Shilpa Agarwal's Blog, page 8

Washington D.C. Reading

I will be reading in the greater Washington DC Area on Tuesday, May 5th, 7pm at the Reston, VA Barnes & Noble.   Please tell your D.C. friends or come out if you’re in town - it would be great to see you!   A literary ghost story set in 1960’s India, HAUNTING BOMBAY tells the tale of a family who has buried a tragic history and the ghosts of the past that rise up to haunt them, illuminating their deepest fears and desires and underscoring the singular power of utterance.<!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->

Haunting Bombay Recommended for Mother’s Day!

Poisoned Pen in Arizona has listed HAUNTING BOMBAY as their April Surprise Me! Pick and now recommends it for the Literary Mom this Mother’s Day.  HAUNTING BOMBAY is a story about women discovering their strengths and their ability to love while residing in one  household that is irrevocably impacted by men’s politics and the rigid structures of society.   The women in the household - grandmother, aunt, granddaughter, and the ghostly figures of a dead baby and missing servant girl - are stitched

Pittsburgh Tribune: “Hot Pick” for this Weekend!

My book tour continues this weekend with a stop in Pittsburgh, PA on Sunday, May 3rd, 1pm at the Fox Chapel Barnes & Noble, an event featured as a “Hot Pick” in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  Please join me if you are in town or tell your friends who may be interested in a mysterious human drama set in an old colonial bungalow in India or a good ghost story that, according to Kingdom Books, parallels “the hauntings of Poe’s stories and… the hot pulse of today’s vampire narratives.” (more…)

Largehearted Boy: Music of Haunting Bombay

In the Largehearted Boy Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published books.  I was invited to give my playlist for HAUNTING BOMBAY, an eclectic mix of Bollywood and Hollywood, Indian classical and mode fusion.  Click here for interview. 

Giving Voice to the Dispossessed Through the Supernatural

USA Today Books Roundup featured HAUNTING BOMBAY, describing it as an “intriguing debut novel” that “draws on the broader mystical culture that envelops India, where there is always a supernatural explanation for everything that happens, especially the horrific. Often, fingers point to the weakest members of the community; Agarwal seeks to give voice to the dispossessed through the supernatural.” Read the review.

Richly Detailed Story of a Family in Crisis

Reviewer Janelle Martin of gather.com describes my novel as a “richly detailed story of a family in crisis,” saying that “hidden within Haunting Bombay are deeper secrets, ones which Agarwal slowly unfurls one by one and ones that help readers understand the mysteries of this ancient culture.” 

Giving Voice to the Dispossessed Through the Supernatural

USA Today Books Roundup featured HAUNTING BOMBAY, describing itas an "intriguing debut novel" that "draws on the broader mystical culture that envelops India, where there is always a supernatural explanation for everything that happens, especially the horrific. Often, fingers point to the weakest members of the community; Agarwal seeks to give voice to the dispossessed through the supernatural." Read the review.

Interview on New SAJA “Authored” Series

[image error]I was invited to write a piece for the SAJA website on their new forum “Authored,” a series that looks at how writers are marketing and promoting their works.   I speak about my writing process, the South Asian arts community, and producing the HAUNTING BOMBAY book trailer.  Click here to see the interview. 

HAUNTING BOMBAY is Popular Reading on Kindle

[image error]Kindle versions of HAUNTING BOMBAY are now available and the electronic version has been ordered as far away as the Taiwanese countryside! Thanks to all my readers who have downloaded e-versions of my novel, HAUNTING BOMBAY is now featured as Popular Reading on Amazon Kindle. (more…)

Moving Slowly and Gracefully as if Underwater

Linnea Dodd of ReviewingTheEvidence.com describes HAUNTING BOMBAY as a book that is “moving slowly and gracefully as if underwater, focusing on light and dark and emotion instead of thought,” citing the opening line of the novel as a good description of the book itself: ”The girl moved like water itself, unthinkingly toward the darkening horizon.”

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