About the Author:
Akshat Solanki, 20-years-old, spends most of his time learning about his family business. He wants to pursue an MBA from one of the top universities in the world after graduation from NMIMS University, where he is currently studying to become an engineer. He aspires to become a successful combination of an innovator and an entrepreneur.
He likes reading novels, writing, going to the gym, cycling, travelling and discussing social issues with friends.
His favorite writers are Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and Dan Brown. Akshat currently lives in Pune and is working on a sequel to Bachelor’$ Marriage.
Interview with the Author:
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
When I was in school, teachers would keep my essays to themselves so that they could show them to my juniors and upcoming batches. They would always tell me that I could write some good things but I never took it seriously; then an incident happened.
It was August 2012, me and my friend were discussing on topics like Indian youth, confusion, marriage system and all. She went into a bit depth regarding marriage and youth; her anxiety would tell me that she wanted to discuss the same problem with the masses and then ended up asking me to write about Indian youth and current orthodox society through a story and so by October 17, 2012 I started writing on the same.
What inspires you to write?
My inspiration is the Indian youth and the society. Whatever I do, reading, socializing, traveling I come across them and their unsolvable problems that inspire me to write and discuss it with all.
How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
As I told above, my friend’s anxiety and my obsessive thoughts about marriage, girls and society led the idea of the story. My parents, along with being an inspiration, regularly would talk about my marriage and my future since my childhood. The idea of getting married always fascinates me more than anyone else and I enjoy it through my writing.
Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
No, there were none before from my side. But my younger brother had one. He was 12-13 year old when he wrote a first mystery fiction, but after writing he didn’t find it interesting and so he tore apart those papers and now he finds himself occupied with the thoughts of finance, economics and so he is working on a management book.
Tell us about your writing process.
I find it easy to jot down my thoughts on paper than using laptop. I write down my story on papers and then type it on word. For 2nd novel, on which I am working on, I started with typing but then didn’t find the flow of writing. So, I always prefer writing story first on papers.
What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
The scene in which Sujay falls on Jyoti on his bed and his mom catches them in the same embarrassing situation. I like this scene because, I myself have experienced it many times and the scene is so honest that one could not think otherwise. Sujay and Jyoti feel so confused that they are unable to do anything but look at his mom.
Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Yeah, Sujay does. One can see me through him. I wanted to portray him in a different way and ended up showing him what I am. You would find Sujay obsessed about girls, marriage thoughts at the age of 17-18, you would find Sujay doing business and caring for his friends. This is what simply I am.
Do you read? Who are your favorite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
‘You read, you think and you write and then you follow the same process.’ I read this phrase somewhere. Yeah, I read a lot, everyone needs to read books, novels or whatever comes in the way. My favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Dan Brown and Shashi Tharoor. The way these writers wrote/ write is just different from the crowds. Most of the time while re-reading or editing manuscript I feel like the style in which I write is copying of these writers. They have influenced my writing style as well as my way of thinking.
What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
‘Write drunk, edit sober.’ is the best piece of advice I have received.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
‘Be obsessed with reading, talking to people, traveling alone to unknown places and thinking about whatever you want to write.’
What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
I would be one of the most fortunate author, if my book turns to a movie. In my book there you would find 3 lead characters that are Sujay, Gunjan and Jyoti. For me the cast would be Shraddha Kapoor as Jyoti, Kriti Sanon as Gunjan. While talking about Sujay, I would like to do it myself.
If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
I would carry one handkerchief, a glass and a knife.
How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
Most of the time I am either reading something or writing my books. There are weeks, when I don’t step out of my home, not even to the corridor. All the day I am doing something regarding this. If I happen to go out then it is FC Road, Pune where you would find a lot of youngsters roaming around. I go there to my 2-3 favorite food and shopping outlets. I spend my time there, take my favorite ice-cream and have a long walk on the road.
Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
My book shelves contain mostly books of Agatha Christie, Shashi Tharoor, Jane Austen, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Ashwin Sanghi and Shakespeare. I basically focus on classics and all time bestsellers. I find myself very choosy and obsessed about reading good books. Just before a month I read Inferno by Dan Brown, Empire of Mughal series by Alex Rutherford and currently reading Joseph Anton By Salman Rushdie and Arthashashtra by Kautilya.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
- I am an obsessed person and like to do things alone.
- For my close friends I am the greatest comedian and for the rest I am the stern, serious, introvert person.
- I can talk for hours with anyone when it comes to Astrology, Economics, Business, Sex, Politics, psychology and Religions.
What do you have in store next for your readers?
I have some merchandises, mobile apps next for my readers. Haha, apart from joking and these items currently, I am working on a book and plan to publish it in 2016. along with this I have one psychological romance novel, one real time romance and one management book.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
No, I don’t have anything to share.
He likes reading novels, writing, going to the gym, cycling, travelling and discussing social issues with friends.
His favorite writers are Jane Austen, Agatha Christie and Dan Brown. Akshat currently lives in Pune and is working on a sequel to Bachelor’$ Marriage.
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
When I was in school, teachers would keep my essays to themselves so that they could show them to my juniors and upcoming batches. They would always tell me that I could write some good things but I never took it seriously; then an incident happened.
It was August 2012, me and my friend were discussing on topics like Indian youth, confusion, marriage system and all. She went into a bit depth regarding marriage and youth; her anxiety would tell me that she wanted to discuss the same problem with the masses and then ended up asking me to write about Indian youth and current orthodox society through a story and so by October 17, 2012 I started writing on the same.
What inspires you to write?
My inspiration is the Indian youth and the society. Whatever I do, reading, socializing, traveling I come across them and their unsolvable problems that inspire me to write and discuss it with all.
How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
As I told above, my friend’s anxiety and my obsessive thoughts about marriage, girls and society led the idea of the story. My parents, along with being an inspiration, regularly would talk about my marriage and my future since my childhood. The idea of getting married always fascinates me more than anyone else and I enjoy it through my writing.
Are there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
No, there were none before from my side. But my younger brother had one. He was 12-13 year old when he wrote a first mystery fiction, but after writing he didn’t find it interesting and so he tore apart those papers and now he finds himself occupied with the thoughts of finance, economics and so he is working on a management book.
Tell us about your writing process.
I find it easy to jot down my thoughts on paper than using laptop. I write down my story on papers and then type it on word. For 2nd novel, on which I am working on, I started with typing but then didn’t find the flow of writing. So, I always prefer writing story first on papers.
What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
The scene in which Sujay falls on Jyoti on his bed and his mom catches them in the same embarrassing situation. I like this scene because, I myself have experienced it many times and the scene is so honest that one could not think otherwise. Sujay and Jyoti feel so confused that they are unable to do anything but look at his mom.
Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Yeah, Sujay does. One can see me through him. I wanted to portray him in a different way and ended up showing him what I am. You would find Sujay obsessed about girls, marriage thoughts at the age of 17-18, you would find Sujay doing business and caring for his friends. This is what simply I am.
Do you read? Who are your favorite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
‘You read, you think and you write and then you follow the same process.’ I read this phrase somewhere. Yeah, I read a lot, everyone needs to read books, novels or whatever comes in the way. My favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Dan Brown and Shashi Tharoor. The way these writers wrote/ write is just different from the crowds. Most of the time while re-reading or editing manuscript I feel like the style in which I write is copying of these writers. They have influenced my writing style as well as my way of thinking.
What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
‘Write drunk, edit sober.’ is the best piece of advice I have received.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
‘Be obsessed with reading, talking to people, traveling alone to unknown places and thinking about whatever you want to write.’
What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
I would be one of the most fortunate author, if my book turns to a movie. In my book there you would find 3 lead characters that are Sujay, Gunjan and Jyoti. For me the cast would be Shraddha Kapoor as Jyoti, Kriti Sanon as Gunjan. While talking about Sujay, I would like to do it myself.
If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
I would carry one handkerchief, a glass and a knife.
How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
Most of the time I am either reading something or writing my books. There are weeks, when I don’t step out of my home, not even to the corridor. All the day I am doing something regarding this. If I happen to go out then it is FC Road, Pune where you would find a lot of youngsters roaming around. I go there to my 2-3 favorite food and shopping outlets. I spend my time there, take my favorite ice-cream and have a long walk on the road.
Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
My book shelves contain mostly books of Agatha Christie, Shashi Tharoor, Jane Austen, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Dan Brown, Ashwin Sanghi and Shakespeare. I basically focus on classics and all time bestsellers. I find myself very choosy and obsessed about reading good books. Just before a month I read Inferno by Dan Brown, Empire of Mughal series by Alex Rutherford and currently reading Joseph Anton By Salman Rushdie and Arthashashtra by Kautilya.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
- I am an obsessed person and like to do things alone.
- For my close friends I am the greatest comedian and for the rest I am the stern, serious, introvert person.
- I can talk for hours with anyone when it comes to Astrology, Economics, Business, Sex, Politics, psychology and Religions.
What do you have in store next for your readers?
I have some merchandises, mobile apps next for my readers. Haha, apart from joking and these items currently, I am working on a book and plan to publish it in 2016. along with this I have one psychological romance novel, one real time romance and one management book.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
No, I don’t have anything to share.
About the Book:
Can you really be in love with two people at the same time?
17-year-old, Punekar Sujay is a simple, religious guy who belongs to a family for whom prestige and one's image in the society are of utmost importance. For his orthodox family, concepts like love, attraction and (god forbid!) girlfriends do not exist; there are only arranged marriages because your family knows best. And so all his life, Sujay has believed that love doesn't strike you as a teenager. But when an unusual misfortune brings spunky and quirky Gunjan into Sujay's life, he has no idea how amazingly complicated his life is going to get; because his mother has already promised him to be wed to the sundar and susheel Jyoti.
Every time Sujay tries to make a decision, he can't, because he really is in love with both Gunjan and Jyoti. And that is not how life functions - certainly not his family. Will he be able to get out of this mess? Or will the mess really take over his life? Only time can tell.
Bachelor'$ Marriage is a story about love, friendship, family and what it means to really grow up.
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