Something Old, Something New
- A DRA Production
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| Check out the Book on Amazon |
Seven bestselling authors. Seven incredible second chance romances. One epic anthology.
What would you do for another chance with the one you love?
Something Old, Something New - a unique novella anthology - tries to answer this question with fantastic, different, desi dramas.
Whether it is shapeshifters or shifting interracial relationships, single moms in small towns or rich alpha heroes, friends-to-lovers or passionate ex-husbands; this anthology has something for everyone.
Something Old, Something New explores the many different facets of love, forgiveness, fated mates and more in seven, distinctly Indian tales!
My Warmest Sorrow by Preethi Venugopala
What would you do when you come face to face with your past?
When Ajay, now an IAS officer, is added into his college WhatsApp group, he is welcomed warmly by all his classmates. Except by Diana.
Diana is still living with the repercussions of what had happened in the past. She is thrown into despair by Ajay's presence in the group.
Diana and Ajay were inseparable while in college. Their relationship had transitioned from being best friends to love overnight. But then fate had intervened in the form of Diana's tyrant father who had separated them ruthlessly.
Five years of silence has created a wall of sorrow between them. Their interactions in the class WhatsApp group are nothing like what they once used to be. Every moment is churning out more anguish and unpleasantness.
How much have they changed?
Is love still hiding underneath their public facades?
What are the lies they are hiding?
Interview with Preethi Venugopala
When
did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
Actually, I didn’t realize it until
I got my first short story published. I liked the feeling of being a
storyteller. I liked the way words made me feel. I loved how a story that was
just a vague idea became a solid entity.
What
inspires you to write?
Inspiration doesn’t always come from
the same source. Sometimes it comes to me through a song. Yet another time, a
real-life incident can trigger it. The idea for my debut novel, in fact, came
to me via a dream.
How
did you come up with the idea for your current story?
My novella in ‘Something Old,
something new’ was inspired by a viral social media post which really pissed me
off. In that a girl was being openly booed for speaking her mind and refusing
to marry the guy her parents had chosen for her.
Are
there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never
saw the light of the day?
Yes. A few actually. I might soon
dust them up and give them a new lease of life.
Tell
us about your writing process.
I am a disciplined writer when I am
in my element. Many of my recent books were written within a short period of
time. I use a separate keyboard for my laptop and I love to hear the
click-clack of the keys as my fingers tap the keys. It gives me a strange sort
of satisfaction watching the words come to life on screen.
What
is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
My favorite scene from my novella
‘My warmest sorrow’ is when Diana realizes that Ajay, her ex-lover, is the new
member added into their class WhatsApp group. She drops her phone and is
overwhelmed by the emotions which she had bottled up for years. Then as
memories begin to flow, she gathers the lost courage and decides to face
reality. I loved writing about her trauma and her quiet courage.
Did
any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
In every story I write, bits and
pieces of me exist. I am a lot like Diana. I jump into decisions quickly and
then suffer in silence because of it. I am also like Ajay who finds it hard to
let go of the past even though it had given him nothing but pain.
What
is your most interesting writing quirk?
I don’t write ‘The End’ till I
finish editing my final draft. That is a quirk, isn’t it? 😊
Do
you read? Who are your favorite authors and how have they influenced your
writing style?
I read a lot. Julia Quinn and Judith
McNaught are my favorite authors. I like how they make their characters
relatable even though they write historical romance. I try to think how they
would have handled such a situation if the scene I am writing was their
creation and attempt writing it. Most of the time, it works like magic.
What
is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
“You write from your heart, that is
what makes your stories unique.” Anita Nair ma’am told me that.
What
is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into
writing?
Take up writing as a career only if
you love the written word. Don’t turn to writing for any other reason.
What
would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
Haha. Just a few hours before
writing this, I had shared the pics of the star couple who had inspired my
character sketch. Dulquer Salman and his wife Amal. Definitely Dulquer Salman
will have to play Ajay if a movie is made out of the story and Shraddha Kapoor
looks a lot like my Diana.
If
you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would
you carry?
Water, a few bags of muesli and my
kindle.
How
do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
I like reading books or going for a
long walk in nature when I am free. I also love walking under the moonlit sky
on our apartment terrace.
Can
you share with us something off your bucket list?
I want to visit Sedona. I have heard
that the place has a unique vibe.
Tell
us three fun facts about yourself.
1) I love talking to myself in front
of the mirror. I use this to boost myself up when I am feeling down.
2) I never ever follow recipes. I am
a pro at winging stuff.
3) I love Mishti Doi and often get
up in the middle of the night to raid the fridge.
What
do you have in store next for your readers?
I am working on a spin -off from the
Sravanapura royals and another independent novel. Don’t know which I would
complete next.
Is
there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
I started writing ‘My Warmest
Sorrow’ while I was going through a personally traumatic time when I had begun
to question everything in my life. Whatever Diana does in the story with the
help of her counsellor was exactly what I did to come out of the trauma. Namely
meditation and freewriting. The story is hence a reflection of my
transformation as well.
About the Author:
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| Author's Amazon Page |
Preethi Venugopala stepped into the world of words during a sabbatical from her hectic civil engineering job after the birth of her son. She began as a blogger and wrote fiction to pass time. Her debut novel ‘Without You’ came out in 2015 and was received well. She was then mentored by eminent author Anita Nair at her writing platform ‘Anitas Attic’ in 2016. Since then, she has published 7 novels on Amazon and more than 15 short stories in various anthologies and platforms.
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