Author Interview : Sonia Sahijwani Saini

Author Interview : Sonia Sahijwani Saini

Hello everyone,
Today I am going to introduce you to the author of 'Yours Legally'

Let's start!

1. First of all introduce yourself. 

 Sonia Sahijwani Saini i.e. me is a 33 year old LL.B. graduate from Faculty of Law, Delhi University. After completing my graduationin Commerce from Delhi University(Gargi College), I pursued my Masters in Print Journalism (English) from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. Pursuant to abrief stint with a leading financial magazine, i left my job to study law. I am currently working in a public sector company as a legal officer and is posted at Chandigarh alongwith her husband Sulabh Saini.  This is my first book.

2. Did you always want to become a writer?

 Yes, Writing is my hobby,my passion and a form of meditation for me and I have been into it since school life. The idea to write a book was being nurtured since I was young and since childhood, i had only one desire, to see my name as the author of my book and to be known as a Writer.

3. How would you introduce your book 'Yours Legally' ?

 This book is about the journey of Sia, a young law graduate fresh out of law school who chose this field against her parents wishes . With absolutely no family  background in this profession, she sets out to explore the various opportunities this not so common but upcoming field of law brings her way . Written in the form of short stories and inspired by true incidents and events related to the legal profession, the author relates to us few such unusual and memorable incidents including some eccentric court room dramas, all of which left a deep impact in her life . These stories are based on the six elements which i feel are critical to the field of law - the case, court , complainant, counsel, criminal and confinement  and i wish through the medium of these stories, even a normal person is able to relate to this profession and the stories impact and inspire him/her too in some way.

4. What inspired you to write this book ?

 The idea of writing my book is something i have been nurturing ever since i was in class 5th. As destiny would have it,  I used to pen down few of my internship experiences during my law college days wherein I interned under various lawyers, organisations etc. Subsequently during my first job I used to visit courts on a daily basis and the proceedings, the happenings around me  used to fascinate me and challenge me every single day. this was when i decided to write few short stories based on true incidents related to the legal profession.  I felt it would be something different as most of us are wary of the courts and do not want to mess with the law in any way. I believe this book would appeal to not just those who are a part of the legal fraternity but also to those who know little about the law and would provide a fresh perspective to this profession as well.

5. Describe 'Yours Legally' in one line.

 A COLLECTION OF SIX SHORT INSPIRING AND INTERESTING STORIES RELATED TO THE LEGAL PROFESSION BASED ON TRUE EVENTS.

6. Are you planning other books? How soon can your readers expect your next book? 

 I recently got my second book BABY On Board: an ordinary couple's extraordinary journey published in Aug 2019 which is a complete contrast from my first book and aims to change the perceptions of our society towards pregnancy and parenthood. i am planning other books as well and i definitely will publish my third book next year.

7. How has your journey as an author been so far? 

  It has been interesting and challenging. As mentioned in the book in the preface, the draft for this book was actually written in 2012, years ago and sent to few publishers. Upon receiving no response, I had  actually kept it saved with me for many years only to be shocked on receiving an email from one publisher recently in Dec 2018 showing interest in getting this book published. It was surreal and unbelievable . The book was reworked and edited by me only and I thank becomeshakespeare.com and wordit art fund for funding had helping deserving and budding authors in getting their works published . the biggest challenge nowadays is to bring the book to its right reader and currently i am involved actively in social media marketing to enable more and more readers to get to know about my debut book.

8. Who is your favourite Indian and foreign author? 

 My fav indian author is Anuja Chauhan and Amitava Ghosh and among foreign authors, i like Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham and Khalid Hosseini as well.

9. What do you like to do when you are not writing? 

 I love to read,  watch movies and play sports.

10. Any message for your readers? 

 This debut book is an honest attempt to talk about law with a dash of satire with an aim to reach out to all those who may or may not have ever heard anything about the legal profession nor would have ever stepped inside a court .And for those who are a part of it already I hope they might relate to it in some way .

Thanks for reading.