Author Interview: Ruchi Singh, author of Take 2: Second Chance at Happiness

Hello, thank you so much for taking the time out to talk to me. 

Thank you Aniesha, its an honor.


1. First things first: how did you take up writing?


It was in 2013, when my daughter went to college. I was feeling a little low due to empty nest syndrome, that was the time friends and family suggested writing. I really enjoyed the first few days of putting my thoughts on paper. Since I am very fond of novels, so I began with a novel and the result was Take 2. 


And here I am writing and enjoying.


2. What was your very first attempt at creative writing?


Apart from writing at school , which I don’t remember much. The first attempt at writing was a poem for my daughter on ‘Blackboard’ for her ‘Show and Tell’ competition, she came second in the class. This was in 2002.


3. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?


Primarily it is from my imagination and the books I have read, but reactions of characters are from real life experiences and studying people around.


4. What in particular gave you the idea for your current novel?


The plight of few of my friends who were single or divorced, gave me the idea of Priya’s character. And since I am an eternally optimistic person and all my stories would have HEA, Abhimanyu’s character was conceived to compliment Priya. 


If you are in love with someone you have to nurture it by showing care and affection. And that is what Abhimanyu does for Priya. I have tried to bring out that sentiment in the story along with some drama to entertain the readers.


5. Do have particular schedules or writing routines when it comes to your work?


I write in the morning when people at home have gone to their respective school and office. The house is relatively quiet with essential daily chores out of the way, I love that time of the day.


6. A lot of authors are taking the indie publishing route. What’s your view about it?


I think it is a personal choice and as long as the finished product is professional enough. By professional I mean the book is well edited and cover is attention grabbing.I have seen books having errors from Traditional Publishers too, so it all boils down to quality of people working on your book.


But alone it’s a lot of work and accountability.


7. If your story got turned into a movie, who would you like to see star as leads?


Amen. 

Pooja Sharma (played Draupadi in recent Mahabharata serial) and Siddharth Malhotra.

8. What are your future plans for writing? Can you give out a teaser or two for your readers?


While ‘Take 2’ is a contemporary romance with a spice of social drama, the next one is a romantic thriller. I am also planning a suspense detective series, which is at a very nascent stage.


I might write a literary piece one day, there are lots of ideas floating in my mind.


9. Do have any particular authors who inspire your work?


My favorite authors are Frederick Forsyth, Georgette Heyer, John Grisham and Judith McNaught, amongst the Indian authors I like Chitra Divakurni and Anuja Chauhan.


10. What would your advice be to aspiring authors?


This is a good question Aniesha, my two, rather three, cents are:

Read ‘On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft’ by Stephen King and follow it.
Buy a good editing tool and use it
Write, write, write and edit, edit, edit…

11. What would be an ideal gift for you?


A good thriller book


12. And finally, if there was a book you could turn into a movie, what would it be and why? 


This one is a little tough, because my movie GK is bad. The one that comes to my mind is… er… all of them have been made into a movie or a TV series… hmm… … sorry can’t think of any…


Thank you once again for talking me. I wish you all the best with your current work and future works. 


Thanks a lot for having me on your blog! 


An excerpt from her novel, Take 2: Second Chance at Happiness:


“This conversation is absurd!” Eyes ablaze, he threw the box, bracelet and all, across the room. 

She flinched, but couldn’t tear her gaze away from the storm swirling in his eyes.


“You’ve always trusted others more than me, Priya. But enough is enough. I will not let you toss my actions and feelings back at me like this.” Though he spoke calmly, his eyes mirrored the depth of his anger. “In these months that I have known you, you have never called me once or made that first move I hoped for, but now you will have to! You want a risk free life. I have got news, you don’t get anything until you take risks. You may have your way today and I am tired of waiting for crumbs of your attention and affection. Now I want either all or nothing! The choice is yours and the risk is also yours. If you decide either ways, be completely sure about yourself and your feelings. There will be no going back.” 



A wave of regret and sorrow moved on his face. He caught hold of her arms and jerked her against him. She gasped. Plastering her against him, he kissed her, as if there was no tomorrow. Then he pushed her free, as if she was a piece of smouldering coal and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut.

If you liked the excerpt, you can buy the book from:

Amazon.com|Amazon.in|GoodReads

About Ruchi Singh:



Ruchi Singh has a degree in Engineering and is a freelance Quality Consultant. She began her writing career writing short stories and articles, which have been published on various online and print forums. Her story ‘Boomerang’ in crime genre, won the Indireads Short Story competition in 2014, and is part of the Indireads Anthology ‘Voices Old & New’. Another of her short stories ‘Debt of Kheer’ is part of Author’s Ink anthology ‘The Turning Point Of Life’, both available on Amazon and Flipkart. ‘Take 2’ is her debut novel.

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