This would be a long one!
How I wrote it:
We were on a trip to Europe in 2013 (we were staying in India). As we crossed the black forest, a story popped into my head. I was 21, and did have a penchant for writing since I was 13. I came back (still in my final year of engineering), and penned it down. A year later I would join my first company. A couple of years later, I'd published it as a short story (3k words), on my personal blog.
Through the years, I wanted to go back to the story. But there'd be months... even years... I'd add nothing. Then over a week, add 10k words to it. Completed my first draft in 2023. People didn't understand it, so I shelved it. At the time, I had been married and just moved to Dubai. Was working for a real estate firm for 6 months when I decided I'd quit to finish the novel (quit 2 days before the war broke out). Finished it. Was happy with it. Now came publishing.
The publishing experience:
I had an email ID of one of the big publishers (the bird that can't fly). Sent a query of my then 35k word novel/novella. They liked the synopsis, and asked for the full manuscript. Weeks of extreme nervousness later, came a one line rejection. I thought I'd ask for feedback. They gave me a number to call.
Got invaluable feedback. In fact they said, I could submit again if I actually rewrote according to feedback. They had loved my writing style. Wrote like a man possessed, and a few weeks later sent a 42k words manuscript. Now this was a publisher looking at only Indian authors and stories. My story was set in Europe with almost all characters from there. Literary fiction too, which apparently is a difficult pitch. Weeks turned into 2-3 months of to and fro. This time the rejection was a para long. Cried... a lot... 13 years is a long time.
The next day I had decided I'd publish it myself. But I didn't wanna go with a company where I'd pay to get published. Registered my own firm, found a printer and gave a 1000 copies order. I am sending the book to amazon myself since KDP doesn't cover India.The book finally launched on October 1st. Dreading a line I said to my mother, "I am not afraid that no one would read it, I am afraid they would, and then hate it!".
The story:
It's about a man who cannot feel emotions. He goes and finds passionate people, try to bring out their passion, so maybe he can feel vicariously through them. It is told in 5 voices with some timelines overlapping.
The story is called, 'Strange Affections, a novel by Prannay Jha'
