5 or Girlfriend?
A: Die-Hard-5.
Although I wouldn’t mind if it’s with a girl!
- Which is worse, you accidently in Ladies’ room or a lady in gents’
room?
A: How is
me in ladies’ room bad?
- Tagline for a new men’s innerwear brand?
A: Even
superman has switched to this one!
- Body, eyes, lips or hair. Which one you feel attracts you the most
in a girl?
A: All this
is superficial. Having said that, I believe it’s the eyes. Unless it’s
Angelina jolie!
Thank you Shubham for your time. Wish you all the best for your future works.
Regards
Author Himani Vashishta
