Adventures of a Writer

Recently I was invited by SheThePeopleTV to participate in a panel discussion on Contemporary Romance along with other authors at the Women Writers Fest. It was an interesting session and threw up some fascinating insights into how authors (and editors) approach the topic of romantic love in fiction writing. Are darker themes replacing feel good romance? This was one of the issues that was debated. Real life love stories often have a gritty edge to them. We read about women being stalked, being killed by jealous lovers. In the age of instant gratification and Tinder-dating, where does that leave romance and more importantly fictional romance? Is lust more relevant than love to readers? The concept of romance has always been shaped by mainstream commercial movies and the classics. Romeo and Juliet is the ultimate love story and it ended in tragedy! But can it be classified as romance?  Love and romance, though often used interchangeably, they are actually not one and the sa...

Hope you all had a fantastic Holi. May your life be painted with all the colors of Holi in the days and months to come. On this festive occasion, here is a sneak peek into a romance novella written by Ashvini. Set in ancient India, Sharvari is the first standalone novella in the Royal Romance Collection. If you love intriguing and steamy romances with a guaranteed HEA, do grab your copy from Amazon Sharvari (Book 1 of Royal Romance Collection) Betrayed in love and war, Sharvari makes one final attempt to save her people by offering herself to the victorious rival King of Sindh, Brihadrath. The handsome king gives her hope of a new start. But life at her new home is ridden with challenges. While she is coping with a slew of palace intrigues and assassination attempts, the man from her past haunts her. Can Sharvari overcome the hurdles and find love again? Excerpt “Move!” The goad hit her shoulder. She heard another soldier forbid the first one from hitting her again. ...

Hi Everyone, Today, I'm very excited to showcase my friend Reet Singh's new book cover. The title of the book is "No Escape from Love". And the cover is just as gorgeous as the title. But before you get to it, here's what Reet has to say about her new book.... Over to her... Tejopur, Punjab Will the demons from their past tear them apart? After personal tragedy strikes, Mohini Kapoor runs away from the city to her grandparents home in a village in Punjab. Though she manages to pick up the pieces of her broken self, and even builds a life for herself, the horror of her experience is difficult to forget. She buries it deep down inside her subconscious mind until the arrival of a stranger threatens to resurrect the old demons. Reputed photojournalist, Aalok Ahuja , has to hide out for a few days to escape circumstances beyond his control. When his friend recommends Tejopur, a remote village in Punjab, Aalok expects life to be simple there and, perhap...

To celebrate the Festival of Love this year I am hosting a fun flash fiction contest along with eight of my author friends. I invite all aspiring romance authors to participate. Here are the details. Shades of Love Flash Fiction: Nine authors. Nine Prizes to be won!! All you have to do is write a story based on any of the listed books’ titles and characters. To know more about the books, check out the Amazon links listed below. 1. You can write the story on your Facebook timeline or your own blog and post the link as comment on the Shades of Love facebook event page .  Do mention the book that you have selected as the inspiration for your story. 2. You can send in one entry or multiple entries based on any of the titles. 3. Your story needs to be inspired by the storyline/characters of the book(s) you pick. You can do a spin-off based on the characters. Use your imagination and wow us with a wonderful new scene. 4. You can use the banner for your posts o...

Five years ago, my first book was published by Harlequin/Mills & Boon with the title "The Indian Tycoon's Marriage Deal". It was an exciting moment for me as a writer and I will always cherish that memory. Strange thing is that I get to do a re-run of that moment. But this time as a self-published author. I am hugely excited at the opportunity to revisit Krish and Maya's story and bring it to my readers with a new cover and title. There could be no other month more appropriate for the re-launch of a romance than the Month of Love -- February! The story is now called Destiny's Girl . And it has a brilliant new cover... I am sure you will agree with me! I did wonder if I should update Krish & Maya's story. But as I went through the manuscript, I realized that my protagonists are now not merely characters in my book, but they have their own fictional lives within the pages of the book. Who am I to change that? So, their story is presented as is,...

Photo by Norwood Themes on Unsplash.com It's time to say goodbye to yet another year. The end of the year is always a good time for reflection and anticipation. For me, 2017 will always be a milestone year for two reasons. One of my feature screenplays made it to the semi-finals of the Nicholl Fellowships . Yet another highlight was the making of my short script "7 Lives" into a film. I also had the good fortune to interact and meet with fellow authors and readers at the Noida Lit Fest. Perhaps the biggest learning for me is this: Every writer's journey is unique. Just like the stories we tell are different, so also are our experiences. While we all  chase "success", it can be interpreted in a myriad ways. Trying to set our own individual goals and go past them is perhaps the whole point of writing. Whether that comes in the form of book sales, write-for-hire projects, or getting your script made into a film, every milestone, every goal counts...

Dying is a topic that no one wants to talk about. It's not surprising then that organ donation, which needs to be discussed in every family, gets brushed under the carpet. Come to think of it, organ donation is perhaps the only act that can enable a human being to live beyond death. Robert Test encapsulates this thought through his beautiful poem, To Remember Me At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped. When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my 'deathbed.' Call it my 'bed of life,' and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives. Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman. Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain. Give my blood to the teenager...