Reviews & Musings

A city is very much an entity and a complex one at that. It assumes for itself the life of any character(s) that identify with those of its elements given prime recognition. For instance, if the underbelly of a city is given prominence in a book, then the city gets to be seen as a villain. Where beaches, parks, gardens and serene parts of a city are central to the setting and plot of a story, then the city becomes romantic. In any book, the city assumes an entity in its own right. And even when this is not spelt out, but the reader knows. They always know. And if they don’t, there are some others who take note, and these ones end up wondering why their city is represented in a pleasing or displeasing manner; and then they contemplate whether to despise the author, or the book, or both. 

Source: Pinterest Dear Readers, I am very grateful to The Book Elf for providing me with the opportunity to feature on the blog. It’s a refreshing feeling to be welcomed into sharing my literary work without the small caveat of constantly being asked to pay for the privilege. Before I tell you about my new novel, I want to answer a question that might arise in your mind. Given there are already so many writers ( some might think too many ), the question is: Why should I write at all?

I read this somewhat peculiar quote recently that goes like: "Sometimes you need to push the water down to keep the boat afloat". It was quite bizarre at first if I am being honest, but as moments lingered and time took its usual due course to thrust some sense into me, I was made to see what I so boldly chose to ignore previously- you often need to undertake the unconventional stuff, possibly impossible and maybe sometimes even illogical, to keep certain things running in their infallible order. Moreover, you are never out of options and I feel like knowing that just gives you some kind of satisfying hope to lodge on.

Source:  reshmakrishnan

Have you ever in life encountered an event, an event that pulls the rug from under your feet, threatens to destroy the very foundation of your existence? I have. Source: Tiny Buddha

Source: Entrepreneur The Inimitable Chaos of Life is my debut solo work of fiction. The book is a collection of 14 short stories, which deal with the multifarious emotions that rule human lives. There are stories that highlight the intensity and sheer melancholy associated with despair and stories that celebrate jubilation; there are stories that uphold the importance of hope and stories that woefully narrate the misery associated with hopelessness. There are stories of friendship and of love; there are stories that thrill you and stories that leave you shocked. As the author of this book, I expect the readers to take an undeniable journey through the stories, so that by the time they reach the end, they would have accepted and applauded the countless number of emotions, incidents and experiences that make our life what it is; however chaotic they might seem.

Background This is a summary of my NetGalley experience as a self-published debut author, which I believe may be of assistance to other self-publishing authors and may also be of interest to NetGalley readers. Around the end of June 2016, , I listed my ebook The Devil’s Prayer with NetGalley, to generate reviews. The entry level for a single title listing at the time was $399 (All prices are 2016 prices in USD). I chose the $599 package which in addition to the listing includes one marketing newsletter.

Romance novels. They bring a smile on my face. Yes, it’s my favourite genre, but even though I am an avid reader, I can’t read any random romance. Even your favourite genre cannot guarantee entertainment, sometimes.  Source: romance.fictionfactor.com

Today we have Anna del Mar , the author of The Stranger with us. Anna del Mar writes hot, smart romances that soothe the soul, challenge the mind, and satisfy the heart. Her stories focus on strong heroines struggling to find their place in the world and the brave, sexy, kickass, military heroes who defy the limits of their broken bodies to protect the women they love. Anna enjoys traveling, hiking, skiing, and the sea. Writing is her addiction, her drug of choice, and what she wants to do all the time. The extraordinary men and women she met during her years as a Navy wife inspire the fabulous heroes and heroines at the center of her stories. When she stays put—which doesn’t happen very often—she lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats. She can be reached at: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Email | Website | Amazon   Isn't that an awesome cover? If you are curious to know whats the book about, here's a sneak peek for you:

There's a man who always sits at a particular table at a particular café on a particular beach and orders a particular coffee, time after time, every Sunday. He even wears the same shirt. He sits there for exactly twelve minutes, finishes his coffee, pays for it with the exact change, down to the exact number of coins each time, walks up and down the beach thrice, before getting into his car and driving away.  You may observe him and call him a man of habit and leave it at that. I look at him and imagine that he's in love with the lady who cooks the fish at the café – the lady who only works there on Sundays, and is thinking of ways to ask her to marry him, but can't make up his mind because he's got a family waiting for him at home. I pray that I never see him. 

Source:  linguistics-research-digest.blogspot.com Today we have Purba Chakraborty with us in conversation where she bares her heart and lets us know how she became what she is. Everyone has a story and today we are going to listen to Purba's story which is not only motivating it is heartwarming as it shows you how to find yourself. Purba Chakraborty is a novelist, poet, freelance writer, web content developer, blogger and social influencer. She has authored two novels “Walking in the streets of love and destiny” (2012) published by Diamond Books and “The Hidden Letters” (2014) published by Bluejay Books (an imprint of Srishti Publishers and Distributors). She published her poetry book “The Heart Listens to No One” in February, 2016. Many of her short stories and poems have been published in several anthologies such as “ Shades of Life ”, “ Minds @ Work 4 ”, “ Rhymes and Rhythm ”, “ Mélange ~ a potpourri of thoughts ”, “ Kaafiyana ”, " Stories for your valentine ...

The effervescent world of Poets…and what makes it different from the ordinary.