Ruchi Vasudeva, a medical professional and homemaker based in Amritsar, has proven the famous idiom ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ by winning the Harlequin Mills and Boon Passions contest that made her eligible to author a Mills and Boon novel. With the release of Bollywood Fiancé For a Day in August this year, Ruchi has now entered the world of writing, which she says takes away all her worries and cares and makes her jovial.
Talking about writing her debut novel, which Ruchi completed in almost eight months, she says, “I have been in love with writing since I was in school and later college. I would finish off a book in a few days. It was during one such reading that I came across an advertisement for the Passions contest. I decided to participate and then won!”
It seems that Ruchi’s teachers’ appreciation of her writing in school was well placed, encouraging her to take more enthusiasm in writing. She sent her story of about 2,000 words to the publishing house in December 2011 and was declared winner in March 2012. This was the third season of Passions contest, which establishes a winner as the author of a romantic fiction under the mentorship of an editor. This season invited stories from Indian writers to galvanise their talent.
The story of Bollywood Fiancé For a Day, says Ruchi, is based on the plot she sent to Harlequin in order to enter the contest. It revolves around two protagonists who come from opposite backgrounds—one from a common family and the other from the glamourous world of Bollywood. How they meet and what they experience is what makes the reading interesting. Within a short span of time, Ruchi’s writing has garnered positive response from the readers, thereby egging her to start writing her second novel, which she hopes to release by December 2013, also to be published by Harlequin.
{{/usCountry}}The story of Bollywood Fiancé For a Day, says Ruchi, is based on the plot she sent to Harlequin in order to enter the contest. It revolves around two protagonists who come from opposite backgrounds—one from a common family and the other from the glamourous world of Bollywood. How they meet and what they experience is what makes the reading interesting. Within a short span of time, Ruchi’s writing has garnered positive response from the readers, thereby egging her to start writing her second novel, which she hopes to release by December 2013, also to be published by Harlequin.
{{/usCountry}}Despite her busy schedule with her family and children and at the same time managing her medical job, Ruchi says she makes it a point to write something every day to polish her writing skills. The only time she took a break from writing was when her children were little, only to resume it as soon as they were older.
To be a good writer, Ruchi insists in inculcating the habit of reading. “Reading gives many ideas and opinions and silently enhances our vocabulary. Most importantly, it gives one the chance to live through the author’s experience. A writer may have reached any level, but he or she should never give up the habit of reading as learning never stops,” she opines, adding that parents and teachers should also read so that they are in a position to make the best recommendations for reading to their children.
Though the new writer enjoys her work as a doctor, it is writing that makes her happy. What else keeps her busy? “The release of my first novel also means I keep throwing parties for my children, which keeps me busy,” she laughs.