When not happily-ever-after

CHENNAI: The essence of the book is that it is an unusual love story,” said Bangalore-based Preeti Shenoy, who was in the city recently to release her third book Tea for two and a piece of cake. It is not the usual boy-meets-girl love saga, but is about what happens after they meet and fall in love, she said. “Not many authors have written about relationships that break. This book is partly about conveying the idea that failure of a relationship is not the end of the world.” While in conversation with voice-over artiste and author Bhavna Arya at Landmark on Friday, Preeti spoke about how this work has instances  borrowed from her own life, like her two previous works 34 Bubblegums and Candies and Life is What You Make it. “The story is inspired by people I know in real life, but I have used the writer’s licence to change many details,” she explained.After pointing out that there is a bit of her in each of her characters, she added that she had to think like a woman who was jilted to write this book. “I was very conscious for my thoughts to not come from my protagonist’s head,” she said.  Her love for Puducherry is an aspect that is apparent  in her writing. “I lived in both Mumbai and Puducherry. These are two starkly contrasting cities and that’s what I wanted to bring out in the book,” she explained. The title of the book has all the makings of great chick-lit, but Preeti illustrated that it could be representative of the love triangle in her plot. And she also emphasised that her book had all the makings of a Bollywood flick. “I’ve already been approached for my second book to be made into a film. This book also has everything that a film needs,” she said. Published by Random House India, Tea for two and a piece of cake is priced at `125.