Today with us we have the winner of our Booktrovert Cover Contest GS_Stella .She is an amazing graphic designer and even more amazing as a writer. We wish her lots of success in future.

Interviewer- pahul_gpk

PAHUL: First of all, I would begin by Congratulating you on behalf of the whole team of TheBooktrovert for your brilliant win in the Cover Contest. It was indeed a wonderful one. 

GARUNA: Thank you so much for the opportunity and the appreciation. That really means a lot to me! ❤️

PAHUL: I would like to introduce myself. This is Gurpahul Kaur, or as people say, Pahul, your interviewer

May I know your full name?

GARUNA: It feels great to be here. My name is Garuna Singh.

PAHUL: So, what was your immediate reaction when you got to know about the results, and how are you feeling right now?

GARUNA: It was early in the morning, when I got to know about the results. Half sleepy, half awake, my immediate reaction was ‘Main jeet gyi? Yeh kaise ho gya?’

Honestly, getting acknowledged for your hard work always feels good. And this cover did take a really long time for getting done. I guess after four or five trials, I was able to finalize it, because every time I got one cover done, my younger brothers laughed out loud seeing it, saying, “Yeh bhoot hai? Yeh toh mazzak hai!”

PAHUL: Siblings are always like this😂. But your work was indeed a beautiful one.❤️

Can you tell us something about yourself?

GARUNA: I’m a twenty six years old Electrical and Electronics engineer, hailing from the holy city of Varanasi, but I was born in Uttarakhand. At present, I’m preparing for civil services examination and living in Lucknow. If I have to describe myself in a single sentence then that would be, ‘those nerdy beings who are usually seen in the corner of the classroom, with their noses drilling holes in their books’. Yeah, that’s pretty much me!

PAHUL: Woahh! That was so honest of you Ms. Nerdy😂❤️. By the way, a Civil Service aspirant is here as well.😅

And what do you think, which song describes you the best?

GARUNA: Ha ha! I never gave it a thought, maybe a single song won’t be enough. But if I had to choose a single stanza from a song then that would be ‘Hum toh aise hain bhaiya’

PAHUL: Haha!

Now, since you are both a writer and a graphic designer, who inspired you to engage yourself into both of these things?

GARUNA: Well, thank you so much for that, though I don’t consider myself a graphic designer. 😅 I’m just someone who is trying to learn it.

As far as inspiration is considered, the one thing that actually made me write something for the first time was ‘boredom’. 😂 Well, when I was in the university, everyone in my group was, more or less, in a relationship. So, everyone had someone or the other to go along with at the weekend. And me, being the lonely soul, was often left behind in the hostel to brood over what I was supposed to do.

And then it happened! I came in a relationship with my laptop and mobile, and started writing accidentally. Honestly, I always feared that, if in case, I happened to write something some day, then I would be greeted with nothing but rotten eggs and foul smelling tomatoes.

And now that I have started writing, the love, support and appreciations from all my readers is the thing that actually keeps me going no matter what, and I can’t be thankful enough for that. I love all of them as my second family. ❤️

PAHUL: First of all how can you not consider yourself a GD even after bagging the first position yarr?

And secondly, I seriously liked your inspiration😂.

But, what is more difficult according to you– Writing or Graphic designing?

GARUNA: Well, according to me, it depends on the situation. Writing is my own personal definition of solace. It is something that I can’t stop even if I want to. Definitely it’s not something that I’ll ever want to.

But sometimes, either because of my personal issues or some unprecedented situations, I face severe writer’s block that actually takes a long time to get over with. And sometimes, I fail to materialize my thoughts in form of words. So, yeah, writing becomes really tough for me at times.

And as far as graphic designing is considered, visualizing my own stories in the form of a picture is still easy but it becomes a little difficult when I have to design something for someone else. Well, making something in a way someone else has visualized it is quite a difficult task according to me.

PAHUL: Who is your favourite writer and favourite graphic designer amongst the Wattpad community?

GARUNA: Well, I don’t have any personal favorite writer in here on Wattpad as each one of them have some or the other unique quality in their writings. I do have some books I absolutely adore, either for the way of writing or for the plots or maybe for both of them. But yes, if we talk about the writers outside of Wattpad, then J. K. Rowling definitely tops the list. She is a freaking genius!!

And for the graphic designers, I absolutely adore the graphics and edits made by lucky03m, be it either on Wattpad or on Instagram. They always have my heart! ❤️

PAHUL: I guess J. K. Rowling tops almost everyone's list..❤️

What have been your best and worst experience in wattpad as a graphic designer so far?

GARUNA: I don’t have much experiences regarding a graphics designer, definitely not much to have a bad one. So, as far as I remember, I don’t have any bad memories yet and I would love to keep it that way. And every moment when someone appreciates my hard work or when my work successfully makes someone smile, is the best moment in here.

PAHUL: What genre you enjoy the most while preparing a Cover or an Aesthetic?

GARUNA: I totally enjoy designing something that carries a dark theme, such as the genres like horror, paranormal, or mystery/thriller. I even like designing covers for fantasy genre and teen fictions. I love how the covers of these genres turn out to be, though they, usually, take a lot more effort than other genres.

PAHUL: Well, this reflects in your work for which you are here.😊

Which is your favourite book amongst yours?

GARUNA: Honestly, I can’t name one. Each and every story of mine carries some memories along with it and it is these memories that I actually cherish. And I definitely won’t be able to choose a memory over others, right?

PAHUL: Absolutely correct man. Truly said.

Coming to something personal, who is that one person whom you can rely upon anytime?

GARUNA: First of all, that would be my family. If I talk about my extended family, then that would be asmi944 without any doubt. She is my sweetheart, my secret confidant and one I can always rely upon no matter what.

PAHUL: Who is that one person who you know, will never pick your call? 

GARUNA: If I already know that the said person will never pick my call, then I won’t call him in the first place😂.

PAHUL: Okay I would have also delayed picking up the call of that person😂.

Anyways, what is your Biggest fear?

GARUNA: That would be hurting someone I love and care about, and losing their trust. Imagining their anger and resentment literally freaks me out!

PAHUL: That's something so good of you!

Which is your favourite colour and why?

GARUNA: Royal blue is my absolute favorite, but if asked ‘why?’, that I don’t know. I just happen to love this color. Whenever I go for shopping, I become colorblind except for black, blue and white. Other than these three, I seriously can’t see clothes of any other color. That’s why I always need a helping hand in this case😂.

PAHUL:😂😂

If u are in a deserted island, what are the three things you would like to take with you?

GARUNA: Only three? That’s not fair😥. I guess that would be my diary, my art book and my whole set of pens, and, obviously, some ideas in my mind. When I say nerdy, I actually mean it.😂

PAHUL: I was honestly waiting to see what you are going to answer for this one. And now I know you are a nerd. But a very sweet one.😂😂❤️

Well, if you become invisible for a day, what will you do first? Kiss your crush OR Slap your enemy?

GARUNA: I guess, neither of these. I’m more of a silent killer types. Slapping someone is definitely not me. I guess, my words would be more than enough. My replies are more or less like bitter guard disguised as motichoor ke ladoo. You know, perks of being a writer.

‘Kissing the crush’ is definitely not applicable for me. I already have a husband, and if I may add, he’s an absolute sweetheart. So, I don’t think I would be having a crush anytime sooner or later.

So, if I go invisible for a day, I would just roam around eating anything and everything that I can. What else would a foodie want?!😂

PAHUL: Woah Woahhh.. you are married? Then this question got wrong😂. And the last line is completely me😂❤️

Which cartoon character do you relate yourself to? State the reason too.

GARUNA: Hah! I never thought I would be asked this question ever. Though, I totally love animated movies but I haven’t given this a thought. I guess that would be the ‘rat’ from the movie Ratatouille. I, absolutely, love cooking. 😂

PAHUL: Okay! No comments! I haven't seen this😂

So moving on, what has been the most embarrassing moment of your life?

GARUNA: Trust me, I have loads of these. I’m one of the most clumsiest persons you will ever find. I often tend to get lost in my own thoughts and as a result, I get stumbled upon every next thing, eventually landing on floor in the most humorous way possible. My friends say, ‘If Garuna is walking beside you and if after a few minutes she is not by your side, then look down. You’ll definitely find her there.’

PAHUL: Okay this was really hilarious 😂😂 But you have been so true😂

So, if you could meet any character out of a bollywood film, who would it be and why?

GARUNA: I guess, that would be Captain Kabir Khan from the movie ‘Chak De India’. There’s a lot we can learn from this character. ‘Falling down and rising all over again to newer heights’ is not something everyone can do.

PAHUL: Indeed mannn!!

And which onscreen couple do you admire the most from Bollywood?

GARUNA: There are quite a few of them but if I had to choose one then… Genelia and Ritesh. They are absolutely adorable together.

PAHUL: So damn true yaar. They actually show real purity.

And, If given an opportunity to transform yourself into an animal, which one would it be and why?

GARUNA: I guess, I would choose to be a dolphin. A dolphin symbolizes harmony, balance, protection, humor and joy, peace and gentleness, and above everything a deep inner strength. They, in a way, teach us how to live joyfully in the present and still aim all our skills to create a better future for all of us.

PAHUL: That's a beautiful one❤️

Coming back to your Wattpad journey, what would you choose as a career, if your only options are a Writer and a GD?

GARUNA: Without a single thought, I would go for a writer. Writing is my first love. Making graphics is something that I really enjoy, but carving my imaginations in the form of words is my passion.

PAHUL: Have you ever faced any difficulty to make your own book covers and requested to any other GD?

GARUNA: Yeah, I have faced creativity block a couple of times while making covers of my own stories. @Zeenia_Shrew and @Lovely_Rhythm came to my rescue at that time!

PAHUL: Which is the biggest challenge you have faced as a GD till now?

GARUNA: I guess, that would be imaging the story as a picture and then finding something to my liking accordingly. Most of the times, the design I imagine and the one that I end up making differ quite a lot. Sometimes, I end up making the cover in a couple of hours and sometimes it takes days.

PAHUL: I don't know why, but this has intrigued me into learning graphic designing.

Well, there are so many cases of plagiarism, what is your take on that?

GARUNA: I, absolutely, detest plagiarism from the deepest core of my heart. I have faced it twice both for Tujhh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai and for Mitwaa, and it’s definitely not a good feeling. Seeing my stories getting plagiarized made me feel as if my hard work of years was getting insulted. And the ones who do it cheat not only the readers but also their own selves just for some momentary pleasures and praises that don’t belong to them in the first place.

PAHUL: Seriously, and since you have experienced that, you can understand this from the bottom of your heart.

By the way, is wattpad your addiction or stress buster?

GARUNA: It’s more like a stress buster for me. Being here makes me forget all my worries for a moment and the lovely messages from everyone here always manages to bring a smile on my face.

PAHUL: I second you. And despite of all the issues we face with Wattpad, it is a blessing.

What tips do you want to give to the new graphic designers?

GARUNA: I don’t think I’m eligible enough for giving any sort of tips. 😅 But all I would like to say is just follow what your heart says and the creativity will flow on it’s own. ❤️

PAHUL: If your book gets the 'National Best Seller', whom will you thank the first?

GARUNA: Hah! I haven’t imagined it even in my wildest dreams. But if in any case that happens then that would be my mother. The way she has supported me against all odds is something that I can’t put into words. No matter what, she always encourages me to follow my dreams. And following her would be both my younger brothers, my husband and @asmi944. They are my lifelines!

PAHUL: That's so very sweet❤️ May god bless this family.😇

Coming towards the end, how much would you rate this interview and the questions out of 10, with 1 being lowest and 10 being highest? And how was your experience here at Booktrovert?

GARUNA: Definitely, a 10/10. I really enjoyed the questions in here. Some of them actually made me think what should I reply to this one. 😂 It felt great being here at TheBooktrovert. The memories, definitely, worth remembering. ❤️

PAHUL: It was indeed a pleasure having you here. Any message you would like to convey to your friends or your readers?

GARUNA: Thank you so much, all of you, for always being there. Your love, support and motivation really means a lot to me. You all are not just my readers but a second family to me. My journey would have been so worth remembering hadn’t it been you all. This is what keep me going and I’ll try my best not to disappoint any of you. Love you all so much! ❤️

PAHUL: Thankyou so much for being with us here. Congratulations once again and may you achieve loads and loads of success in your life. May you and your family be blessed always. The way you honestly put forward your thoughts was really very admirable. I enjoyed your answers a lot.❤️

With the hope to interact with you more, I sign off.

Thankyou so much!

Love

Gurpahul