Meet our Author

Interviewer: "Hey Jannie, it's been a pleasure to get to know you throughout your publishing process, we've seen you as a meticulous, multi-talented person, please tell us about the journey that led you here, today!"

Jannie: "I was in 9th grade when I first discovered my love for words and quotes on Pinterest. I received my first mobile phone after begging for it for so long, but unlike other kids, I used it to scan pins, either for art inspiration or for just another set of relatable quotes. That's when I started writing my thoughts down, but never posted them. Call it imposter or insecurities but back then I believed that I did not deserve to be an author. But at 19, I started posting my poems on tumblr, I hid behind a pen name - trustonlystars. I did not want anyone to know that these were my thoughts. On tumblr, I didn't have to pretend to be fine or filter my thoughts, that's how my poems kept getting better and genuine. Soon, I realized that people do relate to what I write, and I made it about them more than me. Even today, I still have multiple thoughts before posting anything, but I do it because I strongly believe in the very first thought that got me this far - that was - even if there is one person in the entire universe who can relate to what I write, then it is worth posting. And my journey has been all about following that one thought."

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Interviewer: "Your most awaited, upcoming book release- 'Magic in teacups' has quite an interesting name. Why this name?"

Jannie: "So, I tried to strategically think of a book title but failed. It was also a learning experience because, Magic in teacups is about love, seasons, grief, and magic, but I was forgetting the most important element - that was the spiritual experience. After thinking hard for at least 3 months and trying out different titles, making them sound intriguing, one fine day I wrote a poem about wine glasses. The poem made me think of wine glasses in a way where it seemed pretentious, it seemed like you don't just try to hold wine in a glass elegantly but also your personality. Wine glasses are so picky about occasions, and in the next instance I thought to myself 'Oh teacups are not like that' they fit in easily and are found almost everywhere and are so much easier to pour into. People are just like that, they are easy to pour into, just like teacups, and I want to pour magic into them. I am a chai lover, I have a ritual of making and pouring tea, whether it is for myself or others. It is a moment of comfort to me, a feeling of home where I can open up and have endless conversations. Magic in teacups is nothing, but my intention of pouring hope, love, and magic into people's hearts."
 

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Interviewer: "Who is the inspiration behind your book- Magic in teacups?"

Jannie: "My mother has been the inspiration behind this book. There is an entire theme dedicated to 'Grief' in this book, and that's pretty much just all the love that I couldn't share with her. I lost her due to covid and for the longest time I was blinded by my grief, I tried to run away from everything that I wrote during those times. As time passed by I realized it was important for those poems to be released into the world because my grief wasn't a personal story, it was a shared experience. An experience that I shared with everyone who lost their friends and family to covid, this book is for them. The world quite casually slipped into a new normal but nothing was the same for us, and it had to be poured into words."

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Interviewer: "⁠And what do you want the audience to feel when they read your book?"
 

Jannie: "I don't think I want anything specific, this book is only meant to provide free shelter for as long as you want. I hope if nothing, the readers find a moment of comfort in these pages."

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Interviewer: "⁠Not just writing, but you have a very successful podcast journey going on over Spotify. Please tell us something about your podcasts and how is that medium of content different from writing books and Instagram?"

Jannie: "Podcasting is a fun experience! Every single aspect of it is quite interesting and requires you to develop new skills. It is like recording your movies - right from ideation to promoting the final content, every step is a new learning experience. It takes time to first ideate, script, filter, record, edit, design, and finally promote, but when you do go live, it feels worth it. It is a personal and direct way of speaking to your audience. I am currently working on a second podcast "I Wish I Knew" with my best friend Jisha Unnikrishnan, and we have received so much feedback from people saying that the podcast sounded like we were talking to them in a room. That has been our best compliment!"
 

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Interviewer: "And since the book is about to release so soon, our last question- how excited are you about your book to come out to the readers?"

Jannie: "Well! QUITE EXCITED! This has been in the works for quite some time, and I cannot believe I have the copies in front of me right now. It was sometime at the start of 2023, when I told my life coach, how I am just not able to move forward with the book, and now it is here! I cannot wait for people to read this and tell me what they think, if anything I want "Magic in teacups" to be like a warm hug to your soul."