Saturday, February 22, 2020

Book Blitz: Something Old, Something New

Something Old, Something New: An Anthology of Indian Second Chance Romance Novellas Kindle Edition

Seven bestselling authors. Seven incredible second chance romances. One epic anthology.

What would you do for another chance with the one you love?

Something Old, Something New - a unique novella anthology - tries to answer this question with fantastic, different, desi dramas.

Whether it is shapeshifters or shifting interracial relationships, single moms in small towns or rich alpha heroes, friends-to-lovers or passionate ex-husbands; this anthology has something for everyone.

Something Old, Something New explores the many different facets of love, forgiveness, fated mates and more in seven, distinctly Indian tales!

Never Stopped Loving You by Ruchi Singh

Will they be able to put aside their differences and come together to fight the unknown enemy?

Bad memories surface, as Radhika steps back into big bad city Mumbai. A budding fashion marketeer she doesn’t have any option but to deal with her inner demons and make a name for herself.

A chance encounter puts Radhika in Arjun’s path once again. To his acute disappointment, he finds that she still had the power to affect him in the worst possible ways.

As both fight their feelings for each other, a secret comes to light which blows their world apart.

Read an Excerpt from Never Stopped Loving You

All of a sudden, he turned around and faced her. “Radhika, this is not the right place to talk. Something has come up. Please have dinner with me whenever you are free. We have to talk!”

“About what?”

“About us.”

“There is no us.”

He blanched as if she had slapped him.

“Lance was the person with you that night at the resort.”

She staggered back and caught hold of the chair-back.

“He told me everything last Tuesday. Karishma misled… me. I don’t know what to say. Sorry seems so lame in the light of… in the light of how I reacted and treated you.”

So that was the reason! Mighty Arjun Singh Tomar, the hotshot lawyer, had come to know the truth and now wanted to apologize. A sliver of anger ran through her. A mere dinner and an apology couldn’t erase the torment she had gone through. She wanted to rant and shout at him, to inflict the same wounds on him that he had given her. But she did nothing. What would that achieve? She had Yash. He was coming to pick her up in the evening and she didn’t want this to linger on.

“Radhika, I… I don’t know where to begin—”

“It’s not required. Apology accepted. You don’t need to do anything else. Please leave now.”

He stared at her, looking uncertain again. “Radhika?”

“It’s okay. I have moved on. You should marry Karishma. She loves you. You both will be perfect for each other.”

His face contorted distastefully. “Like ACP Yash Kelkar is perfect for you?” he sneered. “Is he the reason you want to get rid of me? Is he coming today? Are you guys going out for dinner again?”

To her panic, he came around the table.

“Does he make your pulse go wild the way I do?” He caught hold of her hand and jerked her to him.

“Arjun!” She struggled against his grip. His familiar perfume made her pulse go really wild. What was wrong with her? She was now equally angry with herself too and lashed out, “If nothing works, bring it down to sex. Is that what your modus operandi is now?”

His grip relaxed but he didn’t let her go. “I have never been myself when I’m around you.” He trailed a finger from her cheek down to her throat.

She jerked her head away. “Great! So, blame everything on either Karishma or on me.”

To her surprise, he let her go. “Do you love him?”

“Do you really expect an answer to that question?” She glared at him.

He sighed. “No. But I’m done with Karishma. I never realized she would go to this length to separate us. Radhika, pl—” Thankfully his phone rang, taking his attention off her, else his affectionate demeanor had begun to unnerve her.

She watched his back as he spoke over the phone about some case and she noticed his wrist that caused a memory to jiggle back into her head. He was wearing the watch she had gifted him on their honeymoon. She closed her eyes. Why was he doing this to her? Disrupting her life again with little gestures of affection. The way he had done in Panchgani—playing with the kids, going on treks with her, including her in the conversation with their grandmothers.

He concluded his call and turned around. “Listen Rads, this needs my attention. I have to go. But I’m not giving up. I’ll call you later, so please, do answer the phone.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled, a bit sadly and a bit in amusement, saluted her and left.

About the Author:

Author of the bestselling romantic thriller ‘The Bodyguard’, Ruchi Singh is an IT professional and novelist. Her other notable published novels are ‘Jugnu (Firefly)’ and ‘Guardian Angel’. Winner of TOI Write India Season 1, Ruchi also publishes short stories under ‘Hearts and Hots’ series, besides being a contributing author to many anthologies. For more visit her Website.

Giveaway:

First Prize - A Kindle

Second Prize - 6 Months Kindle Unlimited Subscription

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Book Blitz: The Cheese & Chutney Affair

The Cheese & Chutney Affair: A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by [James, Dee, Downer, D. R.]

Authors: Dee James & D.R. Downer

Blurb: Bhairavi Chandrasekar, aka BC, the spunky girl who was ready to take on the world, was the epitome of bold and beautiful. A fresher right out of college, BC knew she could meet the world head-on; that is, till her darling dad was by her side. Music, her dream job, independence, she had it all! Now, if only something could be done about her arrogant boss who she lovingly referred to as 'swine' (in her mind, of course!).

Alessandro Davolli, aka AD, was a hot, Italian hunk and a proverbial bad boy. A marketing genius, he thought he could wrap every woman he met around his finger, making them dance to his tunes. That was until he met Bhairavi! Outspoken, opinionated, and someone who gave it as good as she got, she was the definition of difficult. Now, if only he wasn't attracted to her!!

Add then there was BC's father who polished his gun at the sight of AD. What about AD's aunt? Where did she fit into all this? Will Alessandro and Bhairavi ever find their happily ever after? A roller coaster romantic comedy written by two authors - Dee James & D.R. Downer, now available in Amazon!

Excerpt: 

Bhairavi’s heart skipped more than a beat. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe as she looked at the handsome Italian bending down to look her in the eyes. She was captivated by the rich, hazel color of his eyes. “It’s certainly not that, Sir. All I meant was…” she was cut short, once again.

“Sir? Where did that come from? Look, Bhaairavi, I’ve repeatedly told you right from the very first team meeting that I would like to be addressed as AD. This ‘Sir’ culture…it is just so…so… Indian. We are an international organization. I think we need to lose our local culture, no?”

“Of course! We need to lose our local culture, like addressing people as Sir and Madam in India, or unnecessary flirting in Italy. You’re right, we need to lose it,” said Bhairavi. “Good night, AD! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Alessandro looked at her in exasperation. One moment she seemed to show signs of attraction, the very next moment retracting. Damn! Frustrated, he turned around on his heels and walked away.

Bhairavi heaved a sigh of relief. Did I just kiss my career goodbye? I mean, he was just being nice and all…WTF is wrong with you, Bhairavi? Just because you can’t keep your hormones under control, doesn’t give you a right to act like a bitch in front of your boss!!!  

Author bio:

D.R. Downer is an Indian, Indie bestselling author who predominantly writes in the mystery, crime, and thriller genres. Starting his professional journey as an Executive in the sales department of a UK-based organization, Downer has since then handled many roles and responsibilities in the Marketing, Sales & Customer Service departments across industries. He finally shifted over to Advertising and spent a good 11 years in the same. One fine morning, he found writing was his true calling, and that's all it took for him to start typing. Now he spends hours glued to his laptop, writing his next bestseller. Apart from being an author, Downer is also a much sought-after editor and a ghostwriter. 

Dee James is an Indian indie author and a book blogger who writes sweet, dreamy, romantic stories. Born and brought up in India, Dee J writes techie manuals for a living and sweet love stories for passion. Her books feature a heavy dose of the contemporary Indian scene with drama, angst, and love of course. Dee J loves to read, write, sing, and cook. If she isn't spending time with her son, you can bet she's either reading or writing romance. Apart from happily ever afters, lipsticks, eyeliners, and coffee are her other weaknesses!

Social Networking Links (authors): 

You can connect to Dee James via…

AMAZON

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER

GOODREADS

You can stalk D. R. Downer via…

AMAZON

FACEBOOK 

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER 

WEBSITE

Friday, February 14, 2020

Book Blitz: Second Chance at Love by Sudesna Ghosh

Second Chance at Love: A feel-good romance novella with a dash of drama

Sudesna Ghosh

Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084KQ7M4G

Blurb: Aparna and Sid were high school sweethearts. Something tore them apart seventeen years ago. Neither of them expected to get a second chance at true love. And in the city where it all began. But someone doesn't want them to have their happily ever after. Sid has to choose between the role of a blindly devoted son and that of an independent young man who is ready to renew life with his first love.

Can Aparna and Sid pick up from where they'd left off or will they have to forget each other again?

Excerpt: “Are you sure you want to put your heart out there for Sid again?” My mother was concerned and rightfully so. She hadn’t been there in London to nurse my shredded to pieces heart back then, but we’d racked up enough phone bills for the cause. My father just gave me one piece of advice, “Be careful, child.”

In my teens, I would do anything in a heartbeat if Sid suggested it. From trying foreign foods to watching movies that I wouldn’t have gone to otherwise. I don’t know if I was selfless or childish or dumb, but this long gap between Us and Us helped me develop self-protective tendencies. I cared about Sid. I yearned to be in his arms. But I also knew that my wellbeing was in my hands. In other words, I was not going to let his mother play around with my emotions again.

“Mom, don’t worry about me. I am a full-grown adult. Let’s see what happens.”

“But you’re so invested in this, Apa.”

I couldn’t deny that. My feelings were very transparent to any observer. Any mention of Sid and I’d break into a smile, run my fingers through my hair, blush. Shruti said the same thing when we spoke later that day. Our long friendship meant that I couldn’t hide anything from her. Body language was a dead giveaway.

Sitting at my desk with my tablet, I finished a project and sent it off to London. The satisfying swish when it was sent made me sit back in contemplation. I was proud of myself. It took me over 30 years to get here but I finally knew what self-love was. And just as a therapist had told me once, “Aparna, nobody in this world can make you love yourself. It has to come from you. That’s the most important kind of love too.”

So yes, I was back in love with my first love. His mother still hated me. BUT I was not going to fall apart if things didn’t work out. Even a few weeks ago, I had talked to my friends in London about how stressful relationships were. We singletons like Bridget Jones could spend days with our hair unwashed and legs unshaved. On a serious note, a flashy five-day Indian wedding says nothing about how much effort a marriage takes.

About the Author: Sudesna (Sue) Ghosh is an Indian-American author based in Kolkata, India. She is a graduate of University of Rochester (USA)

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.

Monday, February 3, 2020

The Tenacious Mailman

Jimmy squinted his eyes and took laborious steps towards the last drop out.

Sweat dripping from his grey sideburns and his tongue hanging due to thirst under his sun hat.

He dropped off the post in the mailbox of the mansion-like house and admired the manicured lawn while wiping sweat off his forehead.

Walked back to his postal van and sat gingerly on the seat. After gulping a copious amount of water, he let out a deep sigh with a smile as if he did a touchdown!

"Ten more days until I retire, and all this will be history."

In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a postal carrier in an extreme situation. Even if you base your story on a true one, focus on the core trait of this postal carrier. Go where the prompt leads!

Friday, January 31, 2020

My Assumptions

As a child, I used to find my parents' work very easy and would detest at my life cause all the hardships lay with me.

You would wonder what I am talking about?

Well, it is the truth. All my parents had to do was go to a place which they used to call work/office. Sit there for a couple of hours (9 am-5 pm to be precise) and come back with a check every fortnightly. Food on the table was always mom's choice. She used to cook it in a jiffy, and then my brother and I had to clean up besides doing our dreary homework, and we were not allowed late nights.

Sigh!

On the other hand, parents got to watch TV and stay up late and even enjoy coffee (I was not allowed to have caffeine in my milk)

Life as parents is so darn easy, and all they had to do was give instructions and command their kids to do things, and if we ever rolled our eyes over it. Time out was another nightmare, while they would party late.

I used to overhear my parents talk about various issues such as job, money, security, old age, children's education with their friends, and their expressions would always make me wonder what's the big deal cause their kids do all the work. All the burden lies only on the children, so what are they fretting about?

For example: "R could you, please hand me that remote" would be my dad's request.

"M could you, please clean this mess?" was heard now and then by my mom.

Seriously! Why the sullen face, parents?

"Before I got married, I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories."

― John Wilmot

I never understood what the big deal was about parenting, and making a living.

Until one beautiful day, when I had my kid and saw that it is a long winding road.

Oh, boy! Life never ceases to pause. The to-do list never ends, and it takes me back to the days of my parents who did it with enthusiasm, and I never heard them fret over it as much as I do.

Sure, life was simpler during those times, but the fundamentals of economics and management remain the same.

I am glad I could wash off my theories cause I would have wasted my life I would not have given them their due credit.

Mantra for today: Scrub off your assumptions to let the light come in. A life lived in ignorance is a wasted one!

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Attempted to answer Ind inspire: