Rashi Dubey is a software engineer by qualification, but her heart lies in reading and writing. She is brought up in India, in the city of Uttar Pradesh known as Aligarh. Currently, she is residing in Gurgaon with her husband and a five-year-old son.
Apart from being a passionate reader and writer, she also enjoys travelling to new places, enjoys solitude, and loves trying different cuisines. She loves listening to fast beats and grooving on them.
She has few books in her name as follows: ‘What Will People Think?’, ‘The Heart Affair: A short story’, ‘Soulmates’.
TBE: Tell us about your book, can you share with us something about the book that isn’t in the blurb and why people should read it?
Rashi Dubey: Who and Why people should read this book is summarized in these two of my videos. I hope everyone would find their reason to read after watching these.
TBE: How did you get the idea of this book?
Rashi Dubey: This book is inspired by a phase of my own life. I always knew I would write someday about how love changed my life for better or worse. And that’s how this book came into existence.
TBE: What is the key theme and/or message in the book?
Rashi Dubey: This book conveys that love means much more than ‘forever togetherness’. Love can help you realize your innermost desires and supports you to find a path to materialize them. It also conveys the fact that love is not only about ‘being compatible’. Two highly incompatible people are capable enough to fill gaps in each other’s imperfect life to make it perfect enough.
TBE: Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Rashi Dubey: This book is entirely based on real people.
TBE: How long does it take you to write this book?
Rashi Dubey: Literally as it was all set in my mind, it took almost two months for the first draft.
TBE: How would you justify the title of your book?
Rashi Dubey: As one ‘ping’ changed the course of life of the protagonist of the book, the title ‘Ping!’ suits it.
TBE: During your journey from the idea of this book to the publication, what was the most difficult thing you faced?
Rashi Dubey: I found that getting a right publisher is the trickiest part of book publication process. Getting the right kind of exposure is a must for a book to reach the right audience.
TBE: What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Rashi Dubey: I hope that readers of ‘Ping!’ would accept the fact that though the journey of true love is not easy yet it always works towards our life’s betterment!
TBE: How did you celebrate the publishing of your first book?
Rashi Dubey: My first book ‘What Will People Think?’ got published on my birthday. So it was a celebration in itself.
TBE: Do you read much and if so, who are your favorite authors?
Rashi Dubey: Writing is an extension of reading! So yes I read a lot. I’m a big fan of mystery novels and Agatha Christie is my favorite author.
TBE: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Rashi Dubey: Either I read or Netflix/Amazon prime come to my rescue!
TBE: Did you ever have a rough patch in writing, where nothing in the story seemed to fit or make sense?
Rashi Dubey: On some days while writing, there comes a moment when you couldn’t connect the dots no matter how hard you try! Those moments come for me as well. And at such times, I just take a break for a while. Sometimes doing nothing helps to restart afresh.
TBE: In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book, characters or plot?
Rashi Dubey: That’s a tricky question! I would say both are equally important. Without a good plot, characters would fall flat. And no matter how strong the characters are if there’s not a strong storyline then book would be a mess.
TBE: Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
Rashi Dubey: I believe that you can convince people of your point of view only when you believe in them firmly. Else the artificiality won’t work for long. So I try to be more original. I write what I personally believe in.
TBE: What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Rashi Dubey: When I fell in love through chats and mails! Language indeed is powerful.
TBE: Best piece(s) of advice for writers trying to break in?
Rashi Dubey: Don’t follow the herd! Write what you believe in instead of what the usual notion is. Break the stereotypes!
TBE: A common misconception entwined with authors is that they are socially inept, and they are often associated with loner tendencies; is there any truth to that?
Rashi Dubey: I would not say that authors are socially inept but yes there is surely a tendency sometimes when they might appear aloof and unapproachable. Writing needs focused thought process and at times, writers delve so deep down in their thoughts that they might appear distant.
TBE: Do you have a set schedule for writing, or are you one of those who write only when they feel inspired?
Rashi Dubey: I fall in second category. Fixed norms are not my cup of tea!
TBE: Is there anything you are currently working on that may intrigue the interest of your readers?
Rashi Dubey: I do have some framework in my mind for the next book. I cannot reveal much at this stage but it’ll surely explore many more layers of relationships and life.
Buy Now: Ping! by Rashi Dubey
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