Ruchi Vasudeva's Blog: Ruchi Vasudeva Author's nook, page 5

Short Story – Chained to Shadows – Final part

She was wearing the yellow dress he had given her. A bright flame on his horizon. He had left the windows unshuttered. Outside, it was dark. The lights glowed on the water in the distance.

The world was celebrating today. Lovers’ day. His palms were sweaty, his throat tight. But something stronger than his fear was making him move towards her. She must have known of his presence but she kept looking out of the window, her back to him.

He took a deep breath and caught her shoulders. ‘Amber.’ His voice had gone husky. His hand stole to hers and caught it in a clasp.

He heard her inhale. ‘You don’t mean this…’

His fingers were urgently twining hers now. Surely she couldn’t mistake it, what he felt, what raged through his veins. ‘I want to tell you something, Amber. But first I have to ask you to forgive me.’

She turned at that. Her eyes searched his. Wide, uncertain. For the first time he could see a pain in them that cut through him. ‘I’ve reconciled myself to what can’t be. Don’t put in any hope that doesn’t have any right to be there. I know what I am and I don’t expect anyone to see me as – as I see myself. Victor…’ She was breathing hard, then almost as though forcing herself to say the words she said, ‘Don’t play with me.’

He blanched, the whisper hitting him like a stab wound. ‘I know I haven’t made any effort to earn your good opinion, but surely you don’t think I’m that low?’ He took their intertwined hands up and kissed her knuckles which were turning white as her grip increased on his. She wriggled her hand free and he took the opportunity to clasp her by her upper arms.

‘Amber, I won’t say what I feel for you is what I felt for Sonya. I can’t even properly name this emotion. I didn’t go looking to feel this for you.’ His laugh was dry. ‘Far from it. You know that. But somewhere something changed. You began to matter to me. To mean something I can’t describe but which just splits me thinking about it. I can’t think of existing without you. I don’t know what this is. Can you tell me?’ He shook her a little but very gently.

She looked up at him, moisture gathering in her eyes. ‘You don’t mean that, Victor.’ She whispered much like she had earlier.

‘Then I must be a very convincing liar,’ his fatalistic tone sent a small spurt of laughter in her.

‘I thought I was okay with it. Okay to have you look at me like other people did.’ She said softly as though her voice might break at any moment. ‘But then it began to hurt. And I realized I wanted more from you. How stupid could I be? You hated me for coming back alive!’ His arms went around her as he sought to comfort her. Her fingers bunched into his shirt. ‘At some level I knew it was reactionary but oh it was so hard to bear! Not you, I kept thinking, not you…!’ Her fingers clutched the fabric, eyes fever bright as she relived his rejection. For Victor, emotion he hadn’t thought he could feel, churned up like a maelstrom.

‘Can you ever forgive me for that, Amber?’ She didn’t answer, just collapsing on him. He held her, his chest felt constricted, his heart heavy with the load of his own doings.

‘Please Amber, say something.’ He reached down and stroked his thumbs across her cheeks wiping her tears. ‘I’ll do anything to make you happy. I’ll spend a lifetime doing it…’

‘I don’t want your guilt.’ She said in a muffled voice. But the storm had passed. She let him dry her eyes.

‘And love…?’

In the silence he thought he heard the echo of their heart beats. For a second he could just breathe. He could see she was breathing as unevenly as him.

He bent down and put his mouth against hers. Sensation drenched him, as the contact became a caress, the caress became a kiss, and the kiss became an avowal. A beginning and an anticipation.

He looked down into golden eyes. Sparkling eyes.

He saw her smile edge up and behind her he reached for the box he had put on the table.

‘It’s the day of hearts and promises, of sweetness and surrender. Be the magic in my life. Be my Valentine, darling…!’

****

Hope you enjoyed reading Victor and Amber’s story! Do let me know what you think of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Filed under: Book Enthuse, Free Read

Short Story – Chained to Shadows Part 4

Days melded into weeks. He got habituated to seeing her. While mostly she kept out of his way, whenever she sat down in the living room, working with her threads, he found a certain solace in her company. He told himself it was the memory of Sonya binding them together. But he knew it also had a lot to do with the meaning he had seen in her eyes. The look that said she knew how he felt. How could that be? It was such an absurd feeling that the moment it came he brushed it away. But he had to admit he was glad his Mumbai flat in a high rise building wasn’t empty when he came home.

Amber’s uncle, who hadn’t been able to pay his respects to Sonya, came to visit them.

‘Amber looks much better these days.’ He said as he sat with Victor in the balcony facing the sea one evening. ‘I can’t tell you how pleased that makes me. She’s been so withdrawn and shy. It used to worry me. I tried to tell Bhaiya and bhabhi that they were doting so much on Sonya, it was affecting Amber. They had no time for my advice.’ He fell silent.

Victor prodded him, ‘She is quiet, not shy.’

‘But she had become so used to remaining in the background. Siblings are often compared. It’s inevitable. And all the time she came out unfavorably. And it wasn’t her fault at all.’ His voice dropped. ‘It was because of those scars.’

‘She said she doesn’t care about them.’ Victor said, remembering. ‘Sonya really loved her. That was her one condition when we got married. She refused to be parted from Amber.’

‘At least Sonya had brains enough to feel grateful. Her parents didn’t even have that sense. Amber risked her life rescuing Sonya. Don’t you know? No, you don’t.’ he observed, seeing Victor’s expression, ‘They were children then. Sonya was caught in a shed when they were visiting a farm. The dry hay got kindled. Maybe kids doing some antics. Amber was quite small then maybe eight or ten. She broke the window glass, reached through it and God knows how got her sister out. Sonya never forgot how she saved her. She refused to even go to college without her. That much I know.’

Victor was silent, stunned. Assimilating the feat of a little girl whose strength surpassed even that of some adults. He could readily believe she had done it. The golden eyes flashed with that indomitable spirit. Her parents hadn’t known what a pearl they had. But Sonya…he could respect her more, knowing that she had tried to repay Amber for saving her life.

And he…how utterly blind he had been…Like Amber’s parents he had refused to see what was before him.

‘I – ‘ the words were difficult to get out. ‘Chachaji, I can’t say how sorry I am. Initially after Sonya’s death, I blamed her for it. I said if it hadn’t been for her Sonya would never have gone on the trip…’

Uncle patted his shoulder, ‘In grief we sometimes say awful things, son. But you’ve been taking care of her. I see a peace around her and she’s glowing. Even the scars seem faded against the pink in her face.’ His eyes misted, ‘Just make sure she is happy. She’s seen so much, she deserves it.’

‘She does.’ It was torn out of a blocked throat.

Yes, she deserved so much more than what life had given her. Someone better than him.

Victor felt his heartbeat speed up as the wanting to fulfill the older man’s words pounded inside him. It was followed by a gut clenching fear. She had refuted the man who didn’t see past her scars. How could he be the one she would allow in her life?

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Filed under: Book Enthuse, Free Read

Short Story – Chained to Shadows Part 3

He found himself looking for ways to make her smile.

He brought her a dress. The yellow colour was bright as a spring morning and he heard her hum a little as she worked in the kitchen.

The cast came off. To celebrate he took her out to dinner.

‘It’s charming.’ She said, sitting down and looking around the restaurant. The whole décor had been done to imitate the Mughal period, gold screens and ornate chairs indicative of the style.

The mood of being outside, the ambience of the place, stole over him, lightening him slightly.

‘You have been cooped up in the house too long.’ He remarked.

‘So have you.’

‘I get out more. There’s office.’

‘You’ve been working too hard these days.’ He hadn’t known she had noticed. ‘Before…when Sonya was alive you both used to go out such a lot and even with me… You must miss her so much.’ Her golden eyes, soulful and sad, held his and he wished for a second, he could drown his sorrow just looking into them.

Instinctively he drew back. He felt himself closing up. Trying to wall her off.

‘What would you like to eat, Amber?  They make good prawn pakoras here.’ He changed the subject.

He saw her eyes dim as she sensed his withdrawal. He cursed silently.

‘Sorry.’ His hand covered hers. ‘I’m not used to talking much. Sonya understood it. She never pressed.’

‘But you can’t keep it in forever, Victor. Shared grief is less of a load.’

He had shared it. With her of all people. The tears he had let escape that day still haunted him. Had she felt them? What had made him let go like that?

Her clear gaze couldn’t be evaded or ignored. He took a deep breath. ‘I just don’t have the habit of exhibiting my feelings. In my childhood, my parents always reprimanded me for chattering. One didn’t talk about inane things and I just haven’t got it in me to share what I feel.’

‘They didn’t talk to you about their day or their problems? Ask you how yours went?’ She saw his head shake. ‘Then what did you talk about?’

His mouth twisted wryly. ‘More important things. The current state of economy. How the literature world is falling apart because of vanity publishing. Who is slated to be the better political leader? My father was a double PhD, my mom was a historian. They couldn’t be bothered about the usual doings kids have in their day.  If I made the winning goal at football or got my ankle twisted dodging the boys, they didn’t want to know about it.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.’

‘Well, maybe ‘cos I have ears.’ She quipped.

The food arrived. Victor saw her reach out as she served him as well. His gaze fell on her hand. The scars rose on the skin extending up to her forearm. Prominent like ugly ridges in some places.

‘You should have surgery done on your scars. They can be treated, I’m sure.’

She shook her head. ‘I’m used to them now. They don’t bother me. If anyone is paying more attention to these, they probably don’t have enough of it for me.’

He looked at her, something in her tone prompting him to ask, ‘Have you ever loved, Amber?’ He realized that despite the fact that he’d lived with her almost the same length of time as with Sonya, he didn’t know much about her.

She didn’t meet his gaze, concentrating on playing with the gravy in her dish with her spoon. ‘Yes.’ she said at last, ‘But he didn’t have time for me. I was nothing to him. So, I never gave it another thought.’ She looked up. ‘I don’t believe in wasting time where it is not worth it. Better to spend it in my embroidering than in mooning after a man. At least my embroidery will give someone some pleasure.’

‘You’re a talented artist.’ He acknowledged. He had seen her work. Through the threads, she brought alive the myriad hues of flowers, a sunset or a brilliant peacock. ‘I guess you made the right decision about that man.’

For a second their glances locked. He had an unreal sensation of going out of the moment. Something in her gaze tugged at him, sad and lonely. Then she smiled brightly and asked him to pass the prawn pakoras.

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Filed under: Book Enthuse, Free Read, Uncategorized

Short Story – Chained to Shadows Part 1

Be my valentine…the soft strains of the music bit into him like a claw shredding his insides. His fingers closed over the glass globe in which the artificial snow flew softly as the plastic couple inside twirled with the trill of the melody. Sonya had gifted it to him last year.

‘It marks our first valentine after marriage, Victor.’ she’d smiled, and he’d given her his present, a pair of diamond earrings. Her eyes had gone wide as a glow encased her face.

I love you Victor.

He’d never hear that voice again.

The thread holding him together broke and with a raw sound of rage, he flung the object far across the room. It hit the wall and exploded, glass and plastic scattering, like his own life had the moment he’d heard of the mishap.

‘Victor –’ the exclamation was half suppressed as the girl who’d come to the doorway took in the scene. ‘Victor, are you okay?’

The husky question was accompanied by an outstretched hand as though to extend a measure of comfort to him. He glanced at the hand. The scarred skin of old injury showed on it and the wrist above. But this time he was not moved by the sight and he rejected the gesture, physically turning away from her.

‘Go away, Amber. Let me be alone.’

‘How can I, Victor, you are in such pain and you’re locking it all up. Since the funeral, you have hardly spoken a word. I can feel your sadness. You can share it with me, you know. I also miss her.’

He heard the tap of the crutch as she moved into the room in direct contradiction to his command. The sound made his gut clench. He whirled in anger, his gaze sweeping on her. Brown hair tucked behind her pale face, slender figure balanced on the support of one crutch. One foot was encased in white plaster upto her knee. A fire brew inside him, blocking out the damage he could see on her. The only coherent thought remaining in his mind was: a plaster for her…while a shroud for Sonya…

His eyes burned with unshed tears as he fixed them on her. ‘I don’t want your sympathy. Your sister wanted you here and out of respect for her, I want you to keep living in this house. But don’t try to be friends with me. Don’t give me this pretence of sympathy.’

She went even paler. She whispered, ‘Victor, how can you say that? I lost her too.’

His voice was hoarse with pain. ‘She was my life, do you understand that? You got out of there alive but I died along with Sonya. My whole life was destroyed in that accident.’

Her lips white, she said, ‘No one could have stopped it. The mist came out of nowhere. A cloud descended, blanking out the road and then the two vehicles were face to face. There were just the cries, the metal striking, crashing, horrible sounds…!’

He saw tears streaming down her cheeks. His rational mind told him she needed to be comforted. Needed compassion. But the rage that consumed him didn’t let up. She was here while Sonya…

‘It was because of you she even went on that pilgrimage.’ The venom escaped, ‘She wanted to pray for your marriage up there in the hills. She was always thinking of you. Even the gods should have considered that when they let this happen. If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t have gone on the journey –’

He bit off the words but the damage was done. He saw shock in her hazel gold eyes, eyes for which she had been named. Pain crumpled her face. With a strangled sob, she hobbled out of the room. The clumsy gait slowed her but there was a dignity in the straight set of her shoulders.

Filed under: Book Enthuse

Short Story – Chained to Shadows Part 2

Work. It was the only thing keeping him sane. Everyday going through the motions. At the office, odd moments found him staring into space but he gathered himself and tried to minimize the distraction of his grief. Keep it tightly under rein.

Grief consumed him the moment his eyes alighted on Amber every day. She was a living reminder of the accident. One he couldn’t wipe out with alcohol or work. She moved around like a shadow, always tending to jobs around the house. He hardly spoke a word to her. Except when her wounds had to be treated.

She had suffered cuts and bruises along with the fracture. The stitches had been removed. The dressings done. He had done all necessary for her recovery. Only the fracture required medical attention now. He took her regularly for the treatment. It felt like the hardest thing he’d ever done.

‘Be ready at eleven today. I’ll be back to pick you up.’ Was his usual order today like on other days. He drove her. Despite her protest that she could go herself, he was determined to do his duty. The doctor was kindly.

‘Healing is progressing well. The plaster can be taken off in another ten days.’ He thanked him and picked up the prescription. The doctor had adjured Amber to apply an ointment on the new scar. The scar compounded the other older one beneath which jagged near her eye and crossed her cheek. Sonya had told him it had occurred during a childhood accident. Her hand had even suffered some burns. She was lucky her eye had been spared.

He drove home in silence.

‘I’ll make lunch.’ Amber offered when they reached home. He didn’t respond. Food didn’t matter much. It was just something one took for surviving another day. He went into his room and began to attend messages from his office. Being a financial analyst kept him occupied most of the day and he was thankful for that now. His assistant had emailed a reminder of a meeting. On his way out, he passed by Amber’s room. Muffled sound of hiccups drew him and he paused, suspended for a moment. Then his feet almost dragging, he went in.  She sat hunched, head buried in her hands. Sobs shook her frame. Tears wet her hands.

‘Amber –’

Her wide eyes flew up to him, her face tear-streaked. ‘Victor. I’m sorry…’ Her wide pleading gaze caught his and he felt an infinitesimal give in the hard solid thing his chest had become since it became devoid of all feeling.

‘Why are you crying?’ He tried to take the harsh edge out of his voice, not completely succeeding.

Fresh tears started. Abruptly, she caught his hand. ‘I’m sorry, Victor. I wish I hadn’t come back. I should’ve died there instead of didi.’ She sobbed harder.

‘That’s a ridiculous thing to say.’ The line between his brows deepened. Guilt climbed inside. He’d brought it on. He was responsible for this crying bout. With his rejection of her and his cursing of Fate on why he’d lost his wife, he’d totally ignored how he was treating Amber and how he could be making her feel.

He reached out and cupped her cheek. The ridged scars felt rougher than the rest of her skin which was soft. Wetness slipped between his fingers.

‘You’re not to carry blame for what happened.’ His own words surprised him. But inside him he admitted it was the truth. It was easier to find a focus he could vent his anger on, a target for his grief but however hard it was he had to see the truth.

He sat down beside her, feeling her go still as his words penetrated. His arms slid around the thin frame. ‘You were right, Amber. You lost a sister too. But I’ve been concentrating on just how I felt.’

The sobs shook her harder. She went into his arms. He felt tears prick his lids. Easier to blink them away. Hard to give in to them. But her sorrow propelled his. Slowly the knot in his throat dissolved and he let go. Silent drops fell. He bent down and kissed her scarred cheek. The instinctive gesture sent a shock coursing through him. He rocked her slightly. Then got up and went out of the room.

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Filed under: Book Enthuse, Uncategorized

Announcing free read for Valentine’s

Do you believe in Valentine’s day or do you think this is just another overblown hype? A lot is made of it these days, isn’t it? When every shop you enter has red heart shaped balloons strung around and you seem to spot red roses every few steps on the sidewalk, it can get to be a bit much.

But at the same time, who doesn’t love romance? And the reminder of being in love…that magic, the buzz. Having an excuse to celebrate it can really give one’s humdrum life a zing!

These days Valentine’s starts way early with the so-called Valentine week! One can’t help but get infected by the calls going around for promise day, chocolate day etc. Love is in the air and so are roses and presents! So, in keeping with the spirit, I too have a gift. A small token, to thank my readers for their support and prospective readers for their interest Not chocolates, sadly, but something as nice and sweet. A short romantic read.

I’m putting up it up in five installments from 10th to 14th Feb. It’s titled ‘Chained to Shadows‘.

It’s a story about fighting free of past conceptions.

Victor has lost his wife in an accident. Can he find love again?

Find out 10th Feb onwards!

Do pop over and read each part as it is put up or you can follow this blog by email to have it land smoothly into your inbox

Join me on twitter or my facebook page to keep up with my news.

See you on 10th!

Meanwhile, do share your take on V-Day. Boring? Enchanting? What is it for you?

Filed under: Just Bloggin', Uncategorized

Review – Grays Hill by Barbara T. Cerny

The Blurb

After her father committed suicide rather than face his mounting gambling debts, Oksana Wallingford knows she will have to work in order to keep food on the table and her younger brother, the new baron, in school. When her best friend finds her a position as the nanny of his brother’s children, it is the opportunity Oksana needs. But what she didn’t contend with was Rafe, the recently widowed Duke of Essex and her new employer.

 Oksana and Rafe’s personalities are like oil and water. However, what begins as mutual hate slowly begins to change into something more. But what future can they have when Rafe has sworn off marriage for good?

As the mismatched pair struggles to come to terms with one another, a disaster that throws everything into question strikes them both.

 

I found Grays Hill to be an engaging historical read. Though the overarching theme in the story is the duke’s recovery from the emotional damage he had suffered, effected through his romance with his governess, the story isn’t centered on the two romantic characters but rather embraces all the characters in its fold. They are warm, cheerful and you go happily along for a ride.

At places there is lack of conflict which takes you out of the story and the interest wanes near the end because of that. Interaction between main characters started a little late in the book and ended a bit too early and the last episode along with the spotlight on the villain, in my view, was unnecessary. I enjoyed the middle half thoroughly. The heroine is unusual and takes the stage. But she is depicted so strongly that at one or two points one looks askance at the hero.

I rate it four stars out of five for readability except the last one fourth of it, four stars for concept and world building.

Read it if you’re looking for a historical, entertaining read which is not a typical genre cast.

Filed under: My take on it

Review – Double Jeopardy by Sundari Venkatraman

Blurb

Sanya doesn’t just have trouble, she has double trouble. Twins Arth and Ansh Sharma, are rich, sexy and sinfully handsome – what’s a girl to do?

 Sanya last saw the twins when she was ten years old. Now, all grown up, she has come looking for gentle Arth, the twin she has loved ever since she can remember. But instead, she is confronted with fiery Ansh, who is hell-bent on seducing her. And what’s worse, she can’t seem to stop herself from responding to him.

 As she chases Arth and is chased by Ansh, Sanya finds herself on a crazy roller coaster ride with no way of getting off. How will she deal with these two very different men in her life? Will she be able to convince one twin that she loves the other?

First the title. I congratulate Sundari on it. It is very intriguing and makes you want to pick up this book.

As in the blurb the story revolves around Sanya’s predicament about two men she knew as boys while growing up. The differing feelings in the past and present have been explored and Sanya is given her perfect ending in the conclusion.

What I liked most about the book is Sundari’s writing. She has a way of wanting you to read more so that you don’t feel that the story is being thrust upon you.

The short length is a drawback because the characters come out too simplistic. The author has wisely desisted from introducing any other conflict between characters. But conversely that makes the characters miss the depth they could have had. I felt too that the epilogue type ending could have been used to add more words to the story.

Throughout, the story stays loyal to its theme. At the end, it comes out a little idealistic as though it’s the author’s depiction of what should or could be the approach of modern India towards the issues discussed. I don’t mean this as a criticism though.

I rate it four stars out of five for readability, three for plot, and three and a half for my takeaway impression. Looking to read more from this author.

Read it for Sundari’s lovely flowing writing and clean cut descriptions.

Filed under: My take on it

Get to know – author Barbara T. Cerny

Today I have on my blog author Barbara T. Cerny talking about writing and her book Gray’s Hill. Let’s get to know Barbara through this interview.

Q: Tell us something about yourself and how you got into writing?

I grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, a dinky town of 30K when I lived there. The place was full of stories. Stories of the old west and ghost towns and back roads that led to nowhere and towns called No Name. The place was also full of beauty: The Bookcliffs where wild horses roamed, the Colorado National Monument with its rock formations such as Independence Monument, the Kissing Couple, and Coke Ovens. It was a quiet place that was safe and easy to live in. It was a place where the imagination could run as wild as the juniper trees and sage brush. My parents were readers so I became a reader, too. I remember books being in my life from the very beginning. I have wanted to write since the second grade. I was always coming up with stories to tell my friends at lunch or on the bus rides to/from school. I wrote through high school – on the journalism team, in creative writing class, on the teen page for the city newspaper.

Q: Your experience of writing a book – easy as pie or hard as nails? Each one is different. Grays Hill flowed fast. I had already done most the research for Of Angels and Orphans and I used all that research again for Grays Hill. I love to write descriptions (remember the 4 page description of the dress Scarlett O’Hara wore in the first chapter of Gone With the Wind? Okay, I am not THAT bad). Dialogue is very hard for me and I struggle with it and have to really concentrate on it. The editor working on my fifth novel is constantly telling me to rewrite descriptive paragraphs into dialogue (she is diabolical to say the least). I would be perfectly happy to write everything in a description. However, knowing that would drive away my readers, dialogue and I have come to a truce of sorts. For Grays Hill, the hardest part was moving Rafe from his hard as nails persona to a more loving persona. I was a fat kid, so writing about OJ being fat and losing weight was easy and very personal.

Q: What motivates you to write?

I think I was just born with a writing gene, if there is such a thing. I have done very well at my jobs over the years due to my writing ability even though that is not fiction (or is it?). I guess it is hard to find folks that understand technology (my degree is in computer science) and English at the same time. I write novels because it fills my “love bucket”, the thing that keeps me happy and fulfilled. I would love to make a living at writing but sometimes writing is enough.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

For Grays Hill, I have to admit up front that I stole the Masquerade Hall lock, stock, and barrel from the castle of Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic. My family visited it while I was on my two weeks off from my deployment (I am a retired lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserves and spent a year in 2006-2006 in Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom). I was stunned at its magnificence and creativeness and the story of Grays Hill came crashing into my brain while I stood in that glorious room. That kind of inspiration has only happened that one time.

Q: Please describe your book briefly.

Well, one can read the blurb on the back of the book but it is really about growing up a finding yourself. Oksana Wallingford, aka OJ, is s a very strong woman. But she has lived at home taking care of her mother and little brother all her life. She is thrust out into the world and now must make it on her own outside the cocoon of her family. OJ is a large woman, in height and girth. She is ashamed of her weight but instead of lamenting about it she acknowledges it and decides to do something about it. She is strong, dependable, independent and above all humorous. On the other hand, Rafael Tarkington is one miserable human being. Burned by his first, deceased, wife, he has sworn off women and bitterness has taken over his life. He treats those around him with contempt and distain. However, through OJ’s amazing patience and fiery spirit, she finally teaches him that not all women are the same and love is defiantly worth it. This is the male character I wouldn’t want to hang around for very long.

Q: How do you overcome writer’s block?

 I work on 2-3 books at a time. When one isn’t flowing, I go to another. Or I go do research or marketing.

Q: Does writing get in your way of life?

 It is absolutely the OTHER way around. I write part, part, part-time. If I get in 2-3 hours a week, I am lucky.

Q: What’s next in your writing plans?

I have two books with editors. My regular editor couldn’t get into my paranormal, The Tiefling, so I had to find a new one. My new editor (the diabolical one), is changing every word, I think. But the novel will be pretty darn cool. It is set in Scotland, 1053, and first person male. I really had to get in touch with my masculine side for that.

The sequel to Shield of the Palidine, called Magic Thief of Gavalos, is through my editor (the regular one) and it is well over 425 pages. It is with the illustrator at the moment. As editing is simply the start of writing, they both are still “current”.

I am also developing three new novels: one romance is set in Sweden in the 1600s (researching the 30 Years’ War for background history), a second is a modern murder mystery called The Walled Cat (you will have to read it to understand that strange name!), and a biography of an amazing woman I know. That biography is by far the hardest book I have written and will probably be the only non-fiction I will ever write. It takes a special kind of writer to do biographies and I don’t think I “have” it.

And here comes our rapidfire round:

Your favourite movie. You are going to laugh as it is so hokey now. Star Wars, Episode IV – A New Hope. It moved the movie business to a whole new level and started us down the path we are on today. It wasn’t so much the story but the technology. In 1977 I was a sophomore in high school and Star Wars was simply jaw dropping. I am such a geek. However, Beaches has to be right up there. I cry buckets every time.

The worst movie you’ve seen Ator.1982.

Any secret habit? I talk to myself, out loud. Mostly when I am driving. It is how I do dialogue between my characters. I am sure I look like an idiot to other drivers.

Actor you’d fall for in a heartbeat. Pierce Brosnan

Favourite book. The Stand by Stephen King. That book made me think more about the human condition and where we might be going than any other. And made me wonder if I would end up in Las Vegas or in Boulder. I hope I am headed toward Boulder.

Fallback option when the fridge is empty. Raw pre-made sugar cookie dough. This might also be considered my secret habit!

What comforts you when things go bad? Food and a good movie to cry to, like Beaches or Fried Green Tomatos or Water for Elephants.

Your most comfortable outfit. Baggy jeans, T-shirt, hoodie, socks, tennis shoes. I wear suits and dresses to work everyday. On the weekends, it is dress down all the way!

Thank you, Barbara! It was great chatting with you. Lovely to hear about your town. You surprised me with Star Wars and yes, the secret habit…I’d love to see the other drivers’ faces when you’re talking characters’ dialogues!

Hope you all enjoyed this chat with Barbara T. Cerny. Do check out her book Gray’s Hill. Here’s the cover and the blurb.

 
Grays Hill By Barbara T. Cerny



The Blurb
 
After her father committed suicide rather than face his mounting gambling debts, Oksana Wallingford knows she will have to work in order to keep food on the table and her younger brother, the new baron, in school. When her best friend finds her a position as the nanny of his brother’s children, it is the opportunity Oksana needs. But what she didn’t contend with was Rafe, the recently widowed Duke of Essex and her new employer.
 
Oksana and Rafe’s personalities are like oil and water. However, what begins as mutual hate slowly begins to change into something more. But what future can they have when Rafe has sworn off marriage for good?
 

As the mismatched pair struggles to come to terms with one another, a disaster that throws everything into question strikes them both.
 
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Grays Hill

Meet the Author

 
Barbara T. Cerny grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado. She served twenty-two years in the US Army Reserves, retiring a Lieutenant Colonel in 2007. She is an information technology specialist and supervisor. Barb writes historical romances good for late teen and adults. She puts a lot of history and adventure into her work. Words are her passion, they do matter.
 

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Filed under: Author Interviews

Review : The Treasure of Kafur by Aroon Raman

A tale of flight and chase is always interesting and The Treasure of Kafur capitalises on the fact. This book is a mixture of fantasy and historical which is spot on. Though I didn’t expect the fantasy element in this tale of the Mughal period and thought it a little unbelievable at first, soon I found it woven into the historical thread.

I don’t usually read fantasy so I found it surprising that I enjoyed it and that speaks much for the book. I got into the story early on because there wasn’t much time to dwell as the story unfolded at a good pace.

Adventure, chase, mayhem, plans, surprises, everything has been worked in skilfully. I admit I was askance about use of actual historical figures in a fictional world but that is only a little hampering. I wished imaginary figures were used but I guess the tension couldn’t have been built that strongly and anyway it wasn’t hard to overlook.

I do wonder if a sequel is in the offing. The characters are engaging enough for one if the author plans it.

All in all I enjoyed reading this and definitely recommend it.

I give it five stars for readabiilty, four for concept, five for the world building without which this story wouldn’t have been what it is.

Read it if you’re in the mood for a fast paced adventure story.

Filed under: My take on it