The joys and trysts of a debutant author Pooja Purohit Bhatt

During this time, my love for books and inclination towards reading and writing grew, she says.
Pooja Purohit Bhatt
Pooja Purohit Bhatt

Pooja Purohit Bhatt, 30, has written an emotional roller coaster to mark her debut into the writing. Made for Two is all about two people bonding who never give up on each other’s friendship or love.
Born and brought up in Delhi, Bhatt began writing when she was in Class 10 to beat the stress of Board exams.

She says, “It was my English teacher who saw potential in me and mentored me."
The self-confessed nature lover says she writes “better when amid nature”. We get chatting with the author for a sneak peek into her life, and how this book came about. Excerpts:

How did Made for Two come about? And, why a love story?

Books on romance are dime a dozen. It all began when I was working with an MNC five years back. Being a creative person, I was finding it very monotonous to work the same routine day in and day out. It was then that I started writing down the story of Aisha and Kabir (the two protagonists in the book).

In 2016, I met my husband, a sailor by profession, and shared with him my dream of becoming an author. I went along with him on his sails, and on this four months’ journey through many countries and oceans, I was able to find myself and complete this story. In all, it took me five years to finish this book.

I am a hopeless romantic, so writing a romantic novel came naturally to me. But then, I wanted to write about the problems the youth of today face when it comes to romantic relationships. A lot of sub plots in the book are based on real circumstances, which makes this book different from all the other love stories we have.

Who inspires you to write?
I am greatly inspired by my maternal uncle, Late Shri Purshottam Asnora, a revolutionist, who owned a small bookstore in Gairsain, the summer capital of Uttarakhand. Every summer vacation, we used to visit him and I remember spending a lot of time in his bookstore. During this time, my love for books and inclination towards reading and writing grew. Writing brings me a lot of joy, it is my therapy.

Tell us about your favourite authors and books?
I grew up reading Durjoy Dutta, Chetan Bhagat, Sudeep Nagarkar and other young Indian authors. Though I always enjoyed their writing style, my romantic quotient comes from Falguni Pathak. As every 90’s kid, I fell in love with 'love' watching her videos and used to imagine myself in them.
My favourite book is Trust Me by Rajashree that I read during Class 12. In a way, this is the inspiration behind Made for Two.

Do you think books sell these days?
Yes, there are enough people who still love the smell of a new book. There is no doubt that the internet and social media pose a huge challenge, but then internet has also given us e-books. Apart from the paperback, my book is also available on Kindle and Google Play Book store.

How challenging was it to market your book?
It’s hard to reach wider audience as a debut author because you don’t have a dedicated fan base, PR team or a marketing strategy. But I firmly believe that what matters is the content of a book. I hope I can reach my readers through this book.

Any other interests?
When I am not writing, I am definitely reading. I love puzzles. Solving Sudoku is a favourite pass-time. When stressed, I cook as I love cooking. It has a very calming and relaxing effect on me.

Made for Two by Pooja Purohit Bhatt
Publisher: Author’s Ink Publications
Pages: 101
Price: Rs 199 (paperback) 
on amazon; Rs 149 (kindle edition)

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