A Maxim-umm Moment

There are three milestones that would make an author complete.

1. When you win an international prize (Man Booker/ Pulitzer)   

2. When your book sells really well. (1 Million plus copies)

3. When you get a column to write. (Maxim!)

When Maxim magazine asked me to be their Sex and Relationship columnist, I knew I had achieved at least one out of the three things I wanted from my career.

 

But when they called me and told me they wanted to launch my book and me as a columnist in a grand event, I was overwhelmed.

See, I have a confession to make; I am terribly afraid of public speaking. I feel anxious and nervous. I don’t sleep for several nights. I wonder incessantly what I will say, how I will look, and what I will do.

When I finally went on stage my heart was fluttering and I had butterflies in my stomach.

The Emcee asked me, “What inspired you to write Scandalous Housewives? Are any of these stories true?”

And in that moment I lost all my inhibition. If I wasn’t going to be just me, what was the point?

I took a deep breath and replied with a straight face. “Yes. They’re all autobiographical!” Then I smiled finally. And the audience laughed. That made the rest of the questions, the reading and the evening pass beautifully.

When I spoke to Richa Chaddha the actress from Gangs of Wasseypur she told me, “I can’t believe you were so bold and funny. You inspired me!”

My Sex column is in the latest issue of Maxim magazine. My book Scandalous Housewives is on Flipkart and Amazon right now.

Two days later, I gave a talk in Indore on stage for one hour on “Love, Life & Chances”. And I have decided to give more talks in public about every topic I feel from my heart. I’ve realised apart from books, columns, awards and the limelight, I need to be me and talk about what I believe. And that should be the 4^th goal of every writer’s life.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. It’s all around us. And we need to give back to truly be successful. So thank you Maxim for giving me that step to do more with my life.   

Watch it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=scandalous+housewives 

Storizen September Issue:
https://issuu.com/storizen/docs/sept2014/7?e=0

Flipkart link to Scandalous Housewives: http://goo.gl/3J2MIr

Amazon Link : http://goo.gl/4Y1edx