Often, it is said that creation is one of the biggest attempts that a human can make. For creating something new, whether it is a mobile app or a book, the creator has to go beyond him or herself. In the process, the creator always gets a feeling of fulfilment.
And one of the best examples of a human being who has created something new a writer.
This week, I got a chance to interview Charmi Vyas Mehta, a young lady from Gujrat who continued on chasing her dreams and following her passion even after getting married. And the result is her debut book—SOULMATE.
Read on as Charmi discusses her book, favourite characters, inspirations for writing, fellow authors, and more in this short interview.
1. Let’s begin with a brief introduction of yours and an overview of your book—Soulmate.
Born and brought up in Rajkot (Gujrat), I got married at the age of 23 and shifted to Vadodara. I’m a BA LLB graduate and worked as the director of OM pre-school in Rajkot, which was owned by my mother.
I’m an MA gold medalist in Kathak (classical dance), and currently, I run my own dance classes in Vadodara.
Talking about my debut book, the Soulmate is a soulful story of Chitra, who is not a bold girl and is afraid to fit in the modern and fake world. It is her story that shows how she finds love in her life, how it helps her live a positive life and get stronger from within. The Soulmate is a must read for everyone who believes in love, miracles, dreams, and aspirations.
Also read: “I write the books that I want to read”— Jacqueline E Smith
2. Where did you get the idea behind the story of Soulmate? Do the characters come from real-life incidents or from your own imaginations?
It is a fictional love story. There are three main characters— Chitra, Jimit and Varun. Many incidents in the book have been inspired by my own life, like the school, friends, my thoughts for my parents, etc. are my own feelings.
I have split my original character into two characters— CHITRA and JIMIT. I am a strong believer of soulful relationship but couldn’t get that lucky to have one. So, I always imagined those characters and feelings of having someone really special. And then I penned everything down.
3. Who is your favourite character in the book?
I love all the characters and all of them are very close to my heart, but if you say to choose one I would surely choose CHITRA. It’s because the entire story revolves around her.
4. How much time did you take to finish the book? Did u follow a writing routine?
As a married and working woman, it gets difficult to follow a writing routine, but I tried my best to write every day, at least for an hour. There was no fixed time because I believe that to write well, you need to live those thoughts and have that mood.
So, whenever I get that feeling, I take my laptop and start writing. I also keep a secret diary with me when I am out of the town or in my dance class or school. So, if I get any thought I instantly pen it down.
I wrote the Soulmate and edited it within 9 months.
Related read: “I wrote the book so that coming generations read it and feel lucky to have born in India”— Shrinivas Hinge
5. What were the main challenges that you faced to find the right publisher?
I tried surfing for around 4 months. For the new authors, no publishers are ready to even see your work. Self-publishing was the only option, so it took months for finding such an agency that could give me a proper platform, knowledge about procedures, at a reasonable price (as you need to invest a hell lot of money to publish a book), and can work efficiently. I can proudly say that Notion Press has really helped me out with all this and has worked wholeheartedly in making publishing such an easy task.
6. What inspired you to become a writer?
For the last 6 years, I had this story in my mind, but could not get the motivation to write. At a younger age, I used to write quotes and short stories, but no one knew about it. When I used to see books at the book stores, I wanted to be that lucky one to have my own book there and see people reading it.
After marriage, one fine day I got a dream about the perfect ending for my book. I woke up and started writing. So yes, my dream inspired me to be a writer who can understand people and can motivate them to live positively and remove psychological problems from the world.
Related reading: 39 Best Chetan Bhagat quotes about life, success, youth, and love
7. If the Soulmate was to be turned into a movie, who are the celebrities that you would love to star in it?
Ah, yes.
Chitra: ALIA BHATT
Jimit: VARUN DHAWAN
Varun: VICKY KAUSHAL
Producer: DHARMA PRODUCTIONS
8. Are you in connection with other authors? How do they help you improve as a writer?
Yes, I am in connection with Dr Gora Trivedi, author of “The Civic Code” and seven other books related to law. Currently, she is in Canada, so I could not seek her for help in writing, but she helped me with the reviews.
9. You also have a YouTube channel. Please share with our readers what it is about and what’s your aim with the channel.
Yes, initially the YouTube channel was created for uploading my dance videos so that people could enjoy seeing it, but now I am also uploading motivational videos. The aim is to help people in facing situations and handle their feelings, emotions. Such videos can sometimes work as a blessing for the people facing negativity and psychological problems.
10. A quick-fire round: (Answer in less than 50 words)
- Which is your favourite book?
Ask and it is given. The Secret, Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, and many more. I always take positive side of the books and try to understand the motive of the authors behind the book.
- Which author influences you the most?
I take motivation from all authors and their writings. But the authors who influence me the most are Priya Kumar, Preeti Shenoy, and J.K Rowlings.
- Whose advice do you seek when in a dilemma?
My parents and my soul. They are the ones to give perfect guidance in tough times and any kind of situation.
A line said by your closed one that you never forget?
These lines said by one of my teachers in school:
“Keep smiling through any situations it may be.”
“You need to be like water, wherever it goes it takes the shape and flows energetically. The same way we humans should handle each and every situation and should flow with positive energy.”
- Will there be a sequel to the Soulmate?
Hopefully, if people will support the book and give lots of love to this book, I would be glad to write a sequel as I love the characters of my book.
To read the Soulmate by Charmi Vyas Mehta, you can buy it from:
Suggested reading: “I didn’t want to enter this already stagnated ‘Engineers love story’ Indian market with another love story”— Gautam Mayekar
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Very nice beta keep it up