Stutee Nag

Originally from Palampur, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, Stutee Nag has been residing in Chandigarh for last eight years now. She works as a Law Researcher at the Honorable High Court of Punjab and Haryana.

During her college days, she was part of the popular reality show MTV Splitsvilla, where she ended up as the second runner up.

She also runs a blog at http://stuteenag.blogspot.com where she describes herself as someone who is a lawyer by day, but moonlights as a wannabe writer.

Apart from writing, she is big on travelling and hopes to cover all the seven continents before she turns forty.

Interview of Stutee Nag...Lawyer Cum Author...

12/25/20140

Q1. Tell us something about yourself? How this author was born..

Well, there is nothing much to say really, except that I am a quintessential country girl who has been lucky enough to realize some of her dreams. Love for writing is something I had even when I was all of five. The habit of penning things down, I am sure I got from my mother. However, the knack for the language was something I inculcated from my father. So, I guess, you could say that somewhere between playfully writing poems and sending across stories to the chicken soup series, this author (although I am yet to call myself that) was born.

Q2. You were part of MTV Splitsvilla, How was your experience?

You know, how sometimes we take a trip, have a lot of fun and come back with crazy bizarre memories which last us a lifetime?

Well, to me, Splitsvilla was exactly like that. I went there, had an experience of its kind, came back and resumed my life just as I had left it.

It did not change me one bit, for good or for worse.

 I was still that girl who got just as excited watching MTV, as she did before being on it. Except, of course, this particular endeavor changed my life for good (something which I had not been able to comprehend beforehand).

Changes, both welcome and otherwise, occurred. And well, I just sailed along. Because this was a choice I had made single-handedly and I was anything but regretful of it.

Q3. How was your life after Splitsvilla?

Like I said, I was still very much the same, but yes, people’s perspective towards me had undergone a certain change, and might I add with a pinch of salt that it was not all music to the ears.

But I had never let what other’s have to say about me govern the way I lived even before, and I was not about to start doing so after.

So honestly, I was pretty much the same grounded person that I was before and I did not let any of the flattery or the cheeky remarks get to me. And with time everything got sorted and fell back into place.

Q4. First on Tv, being a Lawyer and now Author-Lawyer combo…How do you manage it?

It’s not really half as huge as it appears to be.

Trust me, if I could do this, others, I am sure, can do a lot better and far more substantial than this.

Q5. What type of writer you describe yourself as?

The wannabe type ;-)

Q6. Tell us something about your book? Why did you choose “Tanu Lost Track” as your title.

It’s nothing larger than life really. No life altering philosophies, no mind boggling epiphanies and certainly no fairy tale ending. It’s just a story of some twenty something girl facing life on her own terms!

But, what I feel, sets my book apart is ‘honesty’. We all make certain choices in life and we all live with the aftereffects. But it’s not always that we are willing to discuss these choices out in the open (until of course you are a pseudo celeb, in which case, be prepared to be stoned to death).

We are so afraid of being judged that we almost never come clean. That’s what sets Tanu apart. In her bid to take life head on, she did lose track and is not afraid to admit it. That’s the backbone of this character. Other than that, it’s just a light take on life which is aimed at making the reader smile.

Q7. How was it working with Petals?

If not for Mr. Harpreet Makkar, I don’t think I would have gone ahead with this book at all. I swear, somewhere in the middle, I had just dumped it in some folder within a folder in my documents, never to see it again.

That was until, Petals happened. I applaud his patience to control his urge to not to drive a knife right through my gut. Trust me, I would have done that to myself, if I were in his shoes. I am that difficult at times.

But like any publisher, worth his salt, he corrected me where I was wrong, guided me where I needed him and most importantly, did not let me give up. He was indeed a great support to me all through this process.

Q8. How did you feel when you saw your book published and available on online portals?

It was indeed an exhilarating moment for me.

Q9. Do you have any website or blog link you would like to share?

Yes, I do run a blog at http://stuteenag.blogspot.in/

It’s named Stu(art).You can see why? Although I have been so occupied off late that I have hardly had any time to blog.

Q10. What are your future goals with your writing?

Too early to comment… I am a firm believer in living in the present.

Q11. Who is your source of inspiration?

Corny as it will sound, but, I guess, the whole universe inspires me.

Q12. What marketing strategies you are doing to promote your book? How will you face negative as well as positive reviews for the book..?

The strategy is to have no strategy at all. I have faith in the readers, they know what to pick. As far as I am concerned, my job was done the moment I hit ctrl S.

Now I leave it to the better judgment of the readers.

And as go the reviews, negative or positive, I don’t think, being the kind of person I am, they will really affect me as such. But of course I am always open to learning and meaningful reviews will definitely serve that end. Other than that I don’t think much will change. Hey, we are well over a hundred crore, there are bound to be people who’ll not like it. But am not really worried at all.

Because the aim was to contribute – and big or small, I don’t care – but I did contribute.

Author can be contacted at:

[email protected]

Thank you Stutee for your Valuable time...All the best for your book....