28 February, 2019

February 28, 2019 0

#SpecialFeature :: #Interview with Radhika Sachdev, #Author of Second Go



*** Special Feature - February 2019 ***
About the Book:
Penned in real time, from the hospital bed while battling for life, on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone’s 4x2 inch keypad, the only device allowed to the patient in her supersanitized recuperating room, this book follows a hybrid format of medico-psycho thriller, interspersed with SMS chats, transcripts of medical records, and other workings of an addled mind overcome by sickness, yet determined to pull through.

It is a first-hand account of a liver transplant recipient’s journey in India, chronicled from the patient’s perspective in vivid detail as a series of dramatic events unfold in her life, completing the cycle from sickness to health, despair to hope.

It also tells the story of a single mom and breadwinner of the family, her strong bonding with her adoptive daughter, and her family and friends’ support. The author hopes that this book will give courage and direction to other patients whose lives are hanging by a thread, patients awaiting a life-saving cadaveric organ donation.

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

Interview with the Author:

Hi Radhika! Please tell us about yourself. What were your aspirations while growing up?
I always wanted to write, not as an author per se, which came later, and quite by chance, not by design, but basically, I always wanted to have a career that had something to do with reading and writing. I guess, writing runs in my blood – it’s a kind of a catharsis. In school, I started doing poetry, and realised there aren’t many takers for it. In college edited the college magazine, and later when The Pioneer launched its local edition from Kanpur, where we were living at that time, I joined them as a cub reporter, the first woman journalist in the sleepy industrial city! Then about eight years ago, while still working for The Indian Express, I started moonlighting, discreetly rolled out my own content house by the name of ‘Write Solutions’, and finally, when we moved to Mumbai, about five years ago, added other services to my content outfit to turn into a full-fledged advertising agency. 
Simultaneously, I was also ghost writing and editing for celebrities in Mumbai. 
I really didn’t know I had a book in me, until my liver transplant happened two years ago, which is how Second Go took birth.

Journalism to writing a book, writing has been a big part of your life. What inspires you to write?
As I mentioned, writing is therapeutic for me. Alone in my super sanitised room for almost four months after the liver transplant, I had all the time in the world to introspect, take stock of my balance life, make a full recovery and think hard about the road ahead. 
Left to my own devises, except for the company of a full-time nurse, in that 10X12 feet room, my Samsung Galaxy phone became my lifeline to the world. I watched all the movies I had missed in cinema halls, read up literature I wanted to dig into; soaked up music with meditation, exercised, prayed, phone called my distant folks…and all things I didn’t normally find time for…and above all carried out business dealings, delegating work and client negotiations – all from my handset!
Second Go was also written in real time from this hand-set. While my sisters were toying with the idea of how much, and which relative or friend to inform about my conditions, they started receiving phone calls from anxious well-wishers as I was running a live news bulletin from my hospital bed; and would make public a new update each day on LinkedIn. 
LinkedIn became my first choice of a publishing platform, and in a way it was good because it kept me distracted from mundane matters, and kept me in touch with encouraging souls. 
It became my window to the world, and I could emote so easily on it, in a manner that was difficult to do with flesh and blood people, howsoever loving.

What is ‘Write Solutions’ all about? 
Just what the name spells out – it’s a boutique content outfit, but over the years we have matured and diversified – into graphic design, market research, web development, video marketing and even app development.
In my dealings with my clients, I found that most were quite happy to farm out more work to an outfit headed and manned by clutch of women (that too happened by chance not by design), who would encourage me to pick up the whole business off the table, as if discreetly suggesting that I outsource and manage that work. Somehow there was more trust in me. I took the cue, and went on adding more services and staff to my outfit. 
The first full-time designer I hired was a woman. She would come and wait for me to assign her work, and since I didn’t have any constant flow, I would get her to make all sorts of marketing collaterals for Write Solutions. 
That first month, she got so bored stiff that before leaving for home, she would remind me, “Maam, please search work for me for tomorrow.” 
Now I have so much work for her, we are thinking of taking another full time designer on board. 
It’s the same with web-development and social media marketing. We are looking for more resources. 

Tell us about Second Go. Was there any particular moment when you decided to get this book published or was it always something in the back of your mind when you started documenting your journey?
As I mentioned, Second Go started as blog series on LinkedIn. It generated a good amount of interest, so from there it started appearing on Times of India and Economic Times blog site. I was still in the hospital and penning from my hospital bed and phone – so there is a very raw feel to the material, which fortunately my Editor in Fingerprint! Publishing Vidya Suri has sought to maintain in the book. 
Later when I was fully recovered, I engaged Suhail Mathur of Book Bakers, to represent me and take it to various publishers, and thus landed this offer from Fingerprint! Publishing. It was never a pre-mediated plan.

How many drafts did it take to reach to the point that the book was ready to be published? How different was the final draft from the first draft?
It’s raw as it can be. How much can one edit on a small keypad of a smart phone. Thankfully, the editor assigned by my publisher also found merit in retaining that ‘real time’ feel of the book, including the chat transcripts with my family and office colleagues. For the sake of authenticity all that flavour has been kept intact, and that’s what makes Second Go more contemporary in feel, style, read, format and treatment.

How have the people in your life (especially those who are featured in the book) reacted to the book?
The response is mixed. Initially, they were unsure, especially my immediate family. It was like I was baring a slice of my life – my intimate health secrets, the most troubling period of my life, my soul bare for public consumption. They were worried that it would make me vulnerable. But since I am a very strong-willed person, and they too know that writing keeps me going, they kind of passively accepted. They were always wary of course on what they might discover in print about each other in the next day’s blog!
When I wield a pen in my hand, I can be brutally honest about myself and also about my circumstances, my situations, my complex choices in life. 

Please share the role played by 3 people (outside your family) in your inspiring journey.  
First and foremost, I am extremely thankfully to the entire liver team at Sahyadri Hospital, Pune, led by Dr. Bipin Vibhute – without their care and competence I would not be alive and talking about my experiences. Secondly, I would like to thank the practitioners of Soka Gakkai wherein total strangers from this incredible Japanese Buddhist movement, would chant and pray for my well-being. 
Last, but in no way the least, my staff and my clients, who kept my business going. 
Even when I was not fully hands-on, but needed to keep the show going. 

What would you say was the most difficult part in getting the book published? 
Surprisingly, I didn’t face much of a difficulty. The idea clicked on LinkedIn, and I landed this book deal fairly easily. With Internet and Social Media as the new mediums for self-publication, authors like me have more control over the outcome now.  If I hadn’t found a publisher, I would have gone on blogging, or done a website, as I already have about the book – www.radhikasachdev.in

If you could pick any famous author to read & review your book who would you pick and why?
If he were alive today, I would’ve loved to have Paul Kalanithi,  Neuro surgeon and Author of When Breath Becomes Air to review Second Go. Paul feels like an ally – a fellow traveller in time, with the same set of gut-wrenching experiences. He would have had empathy. He would perhaps understand my loneliness, and my need to write during the darkest hour of my life. 
That dark phase when the one question that bogs you is – “Why me?” and my sister had a fitting response to that question, “Why not you? What’s so special about you?” 
Perhaps nothing, which is why I like others, have to take the pain with the laughs; good fortune with bad. 

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
You can write only when you begin to feel deep. It could be anything that can trigger off the instinct to get your words on paper.
My late Mom never liked my profile of a professional ghostwriter. “When are you going to write your own book?” she would question. But again, had she known I would like to undergo a liver transplant to be able to write my first book, she would not have so pestered me. 

If the readers can take away only ONE message from the book, what you want them to learn?
Don’t EVER give up on yourself – even at the weakest, darkest moment.

What’s next for you? 
There are two projects in the pipeline.
A. Tentatively titled Everyday Survival Mantras, this also follows a hybrid format of a collection of micro blogs that I write on LinkedIn just to release some steam of the daily pressures of living. I have a feeling – from the response that these micro blogs have been generating – that it would resonate with people, who juggle too many things in their complex lives. The tone is tongue-in-cheek not heavy, and a wee bit self-deprecating, which I’ve discovered is my signature style.
B. Another project brewing within me is a sequel to Second Go. This time, I want to seek permission from the Zonal Organ Transplant Co-Ordination Committee to allow me to retrieve the antecedents of my liver donor, meet his survivors and investigate their role in my story in order to make sense of this #LifeBank tradeoff. 
I think Second Go will remain incomplete without its sequel – “I Go.” 



About the Author:



Radhika Sachdev is an independent journalist who has held senior editorial positions with leading news banners – the Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Financial World, and The Pioneer. Presently, she runs her own advertising outfit, Write Solutions.





Connect with the Author:
Website * Facebook * LinkedIn


Giveaway:
Two lucky Indian Residents can win a paperback copy each of Second Go 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

27 February, 2019

February 27, 2019 0

#BookReview :: In Love with Simran by Kulpreet Yadav


Check out the Book


When Sanjana’s friend Simran is murdered, she is pretty sure that she knows who has done it; Simran’s boyfriend and a business tycoon Nik. But she needs proof before she can see him hang for it. So she hatches a honey trap plan to expose Nik. Will she be able to carry out her plan flawlessly? Or will she give into the charm of the man who may be a killer after all?

I picked up this book as a review copy from Srishti publishers because I have heard about the author quite a bit. Some of his other titles (like The City of Mirrors) had caught my attention previously and I have been wanting to read his works for quite some time now. 

The author has done a good job with his narrative. It drew me in right from the beginning and made me feel invested in the plot. His language was simple and helped the story telling style by setting a very comfortable tone. The moderate pace of the plot littered with twists and thrills, the book is truly engaging. I was unable to pin my suspicion on one person till about half the book was done which is saying something.

However, I did face some issues with the characters and their development. Both Sanjana and Nik claim to be ‘in love with Simran’ yet they find it pretty easy to fall for each other. Nik, whose girlfriend was murdered, finds love in Sanjana… which is still somewhat believable, though I would term it as rebound relationship rather than love. On the other hand I found it very difficult to believe that a girl who is supposed to be smart, intelligent and feisty to fall for a man who she thinks is the killer of her best friend. I don’t know if it was done to add a present romantic element or just supposed to be convenient turn, I found it extremely unbelievable.

Overall, I think this book is a one-time read only because the protagonists are a letdown in what felt like a promising plot.


Review Copy received from Srishti Publishers

24 February, 2019

February 24, 2019 0

Experiencing JLF 2019

I am a Bengali. Born and raised (mostly) in Kolkata. AND I am a bookworm. 




Needless to say, I grew up attending Kolkata Book Fair on a yearly basis. In those days, when it used to be hosted at Maidan, Kolkata Book Fair used to be the largest non-trade book fair in the world. Starting on the last Wednesday of January, it would last for a fortnight and every year a new attendance record would be registered. It was an experience that is beyond words and one had to experience it for oneself in order to get the true essence of it. It lost part of its charm, for me, when it was shifted from Maidan to other venues and the last I time I attended KBF was in 2007. Ever since, I have felt like I am missing something even though I have attended multitude of other book fairs and events.

Being at Jaipur Literature Festival this year gave me back a piece of the missing part!




Here’s what you will find out if you ask around or Google JLF
-          It is the biggest literary festival in India
-          It takes place at Diggi Palace, Jaipur
-          Who's who of the literary world attend this event
-          It is free to attend (provided you register in advance)
-          Live music, art, local cuisine are added attractions

But what Google cannot tell you is the experience that one can have there, especially if you are a bookworm.

The first thing that I really noticed about JLF is the fact that it was beautifully managed.  There were five events happening at five different venue/stages within Diggi Palace at any given point of time and yet, each event started exactly on time. If you have attended literary fests in India before, you know that none of the events/panels/talks ever start on time. But at JLF you could practically set your watch by it. I also liked how they had set up separate book signing tents at each venue to be able to make things easy not only on the organizers and authors, but also for the bookworms. I for one, have managed to get an early spot on the queue by queuing up about 15 minutes early and since the tent was just nearby, I could still hear the discussion happening on the stage loud and clear.


(Lord Jeffrey Archer at the Press Conference at JLF 2019)

The second thing that impressed me was the friendliness and the ready to help attitude of all the volunteers. I have walked up to them umpteen number of times asking for the schedule or directions and each time they have helped me with a smile. If you happen to approach a volunteer who is not already engaged, they actually greet you with a ‘namaste’ hand gesture and ‘how can I help you?’ This being my first time at JLF, I was a bit apprehensive about asking for directions the first time. But their attitudes really made me feel comfortable knowing that I would have a helping hand whenever I needed one.


(Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar at the Press Conference at JLF 2019)

I feel the need to mention about an incident here mainly because there were grumbles about mismanagement in the crowd once. I left the Markus Zusak event 15 minutes early hoping to get an early start on the book signing queue to find about a hundred people already lined up. Over the next 15-20 minutes the crowd only grew and so you can imagine the rush in the limited space. There was a bit of confusion and a lot of pushing and pulling. In the end, volunteers and security made a sort of barrier with their bodies in front of the signing tent and let in one person to get their books signed at a time. The kind of restless and impatient generation that we belong to, I wasn’t surprised to hear comments and grumbles about mismanagement from a lot of youngsters in the crowd. But I was personally impressed with the way the organizers finally handled it. There were about 10-12 people managing the crowd and yet the co-ordination between those 10-12 volunteers was seamless. Only people who have worked hard at this will know the difficulty and understand how well it was handled.


(Manisha Koirala at the Press Conference at JLF 2019)

Apart from the Book Talks (on and off stage) JLF also offers music, art and food options at the event. I loved the fact that all those who set up shop to sell arts & crafts were either local artists or NGOs. It was a great way to showcase things that are usually in the shadows of the commercial businesses. The environment at JLF is such that even if you are not a huge bookworm, you can enjoy a day out with your friends and family.


(A.J.Finn at his event for Woman in the Window at JLF 2019)

So all in all, JLF is an event that feeds your mind and body while promoting local art and culture.



 

22 February, 2019

February 22, 2019 0

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost - Books that have kept me going... by Radhika Sachdev



*** Special Feature - February 2019 ***

About the Book:
Penned in real time, from the hospital bed while battling for life, on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone’s 4x2 inch keypad, the only device allowed to the patient in her supersanitized recuperating room, this book follows a hybrid format of medico-psycho thriller, interspersed with SMS chats, transcripts of medical records, and other workings of an addled mind overcome by sickness, yet determined to pull through.

It is a first-hand account of a liver transplant recipient’s journey in India, chronicled from the patient’s perspective in vivid detail as a series of dramatic events unfold in her life, completing the cycle from sickness to health, despair to hope.

It also tells the story of a single mom and breadwinner of the family, her strong bonding with her adoptive daughter, and her family and friends’ support. The author hopes that this book will give courage and direction to other patients whose lives are hanging by a thread, patients awaiting a life-saving cadaveric organ donation.

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon


Books that have kept me going....


Since I like my reading stuff simple  - the one book, rather novella I'd want my daughter to read (she hasn't yet) is Amtoine De-Saint Exupery's The Little Prince. It's possibly as simple, as you can get. Yet so subtle and profound in meaning - it's for timeless, ageless consumption. The night I finished it, I remember calling up the friend who had lent it to me. She wanted to know what's the first thing I did, when I put the book down? "Why, I went out to look at the sky and find the Little Prince" I said, with tears of ambiguous loss pouring down my eyes. 

"That's what everybody does," she laughed. 



Unfortunately, I don't get much time to read these days - its mostly newspapers and boring industry reports for the kind of work I do - but I was once very fond of Daphne du Maurier, Robin Cook and of course, Jeffrey Archer. That may not come across as a very impressive list - but that's me.  

In contrast, my mother, who was very well read, once gave me Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace to read. It must have taken me a whole year to finish it, but religiously, each day, I would read at least one page of that tome. And the day I finished it, I suddenly stuck what depths I'd delved into, and the very day I started reading it all over again, and this time managed to finish it in two start days, end-to-end. That marked the start of my love affair with classics and period literature.    



About the Author:



Radhika Sachdev is an independent journalist who has held senior editorial positions with leading news banners – the Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Financial World, and The Pioneer. Presently, she runs her own advertising outfit, Write Solutions.





Connect with the Author:
Website * Facebook * LinkedIn


Giveaway:
Two lucky Indian Residents can win a paperback copy each of Second Go 


a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 22, 2019 1

#Interview with N. Lombardi Jr., #Author of Justice Gone

About the Book:


When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down. A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase. Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers get there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture. Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge? Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr Tessa Thorpe, wrapped in the divisive issues of modern American society including police brutality and disenfranchised returning war veterans.



Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon

An Interview with the Author

This week it is my pleasure to interview N. Lombardi Jr. Would you please introduce yourself to my readers and share something about your life.
I was born in a working class family in New York City, and my life's path has gone in an unlikely direction. I've been a groundwater geologist for many years, enabling me to work on three continents and in over ten countries, and this offered me the opportunities to experience firsthand a diverse collection of cultures. Eventually the course of my work took me to Cambodia. I fell in love with the place and kept it as my home base. After 7 years, I married a Cambodian woman, and we built a house in the countryside in the southern part of the country. Where we live, there is everything: mountains, sea, rivers and estuaries, and a nice quaint town 10 minutes' drive away. I am truly lucky. 

When did you write your first book and how did it come about?
I never intended to be an author, but intermittent events in my life spurred me to write and now I've reached the point of no return. The first time was 30 years ago, and it was a catharsis for a broken heart, a romance adventure set in Kenya, and it was therapy for getting over what I considered, at the time, the loss of the love of my life. It's also a story about cultural confusion in East Africa. 

In the 1980's it was much easier to get an agent, which I did, but after she submitted the manuscript 15 times, with rejection after rejection, I put it on the shelf for 30 years. It was finally published in 2014 as Journey Towards a Falling Sun, a romance adventure set in Kenya. 

My second novel was actually the first one published, The Plain of Jars, started in 1998, and I laboured over it for 15 years while working as a groundwater geologist in various countries. I had no intention of writing again, but when I visited Laos and learned about the secret war the US waged against that small nation (without an official declaration of war) and discovered that more bombs were dumped on that country than all the munitions dropped in World War II, I felt I just had to write about it. The novel was published as my first, in 2013.

Do you always write in the same genre or do you mix it up?
My first two novels were what I call cross-cultural adventure novels, but I found to my dismay that these were difficult to market, and consequently did not sell well. I like to read mysteries and thrillers, and I found I could write about current events in such a genre. So these are the types of books that I'll write from now on.

When you write, do you start with an idea and sit down and let it evolve, or do you make notes and collect ideas on paper beforehand?
I usually get ideas way in advance of actually writing the story, but they do evolve during the writing process, usually ending up significantly different than my original conception. I don't make notes, or put my thoughts on paper, they're all in my head.

Would you like to give us a short excerpt from one of your books?
Okay, a very short one, from the latest book, Justice Gone. It's the start of the trial, when the prosecutor greets the blind lawyer, Nat Bodine:

“Didn’t we meet last year at the meeting of the New Jersey Bar Association?” Bodine asked, as his daughter collected their papers and put them in their briefcase.
“Yes, I believe we did.”
“Thought so. I never forget a voice.”
That comment threw Fiske off-center for a moment. “I just wanted to, well, shake hands so to speak, before we come out fighting.”
“Is your hand out there in the air, waiting for mine? Cause if it is, you can put it back wherever you had it. I don’t shake hands these days. And while you’re at it, you can remove that smug smile off your face. I don’t have to see it, I can tell by your tone. You’ve already pissed me off, and this is just the arraignment. So I’m not exactly in a gentlemanly mood. And if you try to set up my client by having him mingle with the others, there’ll be hell to pay. Getting my drift, son?”
Fighting words for sure, but the word that provoked Fiske the most was the condescending “son,” just as Bodine had figured it would. “Is that a threat, Mr. Bodine?”
Emily tugged at her father’s arm with the covert message that he quit this repartee. He turned to leave, but not before saying, “No, Mr. Fiske, just a consequence.”

Who is your favourite character and why?
I really don't want to be biased towards my main characters, so I have to choose three characters, one from each novel, that are close to my heart, and for some reason they are all women.

In my first book, The Plain of Jars, we have Dorothy, a 64-year-old widow, a rather insular individual, who, with great courage, makes the decision to travel to the other side of the world, and is transformed into an intrepid truth seeker.

Then I must give honourable mention to Kampeng, the loyal and devoted Laotian guide, and the Venerable Kru Jarun, the wise yet feisty Buddhist spiritual master.

Similarly, we have another character transformation seen in Journey Towards a Falling Sun. Pamela Emuria, an innocent and virtuous idealist, is tragically exposed to the realities of life after reluctantly entering into a taboo love affair. The resilience and integrity that she shows thereafter makes her an Anna Karenina style of heroine.

And finally we have Dr Tessa Thorpe in Justice Gone. Strong willed and committed, she confronts adversity head on with a warrior-like attitude fighting for what she believes is right. 

Once again I have a runner-up from that novel, the testy, incorrigible blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine.

Actually, I love all my characters, which makes your question particularly difficult.

Which of your books gave you the most pleasure to write?
Oh wow, another tough one. You should include "pain" in that question, because there are times when writing any of my novels that, I must admit rather awkwardly, I cry. So again, I cannot choose.

If you could pick any famous author to review your book who would you pick and why?
For this particular book, I would have to say John Grisham. In fact, I sent him a copy through the publicity department at Doubleday, though I doubt I'll get a response. I figure, "What the hell…". The reason I chose him is that Mr. Grisham has written many legal thrillers with social issues embedded in it: homelessness, corruption, unscrupulous behaviour of insurance companies, etc. I think he would like my book because of the topics that surround the plot.

Name three things that you believe are important to character development
One thing that annoys me as a reader is when I get three pages of biodata and emotional baggage about a character, which breaks the flow and pace of the narrative. I really don't care about what school the person graduated from or the broken love affairs of the past. I believe in showing, not telling. With a succinct physical description, crisp and distinctive dialogue along with actions, the reader can get a pretty good picture of the character. Interesting things about the person's past can be brought in with well-timed snippets, but it's mainly how they express themselves verbally and their behaviour, including how they react to the various situations they are confronted with.

What is the best marketing tip you have received?
Now, we are surely embarking upon a different tack.
Because I'm an Indie author with a small press, I have to stop my writing to engage in marketing full-time. I'm not very good at it, and I still don't know which tactic has the most impact. Even experts cannot say with any certainty, because in this case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - there's an undefinable interaction. I have used blog tours, Goodreads ads, and giveaways. Some authors heavily depend on discount promotions, but unless your self-published, you lose money on these campaigns, as the fees for the newsletters are greater than the royalties you earn.

What is the biggest factor for you when selecting a book to read?
I read the editorial reviews first, only as an initial screening to determine Indy authors from the big publishers, and then go on to the readers' reviews. I do this because I have a different attitude for these two classes of books. While editorial reviews lend some credibility to the title, I am suspicious of heavily touted trendy bestsellers. For the readers' reviews, I look at all the five star, three star, and one star reviews to see why people like or dislike the book. Then I make my decision.

Do you have your own website? 
Yes, I do, http://author-n-lombardi-jr.com, but I don't recommend any one visiting it, since all the content is also conveniently available on my Goodreads profile. I only created a website because people tell me an author must have his own website, and everyone keeps asking me for the URL. To make a good site, you need time, and I'd rather spend time writing. It's bad enough that I have marketing as a diversion. 

Are you working on a new book at the moment?
I've finished a manuscript, tentatively titled Woman in the Shadow, again with Tessa Thorpe as the main character. This novel is written in the first person, and gives insight into who she really was and how she metamorphosed into the person we see in Justice Gone. To speak the truth, I wrote this before Justice Gone, but because my publisher was not as enthused about it as I was, I shelved it.

Do you have any events or book promotions coming up that you would like to tell us about?
First, let me introduce my latest novel, Justice Gone, and explain that its creation was inspired by a true event, the fatal beating of a homeless man in a small Californian town. This was such an extreme case, and one which did not include any racial elements, that it exposed the utter abuse of authority in which an outraged public reaction was inevitable.

As for promotions, the book will be publicized through virtual book tours: Rachel's Random Resources, Goddess Fish, Sage, b00k r3vi3w Tours, and Enchanted Book Promotions book tours, as well as a few Twitter campaigns.


About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. Nick can speak five languages: Swahili, Thai, Lao, Chinese, and Khmer (Cambodian).

In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.

Nick maintains a website with content that spans most aspects of the novel: The Secret War, Laotian culture, Buddhism etc.

His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.

His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Follow the Author:
Website * Goodreads * Amazon



20 February, 2019

February 20, 2019 0

7th Anniversary of Bookish Indulgences with b00k r3vi3ws ~ #Giveaway 6

Hola Folks!

Here's the sixth one! Two people can win in this time!

Two Signed Copies of The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas

In this spellbinding novel, a young man journeys from California to Cairo to unravel centuries-old family secrets.

Joseph, a literature student at Berkeley, is the son of a Jewish mother and a Muslim father. One day, a mysterious package arrives on his doorstep, pulling him into a mesmerizing adventure to uncover the tangled history that binds the two sides of his family. For generations, the men of the al-Raqb family have served as watchmen of the storied Ibn Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo, built at the site where the infant Moses was taken from the Nile. Joseph learns of his ancestor Ali, a Muslim orphan who nearly a thousand years earlier was entrusted as the first watchman of the synagogue and became enchanted by its legendary--perhaps magical--Ezra Scroll. The story of Joseph's family is entwined with that of the British twin sisters Agnes and Margaret, who in 1897 depart their hallowed Cambridge halls on a mission to rescue sacred texts that have begun to disappear from the synagogue.

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo is a moving page-turner of a novel from acclaimed storyteller Michael David Lukas. This tightly woven multigenerational tale illuminates the tensions that have torn communities apart and the unlikely forces--potent magic, forbidden love--that boldly attempt to bridge that divide.



Do not forget to check out the other giveaways in this series... 
Two Lucky Indian Residents will win this signed copy and a tiny surprise! So, go ahead and enter yourself in the rafflecopter by doing small tasks. There are enough options and you can choose to do one or all. But please do NOT cheat. I will be checking the winning entries and if I find some not so sincere entries, the person will be disqualified.

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19 February, 2019

February 19, 2019 0

7th Anniversary of Bookish Indulgences with b00k r3vi3ws ~ #Giveaway 5

Hola Folks!

Back with the fifth one!

Behind the Scenes (Vikram Rana Mystery Series #3) by Sharmishtha Shenoy

Fading superstar of the Bengali film industry Ryan Gomez is poisoned to death while shooting for a film in the pretty hill town of Darjeeling. Sheila Dhar, the film’s beautiful female lead with whom Ryan had recently broken his engagement is the chief suspect. Sheila attempts suicide and is shifted to a hospital in Kolkata for treatment. The CID, Kolkata, takes over the investigation and the film crew is allowed to move back to the “City of Joy”.

Though revenge for the broken engagement seems the obvious motive for the murder, there are several others who had reason to wish Ryan dead. Powerful film producer Rustom, the love of whose life ended up becoming Ryan’s first wife. Screenplay writer Allan, who was in danger of being fired from the production house thanks to a public tiff with Ryan. Acclaimed film director Paddy, who was in love with Sheila. Sheila’s mother, Jaya, who was strongly opposed to her marrying Ryan. The family of Ryan’s first wife, who bear a deep grudge against him. 

There are suspects galore, but the murderer has not reckoned with the tenacity of Vikram Rana.



Do not forget to check out the other giveaways in this series... 
One Lucky Indian Resident will win this book! So, go ahead and enter yourself in the rafflecopter by doing small tasks. There are enough options and you can choose to do one or all. But please do NOT cheat. I will be checking the winning entries and if I find some not so sincere entries, the person will be disqualified.

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18 February, 2019

February 18, 2019 0

7th Anniversary of Bookish Indulgences with b00k r3vi3ws ~ #Giveaway 4

Hola Folks!

Are you guys excited about these Giveaways as much as I am? Here's the fourth one!

A Signed Copy of Ganga: The Constant Goddess by Anuja Chandramouli

Believed to be the liquid manifestation of Shakti and the nurturer of the three worlds with her life-sustaining waters, Goddess Ganga is the epitome of beauty and purity, famous for her indomitable spirit and boundless charm. Renowned as a devoted daughter, a caring mother, a passionate lover, and a merciful saviour, she is here to absorb and absolve us of our sins. A constant goddess, she is part of the Indian ethos, revered, and loved across the ages.
The exquisite epic that is Ganga’s story, from her miraculous origins, her sojourn in the heavens, her poignant relationships with the divine trinity, the birth of her sons—Bhishma and Kartikeya, and her descent into a wicked world that is not worthy of her, is dazzlingly told by Anuja Chandramouli. Without this Goddess, life as we know it will be over, for her righteous retribution will be terrifying.
This book is a vibrant retelling of the story of Ganga, who has the power to save us all and bestow the precious gift of moksha, embracing saints and sinners alike with her all-encompassing compassion. 



Do not forget to check out the other giveaways in this series... 
One Lucky Indian Resident will win this signed copy and a tiny surprise! So, go ahead and enter yourself in the rafflecopter by doing small tasks. There are enough options and you can choose to do one or all. But please do NOT cheat. I will be checking the winning entries and if I find some not so sincere entries, the person will be disqualified.

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17 February, 2019

February 17, 2019 0

7th Anniversary of Bookish Indulgences with b00k r3vi3ws ~ #Giveaway 3

Hello!

I am back with the third Giveaway! 

A Signed Copy of The Karachi Deception
by Shatrujeet Nath

“…one of the finest thrillers I’ve come across…” -- Zac O’Yeah

Three commandos of the Indian Army’s elite Unit Kilo—Major Imtiaz Ahmed, Captain Shamsheer Suleiman and Lieutenant Rafiq Mehmood—are chosen for a one-of-a-kind ops mission: to enter Pakistan and eliminate dreaded underworld don, Irshad Dilawar. However, somehow, the Inter-Services Intelligence and Dilawar always seem to be one step ahead of them, foiling every plan they make. It doesn’t take long for Major Imtiaz to realize that something is amiss—the operation has been compromised. Will he be able to successfully complete his mission, or are he and his men, like Abhimanyu, entering a trap they cannot make their way out of? Set in the world of covert operations, where double-crossing and diabolical mind games are the norm, The Karachi Deception will keep you hooked till the very end. 


Do not forget to check out the other giveaways in this series... 
One Lucky Indian Resident will win this signed copy! So, go ahead and enter yourself in the rafflecopter by doing small tasks. There are enough options and you can choose to do one or all. But please do NOT cheat. I will be checking the winning entries and if I find some not so sincere entries, the person will be disqualified.


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15 February, 2019

February 15, 2019 0

#SpecialFeature :: #GuestPost - 5 Things that inspire me! by Radhika Sachdev



*** Special Feature - February 2019 ***

About the Book:
Penned in real time, from the hospital bed while battling for life, on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone’s 4x2 inch keypad, the only device allowed to the patient in her supersanitized recuperating room, this book follows a hybrid format of medico-psycho thriller, interspersed with SMS chats, transcripts of medical records, and other workings of an addled mind overcome by sickness, yet determined to pull through.

It is a first-hand account of a liver transplant recipient’s journey in India, chronicled from the patient’s perspective in vivid detail as a series of dramatic events unfold in her life, completing the cycle from sickness to health, despair to hope.

It also tells the story of a single mom and breadwinner of the family, her strong bonding with her adoptive daughter, and her family and friends’ support. The author hopes that this book will give courage and direction to other patients whose lives are hanging by a thread, patients awaiting a life-saving cadaveric organ donation.

Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon


5 Things that inspire me!


  
I would say reading inspires me a lot. My taste in reading is very eclectic. I read everything I can lay my hands on - newspapers (of course), fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, even crime stories - virtually everything. I used to write poetry at one point of time, but soon realized there are no takers for it - Alas!

One genre I could never develop a taste for is - magical realism. I prefer simple, direct prose, very minimalistic and somewhat frugal in style - more emotionally than intellectually challenging, I suppose :) 

Other than reading and writing, I am also very fond of traveling - which is a journey out, just as reading is a journey within.  

People inspire me a lot --- all manner and kind - but especially those who are firmly grounded and those who have the nerve to fight against odds. People with a lot of spine and spunk!

Films and arts also inspire me. I marvel at people who are able to turn around bits and elements to create a piece of immense beauty. Performance arts are fun too, and music very uplifting, but reading and films would always come first on my list. Perhaps I am more visual than aural person.  

Finally, whenever I can manage, I absolutely love spending time with my daughter, dad and my two sisters' families too! 

  

  
  
 




About the Author:



Radhika Sachdev is an independent journalist who has held senior editorial positions with leading news banners – the Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Financial World, and The Pioneer. Presently, she runs her own advertising outfit, Write Solutions.





Connect with the Author:
Website * Facebook * LinkedIn


Giveaway:
Two lucky Indian Residents can win a paperback copy each of Second Go 


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