It was a conspiracy #BlogchatterEbook

Befoe we begin, 

I take on the baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival from Deepa whose Ebook "Parenting Tips and Tricks" is also a part of the mix. 

About Deepa's Ebook:- 

A parent’s guide to raising happy, insightful, creative and generous kids. Parenting blogger Deepa Gandhi believes parenting is easy, only if we remember to stay calm and enjoy parenthood. It is an insight from a learning and evolving mom.

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This is how the conspiracy began

That's right, this whole A to Z Challenge and the Ebook carnival was a big conspiracy. Conspiracy by the universe to make it all happen! How else can I explain it? Here I was working on my novel, publishing my ideas on my blog whenever I could find some time from my work and suddenly there came a wave which changed everything for better.

It all started with A to Z Challenge. I came across it somewhere on the vast ocean of Social media (I can't even remember where exactly I saw it first) towards the end of March and my first thought was 'How on earth will it be possible for me to publish a post every day? My project deadlines may take a toll'. But I decided to participate and take it in stride. I thought if it becomes too much for me then I will quit. After all, there is no harm in trying it and leaving it halfway rather than not doing it at all. Next I knew, I was swept off my feet by the overwhelming response, support & encouragement by everyone around me - family, friends, blogger community and even people unfamiliar till that moment.

But that was only a start. Within a week of starting the A to Z Challenge, hubby dear suggested I gather all my posts when the challenge ends and publish a book. Until that point, I had read that some of the last year's A to Z Challenge participants had published books with their respective posts but I wasn't sure if they were handpicked by the Blogchatter team based on their contributions in the challenge. In less than a week's time, Shubhreet suggested me the same. Coming it from her was a big deal for me as she comes with years of experience in journalism. It all got me thinking seriously about publishing a book and here I am!

Off Beats is special in many ways for me, first and obvious reason is that it is my first published work and will always hold a special place in my life. But this whole challenge and the ebook carnival gave a massive boost to my confidence. We all have self-doubt and I guess it never goes away completely, but the ebook carnival helped me overcome it in many ways. Secondly, though I have completed 70-80% of my debut novel and am still working on it, I was not so sure about publishing it. The feedback I received from Off Beats assured me that I should publish it. This phenomenon (if I may call it so) of the challenge and the carnival took me and the blog to places we had never been to. Surprisingly not many of my family and friends had read any of the previous posts, some of them weren't even aware of its existence. What came as a pleasant surprise to me was it helped rekindle hubby's love for photography. In recent months, he hadn't been too keen on taking his DSLR out unless necessary. But seeing his photographs in the ebook and hearing all the encouraging comments motivated him. No matter of pestering from my end could have achieved the same result LOL.

But the real goosebump moment happened when a dear friend told me how reading it all helped her get through the tough time in her life. She was going through awful time and reading my posts helped her to look at things with new perspective. When we started Be Young 4ever, the idea was simple - to tell people that life is not over when you cross a certain age; to motivate them to pursue their passion. And listening to her move me to tears of joy. The only feeling I had was that it was all worth it if it could bring some sunshine to even one person's life.

So now as you can see, it was all a universal conspiracy on a larger scale, of seeing my work published, of touching lives. I really hope it continues to do the same. The more people it will inspire the more my life would have been worth it.

Here is my baby I have been so obsessed about over last few weeks, hope it inspires you - Off Beats.

Don't forget to share your comments below, I am keen to know if it worked its magic on you too.

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I pass on the Baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival to Pratikshya whose Ebook "Kolors Of Korea" is also a part of the mix. 

About Pratikshya's Ebook: Kolors Of Korea is a compilation of blog posts at Magic Moments and some Guest Posts in A PotPourri of Vestiges on Korean sitcoms and drama series. Though the Hallyu or the ‘korean wave’ has gripped people’s imagination internationally, it is popular in India only among the female young folk. Through the reviews of various top rated drama series in this compilation, Pratikshya wants to bring this vivid world of storytelling to audiences here. Based on emotions and sensibilities, she considers most of these stories dwelling on the universal feelings of love, longing, and belonging, as timeless. Venture into this amazing world of tales, folklores, and legends.