Bookish Indulgences

22 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 22, 2017 0

#SpecialFeature :: #Interview with Aarti V.Raman, #Author of With You I Dance

*** Special Feature - August 2017 ***

About the Author:

Aarti V Raman is an Amazon India bestselling romance writer who dabbles in romantic thrillers and contemporary romance. Happy Ever After are her three favorite words in the English lexicon.

Aarti graduated from Mumbai University in 2007 with a degree in Mass Media focused on Journalism which provided her the perfect background for conducting sound research on any project. But she has also worked as a copy editor, social media consultant, commercial content writer-editor while pursuing her goal.

Aarti’s ambition of honing her craft and writing stories, particularly romances that have strong characters and stronger plots that remain etched in the reader’s minds, grew when she sold her first novel WHITE KNIGHT (Leadstart Publishing), in 2012.

In 2013, her work was excerpted in the Tamil Edition of Mills and Boon novels. And in 2014, her short story “Post-Coital Cigarette” was chosen to be part of the Rupa Romance Anthology “An Atlas of Love” curated by bestselling author Anuja Chauhan. Her last novel “Kingdom Come” (Harlequin MIRA) has enjoyed a brief stay at the bestseller lists in Amazon India. Her third book “With You I Dance” (Fingerprint! Publishing) released in April 2016 and debuted on the Amazon India Romance Bestseller list.

Aarti was chosen to be part of the Goa Arts and Literary Fest 2014 in December 2014 and The Hyderabad Literary Festival in January 2015.

She is represented by Red Ink Literary Agency, India.

Connect with the Author:

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Hello, Debdatta, before I begin this interview I would like to offer my profuse thanks that someone, FINALLY stopped asking me “Where do you get your inspiration from?” The answer, of course, is that I don’t! I wish it were as simple as getting struck by inspiration and putting it all down on paper. It has been a genuine pleasure to answer these hatke questions. Made me think and definitely made me chuckle. I hope they do the same for y’all too!

Welcome to my Blog! Tell me, what is the first book that made you fall in love?

I think the very first books I ever read were Enid Blyton, Champak, Twinkle and Archie Comics. And I pretty much defy anyone to not read The Faraway Tree and not fall in love with books. Moonface was probably my first crush, back then (smiles broadly). The book that made me fall in love with the idea of books was, as I have always maintained Nothing Lasts Forever by Sidney Sheldon, when I was 10. And, now that I recall, mom read a ton of Danielle Steel and Perfect Stranger (Rachel and Alexander, I think are the leads) made me fall hopelessly in love with love. Compounded by every single book I read thereafter.

What is the first book that made you cry?

I am not too sure, but it is a tossup between If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon and Perfect

Stranger by Danielle Steel. I might have been between 10 and 11. It was two decades ago! I also remember weeping quite copiously when Callie, Frank Hardy’s girlfriend dies in one of their novels. Then I remember thinking, ooh I could console him!

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

How would you define under-appreciated? Is it a book that did not get as much attention – making the bestseller lists, adulation - as it deserved? There are so many of those, written by my friends and acquaintances. A series that I felt should have taken off in India is Leigh Bardugo’s Crows’ Duology. I wish everyone here were talking about Kaz Brekker, man. I’d have more people to gush about him to.

What did you do with your first check from your books?

LOL. Mom took it from me before I could do anything with it and deposited it for me! Ok, so pretty sure, being the fiscally responsible woman that I try to be, I immediately placed half the money in savings and felt so, so proud that I was able to do that. And I took my folks out for dinner. I know …I know…you should preserve your first check in Lucite. But I blew it all up and don’t regret it for a second. J

What would you choose as your spirit animal?

Haha! This one is a stumper. But if I had a spirit animal and if it had me, I’d have to be a bunny rabbit. I know, dragons and unicorns abound, but as my favorite author Lisa Kleypas writes, ‘Bunny rabbits are not just warm, fuzzy, energetic, hoppy creatures. They are known to charge a bear or a lion in their time when needed.’ I’d like to think, if it is ever required, my spirit animal would give me the courage to charge a bear. And we could both take cute, adorable naps.

Have you ever been on a literary pilgrimage? Do you plan to?

HAHAHA! God no. It sounds too fancy for the likes of me. But I would like to visit Middle Earth once, in New Zealand. That would be awesome. And New York City. I’d like to visit New York and wander the Public Library to my heart’s content. I do remember spending an entire day at Kinokuniya in Singapore when I’d visited and wait at the checkout line with a basket full of books. I guess that counts as much of a pilgrimage as I’d ever go on.

A literary picnic, on the other hand, count me in.

If you were to turn into a literary character for 1 day, who would it be and why?

Wow! I feel the heat turning up slowly with each question. If I get to choose to be any literary character for just one day, I’d like to be Princess Zoe from The Dreamkeeper. She is perfect, poised, pretty and a powerful mage to boot, in short, the exact opposite of me IRL. And she ends up with the Devil’s Lieutenant, the most dangerous creature on earth. Of course, I’d like to turn into her after the world-saving is done and the apocalypse has been averted and she and Laz are just basically macking out.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your books?

Everything. No kidding. Seriously, every time I sit down and pound one of these babies out I am surprised by the sheer depth and tenacity that is the human condition. It is vast, it is indestructible and it is full of these little nuances that I do not think can be found in writing non-fiction. That being said, I have never attempted to write non-fiction so I could be talking out of my bunny butt.

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

You’ve given me something to work on, Debdatta. Maybe I should start placing a few Easter Eggs in my upcoming books so that people read till the very end. Like the Marvel end credits scenes.

If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

Baby, you’re enough and I love you. So, shut up and breathe. In fact, as a former neurotic, I tell myself that every day even now.

Who do you personally favour more and why? Krivi or Abeer?

Do I really, really HAVE to choose? :P But, gun to my head (and pun unintended), I’d go with Abeer because he is a more sorted guy and has his shit together and, as I turn older, I find that that appeals a lot more than a man who has brooding down to a fine art. That being said, I would first send Abeer to Krivi for some serious self-defense lessons (which I would happily watch on the sidelines…all that manly sweat and grunts) so if a gun were pointed at my head, he’d know what to do. Ok, wait. I should switch places with Abeer and do this myself, no? (winks)

What are the most unethical practices in the publishing industry?

Ethics is a particularly interpretive subject, Debdatta. Like, for instance, what might be ethical by my standards might be abhorrent for someone else with a stricter sense of duty, obligation and responsibility.

That being said, it would be nice to have a greater transparency between the publishers and the authors and a stronger dialog between us all. It is important to have a marketing and distribution strategy that was streamlined throughout and properly and easily understood by nervous, creative people. To have a standardized rating system that is not dependent on arbitrary algorithms that can be gamed (machines are not people, people) or even more arbitrary people. Less established authors should be able to separate the wheat from the chaff, right along the supply chain so, you know, when you go to sleep at night after the hundredth rejection letter that it wasn’t just blind shit luck that this happened to you. That there is actually a method to the madness. Or at least, I hope there will be.

Have you ever actually seen the printing process? Do you want to?

I can say that I have. I was in college and we’d visited Goa on an industrial visit. I know what you’re thinking. Beach visit, more like. And it was. But our professor did coral us all to the editorial and print offices of one of the local papers and they showed us how the headlines were typeset each day. I remember touching the ink on the typesetting machine and feeling this immense sense of respect and responsibility that I carry to this day, each time, I commit my thoughts to the written word. Being part of the media elite, especially in today’s polarized times is serious business, even if you’re writing frivolous romance. I, for one, do not take my frivolity lightly. J

Once again, thank you so much for having me, Debdatta.

Till Next Time,
Xx
Writer Gal

About the Book:

Meera Sagar had everything—the perfect job as a principal ballerina (for a prestigious New York ballet company) and a man who loved her as much as she loved him. But tragedy struck on the night before her biggest performance, forcing her to do the one thing she never wanted to do—come back home. To Mumbai.

Now, a year later, Meera is still trying to pick up the pieces, while

fending off marriage proposals from her well-meaning but

traditional Gujarati family, and figure life out all over again. By

starting a ballet school in Mumbai. But she has two problems. One, she doesn’t know anything about running a business. And two, she can’t dance. Not anymore.

Enter . . .

Abeer Goswami. Hotshot junior partner at a South Bombay law

firm and a man nursing a broken heart. When he meets Meera

again, the woman who left him, he tries his hardest to be her friend,to help her . . . and not let the past get in the way.

And then . . .

There is the sexy Zoya Sehgal. Meera’s only friend in the city and the woman Abeer is currently seeing. They say triangles have pointy edges, for a reason.

Will Meera find a new dream in her ballet school? Can Abeer and Meera find their way back to each other again? And, most important, has Meera danced for the last time?

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Giveaway:

Open to Indian Residents Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

21 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 21, 2017 1

#BookReview :: A Fatal Collection (Keepsake Cove Mystery #1) by Mary Ellen Hughes

Callie Reed makes a long overdue visit to her aunt Melodie, who lives in a fairy-tale cottage in quaint Keepsake Cove, home to a bevy of unique collectible shops on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Just as they're beginning to reconnect, Callie discovers her aunt's body on the floor of her music box shop. Grief-stricken, Callie finds she can't accept Melodie's death being called accidental. How could her strong and healthy aunt take such a fatal fall? And why was she there in the middle of the night?

As Callie searches for the truth, signs seem to come from her late aunt through a favorite music box, urging Callie on. Or are they warnings? If Callie isn't careful, she could meet a similar deadly fate amid Melodie's collection.

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Callie’s life is taking a turn she doesn’t like much. She decides to take a break by paying an overdue visit to her aunt Melodie. She arrives at the quaint little town of Keepsake Cove, where her aunt lives and runs a music box shop, with hopes of clearing her mind and rejuvenating her life. But her life takes an unexpected turn even here when she finds the body of her aunt Melodie on the floor of the shop soon after arriving at Keepsake Cove. The place may have a fairytale-esque vibe, but there is a murderer lurking among them as Callie is sure that her aunt’s death was no accident.

I love Keepsake Cove. It is indeed a perfect ‘story’ town where people know and take care of each other. After her aunt’s death, the town sort of adopts Callie and take her into their folds. Each shop in the town has a charm of its own as do the residents of the town. I kind of liked Callie. Life gets overwhelming for her at a point when she decides to take a break. Haven’t we all had that feeling? Her refusal to take her aunt’s death as an accident kind of shows her presence of mind even in a shocking situation. As she hunts for the truth we see a side of her that is smart, intelligent and warm.

The style of storytelling suits the genre of cozy mysteries. It sets up the backdrop to perfection, develops a bunch of characters who start to feel like a family and a protagonist who is thoroughly likeable. The charming narrative only adds to the story. There are enough clues sprinkled in the pages for the readers to play along a game of whodunnit.

A charming and enjoyable read.

Review Copy received via NetGalley

19 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 19, 2017 0

#BookReview :: White Smoke by Nikhil Mahajan

Virat studies in a renowned boarding school in Shimla. But behind the façade of a happy teenager is a disturbed child trying to fight the pain of his mother’s death and his father’s ignorance. Neither love nor friends seem to be of any help. That’s when he finds a picture in a library book, which changes his life forever.
In trying to find the truth behind the girl in the picture, he stumbles upon dirty secrets and a scandal that shocks him.
Meanwhile in Delhi, a CID officer and Police Inspector Mathur are trying to unravel the mystery behind the gruesome murders of two influential families that seem to be connected to the mysterious girl in the picture.
Will Virat be able to find the mysterious girl or lose himself on the way?
Discover the chilling reality of life, friendship, love and deceit behind the curtain of White Smoke.

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White Smoke by Nikhil Mahajan is a short light read of 150 odd pages.

On one hand, the capital city of India is being thrown into turmoil by high profile murders. Inspector Mathur is put in charge of the case with a little help from CID. On the other hand, we have Virat, who is a student of a well-known boarding school in the idyllic town of Shimla. He is in a way a typical teenager with angst that he needs to channel. When he finds a picture of a girl in a book, he gets sucked into something that is more dangerous than what he can perhaps handle. How are these two separate storylines connected? Will Virat be able to handle the scandal that he uncovers? Will Mathur be able to solve the murders in time?

My main problem with the book lies in the characterization of the main players in the storyline. Virat’s problems were understandable at the beginning. Having lost his mother and having an ever-absent father can be tough on a kid. But I could not really stand by some of Virat’s actions that could not be justified in anyway. Add his unhealthy obsession about a random girl he doesn’t even know to it, and it was near impossible to care about the kid. Inspector Mathur, another prominent character in the book, also failed to make an impression. In his case I felt that the author failed to flesh him out.

The plot of the book felt interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. While there are a few places where the author has opted for easy solutions which may not be feasible in real life, there are certain elements in the book that has a certain hook. For instance, I was curious about the psyche of a ‘certain character’. Even though I did not completely agree with the thought process of this character, I could however kind of understand where it was coming from.

All in all, this is a pretty fast read. While I would not recommend readers to go out of their way to pick up this book, I would not discourage them to pick it up if they get an opportunity to read it.

Review Copy received from Srishti Publishers

18 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 18, 2017 1

#BookReview :: The One from the Stars by Keshav Aneel

“The cost of not following your heart is
spending the rest of your life wishing you had.”

Vishesh is a dreamer, who is driven by his passion for writing and words. But like most Indian middle class families, his parents are impatient to see him settled in a government job. Despite all obstacles, making no complaints, he continues to follow the hard path, holding up the promise he had made to himself, trying to fulfil his father's wishes, and failing over and over.

Almost everyone – his parents, friends, and the love of his life – leaves his side in the middle of his journey. To worsen things, he is diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, the seriousness of which nobody could decipher before it was too late.

Will a dreamer be sacrificed for social standing? Will a heart be crushed to uphold a hollow image?

Left alone and misunderstood by everyone he knew, this is Vishesh's intense story of repeatedly falling down and trying to get up on his own, to prove that everyone who dares to follow their heart is not a commoner; he is The One From The Stars.

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Welcome to Vishesh’s story which will sound familiar to many. Being born to a middle-class family, Vishesh has very little chance of living out his unconventional dream. Being influenced and driven by his family to pursue his chances of a government job, Vishesh tries to live up to their dreams. But it is not easy for him and his support system slowly breaks down. Furthermore, he is diagnosed with OCD.

I have to acknowledge at the very beginning that this was a total roller coaster ride. It is easy to relate to Vishesh. We all know at least one person like him – a simple guy who just wants to live out his dream. Instead he is stuck trying to accomplish what his parents want. But when there is a will, there is a way and as Vishesh struggles in his journey, he never gives up his dream. Even when he had no one by his side. It is impossible not to like him.

The author has done a great job of building up Vishesh’s character and describing his struggles. The supporting characters were given enough depth and bytes, but no one else particularly stood out. In a way, it was a good thing as we needed the spotlight to be solely focused on Vishesh for the story to really develop. I felt that the pace lagged just a bit at one or two places where not much was happening. Otherwise with a fluid narrative and lucid language the book is quite a fast read.

Review Copy received from Srishti Publishers

15 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 15, 2017 2

#SpecialFeature:: 5 Books That Changed My Life, Made Me Wish And Made Me Write Better

*** Special Feature - August 2017 ***

About the Author:

Aarti V Raman is an Amazon India bestselling romance writer who dabbles in romantic thrillers and contemporary romance. Happy Ever After are her three favorite words in the English lexicon.

Aarti was chosen to be part of the Goa Arts and Literary Fest 2014 in December 2014 and The Hyderabad Literary Festival in January 2015.

She is represented by Red Ink Literary Agency, India.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook I Twitter

5 Books That Changed My Life, Made Me Wish And Made Me Write Better

Books, wonderful books, glorious books!

Reading has always been my last great pleasure. In fact, for those reader friends of mine who I have sent a signed copy of any of my books to, it is also my favorite inscription to use. Books, literally, are my favorite things in the world. And the absolute freedom I experience when I dive into a book is unparalleled. I know, I know…I am exaggerating AND aggrandizing, but come on! This is books.

Books were what widened my horizons and my vocabulary when I was a wee young thing and they helped me learn a very important life skill: empathy. You’d think I would say that books taught me the proper use of a comma and the difference between an ellipsis and a semi-colon (they did, of course). But, when you are a twelve-year-old kid and reading about the ravages of what being a war correspondent does to you (The Sky Is Falling) you learn a thing or two about walking in someone else’s shoes. You learn to have and hold and DEFEND an opinion. And you learn to read between the lines.

I could wax lyrical about the virtues of books and the value of reading even one, but I’ll just say this. “Give a woman a book to read and you have a reader. Give her a library card and you change her life.”

So, without further ado, these are but five of the thousands of books I have read over the last two decades. All of them from different genres. I hope, you guys go through this list and escape into the worlds created by these authors, just like I did.

The Fountainhead: Ayn Rand changed my world. No shit. The way she first espoused a theory, THE theory of individualism and took like 600 frigging pages to do it…I was fascinated. For one, that book made me realize (I was around 14 back then) that books can be about more than telling a story. The storytelling as a device to explain a larger, more important concept became crystal clear to me. After that, I could not help but explore every single story I read to find out what other message they had to offer me. Even the lighter romances could manage to give me something more to think about – a prime example is that of Nora Roberts’ Bride Quartet series. On the surface, it’s a very typical romance series about four affluent, white women finding the loves of their lives. But scratch the surface and it teaches you a thing or two about running a business, averting work-related crises, and maintaining the bonds of sisterhood and friendship in tough times.

The Lord Of The Rings: Tolkien changed my world too. Let’s face it, all the kids growing up in the 90s were heavily influenced by the LOTR movies. I am no exception. I will be honest here and confess that I saw the first movie when I was 15 and it was completely mysteriously beautiful. The only takeaway I had? Aragorn. He of the brooding dark gaze (yes, my fascination with brooding heroes predates Mills and Boon) and the yard-long legs. I dragged my mom off to the roadside vendors in Churchgate ‘cuz I had to own LOTR and read the whole thing cover to cover. It was unforgettable. The characterization, the world-building, the battle scenes…I am still in awe and I defy anyone to deny that GRRM took inspiration from LOTR when he wrote A Song Of Ice And Fire.

The Hathaways: This is a historical romance series by Lisa Kleypas and is, hands down, fricking amazing. There is a funny anecdote behind how I stumbled onto reading Lisa Kleypas. I was illegally downloading a ton of Nora books in 2008 (excuse the penniless student) and I stumbled across a historical romance ‘she’ had written titled Midnight Angel. It was INSANELY awesome. I hunted for the second book, Prince of Dreams under Nora Roberts for hours. Both online and at my uni’s vast library. Couldn’t find it. Finally, Google yielded a simple search result: Prince of Dreams by Lisa Kleypas. I read everything she wrote including her contemporary series but it was not until The Hathaway series came along years later, that I appreciated the nuances of world-building and character decisions that Kleypas had invested in. Each of the five couples, Cam-Amelia, Kev-Winnifred, Harry-Poppy, Leo-Catherine, and Beatrix-Christopher are such tremendous delights and fully realized characters in themselves that I honestly can’t pick any one of them as my favorite. Ok, I can. It’s Harry Rutledge *winks*

The Calhoun Sisters and Megan’s Mate: I was 15. In the same expedition that I found LOTR, I found another green-backed cover of a book by a writer named Nora Roberts. The contemporary romance stories were simple enough. Four sisters. A lost heirloom. Four delicious men and oodles of romance. Strong characters. A plot that stretched for four books. And a fifth, if we count Megan’s Mate in the series and we totally do! I fell in love. Straight up in love with the idea of writing about love before CC had finished saying I do to Trent. The book jumpstarted unrealistic expectations about men based on superior language skills, inherent charm and a heart as big as Texas. Thank you, Nora Roberts for making me the writer I am today.

Heart of Obsidian: I started reading Nalini Singh just three years ago. And sure, the Psy-Changeling paranormal series is brilliant writing backed up by some gorgeous characters in love and mind-blowing sex scenes. But, as god is my witness, if I had to wish for one character to be real it would be Kaleb Krychek. Yeah, he is badass dangerous, ridiculously powerful, and homicidally protective, but the way his character has been set up over the course of the series and the story he gets…it is immensely satisfying. You know how some authors tease out a character over the course of a series (the Ron-Hermione coupling, for instance) and the payoff in the end seems a little cold? Nalini’s Kaleb is piping hot. PIPING. I am struck by serious writer envy and even more serious reader love because of Kaleb. I can only hope to write a character as memorable and emotionally impactful as Kaleb.

These are just five of the series of books I can list in this particular post. The authors who I love across genres are numerous and I am sincerely grateful to each and every one of them for sharing their gift of words with me. It is a pleasure, a privilege, and an honor to be part of this tribe of people who managed to touch a young, idealistic girl’s heart and helped turn her into the woman I am proud to be today.

Till next time,

Writer Gal aka Aarti V Raman

About the Book:

Now, a year later, Meera is still trying to pick up the pieces, while

fending off marriage proposals from her well-meaning but

traditional Gujarati family, and figure life out all over again. By

starting a ballet school in Mumbai. But she has two problems. One, she doesn’t know anything about running a business. And two, she can’t dance. Not anymore.

Enter . . .

Abeer Goswami. Hotshot junior partner at a South Bombay law

firm and a man nursing a broken heart. When he meets Meera

again, the woman who left him, he tries his hardest to be her friend,to help her . . . and not let the past get in the way.

And then . . .

There is the sexy Zoya Sehgal. Meera’s only friend in the city and the woman Abeer is currently seeing. They say triangles have pointy edges, for a reason.

Will Meera find a new dream in her ballet school? Can Abeer and Meera find their way back to each other again? And, most important, has Meera danced for the last time?

Goodreads I Amazon

Giveaway:

Open to Indian Residents Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

14 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 14, 2017 0

#BookReview :: The Rose Society (The Young Elites #2) by Marie Lu

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all.

Adelina Amouteru’s heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she flees Kenettra with her sister to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her.

But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good when her very existence depends on darkness?

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The Rose Society is everything a sequel should be.

Adelina Amouterou continues on her path of vengeance fueled by rage and darkness. So, now there are three players in the running. The Daggers led by Raffaele, Teren and his cronies and Adelina, a lone wolf at the beginning but not so much later on in the story. Violetta is with her now and we see a bit more of this girl who once felt like a subdued flower. A couple of new characters are introduced among whom Sergio stands out. And there’s also Magiano, who in a way is exactly what Adelina needed when they met.

The book is filled with action and events and as such there is not a dull moment in it. The plots things a level higher in this installment. The author maintains her lucid language and fluid storytelling style. There are quite few revelations and twists that keep the readers constantly on their toes.

But, it is really all about Adelina. A girl with abuse in her history and who is constantly fighting the darkness within her. She tries to hold on to the little goodness inside her but it is relentless struggle. Will she give in to that darkness? Or will she overcome that darkness and fear? It is quite impossible to not to be drawn to her and feel for her. Her power of illusions is also quite intriguing.

It is dark and certainly sad at times to follow on Adelina on her journey. But it is addictive too. I just had to know what would happen next and so I will be sure to pick up The Midnight Star soon.

12 August, 2017

Book Review Tours August 12, 2017 1

#ReleaseDayBlitz :: Avishi by Saiswaroopa Iyer

~ Release Day Blitz ~

Avishi by Saiswaroopa Iyer

12th August, 2017

Long before the times of Draupadi and Sita

Immortalised in the hymns of the Rig Veda

But largely forgotten to the memory of India

Is the Warrior Queen with an iron leg, Vishpala

Brought up in the pristine forest school of Naimisha, Avishi reaches the republic of Ashtagani in search of her destiny. When Khela, the oppressive King of the neighbouring Vrishabhavati begins to overwhelm and invade Ashtagani, Avishi rises to protect her settlement. But peril pursues her everywhere.

Separated from her love, her settlement broken, with a brutal injury needing amputation of her leg, can Avishi overcome Khela?

Goodreads * Amazon

Read an Excerpt

“I am the Queen! This will be my throne!” The seven-year-old chirped leaping from the middle of the porch towards the broken mortar which served as a mock throne. “You will be my guard!”

“Guard?” the man pondered scratching his unkempt beard.

“No.” He shook his head and smiled seeing her indignant eyes. “I will be the Queen’s elephant.” He beamed.

Sukratu stepped out of the house to see his daughter in action, perching herself on the tramp Loha’s back, pretending in all earnestness that he was her elephant. He smiled and was about to set out for his duty as the night guard of the King. A sudden lightning appeared in the eastern skies. Sukratu had barely walked a few paces when a deafening thunder made him instinctively turn towards home. He heaved a sigh, finding Loha shielding the girl as if he would, his own child.

“Father, don’t go.” The girl pleaded.

Sukratu smiled and shifted his gaze towards the sky. He saw dark clouds loom over the city. The monsoon winds had started to make their presence felt. He had to reach the palace soon. “Isn’t my little Queen brave?” He called out.

The girl nodded. He saw the fear fade. From her eyes. From her heart. She knew she was the queen! Pride filled his heart. His mind ached to stay home but duty beckoned. Tearing his gaze away from the one he treasured the most in his life, braving the drizzle that would soon turn into a storm, he unwillingly walked towards the King’s residence. Sukratu’s house was in the third ring of the concentric structure of Vrishabhavati. In the centre, was the structure, that served as the residence of the king and as the centre of all trade activity of the city. Here no wealth or goods could change hands without the king’s knowledge and approval. The residences of the noblemen formed the two rings around it. The guards and soldiers forming the outermost circle with the citizens living around them.

As per the protocol, Sukratu approached General Ugra’s residence quite ahead of his reporting time— an hour before the moonrise. He walked into the empty courtyard. But the rain made it impossible for him to stand there any longer. He knocked at the giant wooden door fervently. The doors creaked as a strange woman clad in a dark indigo garment opened them and glared at him with a frown on her forehead.

General Ugra, Sukratu knew was never faithful to one woman. His superior’s romantic exploits were not his concern either. But something about the woman at the door disconcerted him. “Please let General Ugra know that…”

“He has already left for the palace!” The woman frowned before attempting to shut the door.

“What? How ca…” Sukratu’s words hung in air as the door slammed on his face and the woman disappeared from his line of vision all of a sudden. Something did not feel right. He knocked at the door again. Firmly this time, as though seeking answers. Any change in the reporting time would have been announced the day before and he remembered that nothing of the sort had happened. His knocks went unanswered. Frowning and muttering under his breath, Sukratu hurried towards an empty cowshed three houses away from Ugra’s place hoping to catch his companions who he knew would be equally surprised.

The first to arrive was Khela, the eighteen-year-old guard, holding a metal shield above his head. The newest addition to the King’s guard, Khela was related to General Ugra and Sukratu felt that his position in the King’s guard was largely a result of undue favours that Ugra showered upon an otherwise impudent boy.

“Sukratu! By the great Varuna, I should have come to you earlier!” Khela hurried towards him. Pausing for breath, he added. “Our platoon has been given a relief tonight! It was a sudden decision and I personally informed all the others.”

“Relief for tonight? That happens only when…”

“Our guarding hours change from night to day!” Khela completed in a hurry. “Now, come with me.” He turned towards the western direction and the javelin he held started to sway dangerously and came close to grazing Sukratu’s arm.

The older guard’s instincts made him dodge the cut. “Where?” Sukratu hissed, visibly annoyed, first with the fact that he was kept in dark about the change in guarding hours and then about Khela’s irreverent behaviour. “And watch who your weapon hurts, boy.”

Khela shrugged and changed the position of his weapon. “We are now going to the place.” He winked, stretching his hand in the direction. “Follow me, this is the only night we get to have some fun.”

Sukratu did not move. The place he knew implied the tavern where wine was served. “We cannot drink tonight, Khela. When do we have to report tomorrow? By sunrise?”

“You ask too many questions. The rest of us are there too!”

“That does not answer my question.”

“Well, I don’t know, and I don’t care to. The palace is paying for the wine. Are you coming or not?”

The last sentence sounded more like a threat than an invite. Sukratu had all the mind to give the youth a piece of his mind and storm back home. His daughter would be overjoyed to see him before she went to sleep. It gnawed at Sukratu’s heart every day to leave her under the care of Loha— the tramp who had begged him for shelter about six months ago and then became a part of his life. The girl liked him instantly and had begged Sukratu to let Loha live with them and he, despite his misgivings about the tramp’s origins and his unkempt appearance, could not refuse his only daughter. Over time, Sukratu felt grateful for Loha’s company. Now his daughter did not have to be all by herself every night. The guard’s home would have been unguarded if not for that stranger. Sukratu brushed aside these thoughts and had almost decided to go home when the thought of meeting other senior guards and clarifying the confusion struck him. He followed Khela’s lead, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.

When they reached the tavern, Sukratu to his dismay, found many of his brothers in arms deeply drunk. “When did they reach here and when did they…”

“Quite some time before. I just forgot to tell you in advance!”

Sukratu’s eyes scrutinized the men and women of the tavern who were serving wine to the guards. There were no other citizens or travellers in the tavern.

“Just for us, the whole night!” Khela said as if reading his thoughts, bringing him an earthen goblet.

The older guard accepted the goblet taking his first sip with a sense of foreboding.

“Where were you all the time, old friend?” The voice belonged to Tunga one of the senior guards in the platoon.

The grin on his friend’s face brought a smile to Sukratu’s lips. “Tunga, what is this about the sudden change in our guarding hours?”

“The King… that imbecile, has finally remembered that we are human too!” Tunga guffawed, emptying his goblet, waving vigorously at a woman of the tavern who obliged with a seductive wink.

She approached them, skilfully distributing her attention between both the men, winking at Tunga and pouting her lips at Sukratu. Her brows rose at Sukratu’s filled cup. “Don’t keep the Sura nor this Sundari waiting, my love...” Serving Tunga his wine, she placed her fingers upon Sukratu’s shoulders, digging her nails into his skin for a moment locking her gaze with his and turned around swiftly, letting her light upper garment rest on his face for a fleeting moment.

It was a wilful invitation and Sukratu knew it. His attention though was caught by the colour of the garment. The Indigo hued garment! All the women of the tavern wore clothes of the same colour. So did the woman he saw in General Ugra’s house! Was Ugra at home while the woman lied that he was at the palace? If the General and the whole platoon of the night guard were lying down drunk, who was minding the security of the King? Sukratu looked at the rest of the guards. No one seemed sober enough to talk. The only sober man Khela had disappeared!

“By the great Varuna!” Sukratu exclaimed aloud and rushed out, pushing the woman who tried to stop him away.

He raced to the King’s residence, as fast as his legs could carry him. The huge wooden gates of the structure were closed and secured from inside. The rain lashed drowning his cries. Misgivings regarding the King’s welfare made him shudder. He had to meet General Ugra. Something told him that the General had his own reasons to send the whole platoon of guards to enjoy a drunk night. He was a guard who had sworn to protect the King with his life. The general owed him an answer. Sukratu rushed to General Ugra’s house determined to confront him.

That, Sukratu realized was the biggest mistake of his life.

At the gates of the general’s residence he saw a familiar figure hurrying out of his house, a heavy bundle on his shoulders. “General Ugra!” he called out, feeling relieved.

The figure started, and the bundle fell to the ground. Sukratu came to a sudden halt as he realized it wasn’t a bundle after all, but a blood-drenched corpse. A stroke of lightning from the sky revealed the face and the very familiar greying curls. Sukratu froze for a long moment before he could speak.

“K... King...”

Something hit him on the head even before he could utter the name. Sukratu staggered, reeling at the impact, clutching at his long sword in a vain attempt to defend the next move.

“Finish him!” The General shout behind him.

Before he turned around, Sukratu felt the cold metal tear into his back. Lightning struck revealing the contours of the person. Khela! The javelin stabbed him again. Thunder drowned his screams. Falling to the ground with the weapon still stuck to his back, Sukratu lifted his sword and managed to slash Khela’s palm though the latter, unlike him was vigilant and alert. Crawling away from the menacing duo, knowing very well that he could not last more than a few moments, Sukratu’s thoughts, went to his innocent daughter. She would now languish as an orphan remaining in dark about the monsters who killed her father. Or would they kill her too?

Sukratu would never know.

About the Author:

Saiswaroopa is an IITian and a former investment analyst turned author. Her keen interest in ancient Indian history, literature and culture made her take to writing. Her debut novel Abhaya, set in the times of Mahabharata was published in 2015. Avishi, her second novel set in Vedic India explores the legend of India’s first mentioned female warrior queen Vishpala.

She holds a certificate in Puranas from Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. She is also trained in Carnatic Classical music and has won a state level gold medal from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

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11 August, 2017

Debdatta Dasgupta August 11, 2017 0

#BookBlast :: Vishwamitra by Vineet Aggarwal

Vishwamitra by Dr. Vineet Aggarwal

Indian Mythological Fiction

~ Book Blitz ~

11^th August, 2017

When Satyavati, wife of Rishi Ruchik, exchanges with her mother the magic potion for bearing a child, they change not just their children’s destiny, but also the history of mankind. Born of this mix up is Vishwamitra, the son of a Kshatriya, who strives to become a Brahmarishi—the ultimate and most powerful of all Gurus.

Vishwamitra is the powerful story of a brave but stubborn, haughty yet compassionate, visionary king of Aryavarta who not only acquires material wealth through military conquests but also becomes one of the most well-known sages of all times.

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If you like… Then you will enjoy Vishwamitra

If you like to read about India's rich, ancient history, in an easy to read manner, you will love Vishwamitra
If you have ever wondered if the ancients had any knowledge of space & science, you should check out Vishwamitra, the story of the man who created an entire new star system!
If you like reading romance, take time to check out this unlikely love story between a human and an Apsara! Did you know Vishwamitra & Menaka lived together for ten long years?
If you like reading stores that inspire - check out Vishwamitra, the story of an ordinary man who even dared to challenge the gods!
If you have liked any retelling of India's original epic Ramayan, you should check out Vishwamitra - the story of the man who became the guru of Rama, the Scion of Ikshvaku!

About the Author

Dr. Vineet Aggarwal is described by many as a doctor by qualification, manager by profession and artist by temperament. Born in a family of doctors, he successfully completed an initial stint with the family occupation before deciding to venture into pharmaceutical management and currently pursues writing and photography as a passion.

He is the author of popular online blogs ‘Decode Hindu Mythology’ and ‘Fraternity Against Terrorism and Extremism’ and the author of books ‘Vishwamitra – The Man who dared to challenge the Gods’ and ‘The Legend of Parshu-Raam’

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