“I convey my messages to the society through the protagonists of my books”- Manya Nigam

Tell something about yourself.
If I have to describe myself in one word, the closest word would be “a dreamer”. I love visualizing myself in every situation of life so that I could show my readers different shades of characters in my stories. I love observing people, their behaviour and their body language; I try to analyze their spoken and unspoken sentiments and express them through my stories.

What inspires you to start a journey of becoming a writer?
I have been writing journals since my high school days and started writing poems and short stories when I was doing B-tech. But, I stopped writing while working in HCL and restarted after six years when my son turned three years old. At that time, I never thought of publishing any of my work someday. I only realized it when I was writing a short story based on women stalking, and it went up to 48000 words. Then my husband encouraged me to publish it. So, that’s how my journey of becoming an author started. Every person, who is living their lives full of enthusiasm and full of positivity, inspires me to write about their struggles in the form of fiction.

What is the biggest challenge according to you that you have faced in your work life?
My journey as a writer started very smoothly because I am one of those lucky people whose families are very supportive. But, the biggest challenge for me is to build up my readership. Initially, I hardly get any sales because none in my family guide me on what I should do to market my book. But, eventually, I reached a few readers who praised my work a lot and posted their reviews on Amazon. My sales suddenly take off, and my readers declared them as a must-read book for everyone. I am truly grateful to my readers for supporting me and accepting me as an author; they are my strength.

Tell something about your books?
I have written three novels and one short -story for Kindle until now. My debut book was “You Can’t Draw My Destiny”. In this book, I show the readers two different shades of love, which was left them thinking if everything is actually fair in love, and if yes, to which extent.
My second book was “Beyond the Blocked Doors”. It is a story of a girl fighting with her undesiring fate, the journey of rewriting destiny and finding her way beyond difficulties. It is one of the most inspiring fiction for everyone.
My third fiction, “An auspicious Pause”, is a story of a married couple. This story exhibits the reader a new perspective of a relationship. This book is also available in Hindi as “Ek Shubh Viram”. And, my short story “Isn’t It a Dream?” is a sweet, fairy-tale kind of love story.

What do you want to convey to the world through your books?
There is nothing more complicated than life. Many people struggle with their fate every day and are disappointed; many people try to give up on their lives. I want to tell the world that nothing is permanent, not even misfortune. Your destiny is in your hand, and you can rewrite it. I want to let everyone know that no problem is that big we can’t resolve it. And that’s the reason I present real-life stories as fiction, which not only entertain my readers but also leave a strong message for society.

Being a mother, how difficult it is for you to deal with your schedule?
As a mother, my son is always been my priority. I used to compromise my writing schedule during his exams, or whenever I need to prepare him for any activity, or he needs me to play with him. During this pandemic, it becomes a bit more difficult because we all have many additional works. But I try my best to balance both my personal and professional life.

How would you bring change in society by your writing?
We all are part of society. I believe that changes initiate by one person. If I want to change anything, I have to change my perspective first; I have to change myself first. Whatever I want to communicate the world or changes I want to bring to society is visible in the characters I create. I convey my messages through the protagonists of my books. And that’s why I always say that my books are part of my soul.

Any message for budding authors.
Write regularly and read as many as books you can. Never stop dreaming. Never stop believing in yourself, and never quit because you can always turn your defeats into the stepping stone towards success until you don’t give up.