BROMSGROVE author Raj Dhaliwal dares to share some of his dating exploits in his humorous debut book Love Lottery, writes Anu Shukla.
The trials and tribulations of a 30-something-year-old divorcee are explored as he embarks on the occasional samosa party for singles.
“In no way is it a guide on ‘how to’ or what you should or should not do, but merely a chance for me to share my experiences, which hopefully some may mock, find funny or relate to.”
In fact, it could well be the Asian-male answer to Brigitte Jones’ Diary.
“There is an element of this to the book.”
Raj, shocked at how the dating game had changed, said: “One day, I sat back to ponder: am I going for the wrong types of women? My brother would often tell me I was. But is there such a thing as the ‘wrong type’ or have I just been unlucky?
“I decided to evaluate my past relationship encounters.
“So what started as a couple of lines in the rant of an email to a friend following a break-up, became a couple of paragraphs, and slowly evolved into a document, which then became a finished book with chapters.”
The underlying message of the book is to let readers know they are not alone in not meeting the right person.
Such experiences are ‘character building’ and ‘if one lets you down, it is their loss, move on. Simple.’
The book makes references to Raj’s Indian cultural background and he hopes the contrast to British culture will appeal to readers from all walks of life.
One of Raj’s most challenging aspects was finding time. He is an accountant by day and helps with the family business on weekends, leaving little energy to work on the book.
“I would just tell myself, ‘don’t stress, just come back to it as and when you feel it. And that’s exactly what I did.”
He said his advice to other aspiring authors would be to ‘keep going and don’t let the time and effort go to waste by giving up’.
“We all have a story to tell and it’s only when we are triggered by something, do we find ourselves doing something we would not ordinarily have considered.”
Love Lottery is available for £6.99 in paperback from online retailers including Amazon and to order from all good bookstores. A Kindle version is also available.
