Dear Reader,
Thank you for being here. It’s a special day today.
Psst! Do read until the end. The most exciting thing I want to share is there.
Today my FIRST book Journeys Beyond and Within… over which I have worked tirelessly for three years is available for preorder. What this means is that you can now order my book and it will be delivered to you on the 31st of January, the official release (you can only preorder the ebook and the paperback and hardcover are coming out on the 26th and 27th.)
What this also means is that I’m jumping up and down and it all feels a little surreal even though this day has been coming for months.
I’m dying to hold my book in my hands but I’ll wait, some more. Because Amazon, the book giant through which I’m publishing, doesn’t offer hard copies in India, only ebooks. And the other self-publishing company I have used to make print copies available in India needs another few days to send me the book. My friends have some early proof copies though and are fully enjoying them.
However, what I could do was send a draft copy to Kindle.
It feels surreal to hold the Kindle with my book on it. I downloaded it yesterday for the first time and as Journeys Beyond and Within… showed up on Kindle and I tapped on my face on the cover and the book opened — no it did not give an error or disappear like a cloud of mist — my eyes produced this liquid I was for a moment very embarrassed of. The teardrops enlarged as my partner, who had been sitting next to me throughout and who now held the Kindle, flipped through the pages, turning to look at me in between and noticing that something was going on with me.
Those pages, paragraphs, lines, words, punctuation marks, footnotes, each on which I spent a thousand years were now in front of me amongst books I love on a device I used to read books of others. I sobbed, my cheeks were wet, and my body was shaking. How come my book — the book whose inception was in February 2022 and which started as a rough idea — is now here on this screen with those of Woolf, Proust, Freya Stark, Tagore, Botton, Ruskin Bond, Herman Hessey, Pirsig, Seneca? Like here on this 4 by 3 device I can read about that sleepless night in Kerala and the day it rained so hard our little boat navigating the waters of a giant, South American lake shook? My book looks exactly like these books look. Very professional and all. There is a table of contents, story headings, photographs. Everything looks neat. No. I turn a page, and it is there. I am not in a dream, and it’s not a game.
I read on chapters and can’t stop. At one a.m. in the night my partner sees me curled with the book on the sofa, and he asks, “Are you still reading yours?”
“Yeah.” I look up at him briefly, shy but proud, mischievous but guilty. I can read my own book! The other day a friend who received a proof copy showed me the book on a video call and picked it up from a rack of books and I was like so my book is on the bookshelf? And that was, well, I was pretty proud. I was also lost for a moment, feeling like an impostor.
No. I am not worried or scared about sharing Journeys Beyond and Within… with the whole world now. I worked on it until I was happy, and now it’s time for me to release this bird in the wild. I am excited, nervous, restless, and feel like I am about to take off.
I won’t get used to being a published author any time soon and that means I am going to have a lot of fun every time copies are sold, a reader reviews my book, or I see it in a store or someone’s hands or on a bookshelf. I think I am going to jump whenever I see my own copy on the desk or Kindle.
The ideas, experiences, and stories are being printed rather than staying in a draft or on my mind, never spoken, never shared. I am so glad that tens of years of travels have finally taken shape and that I have not only written them but also made meaning out of them. They say that we move from place to place without really understanding any one, or us, really. That we see more but we see so fast that we don’t understand or gain anything from even one destination. In a way, we don’t squeeze the juices out of the journey.
Well, if I can be honest here, and I will be like every time, I think I have squeezed the juices out of my travels so tightly that the rest can lay low and turn into compost now, assimilate into me to make more of me. Why I say tens of years of travel you can only tell when you read the book. All I can say now (finally respecting the gods who instruct don’t tell too much) is that the book traces my journey from its beginning and talks about the adventures I went on and things I tried, all personally, professionally, and, mischief-wise.
So I have a clear understanding of each of these now like I never had before (thanks to the excruciating long writing days, nights, weekends, festivals, public holidays, seasons and family time and self-time and every other time I can possibly imagine).
How the book came into being and how the writing journey has been, what the book is about, my partner’s and my three years on the road (four now), and seven years of full-time writing will all catch you up on the details of this long, every-moment-worth-it path.
I am going to share a lot more about the writing process: how I found an editor and worked with her to bring the book to its current state, the rest of the writing struggle not covered in the above links, diaries I penned down while writing the book, books I read while writing the book, things I did day to day and my routine that helped me stay sane and functional, why I rejected the publisher’s offer, the self-publishing process, how to get a word out for the book, how many days I thought everything will take and how many days does it really take.
I want to share everything with you — people who love to read what I write and who relate to my writing and support me and stand with me.
Massive thanks for being here :)
And now, I have a book trailer to show you. This is the shortest I could squeeze my long journey into, and I am quite happy with the photos and snippets I have included from the past years.
Here you go.
In my usual self-deprecating, vivid narrative style (that I’ve been told you love so much, ahem), I have put out the stories I've never shared before (all fears aside). The book is sure to entertain you if not also inspire you to travel, to rediscover home, and to leap over the boundaries.
Most importantly, I hope this book serves you well and helps you as you explore this world and yourself. As always, grateful :)
You can either go to this page to order the book but I’m also leaving all the links here. (Please forgive the extra redness today but I would rather not have anyone struggle for a preorder link. Ideally, one link should route the purchaser to their Amazon. But no, I’ve been given one for each region.)
For the other 180+ countries, please check out your local Amazon page or the one for your region. So for Asia, try Amazon Japan, and for Peru, head to Amazon Brazil.
Those of you who are in Singapore, Suriname, Dubai, Sweden, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, Nairobi, Peru, New Zealand, and so many more countries you send me emails from :) — Are you able to preorder the book? Which region did you get it from? I would love to know.
I'm trying to get the book out on as many platforms as possible soon.
P.S. Journeys Beyond and Within… comes out on the 31st of January. Preordering it means that more people will find it!
My FIRST book is ready to walk out the doors and into your hands. Still can’t believe it. Please do let me know if you have any issues preordering the book. You can write to me at hello@onmycanvas.com or reply to this email. Or, if you want to speak with me about something, you know how to reach me. Even if you’d like to say how eager are you to read the book, I would be the happiest person on the earth.
Today I read a lot of old emails from you all, and I can’t express how thankful I was for all the appreciative messages, wishes, and replies over the years.
How do you feel when you send out a big project?
For this week’s letter,
Some of my writing,
quotes I love,
and
things to read.
Why I Quit My Job, Shelved My Computer Science Degree, and Started Writing
A software engineer by education, I was once a coder and an investment banker, but now I write full-time.
In this essay I talk about my six-year-long journey of thinking of a career change, why and how I quit my job, and finally went through a career change at 30.
Read the essay now. Or Pocket it for later.
Quotes I Love
“No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
“All a creator has is a vision. She doesn’t need to adhere to what people tell her will work or not, or the latest trend, or too much competition, or even be scared by the giantness and fogginess of her dreams. All she has to do is to manifest that vision, exactly how she envisions it, not how others do it, no matter what it takes.”
Yours Truly
What I’ve Been Reading
I’ve been reading short stories, books, articles, and so much more. I can’t possibly list all that I have read in the past week so I’m putting down the things I found most relevant and worthwhile.
Let’s keep this for the next time :)
What I’ve Been Watching/Listening
Have I ever shared this?
And for all adventure lovers!
some photos
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Thank you for reading! I hope you have a beautiful rest of the week.
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Yours,
Priyanka
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