Hey guys! :)
Today we have with us the lovely Aditi. She is the author of Soldier and Spice- An Army Wife's Life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Soldier and Spice, you can find my review of it here. Keep on reading ahead for the interview and a chance to win a signed copy of the book for yourself. Belive me, you don't wanna miss out!
Summary-
‘Good evening, Aunty.’
Very cute, I think and smile. Then I turn around to see the aunty he is
wishing so sweetly. There is no one, the road is empty.
‘Is someone there?’ I say, squinting at the road.
‘Good eveningggggg, Aunty!’ he recites again, his wide eyes set on me.
I don’t understand.
Could he be, like, calling me an aunty?
I freeze. I couldn’t be...
Aunty?
For Pia, regular life is a thing of the past. She’s something far from
regular now – she’s an Army Wife. From
‘just Pia’ to an Aunty, a memsaab and – her favorite sound in the whole wide
world - Mrs. Pia Arjun Mehra – at 26, Pia’s life is now focused on being ‘lady
like’, on themed Ladies’ Meets, High Tea
events, Welfare Functions, long (unexpected) separations from the husband,
extraordinary challenges, fresh set of social etiquettes and well, growing up.
In the mysterious and grand world of Army wives, Pia learns that being
able to tie a perfect saree is as important as being able to resist kissing the
husband leaving lipstick marks on him combats.
She learns that walking in high heels is okay as long as you don’t trip
on Combat boots. She learns that ‘civil’ is also a noun, that JCO and GOC are (very!)
different, that snacks are ‘shown’ and WTF is better explained as Whiskey Tango
Foxtrot. Yeah, it’s a new world!
Let this fast-paced story of the first year of Pia’s Army-Wife life show
you that the spice to a soldier’s life is most definitely his better, very strong,
bloody extremely elegant, never-cussing, witty, warm and passionate half,
his Army Wife.
Buy the book:
About the Author:
Author Links:
Author Interview:
1.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a blogger, an Army Wife, mother of a 3
year old and a full time Digital Media professional. My love for blogging and
writing keeps me up till 2 in the night, on any regular day. I love to write;
hate to edit (especially my own work). I read a lot and currently I am
considering moving from an actual-book-reader to a kindle-reader. Also, I am totally un-embarrassed about my
recent Young-Adult addiction!
2.
Tell us about Soldier & Spice and what made
you write it?
Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife’s Life is
my first book and hence it automatically is my favorite book in the world.
Okay, in the top 3! More or less. Jokes aside, this is the story of a ‘normal’
aka civilian girl Pia, who falls in love with and then marries an officer in
the India Army. The book tell of her adventures in the first year of being an
Army Wife – the fun parts and the funny incidents, the typical fauji
code-of-conduct and the struggles ‘outsiders’ face, and the emotional and the
scary part of it all. The story is funny (I hope!) and a very quick read. What
made me write it was my almost similar experience, being a civilian married
into the forces. I thought this story needs to be told, and I wrote it.
3.
What do you like to blog about?
Just about everything. Really. Travel,
Parenting, Social Causes, Random Conversations with people I’ve met, Satires on
the political system, restaurant reviews. Like I said – I blog about
everything. My Blog Monologue is not slotted in one category because I don’t
intend for it to be bound by definitions. I love the freedom to pick any topic
that I’ve been blogging since 2006 I think, and it has been a journey I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed. For anyone who hasn’t been to my (Awesome) blog yet, please
check it out – it’s fun. Aditi’s Monologue.
4.
Do you listen to music while writing? If yes,
what kind?
To use the lame HIMYM phrase - No-can-do's-ville,
baby doll. Music is a huge distraction for me while writing because - I start
to sing along.
5.
3 books you would recommend to everyone.
Other than Soldier & Spice: An Army
Wife’s Life, you mean? Well, in no particular order – ‘High Fidelity’ by Nick
Hornby, ‘City of Djinns’ by William Dalrymple, and ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo
Ishiguro.
6.
Any advice for upcoming writers?
If you want to write, getting started is
the first and the most important step.
Just write. The rest will follow. And oh, read a lot.
7.
What is your favorite quote?
“Oh, the places you’ll go!” By Dr. Seuss. I
have it tattooed, talk about obsessed!
8.
What’s your next project?
Another book – fiction
and humor. I’m still editing it, though.
9.
Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very
good at.
I think I’m good at staying up till very late in the night for no
reason at all, and at speed-reading books. I read not less than 3 books
simultaneously and I am a pretty fast reader.
10.
Name 2 things you consider yourself to be very
bad at.
1. Multitasking.
2. Staying focused on one project at a time. I
literally get distracted by all things shiny.
Giveaway:
After that fun interview its time for a giveaway! Aditi has generously offered to give away FIVE signed copies of Soldier and Spice: An Army Wife's Life to five lucky Indian readers. All you have to do is complete the entries in the rafflecopter.
If the rafflecopter is not loading go here.
May the odds be ever in your favour!
