ON A QUEST FOR ACCEPTANCE AND WITH A ZEST FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

Author Interview: Parinieta Ahuja

Parinieta Ahuja is from New Delhi, and she has lived in New York for the last five years. She has done a combined Bachelors and Masters Degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University at Buffalo in New York. She has recently come out with the book “Imaginations Wild”, and the book’s protagonist is a desi girl living in the USA who makes the best out of what life brings. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, she talks about her debut book, her writing journey, her favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Please tell us more about Parinieta Ahuja as a person.

I have just graduated from a combined Masters and Bachelors degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University at Buffalo in New York. I would start working in the Biotech industry soon this year, and would continue writing on the side. I was brought up in New Delhi, India and I was 21 years old when I wrote the draft of my debut novel.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Writing has always been a part of my life in some form or the other. I truly enjoy reading, writing and learning. I used to write growing up but just for myself. I decided to write this book for myself too, just like a project that I started in my free time. But it ended up becoming a story I felt like I wanted to share. I enjoyed the process immensely and wanted people to read what I had written. Even today when I am feeling something, writing is the best way to express it. It is truly how I vent in a very positive sense.



Please tell us more about your book “Imaginations Wild”.

It is a story about Anam, a desi girl in the US who is adopted by white parents. Over the course of her life, she is out to fulfill her birth mother’s dream of becoming a lawyer before being taken in by writing. Then, many opportunities come her way as she pursues her dream of becoming a writer.
I guess the biggest piece of information I would like my readers to take from this book is ‘The Appreciation for Uncertainty’ and to explore for their imagination. Every single one of us has an imagination, and the ability to dream as big as we want. Let's explore it, let's look for it, even if we feel it is unachievable, let's try and find it. Because acceptance is the first step to getting anywhere close to it.



What inspired you to write this book? When did you start writing this book and how long did it take you to finish it?

It was the lack of control around me that pushed me to write it. I was nervous because there was a sudden bump in my life's journey and a change in my career path. What remained unchanged was my desire to be successful – which in my definition was to make a difference, an impact, to leave a mark. I just started jotting my dreams and aspirations into the story of this person that I didn’t know and while our goals might be different, our journey is similar.
Eventually, I started figuring out things over the summer and started accepting that control is dependent on interpretation, that no matter what I do it is beyond my levels and limits in my desire to control everything. It was a fun little project until someone read it and asked me to publish it. My literary agent, The Book Bakers, thought it was a different story, something unique, and decided to represent me and the book.
I wrote most of the book during the summer of 2019 and it took me about 2 months to write it. Though I didn’t write the ending then, and I it wrote later. I was always unsure what route I wanted Anam’s journey to take, when the idea just came to me after a couple of months. It was serendipitous.



Tell us more about the protagonist Anam. How did the character come to you and how much did she change in the process of writing the novel?

Anam is a character that was inspired by my constant day-dreaming, and it is somehow a person who I wanted to be at the time. For me as an author, not just Anam’s character but all of the characters in the book are inspired from real life – from some of my friends, to my family, to anybody who has ever inspired me. Anam is a mix of different people I look up to. Anam’s character definitely changed over time. Initially, it was just casually written but later the character just built on its own. It took the shape of a new person and kept growing with each chapter and each revelation.



What were some of the challenges while writing this book?

I think there weren’t a lot of challenges since when I was writing it, I was doing it for myself, but definitely it was sometimes difficult to believe in your own story. It takes a lot to build everything from scratch and there is always the fear of rejection of the character or their story.



Can you recommend five books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

These include “Untamed” by Glennon Doyle, “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.



What are your other interests apart from writing?

I truly enjoy reading, exploring new places, and trying new foods and cuisines. I am slowly developing interests in share market investments, and of course I like watching new shows and movies.



There are many new writers and poets who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?

I think it is more of an impromptu process. Just let it happen. Reflect with yourself, what do you want from your writing, who do you want to work with, and don’t rush in. A good publisher can change your book’s outlook for the better. And be patient, something I struggled with in the process of writing this book.



What are you working on next? Any new literary projects that our readers should look out for?

Definitely, I explore new ideas every day. Maybe a sequel to “Imaginations Wild”, who knows! But I love writing so I am sure people will hear more of my stories and I am so privileged to be able to tell them.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

‘Human growth is limited by human imagination’ — extremely important to never say never and to not limit oneself.