A Potpourri of Vestiges Exclusive
Dr. Renu: Thanks!
Pre-order your copy of The Mastery of You at:
Target.com / Indigo.ca
P.S. The link to this interview has been featured by the official website of University of Toronto.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
Dr. Renu S. Persaud, the young and dynamic author of 'The Mastery Of You', talked to the Editor-In-Chief of A Potpourri of Vestiges, Murtaza Ali Khan, about her literary non-fiction book and her journey as a public speaker, author, and an academician.
Here is a summary of the Q&A session we had with the talented author:
Here is a summary of the Q&A session we had with the talented author:
Murtaza:
Congratulations, Dr. Renu, for your upcoming book, The Mastery Of You!
Dr. Renu: Thank you, it is a very exciting time!
Murtaza: The
Mastery Of You is slated for limited edition release in February. Tell us about
your book and what inspired you to write it.
Dr. Renu: The book is a synthesis of my scholarly research, my personal
experiences and observations about social life. As an academic I have written
many pages of objective analysis of data.
In my book, the path has been very different. I freely write about my feelings, my emotions
and life experiences. It is special
because it is very personal, rational and poetic all at the same time.
The inspiration to write The Mastery Of You was quite simply
that I wanted to make a difference in the world; to touch the lives of people,
to let them know that their own sense of self-worth is the greatest super-power
that they possess.
Murtaza: You
are a working mother. How challenging it was for you to find the time to write
this book.
Dr. Renu: I have been asked this question many times, where I found the
time to write the book. I am determined,
and that can be both a strength and weakness.
I love to write and I am passionate about literary writing. My writing allows me to express my thoughts so
it has never been a daunting task; the time to write is another story. Most of my writing was done in the evenings
after I put my children to bed. Knowing
that they are dreaming, and happily sleeping, I would escape to my library, and
sit with the company of nightfall, the moon and stars and just write. At times,
I would write until the early morning.
Murtaza: Your
book is a literary non-fiction. When we talk of the non-fiction in modern
literature, we are immediately reminded of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, a
literary non-fiction novel that’s said to have established the genre. Tell us
about the writers and intellectuals who have influenced you during your journey
as a creative writer.
Dr. Renu: I admire writers from many disciplines, but
Hemingway, Tolstoy, Murakami, Rumi, Sartre, hold a special place in my
heart. As a child, I wanted to be surrounded
by books, rather than toys. By 8 years
old, I had read my first novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Dickens
captured the social milieu of his time with depth and emotion. Later on, the impression of this story on my
own journey was two-fold, I became passionate about social life and how the
personal self we have can become conflicted with the social self. Secondly, I
admired the simple and elegant language Dickens used in describing even the
most complex dimensions of the human psyche.
Today, I am passionate about the non-fiction genre. Writers of non-fiction yield a great
power. Through their eyes, they share
realities and facts, and they hope that people will feel their passion about
the real life situations they write about.
This can create acceptance and controversy, but that is precisely why
the genre is important. We often write
about experiences, situations, and conflicts that others may shy away from, yet
when we articulate them, people find connections and realize we share similar
values and realities. These truths are
only cloaked differently from our own human experiences and environmental
conditions.
Murtaza: You
recently delivered at TEDx talk in Waterloo. How did it materialize? What was
the experience like?
Dr. Renu: The TEDx Talk was one of the greatest experiences of my Life! I
am so fortunate to have been chosen as part of the speaker line-up because it
was very competitive. My Talk shared my
research on Self-worth, sense of self, and education. Everyone was excited and interested in the
ideas about self-mastery and the Talk was very well-received nationally across
Canada and North America. It made me
realize that The Mastery Of You is something that everyone, all ages and
backgrounds are passionate about. It is a universal human need.
Murtaza: The
full distribution of your book would only start in September. Tell us about the
marketing strategy that you plan to employ for your book.
Dr. Renu: The book seems to be taking on a life of its own. I am so
grateful for the support I have received.Currently, the book is already
available at Target.com for pre-orders and this is very exciting, because it
has not even been released. Much of the marketing will be carried out by my
publisher, and I am very lucky to be working with their professional marketing
team. There are marketing projects being
considered, some of which involve modelling and spokesperson promotions. We are working with a Beverly Hills based Director
on a screen project for the book. We will be holding social media campaigns and
my social media sites, FB, Twitter, Instagram will have daily announcements and
updates on contests. There will be an
official book launch party and numerous book signing events across North
America and then worldwide- While the venues are still to be decided, we are
considering restaurants, libraries, bookstores, universities and many other
venues. I am in discussions with a Fortune 500 company who is interested in
sponsoring me and we will be carrying a spin-off product line. Right now, I am
concentrating on my speaking engagements, book promotion and sponsorships.
My website: Renupersaud.com
Murtaza:
Writing is often described as a cathartic process. How do you see it? What
would be your advice to aspiring writers?
Dr. Renu: Thoughts
are the primary manifestation of the Self, they are what we think and, how what
we think makes us feel. Writing is a mere
secondary expression of those sentiments into words and language
expressions. Regardless of the genre, writers are breaking
the cycle of the experiencing Self by translating thoughts and emotions into
words and this is potent. Our thoughts and feelings aim to translate the
authentic self. Writing is cathartic
precisely because it the closest that we can get to translating the Self into
reality. Yet, it is still a secondary
expression of the Self.
Murtaza:
What are
your views on cinematic adaptations of literary works? Are
you open tofilm adaptation of The Mastery Of You, if an opportunity
comes by?
Dr. Renu: I think it is not impossible, but it takes a masterful director to distill the essence of a 300 page book into a cinematic medium of 2 hours. I would welcome a film adaptation that is true to my passion. I do believe that the significance of the book can be distilled with the right team. If a movie can touch even one life with an inspirational true to life story as mine, then I have made a difference.
Murtaza: Wish you the very best of luck for The Mastery Of You. I look forward to reading it.
Dr. Renu: I think it is not impossible, but it takes a masterful director to distill the essence of a 300 page book into a cinematic medium of 2 hours. I would welcome a film adaptation that is true to my passion. I do believe that the significance of the book can be distilled with the right team. If a movie can touch even one life with an inspirational true to life story as mine, then I have made a difference.
Murtaza: Wish you the very best of luck for The Mastery Of You. I look forward to reading it.
Dr. Renu: Thanks!
Pre-order your copy of The Mastery of You at:
Target.com / Indigo.ca
P.S. The link to this interview has been featured by the official website of University of Toronto.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
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