SHIKHA PAKHIDE | AUTHOR INTERVIEW

SHIKHA PAKHIDE | AUTHOR INTERVIEW
on Aug 19, 2019

Interview by BookGeeks: Books are her best friends and Tea is her favourite beverage. She is the one who is known to create the “zing” factor in marketing. She is none other than the charming author of the book Define Thirty-Six Twice of Eighteen, Shikha Pakhide. We, at bookGeeks, got lucky when we got her to talk about herself and her writing.

bookGeeks:	Tell us something about Shikha as a person. Who is Shikha? What does she do? What are her hobbies, likes and dislikes?
Shikha:	I am a person on a quest. With more than 12+ years of experience in the corporate world, I have hopped onto the sideway of the busy road. The reason why I am walking and not on the driving seat is I would like to discover and work on the things I am passionate about. Being a mother of an infant and a toddler, I do not get time to indulge in my hobbies. But yes, I love to travel and I am looking forward to starting travelling again, this time with my kids.
bookGeeks:	Tell us something about your experience as a debut author.
Shikha:	I just wanted to complete the first book and did not want to die with the thought that I wanted to pen fiction and I was not able to do it. Believe me, when I was finishing the editing of Define 36, I feared that readers will dismiss the work and no one will ever read it! My hands were trembling when I clicked on the button which said: “Publish.”
bookGeeks:	Till date what has been your most cherished achievement as an author?
Shikha:	My hubby is not an avid reader and books put him to sleep, but he has finished reading the book. This and the amazing encouraging words from my family and friends who loved the stories have been my most cherished memories.
bookGeeks:	What is the one thing that you would want to change in today’s publishing industry in India?
Shikha:	The long wait on the response time from renowned publishing houses.
bookGeeks:	Who is your favourite short story author and why?
Shikha:	To tell you the truth, I have never read short stories and had always picked up novels.
bookGeeks:	What are your other interests outside of writing?
Shikha:	I like to sketch.
bookGeeks:	Tell us about your other works.
Shikha:	The second book “The Lift Saga” is a novelette which I have published via open source. You can follow this link http://shikhashikz.com/book/the-lift-saga.html to know more about the book.
bookGeeks:	Any tips you would like to offer to newbie authors who want to attempt short stories?
Shikha:	Let the pen (keys) wield the magic. Don’t worry about the fact that how will people react to the stories, will they like it or hate it. You cannot make everyone happy. So just make an effort to make yourself happy.
bookGeeks:	A few words for your fans.
Shikha:	This is overwhelming. Do I have fans? A message to all the readers, please do not judge authors by the “best selling” categories or only read books from “known authors”. Experiment with your reading habits and just enjoy a book.
bookGeeks:	A few words for bookGeeks.in
Shikha:	I am happy that bookGeeks reviewed my first book. It means a lot to a first-time author. Many thanks for it. Continue doing the good work and support that you provide to the writers. I will make a marketing wish for bookGeeks team “May the traffic and business to your site multiply by a 5x factor on a month on month basis. Amen.”