29 May, 2018

#SpecialFeature :: #Interview with Ruchi Kokcha, #Author of Obsessed


*** Special Feature - May 2018 ***

Quick Recap:


About the Book:
Disturbingly dark and full of shocking surprises, Obsessed traverses a path along the razor’s edge of twisted love. How far will Avik’s and Ananki’s obsessions take them? 

Investigative journalist Avik has finally found the one case that could bring him glory. Or death.
   
As the mystery behind millionaire Kalki Rajput’s murder thickens, Avik is forced to risk it all to bring out the truth that has eluded many before him.

If only he could uncover what the victim's daughter had witnessed. Of course, that would mean diving into the depths of her madness. He had thought he could resurface with the truth. Now he will count himself lucky if he makes it out alive. And sane.

Populated with characters that pose at the chasm that separates the real from the unreal, in prose that belongs to worlds not our own, Obsessed will snatch you from your comfort zone. None will ever guess the identity of the killer until the book chooses to reveal it. 

Amazon


Interview with the Author:

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
I was an avid reader ever since I can remember. I was particularly fond of stories and storytelling. For a very long time in my life I was content being a reader. During school I used to win many writing competitions but I never thought of trying my hand at fiction. It was during my graduation when it first came to my mind that perhaps I should try to write something beyond essays and debates and course answers.

What inspires you to write?
Writing is therapeutic for me. It keeps me going during the worst of times. 

What kind of research goes into your book?
For my debut book Obsessed, I read a lot of stuff on psychoanalysis, madness and mental illnesses as it deals with the theme of sanity and madness. I had to read about various drugs that are administered in various mental disorders, the way mental patients are treated etc

How did you come up with the idea for your current story? 
During college I was particularly fond of Greek literature. I was learning to admire women like Lysistrata who makes her fellow women go on a sex strike and thereby stops the ongoing war. I was also learning to empathize with someone like Medea who murders her own sons to avenge herself for the infidelity inflicted upon her by her husband. The idea behind the book was to create a story unique like theirs

If you could pick any famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
I would pick Murakami. I love his books and especially his narrative techniques. I wish someday I am able to write like him.

Do you ever experience writer’s block? If so what helps you to get over it?
I would not call it as a block.  My mind is quite restless and I get distracted with other ideas. At that time I leave the current work for a while and do something else. I come back to it later on with a fresh focus. It helps.

What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy writing the first draft the most because that is when I am telling the story to myself. It is the most honest and raw.  Although it has to be worked upon many times but I love the sense of accomplishment one gets after finishing the first draft. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Be true to yourself as a writer. It was given to me by my best friend.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
If you want to write to be famous, don’t. If you want to write to be rich, don’t. If you want to write to impress, don’t. Write only if there is something within you that only you can express in the best possible way.  Write for yourself. Everything else will follow.

About the Author:


Ruchi Kokcha is a writer and a poet who truly believes in her saying, ‘People come, people go, poetry stays.’ A lover of stories, she did her master’s in English literature from Delhi University. Currently working as a teacher, when not immersed in books or typing her heart out, she loves weight training at the gym or swaying to a Bollywood dance number. Obsessed is her first novel.





Contact the Author:

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28 May, 2018

#CoverReveal - Mauri (Abhaya #2) by Saiswaroopa Iyer


Mauri, the second book of Abhaya collection by Saiswaroopa Iyer is set to release on 9th June 2018 on Amazon Kindle Store. Set in the times of Mahabharata, the books explore lesser known stories of the timeless epic of India from the perspectives of strong female protagonists. The opening Title, Abhaya, was released on Kindle store in November 2015 and has received praise from acclaimed authors and reviewers.

"Abhaya allows us to delve into the world of our ancestors and Gods through the route of great storytelling and a brilliant narrative. A thoroughly enjoyable read" - Amish Tripathi

About Mauri

She wanted to kill the man who others called a God.
Love is but an obstacle in her path

With her father’s death shattering her world, Mauri is torn away from everything she had once loved. Anger replacing every emotion within her, she seeks only one thing. To kill her father’s killer. Even if the man is none less than Krishna Vaasudeva, the man who people worshipped as a God! Someone stands in the way, reining in her bitterness when she is the least prepared for it. The Rakshasa Prince Ghatotkacha! But by the time love sprouts within her, Mauri has gone too far in her thirst for vengeance. Can Mauri save herself and Ghatotkacha before the consequences of her own actions can destroy both their worlds?



Excerpt

The smile on Ghatotkacha’s face faded the moment he saw the figure that had appeared atop the wall. Unknown to him, his fists curled over his club and heart fought against the searing pain of the memory. The memory of betrayal. His intensified gaze and a placid forehead contrasted each other. No more of this. Not now!
Mauri saw him. Like he commanded a new surge of energy after their last meeting. Mauri had little in her defence. And she had other things on her mind before she could take an interest in defending herself. In fact, she had no wish to defend her past actions. Face it! But her predicament sorely needed external help and his demeanour did not leave much hope. Mauri steeled her heart and inhaled. She was going to need all her energies for this! 
She forced a smile onto her lips and looked at him, trying to summon her old self. “So, we have visitors!” she thundered, glancing at his small band of Rakshasa followers. “But I regret to inform you that the temple is closed to pilgrims indefinitely.” 
“Closed to pilgrims, open to monstrous rogues and their heartless little minions.” Ghatotkacha retorted. “Perhaps there needs to be a change.”
Her guilt notwithstanding, Mauri was not going to brook being called names, much less, being called a minion to a crafty coward like Alambusha. Still, his pain when he uttered the word ‘heartless’ did not go unnoticed by her. Her frown narrowed, fighting back any traces of regret. In vain though. “Change comes at a price, Rakshasa Prince, sorry, King. Though I must say the population under your command has dwindled too much for one to still consider you a king.” She could see his annoyance mounting. Something amused her about it. “So tell me what you can pay, Ghatotkacha!” 
Ghatotkacha threw his head up and shrugged looking around. “I would have loved to play a game of word parlay. Except this is no stage and there is no audience to enjoy the exchange.” His eyes betrayed impatience. “I come to keep a promise. A promise of protection that was given to this sacred place under the rule of my uncle, Emperor Yudhishtira. My demand is clear, daughter of late commander Mura. Open the gates, surrender the rogue Rakshasa traitors to me. Open up this temple of the Supreme Goddess to those who deserve to see Her.”
“I asked for a price you could pay and you repeat the demand. By the Goddess, someone needs to grow up!” Mauri sneered back and leaned against a pole, feigning nonchalance. This was all going nowhere—her show of hostility, his mounting anger, Dhatri’s life in danger, and Alambusha preferring to hide inside the inner circle. She needed to break away. She struck upon a frantic plan, praying all Gods for its success. “There seems to be only one language you understand. Defeat me, and you can have a free pass inside.”

About the Author
Formerly an analyst with a Venture capital firm, Saiswaroopa currently writes Puranic fiction, with a focus on lesser known heroines of Ancient India. Mauri is her third work of fiction after Abhaya and Avishi. Her interests include Carnatic Music, Philosophy, History and Literature of India. She won a state level gold medal from TTD in rendering Annamacharya Kritis. She holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.


25 May, 2018

#BookBlitz :: The Unity Game by Leonora Meriel

About the Book:
WHAT IF THE EARTH YOU KNEW WAS JUST THE BEGINNING?

A New York banker is descending into madness. 


A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive. 


A dead man must unlock the secrets of an unknown dimension to save his loved ones. 


From the visions of Socrates in ancient Athens, to the birth of free will aboard a spaceship headed to Earth, The Unity Game tells a story of hope and redemption in a universe more ingenious and surprising than you ever thought possible. 


Metaphysical thriller and interstellar mystery, this is a 'complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel' from an exciting and original new voice in fiction.\



Book Links:

Meet the Characters:

The Setting: Earth

New York City. The 1990s. One of the world’s leading investment banks.

The Setting: Space


A distant planet. A dry surface orbited by three red moons and circling a distant sun. An advanced civilization living in underground chambers.


The Setting: Death


An open door. A library. A room of knowledge. A garden of dazzling color. The answers to every question that has ever been asked on Earth.



Meet David


A brilliant scientist and wildly ambitious, David abandoned an academic path to follow the glow of Wall Street money. From a small town in Canada, he is now determined to make the riches he has given up his scientific talents for. He is always on edge, he must prove he is better than the other bankers, he has to win the best deals. However, he is easy pickings for the multi-million dollar bosses who see how they can use a greedy, naïve young man for their own purposes. David falls further into risk, mistakes and desperation, clutching at anything around him as his dreams and world falls apart.



Meet Noe-bouk


Dry dust. Three red moons. A member of one of the most advanced civilizations in the universe, taught to believe that all the answers come naturally from the incontrovertible logic of the greatest good. Now, facing death, Noe-bouk decides to find out if there is something more than what he has been taught. Accepting a place on a space ship, the further he gets from the moons of Home Planet the more he understands that he knows nothing at all…



Meet Alisdair


A respected lawyer. An adoring grandfather. Alisdair collapses outside his law offices in London and finds himself standing beside his unmoving corpse. He feels wonderful! He spots some wide open doors and bounds through them to discover a library, a garden, and his dead wife. All his life he has burned with the questions of the universe: what is the purpose of existence? What is good and evil? How far does the infinite stretch? With an afterworld guide and his wife at his side, his only limits now are to come up with new questions as all of his horizons expand beyond imagination…


Meet Elspeth


Beautiful, young, angry. Apart from her beloved grandfather Alisdair, Elspeth has been let down by everyone in her life. She’s rejected her parents and their easy choices, she sees no meaning in the structures of society. She has always felt lost, and now the death of her grandfather is forcing her to make choices. With some money he has left her, she decides to follow a feeling and go on an adventure.


Meet Socrates


Legendary philosopher, pion of bravery and morality, a figure so strong his ideas and presence pervade the centuries and the dimensions of time and space. Who else would Alisdair call upon in the afterworld to help his granddaughter Elspeth, than the man he has revered his entire life, and whose teachings guided him? Yes, Elspeth can be helped, but she must be brought together with another soul – one who has truly lost their path.



Reviews for The Unity Game

 “A complex, ambitious and thought-provoking novel.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

“Elegantly written, expertly crafted and a moving message. I found this book very hard to put down. Moving and poignant.” ~ Lilly, Amazon US reviewer


“An engrossing, unique, and totally bizarre tale! I could not stop reading it once I started. Such a beautiful take on the afterlife, and its connection to those still living. A unity game, indeed!”~ Brenna, Goodreads reviewer


About the Author:
Leonora Meriel grew up in London and studied literature at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Queen’s University in Canada. She worked at the United Nations in New York, and then for a multinational law firm.
In 2003 she moved from New York to Kyiv, where she founded and managed Ukraine’s largest Internet company. She studied at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and earned an MBA, which included a study trip around China and Taiwan, and climbing to the top of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak and part of the Carpathian Mountains. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a major local charity.
During her years in Ukraine, she learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian, witnessed two revolutions and got to know an extraordinary country at a key period of its development.
In 2008, she decided to return to her dream of being a writer, and to dedicate her career to literature. In 2011, she completed The Woman Behind the Waterfall, set in a village in western Ukraine. While her first novel was with a London agent, Leonora completed her second novel The Unity Game, set in New York City and on a distant planet.
Leonora currently lives in Barcelona and London and has two children. She is working on her third novel.

Contact the Author:

23 May, 2018

#BookBlitz :: Castles in the Air by Sangeet Sharma

About the Book:



Publisher: Rumour Book India
Edition: First edition (2017)
ISBN: 978-1945563850
Genre: Fiction
Format: Paperback
Pages: 234
Price: 299/-









Laughter is said to be the best elixir and the book is a satire on architecture written by one who knows the bricks and concrete of the profession by heart.

The author, an architect himself, delves into the journey of a professional practice. The book is witty with acerbic humor.

Word by word, sentence by sentence, page by page, every scene unfolds like a screenplay, leaving the reader amazed with the brutalities of life in architecture, and life itself.

Book Links:

Reviews for the Book:






About the Author:
Sangeet Sharma is a practicing architect in Chandigarh. He is a partner in SD Sharma & Associates, a well-known firm of the region founded by his father Ar. SD Sharma, an eminent Architect. Widely acknowledged and awarded Ar. Sangeet Sharma commands an undisputed international reputation in profession. Carrying forward the legacy and vocabulary established by his father he is fascinated by geometrical forms. 
By looking at every drawn line as built spaces he follows a certain rationale to his reflective practice. His buildings are based on sustainable applications.
He is a multifaceted personality. He is a poet, Architectural critic, writer, artist and author. He has authored Architecture, Life and Me, published by Rupa and Co., a memoir that takes an all-round view of the profession.

Contact the Author:


22 May, 2018

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost - Creating characters that Go beyond Social Labels by Ruchi Kokcha


*** Special Feature - May 2018 ***


About the Book:
Disturbingly dark and full of shocking surprises, Obsessed traverses a path along the razor’s edge of twisted love. How far will Avik’s and Ananki’s obsessions take them? 

Investigative journalist Avik has finally found the one case that could bring him glory. Or death.
   
As the mystery behind millionaire Kalki Rajput’s murder thickens, Avik is forced to risk it all to bring out the truth that has eluded many before him.

If only he could uncover what the victim's daughter had witnessed. Of course, that would mean diving into the depths of her madness. He had thought he could resurface with the truth. Now he will count himself lucky if he makes it out alive. And sane.

Populated with characters that pose at the chasm that separates the real from the unreal, in prose that belongs to worlds not our own, Obsessed will snatch you from your comfort zone. None will ever guess the identity of the killer until the book chooses to reveal it. 

Amazon


Creating characters that Go beyond Social Labels:

THE LABEL GAME

Let us play this label game
Oh it is easy and fun to do
You just stick one on me
I’ll find one for you too.

People so keen to put a label to everything and everyone. There is an inherent tendency in people to bring everything into the realm of their own understanding. The tool with which they do it with is the language they are most comfortable with.  It has nothing to do with the one labelled, but their failure to look through the person. 

It doesn’t end here. Most of the times, the labels are intended to shame, to remind someone of being an outsider, someone whom you have failed to understand.

Without knowing anything about someone’s health issue, people would label them as ‘fat’ or ‘skinny’. Body shaming is so conditioned in the collective psyche that people do it without even realizing they are doing it. There are countless labels related to the physical attributes or lack of it. If you do not belong to the acceptable paradigm of how a so called perfect person should look, there is a label ready for you.

Why do people have a problem with a certain body type? Why is it impossible to understand views of someone with a different political ideology? Why do we not think twice before calling someone “dark” or “ugly” or “attention seeking” or  “crazy”? Why fingers are pointed at someone who is considered to be an outsider?

Is it the person’s fault if other people fail to understand him/her? If someone is different than you, physically, politically, intellectually or emotionally (and does not pose a threat to the law and order of the State) what right others have to question the natural state of being of that individual?

In Obsessed, I have tried to create characters that not only break the stereotypes but reject the labels people around them try to stick on them. The characters do not belong to black or white but they are all shades of grey.

Ananki is someone who would not stop at anything to get back the love she desires from someone she loves, even if it means that every now and then she is labelled as “crazy” or “mad”. She does not adhere to the social standards of beauty either. She does not wax her body hair, does not do make up or style her hair. She is comfortable in her natural physical appearance so much that Avik finds it extremely attractive when he first sees her. She is poetic and manipulative at the same time, making it difficult for anyone to be able to cast her into a mould that they would easily understand.

Avik is a journalist. But he is the kind of journalist who follows a set of ideals. He wants success because of his talent and merit. He does not want to take the easy way like others and get a salary hike or a promotion to a higher post. He would instead take up a case that could cost him his life.

Obsessed as a book would want its readers to be more empathetic and understanding of others. It was what I had in my mind when I started writing it.

About the Author:


Ruchi Kokcha is a writer and a poet who truly believes in her saying, ‘People come, people go, poetry stays.’ A lover of stories, she did her master’s in English literature from Delhi University. Currently working as a teacher, when not immersed in books or typing her heart out, she loves weight training at the gym or swaying to a Bollywood dance number. Obsessed is her first novel.





Contact the Author:

Giveaway:
Specially made Diary

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21 May, 2018

#BookBlitz :: Daughter of the Sun (Cult of the Cat Series #1) by Zoe Kalo

Daughter of the Sun
~ Cult of the Cat Series Book 1 ~


About the Book:



Title: Daughter of the Sun
Series: Cult of the Cat Series, Book 1
Author: Zoe Kalo
Genre: YA Contemporary Fantasy / Paranormal
Word Count: 93,000 words
No. of Pages: 330










Mystery, adventure, a hint of romance, and the delicious sweep of magic...

Sixteen-year-old Trinity was born during a solar eclipse and left at the doorsteps of a convent along with a torn piece of papyrus covered with ancient symbols. Raised by nuns in the English countryside, she leads a quiet life until she’s whisked away to the Island of Cats and a grandmother she never knew. 

But before they can get to know each other, her grandmother dies. All that Trinity has left is a mysterious eye-shaped ring. And a thousand grieving cats. As Trinity tries to solve the enigma of the torn papyrus, she discovers a world of bloody sacrifices and evil curses, and a prophecy that points to her and her new feline abilities. 

Unwilling to believe that any of the Egyptian gods could still be alive, Trinity turns to eighteen-year-old Seth and is instantly pulled into a vortex of sensations that forces her to confront her true self—and a horrifying destiny.


Get Your Copy of this Book. Available for FREE for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! 


About the Author:
Storyteller at heart...

A certified bookworm and ailurophile, Zoe Kalo has always been obsessed with books and reading. The pleasure of writing and sharing her fantasy worlds has remained. Today, Zoe passes her stories to you with lots of mystery, adventure, a hint of romance, and the delicious sweep of magic.

Currently, she balances writing with spending time with her family, taking care of her clowder of cats, and searching for the perfect bottle of pinot noir.

Contact the Author:
Website * Facebook * Twitter





16 May, 2018

#Spotlight - To Hell and Back by Anurag Anand

About the Book:
A mindless road-rage incident leaves a young and promising entrepreneur dead. Is it an accident, or a cold-blooded murder, planned to absolute perfection? Namrata, a young professional, is enveloped by all the quintessential elements of life in the fast lane—a staling marriage, an extramarital affair and eyes full of dreams, until a fun evening turns into a chilling nightmare for her.
Renu, a girl living in a world marred by regressive customs and dated practices, has resigned to the patriarchal ways of her world, until they begin to cast their malicious shadows on her unborn child.
Their worlds, although separate, intersect each other in a single strike of tragedy that none could have imagined. It is then that this story begins and sends everyone’s life on a dizzy tailspin…
Will they be able to get back to their safe and secure lives?
To Hell and Back is a fast-paced thriller that will not only keep you on tenterhooks till the very end, but it shall also rattle your beliefs on how ‘crime-proof’ the world that you live in truly is.


Goodreads * Amazon


Read an Excerpt:

You shall never know what it’s like to dance in the rain. . .
Studying the deluge from the confines of your world,
A world of the cautious, a world by the sane.

But what when the torrent refuses to wane. . .
And the wicked waters threaten to seep into your lane,
Into a world that was safe, into a world with no stain?

The muck and the filth will suddenly seem strange. . .
As your silence of today exposes you to a whole new world,
A world that’s out there, a world of horrors, a world of pain.


About the Author:
Anurag Anand is a prolific author, a corporate professional and a devout family man, who finds himself shuttling between Pennsylvania, where his family is settled, and Gurugram. Two of his works—The Legend of Amrapali and The Quest for Nothing—have made it to the final shortlist in the past editions of the Crossword Book Awards. His other books are Love on 3 Wheels, Where the Rainbow Ends, Birth of the Bastard Prince, Of Tattoos and Taboos! And Reality Bites.
He is a contributing author to several renowned publications, including The Times of India, and his column, ‘Corporate Whispers’, is a monthly feature in the Suburb Life magazine. The biggest reward for his writing, he believes, is hearing from his readers and interacting with them.

15 May, 2018

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost - Themes in Obsessed by Ruchi Kokcha


*** Special Feature - May 2018 ***


About the Book:
Disturbingly dark and full of shocking surprises, Obsessed traverses a path along the razor’s edge of twisted love. How far will Avik’s and Ananki’s obsessions take them? 

Investigative journalist Avik has finally found the one case that could bring him glory. Or death.
   
As the mystery behind millionaire Kalki Rajput’s murder thickens, Avik is forced to risk it all to bring out the truth that has eluded many before him.

If only he could uncover what the victim's daughter had witnessed. Of course, that would mean diving into the depths of her madness. He had thought he could resurface with the truth. Now he will count himself lucky if he makes it out alive. And sane.

Populated with characters that pose at the chasm that separates the real from the unreal, in prose that belongs to worlds not our own, Obsessed will snatch you from your comfort zone. None will ever guess the identity of the killer until the book chooses to reveal it. 

Amazon


Themes in Obsessed:

Obsessed not only shows the obsession of its protagonists but of every character in one way or the other. Every character in the book is obsessed at different levels, for different things. The magnitude of their obsession defines who they are inside. It is this obsession for something that makes them very natural, real and relatable.
The book questions various norms that have been conditioned into the collective psyche of our society from centuries. The youth can relate to the fact that neither these norms are the sole path to tread on, nor they can be put to compartments of black/white, right/wrong, normal/abnormal and so on. The book therefore will inspire them to seek alternative lines of thinking without foisting its own or author's perception about them.
The book also throws light on the changing nature of families in our society. With growing ambition, the parent-child relationships are at an all time low. Much like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the book also underlines the question of nature vs. nurture. Are kids being born more violent today? Or is it the environment that makes them so? It will make the readers pause and think, 'What are we doing to our kids? What is more important than love and quality time?'

Lately, there has been a rise in the number of cases where a child is abused by someone close. Most disturbing are the cases where the biological father abuses the child. This book might also be seen as an act of subversion as the unconventional daughter rebels against the social norms and crosses every boundary that is set for her. Unimaginable events follow. 

About the Author:


Ruchi Kokcha is a writer and a poet who truly believes in her saying, ‘People come, people go, poetry stays.’ A lover of stories, she did her master’s in English literature from Delhi University. Currently working as a teacher, when not immersed in books or typing her heart out, she loves weight training at the gym or swaying to a Bollywood dance number. Obsessed is her first novel.





Contact the Author:

Giveaway:
Specially made Diary

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11 May, 2018

#Spotlight - The Woman Behind the Waterfall by Leonora Meriel

About the Book:


Heartbreak and transformation in the beauty of a Ukrainian village.

For seven-year old Angela, happiness is exploring the lush countryside around her home in western Ukraine. Her wild imagination takes her into birds and flowers, and into the waters of the river.
All that changes when, one morning, she sees her mother crying. As she tries to find out why, she is drawn on an extraordinary journey into the secrets of her family, and her mother's fateful choices.
Can Angela lead her mother back to happiness before her innocence is destroyed by the shadows of a dark past?
Beautiful, poetic and richly sensory, this is a tale that will haunt and lift its readers.





Book Links:


Meet the Characters:

The Setting

Ukraine, a village deep in the countryside. A picturesque, verdant landscape. The houses are beautiful but have few amenities: water is gathered from the well, clothes are washed by hand, and the “outhouse” toilet is in the garden. Life is hard work here, and close to nature.

The Language

There are many Ukrainian words in the novel, especially emphasizing the names of endearment Ukrainian people give to each other. Lastivka is “little swallow”; zaika is ‘little rabbit”; harnenka is “my beautiful one.”

Meet Lyudmilla

Lyuda is a beautiful woman in her early twenties who has suffered some hard knocks early on. Pregnant at just sixteen, she left school and the child’s father moved into their house in the village. Her father died, and her mother soon after, and Lyuda found herself a teenager loaded down with the pressures of a baby, looking after a house, and a man who expected her to cook for him and be the light-hearted girl he fell in love with. Eventually, the situation grows intolerable for him and he abandons her. At seventeen, she is entirely alone with a small baby. She falls into a deep cycle of depression and self-blame, feeling that her life is over and that she is at fault. She doesn’t let anyone close to her.
It is only when her daughter Angela is a little older – aged seven – that she starts to notice how sad her mother is.  She decides to do something about it.

Meet Angela

Seven-year-old girl Angela has been left alone to do as she likes for most of her life. Her mother makes sure her dresses are clean and her hair is untangled, but she is free to play as she wishes. She has a wild imagination and she sees no boundaries between her thoughts and the world around her: she flies in the body of a bird, she becomes the wind, she enters a storm – she is pure spirit and possibility.
When she starts to notice her mother crying every time she is alone, Angela is determined to find out why, and to help her mother regain the happiness she herself feels. At the heart of her investigation are questions that now begin to haunt her: Where is her father? Why does no one come to the house? Why does her mother cry when she thinks no one can see her?
When Angela meets the spirit of her grandmother, they come up with a plan to help Lyuda.

Meet Zoryana

The name Zoryana, which comes from the Ukrainian root zorya, means star, dawn, youth, day or spring. Zoryana has returned to the Earth in spirit form after seeing the unhappiness of her daughter and her failure to move past her teenage mistakes.
Zoryana feels that she did not prepare her daughter enough for the real world before she died, and she sees her struggling and unhappy. She wants to show her that life has highs and lows and that she must choose a new path for herself. She connects with her granddaughter Angela, who is not daunted by meeting the spirit of a relative, and together they help Lyuda to understand and see the joy in her life.

Meet Kolya

Nicolai, or Kolya, lives next door to Lyuda and brews home-made vodka in his shed. He sells it to her and catches rabbits for her to eat. He was a childhood friend of her mother, Zoryana, and he hates to see her so unhappy. He’d love to help her, but she pushes him away. When he finally makes a terrible mistake, there is a high price to pay.

Reviews for The Woman Behind the Waterfall

“Readers looking for a classic tale of love and loss will be rewarded with an intoxicating world” ~~ Kirkus Reviews

“The language is lyrical and poetic and, in places, begs to be read repeatedly for the sheer joy of it… A literary work of art.” ~~ Fiona Adams, The Richmond Magazine

“Rich and poetic in detail, it is an often dreamy, oneiric narrative rooted in an exaltation of nature… A lovely novel.” ~~ IndieReader

About the Author:
Leonora Meriel grew up in London and studied literature at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Queen’s University in Canada. She worked at the United Nations in New York, and then for a multinational law firm.
In 2003 she moved from New York to Kyiv, where she founded and managed Ukraine’s largest Internet company. She studied at Kyiv Mohyla Business School and earned an MBA, which included a study trip around China and Taiwan, and climbing to the top of Hoverla, Ukraine’s highest peak and part of the Carpathian Mountains. She also served as President of the International Women’s Club of Kyiv, a major local charity.
During her years in Ukraine, she learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian, witnessed two revolutions and got to know an extraordinary country at a key period of its development.
In 2008, she decided to return to her dream of being a writer, and to dedicate her career to literature. In 2011, she completed The Woman Behind the Waterfall, set in a village in western Ukraine. While her first novel was with a London agent, Leonora completed her second novel The Unity Game, set in New York City and on a distant planet.
Leonora currently lives in Barcelona and London and has two children. She is working on her third novel.

Contact the Author:




#FaveFiveFriday - Fave Five Genres

#FaveFiveFriday is an initiative by Buzz Magazine



1. Mystery / Crime
Books that made me fall in love with reading were by Satyajit Ray & Agatha Christie. Feluda, Poirot and Miss Marple charmed me into building a reading habit. And so, this is the genre that remains always tops my preference list. I would prefer picking up a good Murder Mystery over everything else. Who doesn't like a gripping 'Whodunnit'?

Recommendations: Death on the Nile, Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Rebecca, Woman in White, The Hound of Baskervilles, The Final Problem.


2. Suspense / Action Thriller
Car chases, lots of action and near death situations make for entertaining reads. The excitement, the anticipation and the suspense is just intoxicating. 

Recommendations: Lee Child, Chris Kuzneski, Andy McNab, James Patterson, Tom Clancy, James Rollins, Oliver Bowden.


3. Fantasy / Speculative Fiction
I got into reading fantasy quite late. I used to think that magic and magical creatures belong to fairy tales and were meant for kids. I used to find it amusing that adults could believe in stories with dragons... Till I picked up Harry Potter. And the rest, as they say is history. 

Recommendations: Game of Thrones, Throne of Glass, Six of Crows, Harry Potter, The Handmaid's Tale, The Young Elite.


4. Young Adult
When Harry Potter proved me wrong about my notion about Fantasy, I started reading more genres and more of genres other than mysteries... Young Adult stuck with me too.

Recommendations: Diary of Anne Frank, The Book Thief, Fault in our Stars, Wonder, Anne of Green Gables.


5. Literary Fiction
I love this genre because the books in this genre are always a learning experience. They push me to think outside my comfort zone sometimes and challenges me to understand and empathize with people and situations. Sometimes they are real scary with how relatable they are too.

Recommendations: The Colour Purple, The Sense of an Ending, Little Women, Kite Runner, Perfume.