Interview with Neeti Nigam Keswani
Author Neeti Nigam Keswani is passionate about women-oriented subjects and writes in a candid way. She writes for various online media in India and London. She has 15+ years of experience – working with global companies in Financial, IT and HR industries. She hops between London and India and has a global lense of looking at things.
Please tell us something about you, your profession and your passions.
I am a passionate writer by choice and an HR specialist by profession. I have managed client relations globally working for companies like Aon Hewitt, GE, to name a few. Consultative training and presenting solutions has been part of my portfolio for almost 15 years. When I am not writing, then I love reading books, listening to soulful music, dance and traveling to wonderful destinations.
Writers take a lot of inspiration from real life situations…is that true? How do you weave a story? Can you share any of real incidents which helped you in writing this book?
This book is an ode to inspiration and following your passions no matter where you are, whatever stage in life.
For me, inspiration happens in a flick of a second, especially when I am outdoors. Majority of this book has been penned in the cafes of London. There are bits in the book talking about the exquisite weather, and fashion streets of London as Rhea explores and meets her creative side…
As an Author, I just have to witness the scene once and in the spur of the moment, when I am writing, I tend to give it the shape that I want to. Then, there is one particular scene where Rhea is doing an exquisite sketch in a park and the editor of Invogue happens to see her craft the masterpiece. That bit…I got inspired when I was in Bryant park, Manhattan…it’s a quaint park surrounded by beautiful buildings…just the vibrancy of the people around at lunch hour-got me inspired.
Can you tell which part of the book you enjoyed writing the most?
There are so many pieces in the book that I have absolutely devoured while penning them down. To count a few:
The introduction: which starts with a narrative and takes the reader into Rhea’s dream. And then how she gets jolted out of her dream and goes on living a mundane life, yet keeping her aspirations intact.
Himalayan Adventure: Not only my book readers and fans, but me myself have loved this section of the book that connects you with the supreme. The adventures that unfold for Rhea and Sahil, the Mentor who guides Rhea in simple ways and the travel in the unknown terrains of Himalayas…all were mesmerizing.
Rhea’s yoga on the hill section: Although it is very subtle, there has been a message on fitness. The way Rhea does yoga, her flexibility, focus and will to do yoga on a dangerous piece of rock has been quite intriguing for me as I wrote.
Rhea’s commitment to values: In the early part of the book, Rhea goes through struggles to marry the love of her life and yet manages to keep her family bond and values high. The way I wanted to create this scene was quite delicate and I guess the experience was enthralling.
Rhea’s tryst with her passions and pursuit of fashion as an art: This is the section which is most enjoyed by all my book readers and I thoroughly enjoyed the way chapters formed within my mind. In my growing up years, I often took refuge in penning my thoughts and I guess I reflected that same passion as Rhea designed in her green diary.
Every book affects its author in some way. How do you think writing these books affected you?
Writing this book has been a liberating experience. In the process of writing this book, I have become more in tune with inspiration, patience, focus, and dedication.
Inspiration– finding that idea, being so inspired that you could write a book on it. Often this is the most difficult of the four.
Patience– because it takes time to write a book.
Focus– because you are dedicatedly writing about a subject, a story, a piece that needs to be sewn together.
Dedication–Writing a book requires time, energy and dedication to be in that space to write.
What message do you have for our readers?
I have just one message for our readers: a quote from my book Live your Dreams:
“Find your story by listening to any voice that you know is truly your own.”
Live Your Dreams. BE YOU.
Author Official Website: www.liveyourdreams-beyou.com