Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Let’s get to know each other better

 As I am approaching my second blogoversary, I am going through heavy bouts of nostalgia. I clearly remember my first post and my first follower and also the first comment. I was gripped by fear at that time. Would anyone want to follow me? What would I blog about?

All that is a thing of the past. I have gathered 304 friends and blog buddies. I have made good writing friends who have encouraged and supported me in my writing journey. I have got to know quite a few of you well. But, I would like to get to know you all better.  There is no writing related post today. This post is about you all and me.

 I am eager to know all about each and every blog buddy of mine. I will start with myself. I graduated with a degree in Psychology, Literature and Journalism. I have been writing for many Indian newspapers for more than a decade. From the past two years I have been teaching creative writing in Mount Carmel College.

I write Middle Grade Fiction ( for ages 8 to 14). My initial lot of books were for the younger readers. Now, I concentrate just on MG fiction. In future I would love to explore the YA territory. I used to have major stage fright. But, teaching college girls has got rid of it.

I love reading, watching movies and going out with friends. I have a mortal fear of snakes, dogs and lizards. I am a complete fitness freak. Though I love junk food, I also relish my health food. I am always ready for ice-creams. I love going for long walks. Jogging and yoga are my stress busters.

 I also suffer from CGS ( Continuous Giggle Syndrome). When I am in the company of my elder sister and nieces I can spend the entire day laughing. I am also a complete chatterbox. I can talk for hours.

 I am extremely attached to my parents and spiritual master. I look for honesty in my equation with people. Hypocrisy is a huge turn off. For me the honest approach works every time. I am a huge believer in clearing misunderstandings. I have a soft heart. I go out of my way to help people in trouble. Many times I have got into trouble because of this habit. I am also a huge worry wart. I tend to get anxious a lot.

You can always bribe me with chocolates. I am absolutely touched by selfless and warm gestures. My singing can drive people nuts. I don’t even sing in the bathroom nowadays.

I am also into meditation. Quite a bit of my inspiration pops up during my meditation sessions. I am very fond of  writing short stories. I have written and published over 60 short stories.

My dream is to have my books published globally, to get an agent and perhaps see a movie adaptation of one of my books. Quite small dreams, right?

Now, I would like to know all about you all? What do you all do? What kind of books do you all write, your hobbies and passions. Everything about you all interests me. So, go ahead. Tell me all about yourselves. Let me get to know you all better.


33 comments:

  1. Congrats, Rachna... You know me na?... :-)

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  2. Congratulations, Rachna for this milestone! My journey in writing has started less than a year back, so I look forward to inspirational/educative posts from likes of you, with tons of experience:)

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  3. Continuous Giggle Syndrome... I think I might be afflicted by that too ;)

    I write speculative YA novels. I say speculative because it covers so many of the sub-genres. And I pretty much love anything creative.

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  4. I've seen extreme camping like people hanging a tent from the side of a mountain they are scaling. But never from a tree. Its great to get to know you a little better. I plan to do a Get To Know Me post later this month.

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  5. Hi Rachna ... great resume of the way you see yourself .. I think swinging gently in a hammock in the dappled sunshine with a warm breeze would be bliss ... loved reading your thoughts and aspirations - and it's so wonderful to hear how well you get on with your sisters and cousins ..

    Have fun .. cheers Hilary

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  6. I enjoyed hearing about you. You need to tell us more. India is probably the most interesting country in the world for us foreigners. I'd like to know more about your Indian life, Hinduism, things of that nature.

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  7. Fantastic! The fitness, laughing fits, and spirituality both surprise and impress me. Very cool:)

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  8. @ Pradeep, there has been a long silence from your side, actually even from my side. I am wondering whether we both know each other well ;)

    @ Rahul, for a less than a year old blogger, you are doing extremely well.

    @ Lynda, I like meeting another person afflicted by CGS :) Thank God, I am not the only giggly one around.

    @ Stephen, I look forward to reading your get to know me post.

    @ Hilary, I get along fabulously well with my sister. Sigh, wish I had the gently swinging hammock.

    @ Richard, hmm..my country fascinates you. I will surely make you get to know both India and its culture better in one of the future posts.

    @ Mark, I hope you have not pegged me as a grim faced couch-potato whose only exercise comes from pressing the buttons on her remote ;) I love my meditation sessions. Today's writing breakthrough popped up during my morning meditation session :)

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  9. Rachna, I was charmed to learn more about you. So you're a jogger! I used to be and have been thinking of getting back into it at some point. Right now I'm really enjoying my walking.

    Yikes, you want to know about me? I like to learn about pretty much everything. I like to be active and keep up with what's going on in the world. But sometimes I like to retreat and take some time out too.

    Jai

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  10. Congratulations!
    My wife is a giggler. Very contagious. Not that I giggle or anything.
    I dig movies, games, rock music, and jamming on my guitar.

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  11. It's great to get to know you better, Rachna! I too, like chocolate (but you probably already knew that:) and agree that honesty is the best policy. Congrats on the upcoming blogoversary!

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  12. I think you know me pretty well by now, Rachna! Now if I could only hear you giggle in person, that would be a fine thing. :)

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  13. So nice to know more about you! You are very accompolished Rachna!

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  14. How sweet! You're one fantastic lady to get to know better. It would be so nice if we lived close by each other. I'm fascinated by the image you have for this post. How do they do it if they need to got to the bathroom? lol...

    I am a mother of 4 cute, rambunctious kidlets. I love staying home with them and would have it no other way--in fact, I would fight to stay home with my kids. <3

    I love writing just as much as I enjoy illustrating. My first book, Darkspell a young adult paranormal romance, was published fall of last year. It has thrown me in for a HUGE loop, but I think I'm just starting to get the hang of it. I hope...

    I love to sing and dance and play with my family. I love nature, but not the bugs. lol...

    Thanks for the chance to share, Rachna!

    xox
    ♥.•*¨Elizabeth¨*•.♥

    A to Z co-host
    #AtoZChallenge
    @AprilA2Z

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  15. Wow, that's quite and impressive resume. You have a lot of accomplishments already, and I feel sure you will get an agent and have one of your stories or books turned into a movie one day.

    Meanwhile, you probably know me pretty well by now; having helped me through navigating FB, you certainly know I am not a techie. I have to confess I have never gotten into jogging, but I like to take a walk every day. And I also meditate. And, like you, I write for more than one age group, although I'm concentrating on MG novels right now.

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  16. Wow. You've had a wonderful life in many ways, it sounds like.
    Like you, I can be endlessly tempted by ice cream and chocolate. I also love writing short stories, but put them down while writing the novel. I only ever had one of the early stories published and one long poem. Now I've returned to my shorts to find my style has changed/improved, so I'm rewriting and writing new ones, too. YEAH!
    I tend to stress over work, money and the respect of others. I need to take more walks than I do, but I have been successful at remembering to pray more often. That's helped the stress to a degree. Walking would help, too. I'm a devoted Christian and Mom of a wonderful daughter, wife to the best husband ever. Life is good, stressors and all.

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  17. Aw, Rachna, I loved everything you just shared: the things I already knew, the things I didn't. I know I would have been friends with you regardless of how we met---online or in person. You're quite an inspiration! And I know you'll accomplish your dreams. You've already done so much already.

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  18. @ Jai, jogging like writing is addictive. I too enjoy my long walks. Your love for the Mahabharata fascinates me.

    @ Alex, your wife sounds like my kind of a person. Yes, giggling is contagious :) I would love to hear you play the guitar someday.

    @ Karen, I read about your love for chocolates on your blog. I am a huge admirer of your book reviews.

    @ Lydia, lets hope and pray that we will meet soon, so that not only can you hear me giggle, but you will also giggle with me.

    @ Life Ordinary (Gayatri), I have not accomplished much yet, there is a long way to go.

    @ Elizabeth Mueller, perhaps they have an open air bathroom under the trees ;) I had no idea that you like to sing and dance. I was aware that you draw very well. It would really have been nice if we lived close by, then we could meet frequently.

    @ Elizabeth Varadan, I too was not a techie earlier, but slowly I am learning how to manage the Internet and blog without tripping over my own feet.

    @ Victoria, it came as a surprise to me that you like writing short stories. Short stories are my favourite.

    @ Saumya, I too would have wanted you as a friend regardless of how we met. I wish you lots of success in your publishing journey

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  19. Hearty congrats on your up-coming anniversary. You have achieved a lot in two years. Here's to many more happy and successful years to come!

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  20. Rachna: Lovely post. I love to learn all that about you. I also love meditation. I also love yoga and writing short stories. I have written all my life but I started taking it seriously after a life transforming experience, a turning point in my existence. I am a physician but I am taking time off to mother my daughter and write. I love growing our own vegetables. I am a passionate reader and writer. What else? Oh, I love cycling and being in touch with nature.

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  21. I now notice that I repeat the word "love" too many times. I think that says a lot about my personality.

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  22. What a great idea, Rachna! I loved getting to know more about you-- it makes me feel more like we're friends instead of just blog visitors. :)

    And since we're sharing...

    I grew up as the oldest of four kids, meaning I was really bossy. I used to make my siblings play imagination games with me, where I had a story in mind, and would make them say certain things to fit the "script."

    I got an English degree at college, and spent several years working as a writer/editor for an online training company. During college, I traveled to Ghana, Africa and fell in love! Then I came home and fell in love again with my hubby. :) We have a cute little boy, and a little girl on the way.

    I write YA sci fi, because I'm a total science nerd. I wanted to be a science major in college until I realize what I really loved about science were the cool stories I could write about it.

    And that was really long! :) I'm glad to get to know you a little better, Rachna.

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  23. @ Dave, thanks for being a great supporter of my blog and visiting it often.

    @ Julia, I had no idea that you are a doctor. Meditation, yoga and writing short stories, we have three things in common. See, I am getting to know you better :)

    @ Shallee, I can never imagine you as being bossy. You look such an angel :) I was aware that you had travelled to Ghana and fallen in love with it, but I never knew about your editing job. YA sci fi is so cool. And a baby on the way, that's absolutely wonderful. I have seen your son's pictures on FB. I am enjoying getting to know you better, Shallee.

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  24. Hi, Rachna,

    It's been a while. Good to know a bit more about you. I'm impressed with your achievements - 60 short stories? Amazing.

    For me, I wish I had more time to write all the stuff I have going on in my head, which probably means I need to focus more as a writer. I do write some young adult fiction, but have been published in the romance genre.

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  25. I think it would be awesome to hang out in a little tree hammock tent thing like that. You and I share a very similar dream, though I would like to make a living at it. :)

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  26. Love that pic! A lovely post. Congrats on almost two years blogging. I love that you have big dreams! I do, too.

    Also, I tagged you on my blog!

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  27. @ J.L Campbell, I too need to get more focussed with my writing, at times I am badly distracted. I started my writing career with short-stories. I didn't know that you write romance.

    @ David, here is hoping that both our dreams come true real fast. I too would love to hang out in a tree hammock with a book and a cool glass of lemonade.

    @ Alexia, I pray that all our dreams (both writing ones and non-writing ones) come true soon. Visited your blog and enjoyed your snippet of Martinis with the Devil

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  28. Rachna- I love your dedication to the writing craft!
    You are such a blessing to the blogosphere!!

    My family is my world- I have five kiddos from 15 to 22 years of age... Homeschooler... Lobbyist's wife...

    I love to pray while walking my dog, Pearl.
    (((HUGS)))

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  29. CGS doesn't sound so bad :)

    ........dhole

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  30. Hahahaha I don't even know where to begin, so I'll pop out ten random facts.

    1) I have no middle name.
    2) I'm terrified of deep water, heights, needles and escalators
    3) I have three cats, three dogs, a parrot, one brother and one male cousin in my house.
    4) On the human side, I live with my mom and gran too. ;-P
    5)I like driving without a destination involved.
    6) I really REALLY dislike people who cycle as a sport.
    7) I like swords and daggers.
    8) I really want to learn horse riding, Arabic and playing piano.
    9) I'm a soprano, but no one can figure out which type.
    10) I write more than one genre, but only rarely at the same time.

    :-)

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  31. @ Cheryl, thanks. Pearl is a cute name for a dog :)

    @ Donna, ask my mom, she finds CGS very irritating sometimes.

    @ Misha, I loved reading your 10 random facts. I see that you have clubbed your brother and male cousin with your pets ;)

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  32. happy blog anniversary!! and so nice to "meet" you...I am interesedt too in fellow bloggers...
    my kids are your targets audience!!
    I have a secret stash of chocolate in my closet!!
    i am also your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
    happy weekend!

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  33. That nice! Awesome! Even I can not stop laughing at times.. hehe
    I have been skeptical too about blogging when I entered this worlds but the older we get the better and comfortable we feel

    Love
    http://www.meghasarin.blogspot.com

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