Tag: fiction

Candid Session with Anuradha Prasad

Leave a comment

Hello lovelies,

I am back with an interesting interview with Anuradha Prasad. She is the author of Coming Back Home. So, lets get started :

Sur: Please tell us something about yourself?

RAM_6901.jpg

Anu: Firstly,I want to thank you for this interview.  Coming to your question,  I am a post grad in English literature and a Phd holder in the same. I am an artist, columnist, academician an author and a fitness buff. Recently I developed a penchant for traveling too. I love to soak in the culture of a new place and interact with the locals.

Sur :When did writing made its beautiful appearance in your life?

Anu: At the tender age of 7. I used to write poetry after school hours. Naturally, at that age I did not know that poems were the finest creation of art with words. It was a natural process and I am very proud of it. One regret is someone should have published them for me. Who knows it could have become popular like the diary of Anne Frank!

Sur: Coming back Home is an excellent title. How did it strike you?

32991545

 

Anu: Before writing books I have written thousands of features with catchy titles for leading Newspapers. Based on the emotion of the story also I come up with a suitable title.

 

Sur: What is important to you? Fame or good readership?

Anu: I believe  good readership means a lot of fame. So good readership.

Sur: What would be your advise to the upcoming authors?

Anu: According to me , before entering any field one should be clear about why he/she wants to be in it. Is it for money, recognition, passion, great talent so on.  Its the same with writing. Develop a style that is individualistic. Do not give up easily. Don’t expect anything. Having said all this, once you start to write, the field will tell you if you are meant for it or not.  How? Your work will get published and then recognition should follow.  Don’t lose heart initially if your intention is clear .

Also I feel one should be really blessed with the talent to write.  If you are great at writing but not getting recognition its still ok. But if you are recognized but a bad writer it is humiliating . A beautiful book and talent will be eventually get recognition.  Its like I am ugly but want to become an actor and also that I am ugly and a bad actor but a recognized one. Every field has its demands. Assessing your capabilities are important. Recognition should always come to the deserving not vice-versa. Over a period of say two years of consistent trials if non of the above is happening then its time to quit.

Sur: What is the biggest surprise as a writer for you?

Anu: I look back and think that once I used to dive deep into the works of renowned writers of the world and today I am writing books myself. I used to wonder at times how these people are able to write so much. Today I am doing the same. This is a real surprise.

Check review of the book here.

 

 

 

Book Review of Bogus Read

Leave a comment

Bogus Read by Divyamaan is a political satire. Honestly speaking, I have not read this sort of book and genre but when I read this, I wasn’t bored, infact, I ended up laughing. If you want to make yourself laugh,then this book is the best choice.

512u0qSUn6L

The cover of the book is intriguing as the pictorial delineation and the remarks makes you hooked to the book. The white colour of the cover signifies a newspaper where we read all those news.

The title is even more enthralling and you are more curious to know the content inside the book.

“In a galaxy far, far away from Earth there were two countries. India and Pakistan. Both countries somehow remained in a perennial state of conflict since their independence. After badly losing thrice to India, Pakistan has now come up with the ultimate conspiracy – attack the minds of the Indian masses and capture the nation. In a partially successful attempt, it captures some portion of India. The Indian Government, led by its highly patriotic PM, Narendar Mody and His Royal Highness, Arnub Gooswamy, takes charge of the situation and comes up with a master plan of defeating Pakistan, using some of India’s most potent weapons – corruption, political-hooliganism and annoying celebrities. They are supported by five engineering students who, inspite of their otherwise mundane lives, get embroiled in the mess. They set themselves on a perilous journey only to discover how deep the whole conspiracy is and how dangerous are the brains behind it. Will they succeed in revealing the conspiracy to the Army? Will the lost territories be recaptured by India? To find out read ‘The Bogus Read’, an illogically-logical take on Indian politics, mainstream media, cinema and the television industry.”

The blurb is interesting and after reading it, I instantly fell in the love with the book. The blurb had so much information but that was just a start. The entire book is full of surprises.

Through this book, the author wanted to highlight the mind sets of so called Indians including us. These days we are more bothered about politics, politicians, actors and moreover, thos crazy tv serials that has taken away our ability to think logically. Not only this, a wierd imagination which sounds really absurd that our stars being kidnapped by Pakistan. There is an element of absurdity with loads of drama and mockery. I was impressed by the thought of the author, like how he came up with this concept? This book is a must read.

The combination and situation between Indian army and Pakistan army which seems to be linked with some students. These two are poles apart and when they are brought together, this made me realise, anything can happen in a novel and Divyamaan has proved it right. We writers have that ability where we can see those which are not possible in practical world. Kuddos to the author for being an exceptional.

The narration is simple and this simplicity kept us hooked and glued till the end. I completed this book in one go and couldn’t stop laughing. I won’t quote the sentences as every sentence is worth quoting and this might come up as a spoiler. This is the only book which you can pick up anytime and if you read and read again you will just end up lifting your mood.

Grab your copies from : Amazon

 

Spotlight of 1857 Dust of Ages by Vandana Shanker

1 Comment

 

 
1857 DUST OF AGES VOL 1:
A FORGOTTEN TALE
by
Vandana Shanker
 
Blurb
 
1857. The rebellion erupts in India. Despite its attempts to stay aloof, NAVGARH, a small town near Delhi, is drawn into the conflagration. And at its heart are Princess Meera and Captain Richard Smith, with their strange alliance made for the throne of Navgarh.
 
2016, Shiv Sahai, a young Indian art historian and Ruth Aiken, a British scholar discover an excerpt from the journal of an anonymous British soldier, searching for his wife in the chaos of 1857 Delhi. As they begin investigating the scandal, they become aware of the vague rumours that are told in the bylanes of Navgarh – about a princess who married a British soldier to save her kingdom.
 
Check out the tour in +Pinterest 

 

 

 

Read an excerpt from the book…

 

 

 

Prologue
Camp, Delhi Cantonment, 16 August, 1857.
Things have changed forever. A day spent in the company of my old friend Knox made it clear. These distances can never be bridged.
The pole of his tent snapped in the storm yesterday; and for the sake of old friendship, I offered Knox my humble abode. But his rancour was jarring. His determination to teach the enemy a lesson, the unshaken belief in the rightness of our mission– such bitterness asks too much of friendship and duty.
Earlier we went over the battlefield. One of our regiments was destroying the village near the bridge to prevent the enemy from getting cover in it. Elephants were pulling down the walls. The villagers stood by as their houses turned into mud while the monsoon clouds gathered on the horizon. Unfortunately, they were the Jats, who, for the most part, are our friends. We decided that the destruction of their homes and fields was necessary. Twenty-three men – their countrymen – were lying together in the ditch at the back of the village; we weren’t sure if they were the rebels. A party of Rifles killed then en masse, just to be sure.
We left the village with our bags swollen like raisins in water. And who can blame our light-fingered gentry? Armies are said to travel on their stomach.
At some distance from our camp, I can see the sun setting over the fort of Delhi. It isn’t much different from the first sunset I witnessed here years ago. How things have changed! We came with a mission – to know this exotic land, to bring the light of knowledge and civilization to its darkness. Now the memory leaves me embarrassed. These massive red walls made me uneasy even then. Today they mock our camp again. Whatever be the outcome of this devil’s wind, it has revealed the banality of our mission.
Knox’s bitterness is an expression of the anger in the camp. When the cannons are quiet, the silence resounds with confusion, with terror, with rage, but most of all with the question ‘Why?’ As we sit around a small fire every night, the question rages in every mind. ‘Why the mutiny? Haven’t we brought the glory of civilization to this land of superstition?’ These thoughts simmer as we deal with hunger, heat and rain.
But soon these questions will be forgotten. The winners will annihilate the other side. Already I see the madness in the eyes as rumours reach us from other places – Cawnpur, Jhansi, Lucknow. Madness will soon be let loose.
I often feel that the answers that elude me today were within my grasp a short while ago. They are somewhere near, yet unreachable, like the time gone by.
I promise to look for them once I have found her again. For she, I feel, holds a part of it.
So every evening, I try to escape this madness by thinking about her, Princess Meera of Navgarh, a rebel soldier and my wife. It is the third year of our marriage. Three years of tenuous links and fragile understanding. It was only a matter of time before an explosion happened. And it happened that eventful week when Navgarh too burnt in the fire raging all across India. The news that the sepoys in Meerut had rebelled spurred both of us. Did I expect Meera to be a dutiful wife when all her beliefs, her convictions pulled her in the opposite direction? Was I surprised on knowing that she was in Delhi, amongst the rebels? Would she be surprised on knowing that I have followed her as an enemy… a British officer? And as I follow her, I stand here once again, after five years, outside the walls of the Red Fort in Delhi.

 

 

 

       Grab your copy @

Amazon.com | Amazon.in | Amazon.co.uk 

About the author


Delhi-born Vandana Shanker is the author of the series 1857 Dust of Ages, a historical fiction set in the year of the great uprising in India. A PhD from IIT Delhi, Vandana is passionate about history, storytelling and art. Apart from writing, she teaches literature and creative writing in Malaysia. She has also taught in Universities in India and Vietnam. She currently lives in Kuala Lumpur with her family and wants to travel the world. 

 

 

 

Stalk her @

 

 

                  

Play the Game of Rafflecopter 

 

   This Tour is Hosted by 
Facebook | Website | Blog Tours | Twitter | Linkedin
We Promote So That You Can Write 



Book Review of Soulless

Leave a comment

Soulless by MV Kasi is a stream of consciousness novel. The book deals with serious issues like child abuse, drugs, alcohol and depression. Since its a serious issue type book but the author has balanced the seriousness with wit and humour.

soulless-book-cover

 

 

The cover of the book is dark. The chess game gives us a glimpse that it has mystery and suspense in it. At times, it seems unmatchable with the title and the theme of the book.

The title is Soulless which stands for a person who doesn’t care about anyone and their emotions. The title is apt as the protagonist has heartless traits. Still, there are many reasons behind this title which are uncovered as the reading proceeds further.

The format of the book is an ebook. I wish the author could have converted into a paperback, it would have a different essence.

This novel can be categorised in many ways. It is a social novel as the social issues like child abuse, drug addiction, sex addiction, alcohol addiction are concerned. Further, we can call it a psychological novel as it is difficult to deal with Sia’s psychology who seems addicted to many things and the way she behaves. We need to know psychology a bit if we are analysing her character. This can come under young adult or dark romance category as we say many intense love making scenes. Not only this, it can be further categorised a stream if consciousness novel as we come to know about the thought process of various characters.

They say when you take revenge you lose a part of your soul.

But Sia hadn’t felt her soul in a very long time. She only knew the soul-crushing fear and helplessness. Especially during the nights, when she fought an invisible enemy that terrorized her during the nightmares.
Her days weren’t any better either. She spent most of them trying to desperately gain control of her life while battling her various fears and addictions.
She was only twenty three, but she had resigned herself to live the rest of her life that way. Fearing the unknown.

Until it all changed one day…

Now she knew. She knew that the monster from her nightmares was real. And also that her soul had been ripped apart from her.
The memories had brought in fear, rage and pain, along with a strong craving for a swift payback.
But revenge was a dish best served cold. And it required a complete absence of emotion.
So now?
Now she plotted. And she schemed. She prepared herself in every possible way to hunt and destroy her enemy.
But every mission, however well planned can go awry. Sometimes it’s because even though one can be soulless, there is always the heart. A very weak and desperate heart that was being stolen by a man.
A man who was like a bright spark of vivid colors in her otherwise dark and dreary life.
A man…who was only supposed to be collateral damage.

The plot is neatly woven and is really crisp. The story revolves around Sia, who is a mysterious girl with so many secrets in her bag. She has a big motive of revenge which we come to know at the end of the book. The story is written in her voice and at times we hate her and at times we feel sympathetic towards her.

The characters are beautifully delineated. Sia’s character seeks a lot of attention as she is mysterious, bit cranky, rude and soft at the same time. She wants to avenge someone, for which she plans and plots. During this course she comes across a man who changes her life. She is a tormented soul and when things began to heal slowly, her past knocks at the door. The story ends in such a way that it makes a way for the next part. I feel Sia’s portrayal have been the toughest task for the author as she had to create a heartless character who was soft at some point.

The style of writing is simple, lucid and creative. The thirs person narrative along with vivid descriptions makes it poignant. The way the point of views is used, its mind blowing. The author surely confuse our minds at various points. It further has an episolar as well stream of consciousness technique in it. This book can be converted into a movie and I am sure, it will be a hit. There were minor errors in the editing as I could find some missing words, yet the subject matter cannot be ignored. The author has done a tremendous job in highlighting the serious issues which are often ignored.

Grab your copies from : https://www.amazon.in/Soulless-MV-Kasi-ebook/dp/B01MFDEERI?ie=UTF8&keywords=Soulless&qid=1485778233&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

 

Book Review of Love & Peace

Leave a comment

Love & Peace by Abhishek Kothari is a romance fiction. This story is about love that makes breaks and makes you something. The story has a simple perspective but the situational delineations makes this simple concept beautiful.

41n2oLwUYoL.jpg

The cover of the book is simple, sober and beautiful. The whote background indicates peace and tinge pink has essence of love. The cover maginificently delineates the purpose of the novel.

The three words sums up the title and its purpose ‘ Love and Peace’. This is an amazing combination as we know that love can melt stones, can stop wars, can make enemies friends and so on. Hence, this love can bring peace and solace to a person’s mind.

Are you in quest of love and peace?
Dear reader,
I have been dreaming of marrying Guddi ever since childhood. No, I didn’t love her back then. I wanted to marry her simply because all my friends were married (child marriage!) and I didn’t want to lag behind.Now, I love her deeply. But for her, marriage is a three-ring circus – engagement ring, wedding ring and suffering. More so, I’ve run away from her a couple of times for my atonement. But every time, life has dragged me back to her. In running after love and peace, I forgot to live! A mesmerizing anecdote about following your heart, Love and Peace is about my fight with fate and life to achieve what I had set my heart on. Come, join my journey and rediscover yourself.
Love and peace,
Raju.

The plot is crystal clear and intriguing. It revolves around the lives of Raju and Guddi who happens to be childhood friends. This is a journey of love lost and found. They go through a lot of ups and downs which makes their bond strong only.

The characterisation is one of the best elements in the book. It seems as if the author has mastered the art of character portrayal. I felt Raju’s character exceptional. The way he handles the situations is impeccable. Even though the life knocks him down everytime, he comes back with a bang on. His ambitiousness makes him a better man and his lifstyle improves. He is madly in love with Guddi and it doesn’t change till the last page of the book.

Guddi’s character is complicated. Many people might not life it from the start but once we read her side story we surely love her character. She is a confident woman who has her own perspectives towards life. We are more influenced by Raju’s life that we almost forget her existence.

The minor characters also play a vital role in progression of the plot. The way Sanjay, Harish and Raju’s dear ones behave is mind blowing. They are surely the pillers of his success.

The language used in this piece is simple, lucid and clear. There are many witty sentences that makes you laugh. It seeems that the author has balanced the emotions correctly in the novel. The first person narrative with impersonal descriptions makes it understandable. The exchange of letters gives us a glimpse of Epistolary style of writing. There are certain proof readng errors which can easily taken care of. It is quick and easy read. One can complete this book in 2 hours.

Grab your copies from : http://www.amazon.in/Love-Peace-Abhishek-Kothari/dp/9382665838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482751557&sr=8-1&keywords=love+and+peace+by+abhishek+kothari

About the Author

Abhishek Kothari, aka Qais AK, wrote his first book A Feeling Beyond Words in 2010 and it became a bestseller soon after. An alumnus of Lovely Professional University, Punjab, Abhishek is an atheist at heart. A deep believer of Humanism, he loves every soul and sees every religion as equal. Born in the beautiful valley of Dehradun, when he isn’t writing, he is sketching portraits and enjoying his pursuit of beauty.