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Showing posts from February, 2020

Author Highlight: Dipnanda Bhaduri Roy Discusses her New Novel ‘I am in Love with a Shudh Desi Firangi’ and Stories from her Life

We are delighted to welcome a very promising novelist Dipnanda Bhaduri Roy for a brief Q & A session at our website about her recent novel ‘I am in Love with a Shudh Desi Firangi: Hey Shiva, I See You in Him’. In this Q & A session, she will be talking about her writing aspirations, inclination towards contemporary romance fiction, and the route to getting her novel published. Stay on...while we chat with her. Would you mind telling a bit about your novel – maybe in two or three sentences? Blending and Acceptance: Loving interactions between Hinduism and Christianity, which redefine selfless love towards Lord Shiva and humanity. If you truly love your God, you can find Him in any religious or cultural setting. You would end up seeing Him and feeling His presence everywhere. What inspired you to write this novel? Any tales... I have grown up watching my grandparents worshiping Lord Shiva. There was a strong ‘Shiva-culture’ in my family. I was told that in ever

Book Review: The Final Puzzle by Juhi Ray

I have been hearing about the world famous duo Akbar and Birbal even before I got into schooling. I always assumed them as ‘fairy tale’ kind of figures; however, as I got more familiar with history and fiction, I was able to make the difference between two. Birbal is famous for playing against his enemies amidst the most challenging circumstances, and Akbar was the only legendary king from the Mughal Empire. I never cared to know what was Birbal’s real name and how did he became so famous. To me, it was more of a funny character. With time, I read some books, fiction and non-fiction and history on the Mughal Empire. The Final Puzzle by Juhi Ray seems like the best I have ever read based on the King Akbar. In this novel the author has reverently called him as Padshah Akbar, a spiced up slang in Punjabi and Urdu. Unlike the Mughal series by Alex Rutherford, this novel is unconventional. In the presence of Akbar, Juhi succeeded in illuminating the character of Raja Birbal. Here

Book Review: Reminisce of the Lost Land by Subodh Sharma

As exquisite as powerful, the novella ‘Reminisce of the Lost Land’ takes us down to the memory lane. The book is authoritative and aesthetic in its essence and semblance, so much so that it can stir moments of nostalgia even in the stone-hearted people. With two French ladies at the forefront, the main story revolves around the ancestral history and heritage of the royal family of Bhangasura. As the novel chugs ahead, we see that the feeling of ‘being in lost days’ is rudimentary to tribulations and privations in life. A young French lady arrives in Bhangasura in 1990 only to revive the days of her late mother Louise who was emotionally connected to this place. In the form of a video cassette and a manuscript, connected stories make way for a riveting narration which is not only rich in language selection but also vivid and opulent while exploring the ambience of the place, fort, people and their backs stories, and much more. If you get into the stories of people, the pro

Author Highlight: Tarun Vikash Discusses his Début Book ‘She Stood by Me’ and Stories from his Life

We are back with another author interview. Today, with us, we have Tarun Vikash – the author of ‘ She Stood by Me ’. In this interview, Tarun talks about his writing aspirations, inclination towards romance, and the route to getting his book published. Stay on...while we chat with him. What motivates you to write? I have been an ardent reader for a decade now and I mostly read Indian authors. The absence of nice stories around me actually motivated me to write. There was a time when I realized that I am not reading the genre of books I want to read. My peers also complained of the same when I decided to write for everyone out there waiting for a nice novel. I also want my stories to convey a message in every novel I write. I don’t intend to write a boring storyline, which people forget ultimately down the memory lane. I want my stories to be remembered forever and it can only happen if it moves them, touches them deep and they could relate to my characters in their daily

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is possibly the best standalone novel of phenomenal work he has given the world of young adult fiction by far. This multi-million worldwide bestseller was first published on Jan 10, 2012. The title comes from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and it’s perfectly coordinated as this story opens up to us in the first person by the main character Hazel grace, a sixteen-year-old average girl in the regressive stage of lung cancer. Though the cancer was supposed to be terminal, a new miracle drug has bought her an undetermined amount of time, but it hasn't put her disease into remission. She is required to carry her oxygen tank because, as she remarks, her “lungs suck at being lungs.” So, the dying girl continues to live with her loving family and decides to make the most out of it as long as she could. After being diagnosed with her cancer Hazel never really got the chance to experience the teenage life every girl lives, she calls it 'awkwar

Author Highlight: Ketan Modha Discusses his New Book ‘Shades of Pink’ and Stories from his Life

We are back with another author interview. Today, with us, we have Ketan – the author of ‘ Shades of Pink ’ . In this interview, Ketan talks about his writing aspirations, and the route to getting his book published. Stay on...while we chat with him. What motivates you to write? Everybody needs a medium to express! Writing is just one of them. I believe I can write better than probably I speak. As far as motivation goes, I would like to do something what I enjoy! Furthermore, as a writer you only need your thoughts, a laptop and your solitude i.e. this is something you can carry on as long as you want! Was it tough to pen down a novel based on two female personalities? Not really!   I think what really matters is the subject and how much do you believe in what you have written or going to write. The book is not only about two female personalities. Rather, it is the ideology entrenched in beliefs of people in any generation and conflict of those very beliefs across generat

Book Review: Shades of Pink by Ketan Modha

Shades of Pink by Ketan Modha is a riveting romance novel featuring Maya as a protagonist. The novel is poignant in bringing forward the conflict of interests and other grim societal layers that do no good to an individual. From love and society’s point of view, the novel holds a special place in the Indian literature arena. The title ‘Shades of Pink’ subtly signifies the placement and plight of women from one generation to next. Here, the story is almost two-generational. First is Maya, and the next is her daughter Ria. Though Maya runs like banter throughout the backdrop; however, the first part is totally engrossed with her. Maya lives in a middle-class family in Ahmedabad with her professor father Vishnu and mother. Maya was keen to have admission in a medical college, but fate has something different in store for her. Upon her father’s insistence, she chooses Microbiology. She is not happy with this choice, but feels tied. For Maya, college life is typical until she

Book Review: Cross Connection by Preety Praveen

Cross Connection is a riveting romance novel by Preety Praveen. The 200 page novel begins with career aspirations in the medicine field for some students hailing from Punjab. As we delve deep into the novel, we see that the author shuttles the backdrop between Punjab and Tamil Nadu, clearly the sense of cross-culture is evident in the novel. If you are thinking there has been Chetan Bhagat’s 2 States based on the same lines, well that was a different story altogether. This is something new and previously unheard of. The lead character is Simar. She wanted to pursue a career in medical – probably running after MBBS. In the search of a career and fate in the same, with approval from her family, she gets admission in a college in Salem. Imagine from Punjab to Tamil Nadu…thousands of miles away from home and parents. Well, after some tussle, she secures admission in BDS. But still she is happy. From Punjab she is not alone , to her company there are some more: Inder, Harjeet,

Book Review: Seeking Greens: The Lost Trident by Mishthi Arun

Seeking Greens (The Lost Trident) by Mishthi Arun is a riveting historical fiction, with snatches of fantasy and Indian mythology. The greatest aspect of the novel is its shuttling between two very ancient civilizations: Indus and Mesopotamia. The title of the novel is objective. Look at it, ‘Seeking Greens.’ What does it signify and the next phrase is ‘The Lost Trident’. After reading the novel, one can grasp that in the novel runs a great quest. What’s that? The semblance of the story takes us to the Indus Civilization around 2150 BC – clearly the time line is not only ancient but primitive as well. There have been numerous novels based on modern and medieval history since the research material is abundant. On the other hand, carving out a novel from the dawn of human civilization is not only a daunting task but also demands an apt precision and a great sense of imagination. The novel sounds absolute credible at all junctions – that’s a great reward for author Mishthi.

Author Highlight: Ashutosh Jogia Discusses his New Novel ‘The Girl with Golden Thoughts’ and Stories from his Life

We are delighted to welcome a very promising novelist Ashutosh Jogia for a brief Q & A session at our website about his recent novel ‘ The Girl with Golden Thoughts ’. In this Q & A session, he will be talking about his writing aspirations, inclination towards contemporary romance fiction, and the route to getting his novel published. Stay on...while we chat with him. How did you feel when your book became Amazon Bestseller on Kindle? What is your feeling, if you are at my place? Only one word, I feel happy and hope it remain at good position in future. What inspired you to write this novel? Any tales... When I decided to write a novel after my Post Graduation, I was thinking many ideas of different genres, and almost four month was needed for deciding about a subject. It was a horror story. I had started it, but during the same time I got two short story ideas. They are also related to ghost, and it hardly takes a week to write short stories about them, but a

Book Review: Spectre (A Kirk Ingram # 3 Action Thriller) by Douglas Misquita

I found Spectre by Douglas Misquita more than an action thriller. There’s sweeping account of naturally gifted people, ethereal and supernatural forces, shuttling between two poles-apart timelines, and of course not to forget the fascinating ancient and the modern Rome, and slices of early history whenever the story transports to Christian era. The novel is more to its semblance. Yes, in the novel action abounds but the tightrope of religious beliefs in the CE, the miracle of that Rabbi, Axium flight 2315, the secret of Jovanni Rossi’s mother, the untoward yet enigmatic personality of Kirk Ingram – all blends so perfectly and finely that one could hardly feel the jolts as the novel shuttles between two parallels. Douglas Misquita is a promising author from India (I came to know this quite late.) His caliber as a writer is matchless as the likes of Dan Brown James Rollins, Grant Blackwood, and Steve Berry. I loved his pace and narration and blending of one aspect into another.

Book Review: Samsaara (Devadoot) by Alkesh Nair

Samsaara (Devadoot) is a very likeable novel for its innovative approach, well-fitted in a fantasy form. The story revolves around the lead character Rishaan Kel from Mumbai. One fine day as he was passing through a temple, he stumbles upon a beautiful girl, but out of nowhere she disappears in the air. He is befuddled, but she leaves an enigmatic hairpin for him, probably made of gold. Here onwards the restlessness of Rishaan kicks off and the story in the novel gets altogether on a new venue. From the initial chapters, I thought it as a simple investigative cum spy story. Well, it has more than that. If you have had read Harry Potter series, well then you have no time adapting to this riveting novel. Since the most of the events are spiraled out of sheer imagination, the kind of fantasy world with amusing aspects one finds is literally mind-boggling. Taking ahead the main story, Rishaan Kel is initially obsessed with a career in a detective field. However, little did he