Deep Ties

Monday, October 26, 2015

Only Wheat Not White - Varsha Dixit

Only Wheat Not White

Varsha Dixit

The Blurb

What if the one you completely love is the one you simply can't! Twenty-six-year-old Eila Sood moves to America to mend fences with her estranged older sister, Sheela. Eila and the rest of the family in India had cut off ties with Sheela after she married Steve Jacobs, 'out of caste, and out of color'. Elia soon realizes that Sheela's marriage is on the rocks. To help pay Sheela's household bills, Eila takes a second job at an afternoon strip club. When she crosses paths with the owner, the handsome Brett Wright or 'blue-eyed ogre' as Elia calls him, he both infuriates and fascinates her. Brett turns out to be her reluctant and unquestionably sarcastic knight in shining armor. As Eila and Brett spend more time together their desire for each other builds. However, when Brett discovers the true reason for Eila's refusal he storms out of her life, accusing her of being a prejudiced coward. Will Eila find the courage to break stereotypes and embrace her love? Will Brett find solace in the arms of his ex-girlfriend Cate? Will Sheela and Steve divorce? All of these questions and more are answered in Varsha Dixit's latest and humorous and steamy love story.

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Meet the Author

I'm the author of four books and the genre that I write is contemporary romance. Penning stories defines and completes me.I thinks of myself as a borderline obsessive-compulsive dreamer who thinks deep but writes light. A true ‘feel good’ junkie seeking quick fixes, I love a good laugh and a good book. A voracious reader of who dunit mysteries and legal dramas, I did sit down to pen a book on serial killers but finding it impossible to maim or kill anyone, even on paper, I penned a romantic story instead. Thus, I found my true calling – at least for the time being.Even though creativity is gender free, I feel blessed and enriched to be a woman.
Currently, with my family, I'm settled in the US.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

A Thousand Unspoken Words

“Make change, be a part of change.”

There is no perfect man or woman in this world, and thank God for that! Here is a book that, once again, brings out this fact, as many others have done earlier.

'A Thousand Unspoken Words' is a beautiful and apt title for a theme where the male and the female protagonists keep many vital thoughts to themselves, almost expecting the other to be able to read the mind.

Tilottama is the spirited modern heroine, feisty, yet afraid to take a step towards love. She is in love with a shadow, Musafir, an idealistic writer who wants to change the world. “He gives me a reason to love, to feel each moment of life, to write.”

She is level headed, but does have her moments of impulsiveness. When she runs into photo journalist, Riddhimaan, she is disillusioned with his frivolous attitude to life, despite the fact that it turns out that it is just a facade. "Somebody must have hurt him very badly. He has sad eyes that he hides behind his antics."

Riddhimaan’s mother, Krishnakoli Banerjee, comes across as a strong woman, a character that one falls in love with, for her sense of humour and her solid support of Tilottama, who calls her 'Mashima'. In turn, the older lady refers to Tilottama an Amazon, a warrior princess, which shines a light on the girl's nature.

Krishnakoli and Riddhimaan share a warm bond. This makes the ensuing events even more heart wrenching. Her banter with her son, her hope that she will marry Tilottama who is already like a daughter to her, and the losses she herself has borne in life make her hope that her son will not throw his life away.

The attraction between the two main characters is palpable. However, Tilottama’s heart belongs to Musafir, and Riddhimaan hates that, for he always finds himself wanting. He comes across as a tragic hero with dark alleys around him. Tilottama says at one stage, “I know this brings a rush of uneasy memories. But you have nothing to hide. You’ve worked hard to prove yourself. Why do you need to run?”

Riddhi tells his mother, “She is beautiful, brave and intimidating. But she also reminds me of my past, something I sometimes want to forget. Tillottama and I will be a disaster.” Is this a hint that events may, perhaps, cast their shadows ahead?

The best advice that Riddhimaan gets from Shoumo Sen, Tilottama's father, is this. "Riddhimaan, if you ever feel that something is plaguing you just look at the ideas and beliefs you so love and try and become friends with them again. And then watch how magically things work out," The irony is that both Shoumo Sen and Riddhimaan have robbed Tilottama chances to love in their own ways, a point that comes across subtly.

The crux of the book comes across in a broken hearted Tilottama’s words. “He feels like…like I would always choose Musafir over Riddhimaan. In fact I've always felt Riddhimaan is jealous of Musafir. He has always wanted me to discard Musafir."

Will Tilottama be able to choose betwen the two? Is this a battle in her mind between the intellectual escapism of Musafir, or the irreverent instability of Riddhimaan?

There is much reality in this book - the plight of the farmers and hawkers, protesters being killed indiscriminately, concrete spaces eating away the greenery, land acquisition issues and police firing, displaced people, the ban of the English language and the vandalizing of a printing press. Paulami has incorporated these issues without sounding preachy, which is a feat in itself.

"If you are grains of sand, I will be the waves. Every time I come to you, you might push me away, but you would also mingle with me little by little until we both forget who the wave is and who the sand."

It is lines like the above that reveal Paulami’s literary prowess.

Both Tilottama and Riddhimaan are irrevocably in love with the City of Joy.. Maybe why Paulami has written a love story in which the soul of her city, Kolkata, resides.

Verdict: Highly readable

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

#Tornadogiveaway 2 - Readomania - Crossed & Knotted enough to h

Fourteen writers get together to write India's first composite novel, a novel that has chapters knotted with one another to create a story filled with suspense, romance, mystery and emotion. Read 'Crossed & Knotted' by Readomania, in which I am fortunate enough to have a story of mine as well, titled 'Dragon Lady'! #Tornadogiveaway 2

Go to Book No. 101

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Name of the Book: CROSSED & KNOTTED

Author: Readomania

Read some reviews:

1. Rubina Ramesh
2. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal
3. Devika Fernando

The Story:

Crossed & Knotted is India’s first Composite Novel, a book written by fourteen authors in close collaboration with each other. The chapters, each a story in itself, are knotted with one another through characters, events, settings and emotions. The result is a read that criss-crosses through a multitude of emotions bringing out deep rooted human desires. They narrate tales of love and betrayal, suspense and mystery, courage and dilemma, along with hope and resilience. Read it for a taste so tantalizing, that your mind will surely be craving for more!

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About The Author

Readomania

India has traditionally been the land of storytellers and a lot of us have an inherent skill of creating good plots, good stories and good narrations. With a little encouragement and support, many more authors will be widely read and attain a place in the sun.

This is the essence of Readomania—an initiative that nurtures emerging stars of the literary world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Readomania is the talent hunt in fiction. It goes a step beyond by not just identifying the talent but also nurturing it and showcasing it to the world. In the process, we have created a powerhouse of content online.

Readomania is a publishing platform, with online and offline presence, for good writing; a place to share stories and poems; a place to explore your creative talent. The web platform is a unique place for people who love reading and writing. As authors, one can register, or login through social media sites and upload their work, which then gets reviewed. The review process includes copy and developmental editing, improving the plot, narration or word choices. If authors are promising but need aids in language enhancement or storytelling capabilities, we work with them to improve their work. This hand-holding and personalised attention is what makes us unique. We stand out in the crowd because we will walk the talk to make an author’s work readable. Finally the work is published on the site. Once published, people can read it for free, share it on social media, email it, rate it, vote for it and even leave their feedback.

This helps the author get critical feedback to improve their writing as well as encouragement to write more. We publish the best of the authors in our anthologies, projects and finally graduate them to the status of solo authors.

The site also has a lot in store for the reader. Since the content is edited and curated, readers get quality reads on a platter. The variety on Readomania is impressively vast; we have romance, emotions, thrills, travel, humour and drama. You will find stories that touch your heart, stories that inspire you, stories that make you laugh and stories that make you cry.

Accessing Readomania makes for a perfect break of fifteen minutes from your daily grind. Read a story and unwind. Take a break, read something nice, write something beautiful.

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Go to Book No. 1

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#Tornadogiveaway 2 - Mary Campisi - Pulling Home

Audra will risk anything to save her child…even the truth. Will she have to upturn her perfect life and divulge her secrets to a community that has not forgotten her meagre beginnings? Mary Campisi's 'Pulling Home' is yet another book in #Tornadogiveaway 2.

Go to Book No. 100

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Name of the Book: PULLING HOME

Author: Mary Campisi

Read some reviews:

1. Jennifer Gallagher
2. Judy Collins
3. Pam Chaffin

The Story:

It’s all about that second chance…

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to get that second chance—in life and in love. That Second Chance Series are stories of strong women who battle heartache and loss with courage and determination to find new paths and true love. These books are standalones and are NOT related. Therefore, the characters from one story will not appear in another. What ties them together? A common theme—belief in the beauty of that second chance.

Pulling Home is Book One in That Second Chance Series.

She'll risk anything to save her child…even the truth

It’s taken nine years and a cross-country move, but Audra Valentine Wheyton has kept her secrets safe. She’s created the perfect life—a husband who loves her, a daughter she adores, and a position as head writer for an award-winning daytime soap. When her husband dies suddenly, Audra returns to her hometown for the funeral and faces a community that has not forgotten her meager beginnings and a man who has never forgiven her for marrying his brother.

Jack Wheyton is a successful pediatric neurosurgeon who is about to become engaged when Audra walks back into his life with her daughter. He forgave his brother long ago for taking something that had been his, something he hadn’t even realized he wanted until it was gone. But forgiving Audra is another story…and forgetting her? Near impossible.

When a shattering illness strikes Audra’s daughter, she turns to Jack to save her child and risks exposing a secret that will change their lives forever.

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About The Author

Mary Campisi

About the author in her own words: I write emotion-packed books about second chances. Whether contemporary romances, women's fiction, or Regency historicals, my books all center on belief in the beauty of that second chance.

I should have known I'd become a writer when at age thirteen I began changing the ending to all the books I read. It took several years and a number of jobs, including registered nurse, receptionist in a swanky hair salon, accounts payable clerk, and practice manager in an OB/GYN office, for me to rediscover writing. Enter a mouse-less computer, a floppy disk, and a dream large enough to fill a zip drive. The rest of the story lives on in every book I write.

When I'm not working on my craft or following the lives of five young adult children, I'm digging in the dirt with my flowers and herbs, making compost (yes, making compost!), cooking, reading, walking my rescue lab mix, Cooper, or, on the perfect day, riding off into the sunset with my very own hero/husband on his Ultra Limited aka Harley.

I've published with Kensington, Carina Press, and The Wild Rose Press.

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Go to Book No. 102

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#Tornadogiveaway 2 - Indraneil Banerjie - Age Of Anxiety: Growing Up In Post-Colonial India

Will Sarat Chandra, a young Bengali boy, find his place in a school that is grappling with glorifying its own colonial past, or is he forever doomed to be the outsider, the ‘mofussil’ boy with an identity crisis, who needs to come to terms with his family's precarious financial situation? Read Indraneil Banerjie's 'Age Of Anxiety: Growing Up In Post-Colonial India' to find the answers. #Tornadogiveaway 2.

Go to Book No. 99

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Name of the Book: AGE OF ANXIETY: GROWING UP IN POST-COLONIAL INDIA

Author: Indraneil Banerjie

Read some reviews:

1. Rubina Ramesh
2. Renita D'Silva
3. Geeta

The Story:

India has been Independent for just about two decades when a young Bengali boy, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, takes his place within the portals of an ancient school that continues to glorify its colonial past.

India is changing and the city that was once the proud capital of a vast Colonial empire is in rapid decline but the school holds out, white and resplendent amidst the surrounding gloom and depredation.

Sarat Chandra, cut off from his familiar world, is thrown together with a bunch of boys who hail from diverse backgrounds - Marwaris, Anglo-Indians, Armenians and Muslims. Within the school’s portals he must adapt and conform to its ancient traditions. He finds a new name, makes friends and discovers the first flush of romance but struggles to come to terms with his family’s precarious financial situation, which fuels his inherent anxiety.

Much like Sarat Chandra, the city too is grappling to come of age. Mired in post-Independence politics and economic decline, anxiety and gloom has spread through the populace jostling for space in an increasingly crowded and unrelenting city. The elite have taken over the mansions left behind by the colonialists while the poor throng the pavements and empty spaces.

Will Sarat Chandra find his place in the city or is he forever doomed to be the outsider, the ‘mofussil’ boy with an identity crisis?

This is a story about a generation numbed by the anxiety of the Sixties and the Seventies, about music dying in the bars, entire populations quietly fleeing the city and yesteryear's generation fortifying themselves within anachronistic colonial institutions to hold out against change.

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About The Author

Indraneil Banerjie

Indranil Banerjie (1960-present) was born in Calcutta, India. The son of a military officer, he grew up in cantonments in different parts of the country and was exposed to the country's diversity from an early age. He has been writing ever since he graduated from Presidency College, Calcutta, in 1980. He spent more than a decade as a journalist before going on to head a national security focussed think tank, SAPRA India Foundation, for sixteen years till 2011. Currently, he travels, writes and takes photographs and is working on two books. "Age of Anxiety" is his first novel.

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Go to Book No. 101

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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

#Tornadogiveaway 2 - Sundari Venkatraman - Meghna

Why does the dashing Rahul Sinha not care for his mother? What are his feelings towards Meghna, his best friend's sister? Will they find love? Do find out all the answers in 'Meghna', a tantalizing read by ace romance writer, Sundari Venkatraman, in #Tornadogiveaway 2.

Go to Book No. 98

Check all the Books Here

Name of the Book: MEGHNA
Author: Sundari Venkatraman

Read some reviews:

1. Rubina Ramesh
2. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal
3. Meghan Duce

The Story:

The young and dashing Rahul Sinha lives in England with his parents, Shyam and Rajni. He is an only son of the rich banker. Rahul is totally attached to his father but does not care for his mother. Read the book to find out why….

Rahul is exulted with his efforts at work paying off and plans a holiday with his best friend Sanjay Srivastav who lives in Mumbai with his wife Reema, kids Sanya and Rehaan and most importantly, his sister, Meghna. Rahul recalls meeting Meghna just before they parted six years ago.

Meghna works for a website and also teaches modern dance as she loves it. She’s thrown for a toss when Rahul comes visiting. She had thought he had forgotten them.

But how could Rahul do that? Sanjay’s his best friend and Rahul had always treated their home as his own. Sanjay’s mother had been more of a mother to Rahul than his own. Rahul had stayed away after moving to England or so Meghna believes.

Thus begins the story between Rahul and Meghna, the teasing, the flirting, the anger, the tears… …will they find love?

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About The Author

Sundari Venkatraman

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! She could never string two sentences together. While her spoken English had always been excellent – thanks to her Grandpa – she couldn’t write to save her life.

All this changed suddenly one fine day in the year 2000. She had just quit her job as a school admin and didn’t know what to do with her life. She was saturated with simply reading books. That’s when she returned home one evening after her walk, took some sheets of paper and began writing. It was like watching a movie that was running in her head – all those years of visualising Indian heroes and heroines needed an outlet and had to be put into words. That’s how her first novel, The Malhotra Bride, took shape. While she felt discouraged when publishing didn’t happen, it was her husband who kept encouraging her not to give up.

In the meanwhile, she landed a job as Copy Editor with Mumbai Mirror. After working there for two years, she moved to the Network 18 Group and worked with two of their websites over the next six years, as Content Editor.

Despite her work schedule, she continued to write novels and then short stories and had them published in her blogs. She also blogs voraciously, writing on many different topics – travel, book reviews, film reviews, restaurant reviews, spirituality, alternative health and more.

Her first eBook Double Jeopardy – a romance novella – was published by Indireads and has been very well received by readers of romance.

In 2014, Sundari self-published The Malhotra Bride (2nd Edition); Meghna; The Runaway Bridegroom; Flaming Sun Collection 1: Happily Ever Afters From India (Box Set) and Matches Made In Heaven (a collection of romantic short stories).

2015 brought yet another opportunity. Readomania came forward to traditionally publish this book – The Madras Affair – a mature romance set in Madras.

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Go to Book No. 100

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#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)

#Tornadogiveaway 2 - Donna Abraham - Or Forever Hold Your Peace

A young, independent, well-qualified woman based in Delhi sets off on her own journey towards a happily-ever-after, she discovers that a lot can happen between finding Mr Right and saying ‘I do!' Read this book titled 'Or Forever Hold Your Place' by Donna Abraham, which is part of #Tornadogiveaway 2.

Go to Book No. 97

Check all the Books Here

Name of the Book: OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE
Author: Donna Abraham

Read some reviews:

1. Lata Sony
2. Tessie Elsa Crouzat
3. Lakshmi Trivedy

The Story:

SMRC/27/5’4” girl, MBA/B.Tech, Project Manager, software, seeking suitable boy.

‘Sundays began with mass at 7 in the morning. Mass would get over by 8 am and Dad would spend the next hour and a half reading the newspaper, which included circling suitable advertisements in the Catholic Section of the matrimonials. Once it was 11 am, he would start dialing the numbers of those he had deemed suitable.’

Weddings can be tricky business. They can be fun, emotional, exciting, frustrating, nerve-racking, downright stressful and very unpredictable…a bit like life itself. As a young, independent, well-qualified woman based in Delhi sets off on her own journey towards a happily-ever-after, she discovers that a lot can happen between finding Mr Right and saying ‘I do’.

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About The Author

Donna Abraham

Donna Abraham is a mother of two lovely girls and has been writing educational content for nearly 15 years now. She has written on subjects ranging from IT to Finance and Soft Skills.

After returning to work from her first Maternity Leave, while she waited for a project to be allocated, Donna wrote her first novella Or Forever Hold Your Peace. She also has a short story published in Chicken Soup for the Soul Indian College Students. She is currently working on her second book, while penning several short stories on life as she sees it.

Her stories revolve around the little aspects of life that impact people greatly. Her stories are her way of talking to people and reflect various aspects of everyday living. Hope you find a bit of you in them.

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Go to Book No. 99

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TornadoGiveaway is an initiative of The Book Club. Click on the icon to go to the event page of the Tornado .. Lots of fun awaits you :)