Preeti Shenoy's blog.

 We're in the worst second wave of this terrifying pandemic. We all thought 2021 would be better and that the worst was behind us. But how wrong we were. Anywhere we turn, there is death and illness. Shocking images of crematoriums running full, people dying outside the hospitals for lack of oxygen cylinders and beds, heartbreaking appeals from doctors and ordinary citizens, pleas for help in getting admitted to a hospital, pleas for injections and oxygen--we cannot be immune to it. There's not a single person I know who hasn't faced some kind of a loss because of the Pandemic. Everyone is stressed. And when you are stressed it affects your immune system. You are likely to succumb to illnesses.  Stress is something which we have to minimize at all costs, especially in these times. But how do we do it?  Like everyone else, I too was affected.  For a while, my stress levels were high. I  felt totally down as well as angry and helpless. But I am in a much better frame of min

   Hi there, How have you been?  How is the summer heat  at your part of the world? I got the first dose of Covid vaccine on 1st April. I was fine that day. But the next day,  it knocked me out completely . I was so exhausted I slept the whole day. Fatigue hit me hard. I didn't have fever or any other symptoms though. Many of my friends  too reported feeling the same. It took me 3-4 days to recover.  I am glad to be back on my feet now. A thought struck me--if the vaccine itself causes so much discomfort, how terrible it must be for the ones who actually got Covid. I say a prayer for all the ones suffering. We are at a phase where it might be 2020 all over again. Maharashtra is mulling a lockdown as I type this. Bangalore might follow suit if the cases don't subside. There's already a night curfew in place. I don't get why people don't follow precautions, and why people still want to have large gatherings for celebrations. The need of the hour is staying safe. We ne

    Hello again! I had posted a few days back, asking for your vote and support for the Most Popular Fiction at AutHER awards. I have some news. I did win the award for  When Love Came Calling. The event was held at Taj Palace in Delhi, and it was a grand ceremony. All social distancing norms were in place and since it was held outdoors, on the  sprawling lawns, there was plenty of space. We all wore our masks, and we removed them only on stage. Every person present there spoke about how fantastic it was to see each other in person, rather than on a screen, which has now become the norm! Here is a photo from the event. There were giant screens on either side of the stage, that beamed what was happening on stage, larger than life.       Many of the dignitaries before me, spoke about the pressing need for a women’s fiction award. I had initially planned to speak on the same, but when I saw that multiple people had already done so, I decided to speak about my personal experiences

    Hi all, Today I have a request for you. AutHER awards by Times Group is the only award in India that recognises exemplary writing by women. When it comes to writing, there truly isn't any difference between a book written by a woman and a book written by a man.  I don't think gender plays any role in writing. However it is much harder for women to get recognition. If you check out the bestseller lists in India, it is always dominated by men, yours truly being the sole exception. Most women authors hate the word 'promotion' and they don't talk about their books. Male authors push their books, and don't hesitate to make a big noise about whatever they are doing. Mostly, this is societal conditioning . Talking about your own book is seen as 'bragging'. (Surprisingly when men do it, this is not viewed that way!)   In our country, it is also much harder for a woman to make a mark with her writing. Writing is often not viewed as a 'real job'. If th

   Hello there!  Since I have promised to post here regularly, here I am with another post. I hope to post here at least twice a week. [Or maybe thrice if you leave me loads of nice and engaging comments 😛 ]   March 8th is international women's day. The day always begins with a slew of Whatsapp forwards wishing me a 'Happy Women's Day'. While the wishes might be genuine [even if it's forwarded with the click of a button without even bothering to write my name or ask how I am 😉]  I do feel women in our country have a raw deal. Most of us have been programmed by patriarchal upbringing that we don't even notice it when women aren't treated right. We accept that this is how things are. A few days back, a young girl jumped to her death in Kolkata, allegedly because of Dowry harassment. If you haven't read it, do read  about it here.        I had tweeted about it: For this to stop parents of girls should REFUSE to pay dowry. Don't place so much emph

    Hello dear dear reader! How are you? Hope all is well (and it is something to be grateful for  these days if the honest answer is yes, all is well) It's been really long since I posted here. I did post for 30 consecutive days during the first lockdown. Then I extended it, as the lock-down got extended.  But the last post here was in September. The reason for not posting were many. I faced some deep personal losses (I am still recovering). I moved homes. I had a million things to take care of on the personal front. And amidst all of this, I also wrote a book on positivity! I signed a two book deal with Harper Collins. (Click on the link to know more). It became increasingly difficult to do unpaid work (like writing in this blog. To write here, I have to take out extra time, after completing the work that I get paid for.)  Many of you wrote to me saying you miss my blog, and that you have been loyal readers for over 14 years! (yes, I started this blog in 2006 and have kept it

 When I was in school,  I had an excellent English teacher.  One of the things she made us do  over summer vacations was to write reviews of the books we read. These were graded assignments.  The most important thing she told us was to not write a mini-summary of the book.  'This is a book review; Not a chronicled account of everything that happened, ' she used to keep reminding us. Her tips and suggestions enabled all of us, to write good reviews--whether we like the book or not. Of late, I have been reading a LOT of reviews about my new book When Love Came Calling.   While many of the reviews have positive things to say, I am always aghast when the reviewer gives away an important plot point or a main event in the story, or the worst--reveals what happens in the end. These are all mistakes which can be avoided. Some reviewers give negative reviews because the protagonist did not make the choices, they expected him/her to. They get very involved with the story (which is a gr