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Don't be obsessed with negative feelings about your body, says author Foram Shah
Author Foram Shah talks about her recent book "The Healers", published by Power Publishers.
Which books have influenced you the most as a reader?
Every book that I have picked up in life has influenced me in some way or the other. The first book that I had read was of the Famous Five series when I was in the fifth grade. I fell in love with it and thus started my romance with books. Then there was Noddy, Heidi and Nancy Drew. And like a typical child of the 90s I was a part of the Harry Potter followers too. I also love comics.
We all need a hero.Tell us about the protagonist (s)? Was there a real -life inspiration behind him or her?
My protagonists are animate objects with real human emotions. They are funny, humorous, responsible and friendly. The book is as real as it can get in a fictional story. Also there is a human protagonist who is a typical teenager with body issues. There are so many real-life inspirations behind her. Every person is struggling with those issues, including me. Who hasn't been judged for their body. But I didn't want to present it in a cliched way. I wanted to make it interesting and fun at the same time, so I did that.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
The hardest part about writing this book was that this book deals with sensitive issues. I did not want to cross any line while writing it and make it insensitive. At the same time I wanted this book to be fun while reading it. So to find a balance between sensitivity and humour was a bit challenging.
Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will get to?
On the surface it's just a story. And though it does not preach anything directly, there is an important message underlining it. And that would be, don't get too obsessed with body and looks, or these thoughts can easily break you. People will judge you, pass vile comments on your shape and size but never let that mess with your sensibilities or break you down completely so that you have to resort to extreme and unhealthy measures.
What are your future projects?
There are plenty of ideas for future projects but it honestly depends on how much love this book gets.
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