Preeti Shenoy returned home one day from a book reading with a gift in her hand. She opened it to find a miniature statue of Ganesh, in gold. She still has it. “The person said I changed his life,” she says. From being gifted a gold Ganesh for good luck to food that she would like, Shenoy is a writer who has the power to connect with her readers, like very few others. On Instagram, on Twitter and the old fashioned blog, Shenoy is a writer who refuses to be just a picture at the back of the blog.
Bengaluru-based Shenoy is a bestselling writer, with numbers that are mind-boggling. While Chetan Bhagat may have started a trend for his bromance stories—perfect plots for Hindi movies—Shenoy, who burst on to the scene a little later, has the same ability to connect. But her readers cross generations. From 18-year-olds to grandparents, Shenoy connects with people across age groups and has continued to find a place in the Neilson charts. This one is number 13. And it has proved lucky already. Shenoy, has found herself on the bestselling charts already.
She returns to her evergreen bestseller, eight years later. Life is What You Make It, which is still on the top ten in the Neilson scan, was rejected by every publisher in India. A love story set in the 1990s, Shenoy's heroine Ankita is a girl who is bipolar. It all started with an exhibition. She lives in the UK and spends her time soaking up culture. “I had gone to see an exhibition and I was blown away by the images,” she says. “I was also doing my portrait course at the time.'' Each work of art in the exhibition had been created by someone who was bipolar. “The images were stunning. There is also a Bipolar Art Association in the UK''.
This sparked an idea. Digging deeper, Shenoy met a nurse who cared specially for patients who were coping with bipolarity. In India, she went to NIMHANS. “I walked the corridors of the wards and I was so deeply moved.” Research apart, writing about mental illness wasn't easy. “It was very difficult,” she admits. “I feel intensely when I write. When I wrote the first book, my kids were still around. So, I had to switch to mommy immediately.''
The book, which is now almost a cult book with readers calling her to say they cried, was rejected by every publisher. “Forty publishers refused to touch it,” she says. “They regret it now.” Shenoy vowed never to write another book on mental illness again. But with her kids now abroad to study, and time on her hand, she decided to give it another go. Was it easier this time around? “It is very difficult to get into the head of your character. I wrote this one as if I was in a trance''.
Ankita, the girl who dropped out of college now has enrolled again to write in her new book Wake Up, Life Is Calling. A book about second chances, love and finding your feet. Modelled on a girl who her parents knew, Ankita's journey in the new book is about coping and life after the hospital. Known for her easy breezy style, Shenoy, makes this rather difficult story, a page turner. And like everything else she espouses, frequently on her blog, it is about positivity. “Now people want to know when there will be another book,” she laughs. Ankita, certainly is a winner.
A blogger, Shenoy who is a veteran of the format, has been putting down her thoughts—and finding people who connect to them—since 2008. It began with grief. “I had lost my father. Writing was therapy.” Over the years, Shenoy became a writer beyond just a blog. But she still posts quite often. Each year a blog marathon is conducted where she posts every day. “I have found my writing has improved from when I began 11 years ago,” she says. “The challenge of a blog marathon is to write something meaningful each day, especially when you have things going on.”
Her posts, personal and positive, are littered with suggestions to read, proud posts about her parents, her thoughts on life, her illustrations and her dog. “At a book reading in Coimbatore, it was a packed house, I asked how many people have read my book. Three or four hands went up. I asked how many people follow me on Instagram, and 97 per cent of the audience did. People connect,” she says.
