So while my book came out in September, and it has now been a good 7 months, the media coverage still continues and I am very grateful to everyone who has given me the opportunity and invested time and energy into my book and me.
Sometimes when i read about myself on websites, in magazines, in newspapers I wonder if it is really me. Sitting, half way across the world ensures I am a little distanced from it all. That is good and bad. Here in London, I do not even speak much about it.
I get a lot of comments from friends who say things like ' Oh, now you are a celeb!'. I laugh it off and happily tell them how i have just done the dishes or the washing or the cooking (or probably all three).
A lot of people also tell me that i should be proud of myself. I should be proud that I have a book. I agree with them, but i really do not feel any such thing. What i do feel nice about it the fact that I am able to manage so many things at the same time. A full time job, a book out in the markets, another being written, a home to take care of, friends, family.....but in all fairness, while i do work very hard, all this is not possible unless you have help and support. Since the only family i have here in London, is my husband, Sid, a lot of credit goes to him too. Mum, Dad and Bhai back in India are indispensable. They listen to me patiently as i tell them the plot, nod their heads sagely when i discuss strategies with them, push me hard to do things the way they should be done and listen to me when I am exhausted and just need to crib it all out of my system.
Of late a couple of things have appeared in leading magazines. Doing the interviews or the stories - its has all been so much fun! I am so glad for these opportunities!
In the last 2-3 months the following have been published:
Sometimes when i read about myself on websites, in magazines, in newspapers I wonder if it is really me. Sitting, half way across the world ensures I am a little distanced from it all. That is good and bad. Here in London, I do not even speak much about it.
I get a lot of comments from friends who say things like ' Oh, now you are a celeb!'. I laugh it off and happily tell them how i have just done the dishes or the washing or the cooking (or probably all three).
A lot of people also tell me that i should be proud of myself. I should be proud that I have a book. I agree with them, but i really do not feel any such thing. What i do feel nice about it the fact that I am able to manage so many things at the same time. A full time job, a book out in the markets, another being written, a home to take care of, friends, family.....but in all fairness, while i do work very hard, all this is not possible unless you have help and support. Since the only family i have here in London, is my husband, Sid, a lot of credit goes to him too. Mum, Dad and Bhai back in India are indispensable. They listen to me patiently as i tell them the plot, nod their heads sagely when i discuss strategies with them, push me hard to do things the way they should be done and listen to me when I am exhausted and just need to crib it all out of my system.
Of late a couple of things have appeared in leading magazines. Doing the interviews or the stories - its has all been so much fun! I am so glad for these opportunities!
In the last 2-3 months the following have been published:
Interview in Good House Keeping Magazine.
Yes! I am so excited about this!
We started work on this, I think, in December, and it was such a lovely experience! The interview was done by a school friend of mine whom I had not spoken in like 10 years! It was just so lovely to catch up with her. The interview is very well written and put together.
You can buy the March edition of Good Housekeeping and read it there. Otherwise here is the attached pdf.
You can buy the March edition of Good Housekeeping and read it there. Otherwise here is the attached pdf.
Interview in the Air India inflight magazine
I have received so so many emails and calls about this one!
Apparently a lot of us travel by Air India and a surprisingly high number of us read the inflight magazines! Also I think the half page close up shot of yours truly and pink flowers did help ;) It was one of the easiest interviews I have done and I had a lot of fun working on this one. I sent a note to the lady who interviewed me thanking her for her help and enthusiasm. Really, it can be such a pleasure to work with someone who enjoys and loves her work!
Apparently a lot of us travel by Air India and a surprisingly high number of us read the inflight magazines! Also I think the half page close up shot of yours truly and pink flowers did help ;) It was one of the easiest interviews I have done and I had a lot of fun working on this one. I sent a note to the lady who interviewed me thanking her for her help and enthusiasm. Really, it can be such a pleasure to work with someone who enjoys and loves her work!
For those that asked, the picture was clicked on my second wedding anniversary with flowers gifted to me by Sid.
This picture was posted on my FB page by a friend who was pleasantly surprised to my interview in in flight magazine!
Three part story in Femina.
I write in long haul flights. I just love it then. I wrap myself warm and cozy, request the air hostess for a juice, set up my laptop, plug in some music and as the lights are dimmed and people around me fall asleep, i lose myself in words.
It all started because i find it very difficult to sleep in flights. I keep getting up with a start so much that I simply don't even try to sleep now. And i hate wasting time. So the perfect solution then was to just open your laptop and start typing. 8 hours of interrupted time and voila! you have a story!
I started penning down this story when travelling from Delhi to London in November. It was a difficult story to pen as this is mature story. Plus, I had the constraints of the number of words. As the author of a book, i generally have the luxury of using up to 70,000 words...limiting myself to 2000 was not an easy task. But I thoroughly enjoyed doing this!
Overall, it is an honour to be given space in the leading women’s magazine in India and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Here are pdf shots of the three part story.
Part I
The copies attached here and not great to read and I apologise for that. I am travelling to India soon and will try and get more readable versions :)
Till then,
Take care.
Love
RP
It all started because i find it very difficult to sleep in flights. I keep getting up with a start so much that I simply don't even try to sleep now. And i hate wasting time. So the perfect solution then was to just open your laptop and start typing. 8 hours of interrupted time and voila! you have a story!
I started penning down this story when travelling from Delhi to London in November. It was a difficult story to pen as this is mature story. Plus, I had the constraints of the number of words. As the author of a book, i generally have the luxury of using up to 70,000 words...limiting myself to 2000 was not an easy task. But I thoroughly enjoyed doing this!
Overall, it is an honour to be given space in the leading women’s magazine in India and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Here are pdf shots of the three part story.
Part I
The copies attached here and not great to read and I apologise for that. I am travelling to India soon and will try and get more readable versions :)
Till then,
Take care.
Love
RP
