Interview with Pushpendra Mehta

Recently I sat down with Pushpendra Mehta author of The Suitable Inheritor.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit my blog.

What genre do you write?

While my latest novel The Suitable Inheritor is an inspirational romance, I have also written two nonfiction-self-help books.  

Tell us something about yourself people may not know

For three years between the ages of 11-14, I attended a boarding school in a small town in northern India. I bunked in a big room with nine other classmates and two ceiling fans that saved us from the scorching heat. Discipline was the order of the day from ironed uniforms to strict schedules for meals, school, sports, free time, and homework. To this day, I still have difficulty with the sight and smell of oatmeal, due to an oatmeal breakfast served every morning in the boarding school cafeteria. 

Who inspires your writing?

To be honest, what really inspires me is to share stories to make a difference, as opposed to inspiration from a specific individual. Fortunately, I’ve had the exposure of experiencing varied cultures, professions, and relationships. The stories I write are the result of those experiences, whether it is a mundane occurrence or something much more profound, therefore writing comes to me naturally.

How did you come to choose to write books?

While I was in grad school, during a 30-second elevator ride with Lee Heubner (an alumnus of Harvard University and Northwestern University, who also served as the publisher and CEO of the International Herald Tribune), he suggested I write a book.  In his words – “You must now do two things – author a book, and learn how to write and deliver speeches. Authors are often called to make speeches.”

What is your favorite animal?

Horses, because of their loyalty.

What is your favorite holiday?

I have two favorite holidays – Thanksgiving and Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

Do you have any books to be released in 2016-2017?

I have just released The Suitable Inheritor (a novel) that is a journey to the extraordinary through Chicago and Peru with a strong India connect. It is an inspiring story of true love, extraordinary success, divine intervention, profound relationships, sacrifice, and support.

If you were on a deserted island what three things would you take with you?

An interesting companion, a lighter, a journal and pen.

Interview with Pushpendra Mehta

He's an alumnus of Northwestern University (USA). He has a background in marketing, public relations, and communications. He founded VCherish.com - an online news media and eBooks publishing company. But his latest avatar is his true love...

Pushpendra Mehta calls himself an 'authorpreneur' (author-entrepreneur). He has written three books, two non-fiction: Win the Battles of Life & Relationships and Tomorrow's Young Achievers, and one fiction - his latest book - The Suitable Inheritor.

I read The Suitable Inheritor almost in one sitting. It's an engrossing novel with a fine understanding of the dichotomies prevalent in today's relationships. Yes, the world is fraught with confused and convoluted relationships, and our understanding of them is only reducing. That's probably why Pushpendra wrote the book - to help us resolve some of these entanglements in our lives.

The title intrigued me... Is anyone a 'suitable inheritor' anymore? And if so, what does it take to be one? Pushpendra's novel merely scratched the surface of my curiosity... I wanted to get a deeper account of the travails of modern-day relationships directly from him.

So I wrote to Pushpendra, got his full story, and got him to answer my questions about what it takes to have a happy relationship...what it takes to be a successful novelist...and how one can successfully mix writing with entrepreneurship...

Pushpendra poured his heart and mind into the answers...

When did you know you wanted to be an author...how did the journey begin?

While in graduate school, at Northwestern University, I met with Lee Heubner (an alumnus of Harvard University; also publisher and CEO of the International Herald Tribune). He suggested I write a book, and learn how to deliver speeches... 'Authors are often called to make speeches,' he said. I took his advice seriously and wrote my first book in 2006.

I am fortunate to have grown up in a family that adopted the best of Eastern and Western thought and culture. I am equally lucky to have experienced the richness of life that comes through interaction with the 'underprivileged' and the 'privileged', the 'powerless' and the 'powerful'. Additionally, the magnificence of my varied life experiences has enhanced my understanding of human behaviour, success, life, and relationships.

Through my books, I write about the essence of life and its connection to all forms of existence (personal and professional) - relationships. As a storyteller, my written voice is largely about self-discovery, extraordinary success, true love, and profound relationships... All with an aim to meaningfully make a difference in readers' lives.

In The Suitable Inheritor, the protagonist aims at becoming the world's best relationship coach taking on the mantle from his mentor... What qualities does one need to become a good inheritor/successor in life and in business?

The Suitable Inheritor in life and in business will remember that true happiness is about forging relationships to build the extraordinary - be it an extraordinary life or extraordinary success. The fitting successor will develop the ability to deal with complicated relationships, diverse mindsets, and shades of life.

'Suitable inheritors' will find a mentor or ask for help, even if smart or capable, and befriend people who are achievers and believers. They will recognize that, irrespective of accolades and experience, it is prudent to always stay a student...thirsting for continual learning, change, adaptability, and heightened self-belief.

What are the factors hindering today's relationships? And, how can one work on cementing firmer relationships?

Lack of compassion, radical individualism, impatience, and an inability to accept other perspectives hinder today's relationships. Meaningful relationships require compassionate communication and a high level of acceptance to thrive.

A happy relationship means working on adopting the same interests, condoning faults, accepting quirks or a different temperament, providing room to experiment, space to evolve, and more importantly, honing the ability to have long conversations. With age, conversation skills become as imperative as any other aspect of a fulfilling relationship.

When should you give up on a relationship and when should you hold on to one?

The word relationship is being taken for granted these days. It is the most powerful human connection as everything revolves around it. An evolved or deep relationship is a fabric of emotions woven with adoration, adaptability, support, companionship, care, conversation, commitment, understanding, generosity, sacrifice, respect, freedom, and trust.

This possibly explains why it is best to give up on a relationship that is utterly devoid of the aforesaid emotions. Equally important it is to hold onto a relationship that delineates at least a few of the aforementioned emotions.

Would you say relationships have got more fragile in this era, and if so, why?

We are living in a world replete with unhappiness, loneliness, depression, insecurity, failed or broken relationships. I believe that an extraordinary relationship and an exceptional success story have one thing in common: They both require support and sacrifice.

Unfortunately, modern lives are getting more complicated, hollow and incomplete because we live in an era where we expect, want, and desire, but do not wish to give, gratify, or reciprocate...where we have double-standards, but call the other a hypocrite.

What are your struggles as an author? Do you experience writer's block; if so, how do you overcome it?

I struggled with the thought that I am unique and have a story nobody else has. This was a huge impediment to overcome... Fortunately, I got sage advice 'to write to make a difference' and 'to leave a legacy to be remembered by'. This counsel always helps me write without fear of failure or rejection.

I also revisit my golden rules for writing -

• I have a story nobody else has
• Writing is about adept storytelling
• Invest in words
• Write a page every day
• Write about what you know or enjoy
• Take yourself very seriously as a writer, yet step aside from time to time to reflect on your writing
• Connect with fellow writers
• Read and exercise vigorously
• Introspect and observe
• Converse with interesting and wise people

These rules always assist me in overcoming the sporadic writer's block.

Were there any challenges in the publishing process? Did you face rejections, multiple edits?

After writing two non-fiction books, I decided to make the leap to writing fiction. This was an intensive journey that involved travel, incalculable cups of tea, long hours of writing, and six rounds of editing and rewriting. The most challenging part in The Suitable Inheritor was the placement of three very different worlds (Chicago, Peru, and India) into the context of a single story.

The biggest rejection I faced was from a few sceptical, yet well-known names in the publishing world. But rejection is a big turn on for me. It encourages me to get better as a writer. As an author, if you have an open mind and a big heart, your book or novel will be a success.

I found The Suitable Inheritor extremely cathartic, probably because the topic was handled in such a candid and absorbing manner... What did the book do to you personally?

The Suitable Inheritor is a constant reminder for me to talk the talk and walk the walk too for continual happiness in varied relationships. As a novelist who writes about people, life, and relationships, I have begun to believe that each person has different ways of seeking happiness in life and relationships.

Happy relationships are synonymous with the kind of connections and associations we create. The bibliophile finds meaning in books, the wise in sagacious company, the socialite in material trappings, the spiritual seeker in profundity, the money lender in money, and the actor in acting. This must be understood to manage complex human relationships better.

How have you seen yourself evolve as an author and as a person?

When you pursue your passion with your heart, soul, and mind completely immersed into it, endless commercial, intellectual, and spiritual possibilities open up. These hone your growth as a person and also enable you to exert influence on your mind for it can be your best ally or worst enemy.

Also, my journey as an author is the relentless pursuit to become better at what I do. This results in continual self-reflection and the courage to reveal the emotional truths inside of me.

You are an entrepreneur, author, and consultant. Which avatar do you like best?

I enjoy being an authorpreneur the most... When you write books, they can have a big impact across the world given the power of the digital world and its reach. My books have been read in North America, UK, Latin America, Italy, India, Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, and several parts of Asia, and have resulted in meaningful connections.

I encourage more people to write books and build their business with books for it can serve as a change agent that is more powerful than being a mere entrepreneur or consultant. But a leap of faith is a must irrespective of whether you are an author, entrepreneur, or consultant... It allows you to think big and bold, and pursue your dream!