Spotlight :: 'Sweet Surprises - Inn Love Book 3' by Devika Fernando

Genre: Romance
Blurb:

A fiercely independent interior designer from America - A charming Italian man with a secret identity - An old villa with its own secrets

Italy has always fascinated Victoria. Now that the interior designer from America is there to help convert a grand old villa into an inn, it feels like a dream come true – even more so when she falls head over heels in love with the handsome gardener. The few precious days she shares with Riccardo make her rethink every decision she’s ever made in life. But just when Victoria is ready to take a leap of faith, she learns that her irresistible Italian isn’t who she thinks.

Riccardo Moretti is the heir to a marble empire fortune and definitely not relationship material. But when the fascinating American woman overseeing the villa’s transformation mistakes him for someone else, he seizes the opportunity. With her, he can truly be himself, removed from scandals and from his family’s claws. He’s lost his closed-off heart to the talented, outspoken foreigner - but will their love be enough to overcome all the obstacles and secrets in their way?

BUY ON AMAZON

EXCERPT

Riccardo glanced at the woman walking next to him, wondering why he felt this strong pull towards her. It wasn’t merely attraction, though he found her utterly beautiful. His body was reacting way too powerfully to her nearness. That moment when he’d had his arm around her and her curves pressed close, he had felt such longing that it was almost a physical ache. Another second of her in his embrace and he’d have done something as foolish as kissing her.
Idiota, he mentally scolded himself, sei spazzo. It was crazy to think she would welcome such advances. They were basically strangers, and she had no idea about his true identity. And yet, he yearned with every fiber of his being to get to know her better.
“Careful.”
He grabbed her hand to stop her in her tracks. His short cut had taken them through a small thicket of trees that loomed like ghostly shapes in the moonlit semi-darkness.
“There’s a small stream running through here,” he explained and saw her lean forward to check why he had stopped her from strolling on.
“Oh, you’re right!”
Acutely aware that he was still holding her hand, Riccardo had to push himself to focus on the here and now.
“It’s very narrow here, just a few meters. There are stones you can step on to cross it, but you have to know where to set your foot.” He turned to her, feeling her fingers tremble in his hold. “I’m sorry, it was stupid to lead you this way but it’s the short cut I am used to. We can either walk back a bit and take the normal route or you can let me help you across.”
She peered at the inky expanse of water, trickling slowly rather than rushing like a proper stream. “Ah well, what’s a night stroll without a bit of a risk?” With a chuckle, Victoria shrugged. Was she aware that she hadn’t pulled her fingers out of his grip yet? “Let’s do this. But I have a feeling you did this on purpose, so you can be a gallant knight in shining armor without seeming chauvinistic.”
Yet again, she surprised him. Riccardo laughed, giving her fingers a squeeze. “No, I swear. I took this familiar path automatically, I wasn’t thinking.” And how could he think straight when being near her scrambled all his brain cells? “Shall we?”
“Lead the way, fearless knight.”
With another laugh, Riccardo oriented himself and then pointed at a dark shape by their feet. “Here, see. This is the first stone. They’re all big enough to get a grip but they might be a bit slippery. Just follow in my footsteps.”
At her nod, he took the first step and led her cautiously across the few meters of water. She let go of his hand as soon as they had crossed the brook, and he felt oddly bereft.
“Only five more minutes, then we’re there.” He nodded ahead, at where the lights were much brighter and closer now.
“Great.” She gave a single shiver, hugging herself.
“You are cold. I’m sorry. It can cool down rapidly here at night.”
He had no idea why he was apologizing for something clearly out of his control and not his fault. Reacting on instinct, he slipped out of his leather jacket and draped it around her shoulders. His hands lingered on her arms for a precious second or two, feeling her lean into the touch before he stepped away.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, her voice quiet and wobbly. Was she as impacted by their closeness and the tension shimmering around them as he was?
Calling himself a fool again, Riccardo lengthened his stride. The sooner he got her home, the better, or he would really do something stupid and invite her for dinner and a glass of wine.


SERIES

This small town romance series features novels that each revolve around a bed & breakfast in a different country. The books are sweet romances, set in countries like England, Canada, and Italy. They can be read separately as stand-alones with a happy ending and are great for fans of Nora Roberts. No cliffhangers, no cheating, but some mild swearing.

Book 1: Tantalizing Temptations (England) | mybook.to/innlove1 
Book 2: Hidden Hopes (Canada) | mybook.to/innlove2

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Almost as soon as Devika Fernando could write, she imagined stories and poems. After finishing her education in Germany and returning to her roots in Sri Lanka, she got a chance to turn her passion into her profession. Having lived in Germany and in Sri Lanka with her husband has made her experience the best (and the worst) of two totally different worlds - something that influences her writing. Her trademark is writing sweet and sensual, deeply emotional romance stories where the characters actually fall in love instead of merely falling in lust.

What she loves most about being an author is the chance to create new worlds and send her protagonists on a journey full of ups and downs that will leave them changed. She draws inspiration from everyone and everything in life. Besides being a romance novel author, Devika is a faithful servant to all the cats and dogs she has adopted. When she's not writing, she's reading or thinking about writing.

Website: http://www.devikafernando.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devikafernandoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Author_Devika

Book Blitz :: 'The Runaway Bridegroom' by Sundari Venkatraman

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Westland Books

Publication Date: August 31, 2019

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

Available across all bookstores in India

Genre: Romance

Blurb:

Eight-year-old Chanda Maheshwari and thirteen-year-old Veerendra Singh Choudhry are married as per custom. But when the bridegroom runs away immediately after the wedding, the Maheshwari family’s world comes crashing down. They move to Jaipur to begin a new life in the city.

Fourteen years later, as a management student in Delhi, Chanda takes up a temporary job at RS Software Pvt. Ltd and finds herself falling head-over-heels for her boss, Ranveer Singh. But, for all her feelings, Chanda is still a married woman. Meanwhile, Ranveer’s secretary, Shikha, is determined to win him for herself. Even though his second-in-command, Abhimanyu, keeps getting in the way, she keeps a steady eye on the main prize. So when Ranveer starts to show an interest in Chanda, Shikha is furious. Back in Jaipur, an astrologer predicts that Chanda’s errant husband will soon make an appearance.

A secret childhood marriage, a vindictive secretary and unwelcome cosmic predictions—how much can Chanda deal with? And does anyone care about what she wants? Torn between the man she loves and the claim a missing husband still has on her, will Chanda ever find happiness?

Available across all bookstores in India

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

Know the Author

Sundari Venkatraman is an indie author with forty-plus titles to her credit, which have sold more than 1.5 lakh copies around the world. Her books consistently feature in the Top 100 Bestseller Lists on Amazon in both Romance and Asian Drama categories. Her latest romance novels have all been on the #1 Bestseller slot in Amazon India for over a month. 

As a child, Sundari loved to read books with ‘lived happily ever after’ endings. They were all about good triumphing over evil. As a teenager, her favourite books were romance novels from Mills & Boon. She was fascinated by them, so much so that she began to visualise the stories set in India.

Sundari was forty when she began her writing journey, completing the first draft of her first novel in thirty-five days. She has not looked back since.

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

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V - Voice in Fiction Writing :: 'Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing'

Here is another post under series 'Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing', we are on to alphabet V.
__________________________________________


What comes to the mind when we think of the term ‘Voice’.

Sound?

Someone speaking? A person? Gender, age, regional identity…

Nature? Birds, wind, raindrops…

Urban? Vehicle honking, footsteps, machine running…

Tone? Musical, lilting, harsh, placid, resigned, happy…

Let’s add another dimension to this: you have to convey your voice, not by speaking or singing, not by playing an instrument, but only with words.

Words which will tinkle in the landscape of the mind instead of one’s eardrums. Words which will play on the mind of the reader as if she/he is watching a movie, stimulating the visual as well as the audio senses. The descriptions of the scene and characters, background noises so detailed that the reader stops listening to the real world and loses oneself into the make-believe world of fiction depending on a way—your distinctive way—of stringing the words together.

This is what is called the ‘Voice’ in fiction writing—a unique or signature style of an author. The author’s voice characteristics are evident in the way a person narrates a piece of writing. It is one of the most important elements and is a combination of thought-process, language mechanics and vocabulary.

The ‘Voice’ in Fiction Writing is broken down into two areas ‘Author’ and ‘Character’ voice. Although both are work of the same person, the ‘author’ voice remains the same across books and the character’s voice differs as per the gender, traits, the situation of the said character.

Author Voice
The choice of words or phrase, the structure of sentence including the punctuation define an author’s voice. The way an author eases the reader into the act is also a key factor. The author's voice is fairly consistent across all the work product the author has produced. As a result, readers are, usually, able to identify the author simply by reading a selection of their work.

For example, here is an excerpt from my novel Jugnu (The Firefly) which talks about a generic scene thereby giving a glimpse of my writing style;

As the beauty of the panoramic view weaved its spell on him, the stress and anger dissipated and were replaced by wonder at the splendid spread of nature. The evening sunrays sieved by arrays of oak trees cast mellowed shadows on the road. Zayd took off his aviators, rolled down the windows and stuck his head out. The pine-fragrant, crisp air caressed his face and ruffled his hair, finally making him forget everything.

Character Voice
This is in addition to the author’s voice. The narration carries additional aspects of a character’s traits depending on the back story, beliefs, mannerism, etc. This will differ across author’s works since every character will be unique.

Taking an example from the same novel, wherein I have a character with a unique problem, which shows unique trait of the character:

“We sewve only veg food, but you can have non-veg from Waghu’s dhaba on the Lowew Mall woad,” the boy said as if he had guessed Zayd’s chain of thoughts.
“Hot watew anytime, I bwing dinnew?”
Poor guy not only suffered from polio but couldn’t even pronounce ‘r’. “What’s your name?” Zayd asked feeling a kinship with the disabled boy. The only difference was that Zayd’s infirmities were not apparent to the naked eye.

Lastly
Be sure about the rules of grammar in the language you wish to write and then don’t be afraid to break the rules. Cultivate your own distinctive style and mesmerize the readers.

Have fun and all the very best!
________________________________________________________________

Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing : Complete List

Spotlight :: 'The Lost Princess' by Preethi Venugopala

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Blurb:
HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO PROTECT THE ONE YOU LOVE?
Ishaani, the newly crowned nightingale of the Indian music industry has it all: a dream career, a loving family and loyal friends. Yet, the man she has loved all her life will not warm up to her.
Rajeev, a hotshot movie director, has feelings for Ishaani. But she is his sister's best friend and has been like another sibling to him. Yet, what can he do if he feels compelled to make her his own?
Then, Ishaani's life changes overnight. She is no longer a lowly commoner but a princess.
She has to make some tough decisions to protect the man she loves.
Her choices lead them both down a path filled with shocking revelations and devastating consequences.
Will true love prevail?
Or will the many twists of fate tear them apart?

Get the book here

Excerpt:

Talking to your best friend can be excellent therapy. But it can be a headache if you’re in love with your best friend’s brother. Ishaani was realizing it the hard way.

"I saw the screenshot you sent. I can’t believe that idiot replied with a ‘thank you’ to your WhatsApp-essay! Why are you wasting your time on that slob? I’m ashamed to call him my brother…"
Ishaani moved her mobile phone away from her ears as Rashi’s voice began to grow shriller and louder by the minute.

"Girl... don't shout. I can hear you alright. I didn’t write an essay, okay? And he might be busy." Ishaani rolled her eyes and cursed herself mentally. In her eagerness to get over her frustration, how did she forget that Rashi loved to troll her brother?

"It qualifies as an essay. It might not get an A if you submitted to Mrs Ellen. But it would definitely win a prize for the longest and cutest WhatsApp message till date."

Ishaani chuckled. After putting the phone on speaker, she placed it on her bed. Picking up a scrunchy from her dresser-drawer, she rolled up her long hair into a top bun. Their high school English teacher Mrs Ellen would have called it purple prose. But a girl had to say what she had to say. Who texted perfect literary pieces to crushes? Long winding flowery sentences with a lot of smilies and ellipses were her style. Before writing to him, she had watched Rajeev’s ZBC television interview twice. And she could be eloquent when she wanted. No wonder Rashi had called it an essay.

"You know your brother's word quota per day. I’m happy he replied this time. Usually, I have to be content with the blue tick." Her silly heart raced when blue ticks appeared on the WhatsApp-messages she sent him. How pathetic!

Ishaani lived by only one rule. She welcomed anything that put her in the vicinity of her long-time crush, Rajeev Ratnam. The elusive movie director who owned her heart. It didn’t bother her that he either ignored her or treated her like a mere acquaintance when they met in public. And when she happened to meet him at his home, he treated her like he treated Rashi. Like a kid who needed guidance at every point in her life. Yet she always rallied her spirits by focusing on what was important. She loved him. Nothing else mattered.

"Keep munching the crumbs he throws at you and he would never treat you to a proper meal."
"No worries. I will cook him a lavish dinner instead. One day soon," Ishaani said, sounding more confident than she actually felt.
"Don't waste your culinary expertise on him. Cook Mughlai biriyani this Sunday. I’m coming."
"Done. What will I get in exchange?"
"What do you want?"
"Full details about his shooting schedule." That way, she could accidentally bump into him without appearing too clingy.
"Say whaat? Not interested in the list of the handsome actors he roped in?
"Nope." Why the heck would she need a list of handsome men when she had lost her heart to ‘the most handsome one’ among the lot.
“Aren’t you interested in the list of the actresses who might throw themselves at him?"
“Not at all.”
"You know what? You’re a tragedy waiting to happen."

Ishaani snorted and bid her friend goodbye before disconnecting the call.

About the Author:

Preethi Venugopala is a civil engineer during the day and a writer and blogger in all her free hours. She has many short stories traditionally published on Juggernaut books but she opted to self-publish her novels on Amazon KDP.

Being a voracious reader, Preethi writes the kind of stories she loves to read.

More on: www.preethivenugopala.com

Spotlight :: 'I Am The 10th' (Book-1) by Deep Downer

Genre: Modern, historical fiction
Blurb:

Sarah, a happily married lady from New Delhi, India, wakes up one fine morning in an unknown place. It’s not her home, not her city; it’s not even her country. 

What is she doing there? How did she reach there? Where is her family?

Her search to all these questions takes her on a journey, a long journey that started way back in the 3rd century BC, a journey where she finds out that everything she thought she knew about her- her marriage, husband, family, home, India, even her name- was a lie. 

Will she be able to find out the truth? More importantly, will she be able to handle the truth if she finds it out?

Come and join Sarah on her journey that will take you to 300 BC and back. Witness the biggest and the deadliest battle ever in the history of mankind that could well spell the end of humanity and the end of this world. Experience the might of the ancient Shastras and Astras, like Naag Pash, Brahma Kavach, and Narayan Astra. 

Based in modern times, ‘I Am The 10th’ is the story of one of the oldest, and arguably the mightiest cults that originated in India during the 3rd century BC.

Grab Your Copy @

getbook.at/the10th

About the Author
D. R. Downer is a writer, author, editor, and a ghostwriter. He has penned more than 37 books so far, 16 of which have been published under his own name, with the rest being ghostwriting projects. Although he has written books in varied genres, his favourite genre is mystery and suspense and he has already published 5 books in the same.

After completing his B.E. (Mechanical) and M.B.A (Marketing), Downer started his professional journey as an Executive in the sales department of a UK based organization. Since then, he had changed over and handled many roles and responsibilities in the Marketing & Customer Service departments across industries. He finally shifted over to Advertising and spent a good 11 years in the same. Later on, he found writing was his true calling, and now he spends hours glued to his laptop and wonders if his wife can sue him for cheating on her with his laptop.

Other books from the author

Follow the author

Facebook  |  Goodreads | Website | Amazon page

Spotlight :: 'The Clockmaker' (Jungle Series Book1) by Paromita Goswami

Genre: Paranormal Supernatural  Indian Drama

Blurb: 
Can you change destiny? What if you can?

Ashish, a passionate clockmaker is frustrated with his life - financial insecurity, his ongoing nightmares and his family, wife Lata and son Vicky, are driving him crazy.

Lata is having a tough time in life with her arch-rival, Rashmi. Vicky wants to be a biker than rather join the family legacy of the clockmaker. He also has a crush on Kavya who is more interested in supporting her family than romancing around.


Lately, Ashish starts hallucinating things. The black hooded man, who traumatizes him in the nightmares, warns him of dire consequences if he doesn’t return the timepiece that was given to Ashish by his father at his deathbed. Burdened with despair, Ashish wishes he could change his destiny and end all his miseries. By sheer chance, he discovers the power of the timepiece. Ashish was still figuring out what to do with it when an incident shatters his life completely. Without second thoughts he uses the power of the timepiece to change his destiny. But, can he really change it? 

Amid the chaos of the busy by-lanes of the East Delhi unfolds a paranormal, supernatural, Indian drama that will leave you thrilled.

The Jungle Series – Get ready to be assaulted!

Grab Your Copy @

getbook.at/Theclockmaker

About the author
Paromita Goswami is a writer and storyteller by passion and a rebel by choice. She says the world is full of stories and as a writer she loves to pen them down. Her work is not genre specific. From literary fiction to children book to paranormal thriller and women fiction, Paromita Goswami‘s books offer the variety of life to her readers. Besides writing, she is also the founder of a reading club that enhances book reading habit in children. She lives in central India with her family.

Other books by the author

Follow the author

Facebook  |  Goodreads | Website | Amazon page

Cover Reveal :: 'No Safe Zone' By Adite Banerjie

From the Author's desk:

Do authors love some of their own books more than others they have written?  Having been a writer for a while now, I believe that every book is special - and I have felt deeply about each of my characters. But if I were to pick that one title that has a special place in my heart, it would be No Safe Zone.



It's a romantic thriller - my first in this genre - which is set in one of my favourite places in the world: Jaipur. It features a feisty heroine Qiara Rana who is an activist and wants to change the world. The hero Kabir Shorey is to die for - an Intelligence Bureau officer who rides a mean motorbike and catches the bad guys! And these two have a history. Can Qiara forgive Kabir for betraying her? Can Kabir overcome his past and do good by Qiara?  



Writing this story was a challenge as it was an escapist romance set in a real world. I'm so so happy to bring No Safe Zone out as an e-book. But before that, I have a Cover Reveal... I hope you love the cover as much as I do. It features the beautiful and mysterious Jal Mahal (in Jaipur) which was an inspiration for my story.

Blurb:
London-bred activist Qiara Rana will do anything to save her mentor and their NGO, Girls Rock!, from ruin. Even if it means visiting the city she had vowed never to return to.  But within a few hours of landing in New Delhi, she is being chased by a gunman and is a potential suspect in the murder of a high profile businessman. The only person she can turn to for help is Kabir Shorey, the man who stood her up ten years ago. 

On a mission to bust an international women’s trafficking ring, Intelligence Bureau officer Kabir Shorey runs slam bang into the girl who has tormented his dreams. He is determined to protect her but can he save himself from the all-consuming passions that flare up between them all over again? 

As the past and present collide in a deadly plot of crime and greed that moves from the cosmopolitan streets of London and Delhi to the bazaars and villages of Rajasthan, old secrets are ripped away. Treading the fine lines between safety and danger, truth and lies, love and betrayal, Qiara and Kabir discover that in life there is no safe zone. 

And here comes the cover...

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To know more about Adite Banerjie check out:
Adite’s Blog
Adite’s Facebook Page
Adite’s Amazon Page

Spotlight:: 'Her Prince Charming' by Sundari Venkatraman

Genre: Romance
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.

Read an Excerpt:

Tanuja stood at the entrance to
the bogie, guarding the luggage as the train slowed down to enter Bombay
Central Station, excitement in her heart as her eyes devoured the sights. It
had been a long time since the Bhatia family had gone on a holiday, all
together. It had always been her stepmother and her half-sisters who went on
bi-annual trips, leaving Tanuja and her father at home. But, of course, both of
them appreciated the peaceful times while the other three were gone. In fact,
Tanuja considered those interludes the best holidays ever.

Just before the train stopped,
she caught sight of a tall man in pristine white trousers and half-shirt, holding
a placard which read, ‘Talveer Bhatia’. Her charcoal black eyes went wide when
they met the dark brown of the man’s bold gaze, a soft blush tainting her
cheeks before she turned away to address her father who was standing behind the
three suitcases. “Papa, the car driver’s here, I think. See that man over
there,” she pointed a slim index finger in the direction of the man as her
father craned his neck to look out, “he’s holding a cardboard placard with your
name on it.”

Talveer nodded his head at his eldest
daughter, a soft smile on his tired face. “Let’s get the luggage out,” he said,
watching Tanuja get off on to the platform. The father-daughter duo shook their
heads at the porters who offered to take their luggage as Talveer handed the
suitcases one-by-one to Tanuja.

“Have you got all the suitcases
out?” asked Gurinder in her usual harsh voice, a frown on her face as she
glared at her step-daughter and husband.

“Yes, aunty,” said Tanuja, taking
the large bag that Gurinder was holding in her hands, before helping her out of
the train.

Harpreet and Jaspreet giggled as
they watched their plump mother struggle to step down onto the platform, not
bothering to help her. They each held a tote bag carrying their make-up
articles and other fancy stuff which they naively believed were absolute
necessities in Bombay.

Talveer lifted his head to see
Raj Malhotra walking in their direction with the placard, waving to him. “I’m
Talveer Bhatia. Are you the driver who has come to pick us up from Malhotra
Cabs?”

“Yes sir. My name is Raj,” said
Raj, shaking Talveer’s hand, forgetting that drivers may be considered too
menial to shake hands with customers who hired cars from their company, his
gaze taking in the family of five even as it lingered for a few seconds longer on
Tanuja’s beautiful face.

Gurinder glared at him. “You are
the driver who will be driving us to Mahabaleshwar?”

“Haanji ma’am.”

“Apni aukat mein raho. What’s with the shaking hands? Can’t you do a
namaste? Kyunji,” as she frowningly glanced at her husband, “can’t you tell
the man that instead of shaking his hand?”

Tanuja felt highly embarrassed by
Gurinder’s harsh words. What was wrong if the man had shaken her father’s hand?
Why did her stepmother have to shout for such a trivial thing?

Before her father could open his
mouth, the driver said, “I’m sorry, ma’am. Please forgive me. It won’t happen
again.” 

Gurinder looked the man up and
down before ordering, “Chalo, take
all the suitcases and let’s go to the waiting room.”

Without asking a question, Raj lifted
two heavy suitcases in both his hands before turning in the direction of the
first-class waiting room. Tanuja bent down to take the third one, giving him a
shy nod, a small smile touching her lips. Her mouth had the appearance of a
rosebud to the man who walked ahead of her.

It took the Bhatia family about
an hour to get ready. Raj waited patiently as he read the day’s newspaper
before Talveer walked out from the men’s waiting room. Tanuja was the first to
get ready and she also walked out to the platform on seeing her father. She
couldn’t help being fascinated by the handsome driver as she studied him from
the corner of her eyes from time to time, not saying anything while she watched
her father chat with him.

“I am also from Delhi, Talveerji,” said Raj, answering the other man
when asked.

Talveer smiled widely. “I did
wonder about the accent,” he said, patting the younger man on his shoulder.

They chatted some more about
their hometown but mainly in Hindi. “If you are educated, how come you are
working as a driver?” There was curiosity in Talveer’s dark gaze as he looked
up at the driver who towered over him by many inches.

Raj was careful enough to speak
English exactly the way his drivers spoke. Shrugging, he said, “I am setting up
my own business.” Okay, it was a slight variation from the truth as his garment
factory was already set up and running smoothly. But he couldn’t very well tell
the client that. “In the meanwhile, this is a good way to make money, without
having to work under someone.” It was with difficulty that he managed to keep
his gaze on Talveer Bhatia and not let it stray to the young woman who, he
presumed, must be the man’s daughter. She was simply too beautiful for words.

Talveer nodded his head
vigorously, thoroughly approving of the other man’s sentiments. “So what
business are you setting up?”

“Manufacturing of garments,
Talveerji.” No, he had no plans to
tell them the magnitude of his business, that he had invested almost ten lakh
rupees and only twenty percent of the total had been raised through a bank
loan. The rest was entirely from his own savings. Raj had slogged from the day
he arrived in Bombay five years ago. He had refused to use his father’s money
and had earned his own money starting from scratch. He had led a comfortable
life but it wasn’t half as luxurious as the one he was used to at his home in
Delhi. He had converted all the leftover money to gold. When he began
purchasing gold in 1971, six months after he moved to Bombay, the price for ten
grams had been less than Rs. 200. Over the last five years, the price had risen
dramatically to Rs. 540. He had also persuaded his father to buy small
bungalows in Mahabaleshwar and Matheran.

So, at the age of twenty-six,
where a lot of young boys are still whiling away their time, Raj had set up his
very own garment unit. And there was also the flat that he had purchased in
Matunga, where he lived now.

Talveer nodded, even as his eyes
kept turning towards the women’s waiting room, wondering about his wife and
daughters. He looked at his eldest born and said, “Tanu, why don’t you go and
find out if everyone is ready?”

“Theek hai, Papa,” said Tanuja in a soft voice before walking
towards the waiting room, her steps dragging. As if the three of them would
care.

“Madam, it would be nice if you
could tell them that we have to travel for eight hours before reaching our
destination.” Raj called out to Tanuja’s retreating back.

She stopped in her tracks,
wondering if she had heard right. Had he called her ‘madam’? She turned around
with a smile, her cheeks dimpling when her gaze caught his dark one, a dark
wing-shaped eyebrow raised in query. “Were you talking to me?”

“Ji! It will take us eight hours to reach Mahabaleshwar,” said Raj,
looking into her black gaze and rapidly found himself drowning in them, unable
to stop the answering smile on his face.

Why was he addressing her as if
she was fifty years old? Tanuja realised that she didn’t like it at all. But
then, she didn’t want to say anything in front of her father. She nodded her
head before turning away from him to continue towards the waiting room door.

After ensuring her father’s gaze
was turned away from him, Raj looked at her retreating figure encased in a salwar kameez which faithfully hugged
her slender body. She could have passed off for an apsara from heaven, he thought. 

Grab your copy @

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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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Q - Quick Self-edits: Authors' Tips A to Z of Writing

Dear readers and writers,

If you are reading the post series for the first time; in this series 'Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing', eight authors – Devika Fernando, Preethi Venugopala, Paromita Goswami, Adite Banerjie, Reet Singh, Sudesna Ghosh, Saiswaroopa Iyer and I – write on various writing-related topics with the topic corresponding to the Alphabet of the Week.

The complete list is at the end of this post and today I am writing on the alphabet Q…

Let's begin...

Finished writing a story? Marvelous!
Kudos for completing one-third of your journey!

Yes, you read it right. Writing a complete story is only one-third of the job done. The next stage is to get it in a shape when it can be released to the readers. This requires editing, designing a cover and writing the blurb, and the last step is to publish and market it. All of these

So the next phase is editing. Every author self-edits prior to engaging an editor. So let’s dive straight into the various methods which help polish your dream story.

A word of caution don’t edit unless and until the story is complete, else you’ll end up wasting time and effort. A complete story is the entry criteria for the editing phase.


a) Cut the clutter: Read the story and remove anything which seems to be extra. Shorten the sentences as far as possible. The idea is to make every sentence crisp, thereby making the story well-paced and enjoyable.

“Second Draft equals first draft minus 10%.” —Stephen King

b) Remove the passive verbs: Specifically, look for passive sentences and where necessary change them to active ones without losing the essence of the scene. Remember not every passive sentence has to be converted to active.

c) Avoid the same start for consecutive sentences: A tip which I found on one of the critics’ site was that same word should not be used in three consecutive sentences in a paragraph. Change the sentence to give variation to the prose.

d) Revisit the dialogues tags: Relook at the dialogue tags and associated action beat. It is not necessary to have a tag with every dialogue. Only action beat with the name of the character also serves the purpose and makes the narration interesting.

e) Address your quirks: Make a list of your quirks which crept up while writing the first draft. For example, I have a habit of starting a few sentences with ‘And' or ‘But’, which sounds nice in internal monologue, but not in any other elements. After everything is done I take each of my quirks and correct them as necessary. This list will keep getting modified and will disappear as you gain expertise in the art and cultivate your own style.

f) Remove the niggles: Parse the story through the free functionalities of an automated tool; e.g. Grammarly, ProWriting Aid or any such tool. This will catch all the punctuation, preposition, articles, repetitions and spacing errors.

g) Read out loud: The last one is to take a printout and read out loud. This is the best way to catch odd sentence structure.

That’s it folks. Happy editing!

_____________________________________________________________________

Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing : Complete List

Get To Know Author Esha Pandey

Today on ILF we have talented Esha Pandey, who juggles her various responsibilities of a cop, mother and author with consummate aplomb. She has written two romances, and as we talk to her she is promoting her new release 'Someone Exactly Like You'.

Over to the interview...

ILF: What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine or do you have any weird, funny, or unusual habits while writing?
Esha: I started writing as a young girl in school, when I didn’t even have a computer. I had a beige coloured notebook in which I wrote in long hand. My first story “Full Circle” won the award of excellence at the UNFPA. That gave me confidence to write. I have continued writing ever since. At every stage of life my writing was influenced by my circumstances. When I was writing as a young girl, I was mostly putting my dreams together in words. When I was writing as a wife or a mother I could understand the depth of emotions and that got reflected in my writing. I guess what I am trying to say is that I depend a lot on my experiences and emotions for writing.

Following a regular routine is not possible with my job. So there are days when I write 500 to 100 words daily and then there are months when I don’t write at all. That is when I try to read as much as I can.

ILF: How do you think you have evolved as a person/author because of your writing?
Esha: I have become more patient. Before I knew about Kindle Unlimited, I depended on traditional publishing and that makes you patient. Also I have learnt to accept my weaknesses. I know there are better writers, but I like to write and put whatever I write out with honesty. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but the best thing about this world is that everyone can find some audience.

ILF: Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad review?
Esha: Yes. My friends have been very ruthless in their reviews. Some of them even said that I should stop writing. My first book was poorly edited so there were many bad reviews. But I am not ready to give up. I feel you should listen to everyone, take positives from them, but believe in yourself. If writing gives you happiness, you should write. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to write, anyone can discredit you, but you should not let it affect you.

ILF: What is the easiest/hardest scene for you to write, why? (Love, action, fight, death, emotional, controversial, etc…)
Esha:I have written mostly romances, so yes, writing love making scenes is the most difficult.

ILF: What are the most important elements of good writing? According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?
Esha: I am still a struggler as far as writing is concerned, but I will say this, don’t be embarrassed of your work. Good writing needs discipline. If you really like the art, you will learn with each work that you put out there. That is what I am doing.

ILF: What is your favorite scene in ‘Someone Exactly Like You’? Why?
Esha: My most favourite scene is when Veer and Natasha take a walk and it starts raining. I have lived in Mussorie for a while and I was reliving those beautiful walks when I was writing that scene. Natasha is very close to my heart. I hope readers like her for what she is.

ILF: I'm sure they will. Thanks Esha for those lovely insights on your writing and projects. Wishing you all the best for your new release 'Someone Exactly Like You' and many more to come.

'Someone Exactly Like You' At Amazon.

Blurb:
A beautiful young girl, drenched in rain, is being chased by a couple of goons along the narrow meandering roads of Landour, Mussoorie, when a swashbuckling stranger comes to her rescue. She faints and on waking up, realizes she is in the company of the ‘bad boy’ of Bollywood—Veer Singh Tomar.

Natasha falls for Veer, who, incidentally, is married and dealing with a messy divorce. By some cruel twist of fate, Veer’s estranged wife Amyra comes back to his life. But by then, Veer is already drawn to Natasha.


Will Veer ever find his way back to Natasha?

About The Author
Esha Pandey, is an author and a police officer. She made her debut as an author with her book Kiss of Life and Other Stories, a collection of short stories.

Esha currently lives in New Delhi. She is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2010 batch, serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police Traffic. She was Superintendent of Police and Commandant IRBN in Lakshadweep during 2014-16, where she wrote her first book. Her posting as DCP Special Police Unit for Women and Children, in Delhi, gave her an opportunity to understand the problems faced by women, first hand. During her tenure, SPUWAC trained the highest number of girls in Self Defense and established a Limca Record.

Esha has a Masters in International Relations and Masters of Philosophy in American Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. Before becoming a civil servant, she dabbled with the idea of being a journalist and worked with Times of India as a copyeditor. She has won a United Nations FPA Award for Excellence for the “Best Short Story”.

She can be reached at;
twitter.: @PandeyEsha
facebook : www.facebook.com/EshaPandeyAuthor/

Book Review :: 'We Women Wonder' 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?


My Review
'We Women Wonder' brings focus on the myriad struggles, dreams, circumstances women face in their life. The various situations and emotions have been beautifully articulated by the author, which I am sure will resonate with most of the women.

Alphabetically arranged, every chapter addresses a subject which makes one think and introspect. Each topic makes one question the circumstances, issues and the solution that we, women, have taken to make life better for ourselves and those around us. Without being judgmental, the author has expressed her views which are quite relatable and apt for the times we live in. The chapters end with a thoughtful quote adding to the charm of each topic.

Since the author has taken the experiences from her own life, I couldn’t help but smile when a few resonated with the incidents of my life. The best takeaway was the advice to keep yourself healthy and active. It is very important not to lose one’s own personality in the daily humdrum and responsibilities of work and home.

Ms Uppal has covered stages of a woman’s life and the related dreams and desires in a comprehensive and realistic way making the collection not only interesting but thought-provoking too. Kudos!

Grab your copy @

Amazon.com |  Amazon.in

check out the schedule here

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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