Book Spotlight for “Past Marriageable Age” by Sudesna Ghosh

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Length: 75 pages (novella)

Format: Kindle edition

Blurb:

Koel is almost 40 years old and too old to be married — according to Indian society. She's a successful lawyer and a bookworm and quite happy living like a nun until she meets Ranbir Ray. Significantly older than her, Ranbir is hot and sweet and full of pleasant surprises. Can Ranbir teach Koel about life, love and happiness in this heartwarming, fun romance?

Excerpt:

That ended our privacy as we found Reema and Aditi waiting impatiently. They had a table for four next to the bar. Ranbir greeted them politely, waiting for me to slide into the sofa before he sat on it too. We were like the perfect couple. So fast. So well dressed. Familiar with each other and getting more familiar at speed.

We ordered drinks and sushi. Ranbir stole glances and smiles at me, wrapping one arm around my waist until the drinks came. Aditi shamelessly measured his every movement. Reema asked him about his business. I was ignored.

Devouring my sushi, I listened to Ranbir describe his struggles setting up business in a political culture like Kolkata and how hard it had been at first. Reema was in awe.

Ranbir asked about Reema’s work. He said he was aware of the competition in her field and knew of some of her campaigns. That won her over. Aditi was quiet until she interrupted with a silly question.

“So Ranbir, do you think my friend and you have a future together?”

I was livid. This age gap thing was getting out of hand. I asked her to apologise. However, Ranbir wasn’t annoyed. Or he was not showing it. Instead, he told me an apology wasn’t necessary.

“Aditi is concerned about her friend. It’s a good thing,” he acknowledged.

Ranbir really was a kind man. Glaring at my friend, I waited for his answer.

Clearing his throat, he confirmed that yes, we did have a future together.

“You see, Aditi, at my age, you don’t spend too much time thinking about what you want -- you just go after it. What I mean to say is that, I have fallen hard for your friend and I intend to keep her by my side for a long time.”

How beautiful. Tears hit my eyes. Happy tears from the heart. I saw Reema and Aditi control their tears too. Ranbir hadn’t used the word ‘love’ but I knew what he meant. I felt the same way about him from that day at the bookstore and coffee shop.

Aditi took a swipe at her eyes and asked him what a long time meant at our age.

Taking my hand in his, he declared, “It means for as long as your friend wants to be with me.”

The three of them all looked at me. I said thank you. Everyone burst out laughing. Aditi behaved well for the rest of the meal. Afterwards, Ranbir dropped her home before he dropped me. She said sorry. Dismissing it with a wave of his hand, he handed her a chocolate bar. He joked, “Now don’t say thank you, Uncle, please.”

We couldn’t stop howling. He was so funny!

About the Author:

Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh is an author based in Kolkata, India. She is a graduate of University of Rochester and an ex-journalist. When Sue isn’t reading or writing, she is busy doing her best to keep her rescue cats happy.

You can find her on Twitter @sudesna_ghosh and on Instagram @sudesna_meow

Buy your copy of Past Marriageable Age here: https://www.amazon.in/Past-Marriageable-Age-feel-good-romance-ebook/dp/B07XHNQMRY/

Author Interview - Sundari Venkatraman

HER PRINCE CHARMING

(Prequel to The Malhotra Bride)

by

Sundari Venkatraman

BLURB

It’s instantaneous attraction when Tanuja Bhatia from Delhi meets Raj Malhotra from Bombay at the Bombay Central Station.

The mutual attraction soon blossoms into love over the next couple of meetings. 

Tanuja and her simple father fail to see the crisis brewing in their own home. Her not-so-nice stepmother Gurinder is totally against the idea of Tanuja meeting her Prince Charming which would make her step-sister Harpreet seriously envious. By the way, Harpreet’s main aim in life is to simply make her half-sister miserable. 

While Raj’s parents and Tanuja’s father try to arrange a marriage between the two with a help of a mutual friend, the evil stepmother comes up with a plan of her own—to marry her stepdaughter off to Sonu, a good-for-nothing idiot. 

Can Her Prince Charming lift Tanuja out of this life of drudgery and boredom and give her the happiness she deserves?

*A prequel to THE MALHOTRA BRIDE, this book is also available in paperback in India.

Author Interview

TBC: What made you decide to write the story of the previous generation?

Sundari Venkatraman: As you must have noticed, I enjoy writing series and books that interconnect characters. Over the past couple of years, I have been toying with the idea of writing historical romances. Actually, I wrote a bit about the 1940s in my book called Rose Garden International. It was then that the idea came into my mind: Why not write a story about Akshay Malhotra’s (the hero of my first book The Malhotra Bride) parents, Raj and Tanuja Malhotra, who are so obviously in love with each other? I also found the idea exciting because I was personally young in the 70s, (in school, actually) all dreamy and dewy-eyed about romances. Hence, setting a story in that time was so much fun. And that’s how Her Prince Charming was born. 

TBC: What difficulties do you face when you write a series?

Sundari Venkatraman: Oh yes! While I love writing series, there are some difficulties that I do face. To begin with, I try to create a vague plot for the second or third book in the series. Believe me, the plot is vague because I don’t know how to plan my story too much in advance as I flow along with my mind while writing, go wherever the characters take me. After that, I go back and read the first book from beginning till end. I also have a list of the basic features of each character listed on an excel sheet under the book title. Each time, it’s extremely important to make the connection seamless.

Let me share an example from Her Prince Charming. I had planned this as a love match between Raj and Tanuja. When I read The Malhotra Bride, I came across this dialogue between Raj and Akshay, when the former tells his son that his marriage to Tanuja was arranged. I had a minor dilemma in my hands. I didn’t want to let go of the idea of it being a love marriage. But then again, I couldn’t let my first book become a lie. So, I decided to create a love-cum-arranged marriage for the protags of Her Prince Charming. 

Hence, the main thing is to ensure that the connection between the stories is smooth. For that, I need to keep an eagle eye out while creating a sequel or prequel as in this case. It’s easier if I write the whole series in one shot, one after the other. Imagine writing Her Prince Charming nineteen years after I wrote The Malhotra Bride! It was a challenge, definitely. Though, I think I’ve done a good job in tying up the lose ends. 

TBC: Your cover is beautiful; has an old-world charm. Please tell our readers how important is the design of a cover.

Sundari Venkatraman: Thank you so much. A lot of people have appreciated the cover, especially for this novel set in the 1970s. As for the importance of having a great cover, well, we have millions of books out there, especially on a website such as Amazon. How will a reader zero in on one particular book? What will make the reader click on that particular link? I strongly believe it’s the cover. Once the cover catches their attention, they will want to check the blurb and then the sample chapter. But to get to that point, there is a need for a great cover that will grab a reader’s attention. And that’s the reason I pay a lot of attention to this particular part of my books. 

Grab your copy @

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

About the author

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 42 titles (38 books and 4 collections) to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

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SELF ACCEPTANCE

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Why is self-acceptance so difficult?

Maybe because we are obsessed with perfection.

And perfection is a myth.

We are chasing a myth instead of embracing a reality

We are running behind fake instead of cherishing the real.

I want to share a beautiful scene from the movie “Humari Adhuri Kahani” with you all.  

Wasn’t the scene perfect? Because it talked about beauty in imperfection.

Let’s fall in love with our flaws. Let’s fall in love with the real us. Let’s accept the flaws in people we love because their imperfections only make them real.

Let's not put conditions to feel happy. 

Let’s accept the REAL us Like Neerja, the lead character of my short story – 20 Year School Reunion. She struggled for 20 long years before accepting herself. Let us cut down that time frame in our own life and accept ourselves today for what we are.

Book Spotlight : We Women Wonder by Inderpreet Uppal

check out the schedule here

WE WOMEN WONDER: Dreams, Desires, Struggles & Triumphs

by 

Inderpreet Uppal

BLURB

"When a woman becomes her own best friend, life is easier." 

– Diane Von Furstenberg. 

Thoughts, quotes and determination can make a woman stronger, a survivor but she is a winner regardless. 

This book is the story of every woman, you might find your reflection too. 

A journey into what keeps us women ticking. 

What annoys the hell out of us? 

What are we women really about? 

How does the world see us? 

Is the world changing for us or are we just dreaming? 

What is our success and what it means to a woman? 

We Women Wonder, I often do, don’t you?

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com |  Amazon.in

About the author

" Inderpreet writes for her love of writing, edits manuscripts and reads endlessly. 

A sprinkling of fiction, a dash of books, and a bit of opinion add to the eclectic mix that is Eloquent Articulation, her blog.

Books, editing, writing, and blogging keep her busy whenever she gets a breather from mothering her ‘too tricky to handle son’. 

An Army brat, she now joins her adorable Army hubby across the country. "

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Book Blitz: Her Prince Charming by Sundari Venkatraman

Check out the schedule here 

Print Length: 141 pages

Publisher: Flaming Sun (Indie published) 

Publication Date: February 9, 2019

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Coming soon: PAPERBACK 

Genre: Romance

It’s instantaneous attraction when Tanuja Bhatia from Delhi meets Raj Malhotra from Bombay at the Bombay Central Station.

The mutual attraction soon blossoms into love over the next couple of meetings. 

Tanuja and her simple father fail to see the crisis brewing in their own home. Her not-so-nice stepmother Gurinder is totally against the idea of Tanuja meeting her Prince Charming which would make her step-sister Harpreet seriously envious. By the way, Harpreet’s main aim in life is to simply make her half-sister miserable. 

While Raj’s parents and Tanuja’s father try to arrange a marriage between the two with a help of a mutual friend, the evil stepmother comes up with a plan of her own—to marry her stepdaughter off to Sonu, a good-for-nothing idiot. 

Can Her Prince Charming lift Tanuja out of this life of drudgery and boredom and give her the happiness she deserves?

*A prequel to The Malhotra Bride, this book is also to be launched in paperback soon

  

It would be great if you can add this book to your TBR

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author who has 42 titles (38 books & 4 collections) to her name, all Top 100 Bestsellers on Amazon India, Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and Amazon Australia in both romance as well as Asian Drama categories. Her latest hot romances have all been on #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month.

Even as a kid, Sundari absolutely loved the ‘lived happily ever after’ syndrome as she grew up reading all the fairy tales she could lay her hands on, Phantom comics, Mandrake comics and the like. It was always about good triumphing over evil and a happy end. 

Soon, into her teens, Sundari switched her attention from fairy tales to Mills & Boon. While she loved reading both of these, she kept visualising what would have happened if there were similar situations happening in India; to a local hero and heroine. Her imagination took flight and she always lived in a rosy cocoon of romance over the years. 

Then came the writing – a true bolt out of the blue! And Sundari Venkatraman has never looked back.

Click here to check out all the titles by the author...

You can stalk her @

      

        

Grab Your Copy From

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Book Spotlight: Ballad of a Belle by Rahul Tushar

Ballad of a Belle

by

 Rahul Tushar

Blurb: 

Smitten completely, love was all that Aarti desired as she stepped out of Panditpora, Sopore, a small town in Kashmir, with dreams of a glorious tomorrow in her eyes. She was ready to merge with varied colors that life had painted for her, surreal most of the time. With sprinkles of love and care from Priya, her leading light, the game changing journeys across various cities of the world strengthened her resolve to fight back every time fate besmirched her. Although, Priya helped Aarti wriggle out of decaying associations that had become possessive, self-centered and oppressive, could she teach Aarti all about life in a world full of envy, jealousy, greed and treachery?

Excerpt:

I was pleasantly surprised by his gesture since he didn’t know Koshur and I was not sure if he was such a great lover of music that he would go to a concert just for the love of music whether he understood the lyrics or not. For me though, it was a journey down nostalgic memory lane. I had heard Vijay Singh Malla a couple of times in Srinagar and all those famous songs brought back the memories of my college days. After the concert we went to Terrace Pergola overlooking the Lodhi Gardens for dinner. I was still humming, ’Kaayes pershen pannus janaaos sath laye…’ 

“The one you are singing is very melodious Aarti, what do the lyrics mean?”

“It philosophically says there is no need to be so distressed since you know you have to leave this world alone one day,” I explained.

“Yes sure one such day will come, but what about the remaining days of your life, why should those be led alone?”

“I didn’t get you!” I wanted to know if he was hinting at something.

Amazon Link: 

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07CG8DJC1/

About the Author:

Born to a family of broadcasters, Rahul secretly desired growing up in the corridors of National School of Drama at Mandi House. However, with ‘chakras’ in his feet and Mars his ruling planet, destiny had already charted a different course of life for him. Travelling across the entire length and breadth of the country, he was destined to fall in love with the concept of India. His wanderings turned him into a die-hard patriot and a moderate nationalist. He scribbled whatever touched his heart, till one day when he decided he must ‘write’. Since then, he has been in overdrive. Besides ‘Ballad of a Belle’, his debut novel, Rahul is simultaneously working on his second work of fiction, ‘The Sinful Oracle’

Life in this maddening city drives him to the wilderness of the mountains every now and then. Till the time he adopts some hill top as his abode, he continues to reside in Delhi with his wife.   

Spotlight: The Curse By Randeep Wadehra

The Curse

by 

Randeep Wadehra

Blurb

Through peace, it’s justice we seek!

The hunter will meet the fate of the hunted

And the mighty will serve the meek!

Twenty years ago, a corrupt President, a greedy industrialist, and a sycophant policeman uprooted the tribal people from their own land and burned their houses. Twenty years later, the Republic of Bodh is in danger from a similar evil troika.

The curse uttered by a frail tribal woman during the carnage twenty years ago has inspired Jwaala, the only female leader in the Senate, to reform the Republic of Bodh.

But the same curse has turned Saaya, once an innocent victim of the massacre, into a relentless killing machine with a mission to prey on the predators.

Even when the Republic spirals into a storm of scandals, the greedy and corrupt President Chaupat is torn between his lust for a dancer and his unrequited passion for his wife Kaamini.

Will Saaya succeed in his mission or will Chaupat thwart his efforts?

Will Jwaala, orphaned in a violent attack, be able to turn the curse for the greedy into a blessing for the poor? Will she succeed to save the Republic from another ensuing bloodshed?

The Curse is a gritty political thriller about people who have lost much to greed but want to transform their nation.

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com |  Amazon.in

About the author

"I am an independent content editor, columnist, radio script-writer and blogger. I was a columnist for The Tribune for about fifteen years; my columns – Punjabi Antenna, Write View, Short Takes and Channel Surfer – were quite popular. My articles also appeared in the Chandigarh editions of The Times of India, The Indian Express, the Haryana Review, and the SouthAsiaPost.com. My analytical articles on current affairs as well as various important social and national issues have featured in the op-ed columns of The Financial World, the Tehelka, and The Daily Post etc.

I did freelance scriptwriting for All India Radio, Chandigarh as well as its World Service. For instance, I have done a five-part series on Chandigarh for the All India Radio, which was broadcast on primetime. Scripts on Microfinance and India’s growth prospects were broadcast by the AIR World Service.

I write both fiction and non-fiction. I am a published author. A collection of my short stories Walls & Other Stories was published in 2004, and the other Rendezvous in Cyberia in 2017. Canada’s All Hallows magazine and the USA’s Espresso.com, fictionmagazines.com and IndianReview.in etc – the literary websites that pays its contributors — have published a couple of my short stories. In addition, I am translating a Hindi classic into English. 

Some of my poems have been included in the anthology, The Silken Web, published by the Bangalore based publisher, Unisun, in 2007. The Beehive Press, London, included one of my poems in an anthology titled Earthly and Divine Love. My poems have also appeared in Femina, the Asian Age, Deccan Herald, the Chandigarh edition of The Times of India, and The Tribune. In May 2011, my poetry collection, Singing through the nightmare, was published by Ukay Publishing Co., and has been well received by critics and poetry lovers alike. My latest anthologies – My Beautiful World (Illustrated poems for children) and Rhythms of Love are available on Kindle, Amazon.Com and Pothi.Com.

One of the books edited by me, Evolution of Education in India: a historical perspective by Lacchman Dass Bhimbhat, was published in the first week of July 2011. Another book, an autobiography edited by me, Law, Lawyers & Lawmakers by Harbhagwan Singh was published in 2014. Both these books are available on Kindle and Amazon.com outlets.

"

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