Shilpa Agarwal's Blog, page 4

Cerritos Library Annual Mystery on the Menu Luncheon

I attended the 7th annual Mystery on the Menu Luncheon at the Cerritos Library on January 29th.  It was a sold-out event of almost two-hundred attendees that mixed and mingled with mystery writers while enjoying a delicious lunch.  Click here for more details. (more…)

Russian Edition of Haunting Bombay!

Phantom Press has just released the Russian edition of Haunting Bombay with a stunning blue cover featuring a golden sunbird and an intricately red door with a hint of a ghostly presence behind it.  I am grateful to the entire Phantom Press team, including my editor and translator for such a beautiful translation.

All Over The Map International Fiction

[image error]This Sunday's West Hollywood Book Fair was a fantastic afternoon of books, writers, and readings. I was speaking with authors Tatjani Soli, Lucy Bledsloe, Tim Hallinan, and Other Voices Editor-in-Chief Stacy Berlein about the thrills and travails of fiction set in distant lands. It was an amazing journey to Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Antarctica.

Intense, Special, Mysterious, Cruel and Nostalgic.

This latest review is by Paola Zoppi, the artistic director of LibrIn Terra Arts Festival in Valperga, Italy on the Italian edition of Haunting Bombay.  The review, of course, is in Italian but Paola was kind enough to translate a few lines for me.  She writes, "The reader will discover the Mittal family through fascinating language, sharp and rich… Agarwal paints a family gripped by their own guilt… the ghosts that knocking at the door are the voices with they have to deal, sooner or later, ...

Truly A Work Of Art. A+.

[image error]I was delighted to see this review of my book written by a blogger who is attempting to read every fiction book in the Bella Vista Library. She writes, "Agarwal's first novel is a brilliant story…more than just a ghost story; it's a story of love, hurt, great loss, vengeance and understanding… This novel was truly a work of art. In fact I love it so much that I am giving it an A+.  Click here to read the review.

ARTWALLAH, 10th annual Festival of South Asian Arts this weekend

ARTWALLAH, North America's renowned festival of dynamic South Asian art is this weekend, June 18-20th in Santa Monica, CA.  This year ArtWallah partners with the venerable Highways Performance Space in presenting the freshest in Cultural-Art-Collision, food and family fun. Classically grass-roots in nature but modern in form and context, ArtWallah's fringing of music, dance, solo performance/stand-up, literature, poetry, film and visual art, digs deeply into its ethnic roots: Bangladesh...

The House of Ghosts, Italian Edition of Haunting Bombay

The venerable Piemme Publishing House in Italy has translated and published Haunting Bombay this month, titled La stanza degli spiriti, or The House of Ghosts.  I am indebted to everyone at Piemme for their enthusiasm, dedication, and the gorgeous cover, and also to my Italian translator Laura Pignatti.

Paperback Release!

Haunting Bombay was just released this month in paperback with a discussion guide tucked in the back for book clubs.  It's been an amazing year since the publication of my hardback last April.  I've travel the country, met wonderful authors, signed books, and discovered fans.  I am thankful to all the bookstores who have invited me, the many book clubs who have hosted me (whether in person or on the phone), and the family and friends who have supported me.   (more…)

The Nervous Breakdown Feature

The Nervous Breakdown, an online magazine featuring the work of published and emerging authors, poets, and other artists from around the world, has featured me on their site.  Their signature piece is the self-interview in which you get to ask yourself all the questions that others may have missed.  In mine, I talk about ghosts and reincarnation, my battle with Crohn's disease, and why I like Wonder Woman.  Click here for interview.

Tucson Book Festival

I drove into sun-drenched Tucson this weekend for the annual Tucson Book Festival held at the University of Arizona.  The weekend was kicked off by an Author's Table cocktail and dinner to raise money for local literacy programs.  "Untold stories are like stones on the heart," quoted the Festival Chair.  Saturday morning, I spoke on a panel titled, "Other Countries, Other Crimes" with fellow Soho Press author Cara Black.  I caught the tail-end of a circus (no animals) in the children's...