The Art of being grateful & other stories- Book Review & Interview with Manali Desai

"𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠,

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬, 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞?

𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥

𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨.

𝐈𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰

𝐈𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭-𝐬𝐨-𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐰𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧.

𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧,

𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧."

Manali Desai's latest book - The art of being grateful & other stories is an assemblage of short stories. This is my 3rd book by the author, and she always manages to bring something unique to the table. I found such lovely short stories in this book, the kind that makes you giggle a little and leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart. It's a very light read under 100 pages and makes it a perfect read for the weekend. These stories are crisp and engaging with a little message at the end conveyed in a very easy to understand language.

Interview:

When did you start writing?

I have been writing poetry since I was a teenager. Besides that, I also used to write small writeups on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. I was always the go-to person for anyone in my circle who wanted to write something on special days. This was just a hobby though, professionally I started writing in 2012.

Any author/poet who inspires you?

Yes, so many that I can’t list them down. But honestly, I’m inspired by every piece of writing I have ever read, so you can say any author or poet’s works I have read till date is someone I look up to.

Why did you want to be an author?

The writing journey began in teenage as a hobby and then turned into a profession after a long process of elimination. This journey has been slow, but it has seen steady upward growth. After content writing, copywriting, blogging and contributing to many online portals as a writer, becoming an author seemed the next ladder to be climbed in my journey as a writer and, fortunately, it has been going well so far.

What are your hobbies?

If I’m not writing, you can be sure I’m reading 80% of the time. Other than that, I would either be binge-watching a series or a movie. I also enjoy engaging in arts and crafts now and then. Travelling has lately taken a back seat because of COVID, but that’s another activity I engage in almost every weekend.

Any upcoming books you’re working on currently? If so, tell us about it.

My next book is going to be a non-fiction book covering stories of inspiring women. It will talk about women from various professions who broke societal norms and made a name for themselves in their respective fields of work.

What inspired you to write "The Art of Being Grateful & Other Stories?"

About 50% of the stories in this book are rejected pieces. Even after multiple rejections, I did not stop believing in them and was sure there was a readership for it out there. Hence, I thought of putting these together with a few other stories.

I had a list of short story ideas I had been wanting to work on since long. This lockdown came as a blessing in disguise, and I was able to dabble into creative writing for a few hours every day since I had some time to spare regularly, which usually I did not have. And that’s how this book came to be!

What message do you want to convey to your readers?

If you like an author’s work, tell them about it! Drop a review on their works or reach out to them by sending them a mail. Trust me, that’s their biggest motivation to continue writing.

About the Author:

Having tried her stints in Marketing and Teaching, Manali finally answered her life's calling through content writing. After realizing that doing a full-time job just wasn’t her cup of tea, she plunged into being a full-time freelance writer and editor. Apart from her ad hoc assignments, she also runs her blog - A Rustic Mind on which she shares her travel experiences, life's anecdotes and inspiring women stories. Her penchant for writing led her to publish two solo books and two anthology books, alongside also editing a book for another author. Manali’s book The Untold Stories made her a best-selling author on Amazon. Even her short story ‘The Walls Have Ears’ got her the Best Short Story Award. These little achievements alongside the reviews and feedback she receives on her writing, help her stay motivated to continue her writing journey. If not writing, you can find Manali either reading, travelling, listening to music, binge-watching a series she might be currently hooked to, or more than one of these at the same time, in no particular order. You can know more about her or follow her works through her social media handles, all under her pen name A Rustic Mind.

Her latest book - The art of being grateful is available in amazon for a very affordable price. Click the title below, To go grab yourself a copy today!

The art of being grateful & other stories – Manali Desai