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Mrs. Neha Chenani Khanagwal works in the capacity of Assistant Manager in a leading Public Sector Bank. She is happily married and a proud mother of two toddlers. Reading has been her hobby all through her life. And, after years of reading and inculcating a passion for books, she started penning down her thoughts which gradually started taking the shape of short stories.
Working in a front-end customer-facing profile, she delightfully found herself surrounded by strange and fascinating stories. The inspiring anecdotes, which she thought are worth sharing with a larger audience, have found a place in her heart and flowed into her debut novel Intertwined – A Tale about Love and Loss. It is culled out of the lives of the people in her life, who lives on without losing hope, waiting for a more meaningful and brighter life ahead.
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
It energizes me. I mostly write at night so that I can sleep peacefully after putting my thoughts on paper.
Describe your experience of writing for the first time and seeing your work in print.
It is like delivering a baby.
Do you think a big ego helps or hurts writers?
I believe it hurts. Because, if one is not open to criticism, the writing will never improve.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
I can’t hold back when I have a scene or a story going on in my mind. I zone out when I write and tend to be as perfect as possible while writing the first draft.
Are you working on another book? Has publishing your first book changed the way you write?
Yes, I have completed a full-fledged series of 33k words on Pratilipi App and I am currently in the process of writing its sequel. Writing my first novel has changed the way I write now.
What does literary success look like to you?
Contentment.
What made you write this book?
I have heard many people in my near and dear ones losing their soul mates at a young age. Some were able to sail through the trauma and some even lost themselves in the process. I wanted to tell all those people who have suffered through this that there is always hope.
What is your favourite book/author and why?
My favourite book is Millions of Faces by Priyadeep Kaur. The book transported me back to the days when I used to visit my mother’s maternal house. The way the author narrated the story of Dimple made me cry and laugh all at the same time.
What category or genre do you think your book fits into?
Romantic Suspense.
If you could live anywhere in the world and spend a year writing a new book, where would you go and why?
Andaman and Nicobar Island. I feel people have not forgotten their roots there. They are still untouched by the so-called western culture. Moreover, I feel close to nature over there.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
The one with Captain Marvel. I want to travel beyond our galaxy, across the endless universe.
What’s a secret talent that you have?
The universe is my friend.
When you’re in writing mode, are you a moody person or a cheerful person?
Moody while writing and cheerful once I am done.
What’s your favourite line from a book/movie?
“Insaan ko dibbe mein sirf tab hona chahiye, jab wo mar chuka ho” from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
