Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar's Blog, page 24

Inside the Writer’s Studio with Rachel Thompson

There was a woman on Twitter who amazed me with her followership (then 16,000) and also her humor. Her #TellmeTuesday meme she had going kept me turning over ideas in my head for something to write each week. When I saw she was talking social media clients, other indie authors like me, and helping them [...]

Wordless Wednesday: Broken Pieces

        We’ve talked about covers and the importance of cover design on the blog. With that in mind I share the latest release from media maven and writer Rachel Thompson. Her other books are heavy on what she calls “snark”, smart, sarcastic humor with a feminist edge. Her newest title, Broken Pieces, [...]

In the New Year, Old Projects Linger

  Editing and revising are two words habitually used as synonyms. Though they are related, they are not the same. In the last year, as I’ve published fiction, non-fiction, even academic pieces, I’ve been guilty of blending these distinct stages. I assumed I could revise and edit as I went along. The system worked, more [...]

Wordless Wednesday: Fish Curry

  Tonight I’ll be on Qatar TV’s cooking show with host Hanadi Hassan. We taped an episode over the summer of my go-to recipe, South Indian fish curry. Tune in via the website at 7pm Qatar time or 11 AM EST. Here’s where I found the recipe, years and years ago as a graduate student. [...]

A 72 Year Old Coroner is My #Newclassicreads

Yes, that’s right, my pick for New Classic Reads is a Laotian coroner you have probably never heard of — but should absolutely pick up — called the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. As a reader,  a classic is a book that presents familiar ideas in a new way, whether through characters, setting, or inventive plot. [...]

Mo’s Unwishes for 2013

The end of the year makes me nostalgic; like an octogenarian, I ruminate on how quickly time passes while watching countdown shows of celebrity disasters and Top Ten music videos. For the past ten years or so, I have made and kept New Year’s resolutions. 2013 is no different. Except that I came across Robin Thorton’s [...]

Wordless Wednesday: Judging by the Cover

I’ve never understood the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Because that’s exactly what we do. Whether books or people, despite admonitions otherwise, we make decisions based on appearance. In my journey as both a commercially  published author, I’ve had covers I’ve loved and others I winced at proof copies (crossing my fingers [...]

I’m Not a Grinch But I’m Not Giving This Year

I’ve always loved giving gifts. There’s a small closest in our house dedicated to gifts from trips around the world year round. In the mad dash to get ready to travel home, between writing a technical document, finishing one manuscript, launching another book and producing a book trailer,  I went through the house pulling out everything but [...]

Wordless Wednesday: The Dohmestics

I’m as excited to show you the cover of my next novel as… people are about their grinning newborns on holiday cards… My husband (not a fiction reader) wasn’t drawn in but my beta readers loved the overall concept. What do you think? The Dohmestics: A novel about six women, living in the same neighborhood, [...]

Music For Your Monday by Melkradamus aka @scottmelker

I knew this guy, years ago, who was brown haired, brown eyed, and exuded such an intense energy that you hoped some would rub so you could cram for your final. We grew up in the same North Florida town.  If it sounds like I had a crush on Scott Melker in high school, I [...]