Name: Preeti Shenoy
Born: 1971
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Motivation
Famous for: Life is What You Make It

General Introduction:
Preeti Shenoy is a well-known name among the readers of romantic and contemporary fiction in India. Her books have done extremely well and that is why is she is continuously producing fiction one after another. She has written more than 10 novels already and many of them have achieved the status of bestseller in India. Though we can have a debate on what becomes a bestseller and how and also why, she is a bestselling novelist; let there be no doubts about it. In this article for Indian Authors, I will try to summarise the works and the overall impression of Preeti Shenoy as a novelist and an important figure in Indian English literature.

If you look at the current trend in Indian English writings, there are a lot of writers who are trying to make their mark by not writing young adult fictions. However, at the same time, it is unfortunate to see most of them started well but can’t remain untouched from this trend. Preeti Shenoy, who initially hinted, through her writings, that things will be different for her readers, could not save herself entirely from this virus of mingling unnecessary romance with the mainstream of literature. However, it was almost necessary as an author does want to become a bestseller and reach the young readers which might not be possible without writing things that could match the aspirations of youths. And, as a result, she is among the five best selling novelist of India. She has been on the Forbes longlist of most influencing celebrities of India. Further in this article, I will discuss her writings as well as the basics of her life in general.

Personal Life:

Preeti was born in 1971. She studied in different central schools. She was interested in arts and writings since her childhood. Due to her interest in drawings and paintings, she pursued a course in arts. She received a degree in portrait painting from United Kingdom University. She began her writing career with her first work ‘Bubblegums and Candies’ published in 2008 which is a collection of short stories based on real incidents. In the next section, you can find a detailed analysis of her writings.

Her Writings:

At the very outset, let me tell that you can call her writings as a mixed bag where you find the taste of inspiration and romance both. She writes in different genres other than the novel and non-fictional motivational books form a big chunk of her writings. novels and nonfiction as well. Her writings are focused on the reality of life and she tries to judge the situation with various perspectives. You cannot find a certain correlation in her work that can connect the dots among her novels other than the series that she has announced officially.

Her best selling novel ‘Life Is What You Make It’ is about a girl Ankita who is suffering from a disorder and her life becomes miserable. The novel taught many lessons about how to overcome these situations. This work wonderfully underlines the writing style of Preeti as she presents her proficiency in crafting a plot, covering various elements in her themes and also her prowess to deal with a simplified and yet somehow structured language of fiction. However, more than anything else, this novel ensures that Preeti Shenoy can be judged as an author who is modern in terms of her approach and reach among the readers buts she is still very sensible, reasonable and serious in her approach to fiction. The seriousness of her fiction and its levels may be a different topic of debate. However, at the outset and at an elementary level, a reader certainly finds many things that are not usually found in the works by authors like Chetan Bhagat and quasi romance writers like Nikita Singh & Sudeep Nagarkar.

Her novel ‘It Happens For a Reason’ that talks about a single mother Vipasha, for me, is the best book in her bibliography. This book posits the troubles and challenges that a single mother has to face in India. A beautiful expression of the opinions of the author by the medium of her central character and also a theme that no emerging author would like to dare make the novel one of the best reads…. moreover, the novel also, very easily, transcends the usual template of love affair and romance. She is trying to break the stigma that a single girl having a child cannot survive without a man and a ‘surname’.

However, on the other hand, many of her novels are based on the themes of romance and real incidents. Few motivational anecdotes can be found in her novels like ‘A Hundred Little Flames’. Moreover, she used to write poems as well and she has published some volumes of poems to add to her poetic credit. Her poems are youthful expressions of a poet in the making and are pleasant but not deep enough to contribute something extraordinary to Indian English poetry.

Her Works:

1. 34 Bubble games and Candies
2. Life is what you make it
3. Tea for two and a Piece of Cake
4. The Secret Wishlist
5. The one you cannot have
6. It happens for a reason
7. Why we love the way we do
8. It’s all in the planets
9. A hundred little flames
10. Love a little stronger
11. The Rule Breakers
12. Wake Up, Life is Calling

After writing her first novel, she never stopped and gained enormous popularity with the time. She has been rewarded by many authorities as well.

Major Awards:

1. Indian of the Year Award by Brand Academy

There are some other notional awards like being on the longlist in the Forbes most influential celebrities in India and India Today has named her as being unique for being the only woman in the best-selling league of Indian authors.

However, you can not find any literary awards in her bag and there may be many reasons behind this confusion or conundrum. The most important that I could notice is the lack of literary quotient in her works. She does write intentionally for the contemporary readers who form a large chunk of her fan base; however, in doing so, a writer must take care of the literary responsibility that one carries on shoulders after becoming someone like Preeti, a bestselling author and an influential figure. And that is why many leading and top book bloggers in India have praised her writings over time, again and again.

Conclusion:

Writers like Preeti Shenoy have good marketing skills and they know some time tested marketing gimmicks that are paying off in the long run. Though there is no or very little literary contribution in terms of adding to the global recognition of Indian English literature by Preeti, her books are certainly easy-digest fodder for contemporary Indian young readers of English fiction. Her novels are well-received for their simplicity and being easy to decode and enjoy. Though there is a lot that she can do in terms of using her influence on the Indian readers and spread the love for serious and meaningful literature among them, she is lagging a little behind and making her base even stronger. I can hope she will, eventually or ultimately, do something important for the Indian literature which will have a wholesome impact.

By Amit Mishra for The Indian Authors