About The Author
Veena Sheker is a practising optometrist in India with over twenty-five years of experience in her field. She graduated from Elite School of Optometry in Chennai and got her Master’s in Vision Science – Low Vision, from the University of Montreal, Canada. ‘The Truth in its Essence’ is her debut book written at the time of lockdown during the COVID 19 pandemic. In this novel, she shares her beliefs about keeping secrets and the outcome when it comes out.
Check the review here: The Truth In Its Essence by Veena Sheker – Book Review – The Bloggers League 2022
Interview
Q) Tell us about the idea behind the book?
I began writing ‘The Truth in its Essence’ on the 26th of June 2020 during extending lockdowns due to COVID – 19 pandemic. This started because my husband was writing a book and he encouraged me to write one. Maybe he thought, that way I would not disturb him! Jokes apart, without his initial nudge, this book would not have existed. Deep inside, I have always wanted to write something big. In the past, I have written small poems, phrases, and a few other professional writeups. These can be found in my other blog pages Peace and Love – https://peaceandloveflyers.blogspot.com/ and Real-life experiences – https://veenarao-withaheart.blogspot.com/. But this book is very special to me.
Q) How much time did it take in the process of writing?
Writing the book surprisingly took me only about two months. However, going through self-editing several times, rearranging the incidents, and checking for errors took another month. Then I sent the book to Seth Morales who did the substantive editing. He and I worked almost every day to improvise and make my plot and characters materialize. Later, after reviewing and working on Seth’s suggestions (amidst my full-time job), the book was finally published on December 13th, 2021. More details about its making can be found in this link https://thetruthinitsessence.blogspot.com
Q) What did the process of writing this book teach you?
The first thing I learned was that writing and publishing are two different things. To me coming up with the story was the easy part. But writing something that interests the reader was challenging. I realized I needed to visualize things before I could pen down my thoughts. Character building, adding descriptions of a place and situation are things that we generally take for granted when we watch a movie. But, a book needs clear and vivid phrases for the reader to imagine what the writer had to say. After the final manuscript was ready, I learned how to design my cover page, edit photos, select dimensions using various applications like Canva, Banner Maker, etc., Post publishing, I am getting to know about marketing. So, technically, I am still learning.
Also Read: Interview with Aldis Kuskis – Author of Better Travel
Q) What inspired you to write this book?
I noticed that there are a lot of misunderstandings, quarrels, and bitterness among people in this world. One of the main reasons that hatred exists in this universe is because people refuse to forgive. I feel that if every person can wholeheartedly forgive others for their mistakes, the world will be filled with love. In addition to providing a sense of relief for the forgiven person, it also liberates the forgiver from the burden of carrying a grudge throughout their life.
Q) Which is your favorite part from the book?
There are two parts that I like the most in my book. The first part is when Suri finds out the truth about himself and then has an emotional conversation about it with Savithri by the mango tree, and the second part is the heart-touching scene when Narayanan pours his feelings to Savithri in the ICU about the secret that he had been holding on to for many years.
Q) A book that had an impact on you, which helped you in writing this one?
I generally read less instead watch more videos and movies. But in any book that I read, I look for the message that it conveys. Some of my favourite books are from noteworthy authors Sidney Sheldon, Irwing Wallace, and Arthur Hailey. Later I came across Tim Tigner’s Kyle Achilles series and was amazed to see how Tim connects so well with his readers through his words, and the way he described all the characters and situations so beautifully. I was inspired by his writing skills. Subconsciously, I thought, if I had to write someday, I must make an impact on the readers the way he impacted me. Another book that inspired me was Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi in which my favourite character was Sati, who is depicted as a strong personality and a warrior.
Q) Tell us about your plans? Planning a new book?
I am working on another fiction novel. Honestly, I don’t have a genre in my mind. But on-demand from my readers, I plan to include more fun in my next book. The challenge now is to keep up to their expectations. For now, I am focussing on reading more books during my free hours.
Q) How did your life change after the book was published?
I am a simple person who accepts life as it comes. I gained a lot of attention from my family and friends after my book was published. I was overwhelmed by their comments and feedback about my book. I feel my responsibility has increased as a writer to give good books in the future to the readers.
Q) What is a literary success for you?
This being my debut book, success to me is when my readers compliment me about how they can relate to the characters, tell me that my book helped them deal with the problems in their own life, giving them hope, and also when they pass on my book to someone who they think will be benefited.
Q) A message for all the readers.
I have done my best to write a story from my life experiences combined with my imagination with a strong theme of forgiveness, acceptance, unconditional love, and grief recovery. When life can be creamy in movies, in reality, it is rough and not easy. However, if we have a positive approach towards relationships by understanding the other person with love, compassion, and empathy, we will never have enemies. This universe will be filled with love and laughter. I will be very happy if you could read my book and give me feedback. Feel free to contact me at veenasheker.author@gmail.com if you have any questions or connect on social media https://linktr.ee/veenasheker
Get your Book Reviewed by Vidhya Thakkar – Connect us Now.
