Beauty and the Armageddon: Interview with Preeti Gupta

I'll Put 3 Chips on God is your first book, how did you get your start as a writer?

Well, my writing was pretty juvenile at first. I had written short articles for local newspapers before, so I wasn’t a complete novice. However writing a book is much more challenging. There is more opportunity to ramble on and not be clear and concise when trying to make a point. I tried writing my first draft almost three years ago, and it was awful. I made another attempt a year later. Then one day, I was reading a book that was written very naturally, with a lot of humor, and I realized that the “voice” of the author was similar to the “voice” in my head. No, I was not a crazy person, what I mean is that the way he wrote was the way I thought. And I realized that if I simply write whatever I am thinking, without trying to formalize or alter it too much, I can communicate much better. So that’s what I did, and voila! . . . the words started flowing.

How did you come up with the title?

I have no clue – it was the first or second title I came up with, so it happened so fast that I don’t remember what triggered it. I’ve had to labor over the choosing of a name for my other startups/projects, so I’m not sure how I came up with this one so easily. Maybe God sent it to me (if there is one!)

How do you think your writing has inspired your readers?

I don’t think I’ve presented anything that hasn’t been discussed before, but I think this book will appeal to the skeptics out there. This is a Spirituality book for those who normally don’t read Spirituality books. Some people prefer to be in a classroom when learning. Others like online self-study. There are those who respond better to visual aids. Certain concepts take time to “click” with people, and sometimes it happens because of a certain way they are presented. I think I’ve discussed these ideas in a way that might “click” with those who are not currently being drawn in by the material already out there.

Can you share a little of your current work? If not, can you tell us what your current project is?

My current project is getting the book out there, into the hands of as many readers as possible. I also have a day job as a Financial Planner. Other than those two projects, I have nothing else I am working on, because firstly, I need to recover from the 18 long months of writing and publishing the book, and secondly, I will only write more if the first book is appreciated. I know people advise authors to continue writing to better their craft, but for me, this was a one-time urge to say some things that had been brewing in my mind for years. I’ve gotten my thoughts out of my system, and only if people want me to expand on them will I undertake another book project.

What are you currently reading?

Actually I usually finish a book within a day because I’ve got this bad habit of not being able to stretch out a good book over a period of time. If it’s good, I must finish it immediately. Sometimes I’ll even have to read the ending to a book, just to spoil it for myself so I can get back to work. But I’ll still go back and read the book eventually, it’s just that I won’t have the itch to ignore all of my other tasks and focus on it exclusively.

So I’m not reading anything currently. However the last book I read was a biography of Marilyn Monroe. I love reading biographies of famous or accomplished people, such as celebrities, entrepreneurs, people who underwent hardships and survived, politicians, and anyone who has gone through experiences that were extraordinary. It’s always inspiring to learn about people who’ve excelled at what they do.